Can’t see how children will be able to go back to school in 2021

[Ouchy]

Let’s face it. The R0 may not be controlled for months. Vaccine unlikely until 2021. Teaching unions up in arms. People unwilling to accept the risk of the virus (low for many). I’m getting more and more concerned and the government haven’t published any forward plans for how school can be restarted in the various scenarios we may be facing come September (have they?). What on earth are the DfE and the Education Secretary doing during the working week if they’re not planning this stuff? Is there something I’ve missed - am I mistaken? I’m getting more and more concerned. The children are low risk - there needs to be a plan and fast as their educations and social development are being kind of ignored for something they’re super low risk for as individuals themselves. Looking for reassurance really - am I mistaken or being silly?

Well, I suppose ‘work set for most subjects’ would be improved if it was ‘all subjects.’

My daughter is Y10.

Full days of lessons on Microsoft teams would mean a lot of students - in some catchments - being totally left behind as that only works with individual ICT and strong WiFi and a private place to work. Hell I don't have all of that and I'm the one teaching.

PSE? PE? Spanish which only one teacher takes and she's currently grieving a parent?
Does your child not have work set by one of their exam subjects for this year? And what does the school say about this, if so?

Yeah I get that.

But y19 children doing a gcse in a subject and not being set work for that subject. I think that’s problematic.

The department head didn’t reply. The head of year escalated it to the head. The head hasn’t replied yet.

GCSE drama.

I know, I should suck it up, she should suck it up.

Who said anything about a Spanish teacher grieving a parent?

Did I miss that?

My dc gets plenty of work from drama and he's not at exam level. They should give work. However drama is often a small department so it's not impossible that there is some reason there why it's not happening.

So grieving the death of a parent (a common experience for adults in work) is now an excuse for pupils not having work set?

When people take time off to grieve, normally they are back filled by someone else.

Children in Y10 will not miss out as their exams will take into account the disruption to their learning.
Who are you to tell people not to be concerned? I am going back to full time teaching next week - my choice - but I have colleagues with serious conditions, parents with lowered immunity, partners with auto immune conditions, medically vulnerable kids.

They should just suck it up, yes?

Who is this teacher grieving a parent?

Have I totally missed this?

Children in Y10 will not miss out as their exams will take into account the disruption to their learning.

Um... I'm pretty sure kids go to school to learn and be educated, not just to pass exams.

Nonotthatdr I can't see your theory happening. It might be dead cheap to educate online at a national level. But it has a cost elsewhere every family or group families would need to provide supervision.
That then has a cost in that it with draws people from the workforce. If people aren't working they aren't paying tax or spending money else where, transport, buying lunches, paying for childcare.
Kids need supervision both primary and secondary level. How many people can honestly say if secondary was online based they'd actually listen.
I can picture groups of teens, faffing around in one house, teacher rattling away in the corner on the laptop nobody listening to a word of it. But because they signed in it officially meant they were present!

I do think that this could lead to an overhaul in how schools operate, kids working of laptops submitting stuff online rather than jotters and worksheets.
But not kids at any.level being at home distance learning on an long term basis.

@CountessFrog

Who is this teacher grieving a parent?

Have I totally missed this?

Oh it's this new Covid thing where you get to make up and imagine deaths in lurid detail to press home your point about how life as we knew it is over.

Nihiloxica you are a cold fish aren't you. When I took time off to grieve either of my parents' deaths no one "back filled" my classes, they had cover teachers but I left work and caught the classes up when I returned. I don't think I've often read something so lacking in common decency.
I brought up the (hypothetical) grieving teacher as pp said not very subject was providing work, and I was demonstrating how this could happen. Not every subject has a string of staff available.

Jesus wept.
Yeah but yeah but yeah but ...
Schools will go back when they are able and teachers will try their best to mitigate the shit show of the past few weeks. That is all.

Niholixica
Is that like the new Covid thing where posters wring their hands and drop with concern for vulnerable children and ‘mental health’ because it suits their narrative? Yes?

So let me get this right.

I said my year 10 child was not having work set, and somebody said it could be a Spanish teacher with a grieving parent?

That does sound rather desperate to find an excusable reason without knowing anything first...her school doesn’t even teach Spanish??

OMG I'm "cold" for not weeping real tears about a hypothetical death.

Jesus Christ.

But putting mental health in scare quotes is super warm and caring.

Countess you said it wasn't ok that your child had lessons set by most staff, I said did you want lessons from (eg) PE and what about a single person department where there was a good reason why the teacher wasn't able to set work. If you think there could be no genuine reasons why your school might only set work for most rather than all classes then I can't really think what else to say.

Lol

I think if they can’t set work for a gcse, then they ought to explain why not.

Because it’s a bit worrying for the kids, isn’t it? Might even affect their mental health.

I still cannot see where you got the mythical Spanish teacher grieving a parent. So specific.

Good lord. I thought of a subject offered at exam level that might only have one teacher taking it. I was going to say Latin but thought it might lead to a comment about how few schools do Latin. I've worked somewhere with only one Spanish teacher. The teacher could have been sick themselves but statistically more likely to have had a parent sick.

Nihiloxica
I said ‘mental health’ because on the hundreds of ‘teachers are lazy wankers’ threads it always comes up that children who are missing school and their friends are risking serious mental health issues later in life. Which is bollocks and is insulting to those of us whose kids really do have mental health struggles.

I suffered a close bereavement in the first week of lockdown. I still cracked on and did my job and cared for my children and educated them because school aren't.

It wouldn't explain or justify 10 weeks without education on an exam subject.