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?

weeping - maybe you could add in your letter about the fact that FSM provision will not be provided over the summer since access to food is even more fundamental than access to education. I've already written to my MP about this, I'm assuming anyone else using disadvantaged children in their arguments for getting kids back has done the same?

nihil - I can't believe that anyone could argue against pupil premium, would you argue against FSM as well? We use our PP amongst other things to provide breakfast and revision guides, something I'm assuming you have no trouble providing for your own children?

raph - primary school is completely different to secondary school in terms of logistics and risk of spread. Primary - parent drops off, mixes with 14 other kids + 1 adult. Secondary - make their own way (often on public transport), in 6 different groups of 14 throughout the day. Massive mixing in corridors. Staggering starts / lunches more difficult due to the sheer numbers involved (almost 2000 in my school if everyone is in). The bubble doesn't work due to different options/sets. If you work in a school surely your child can use the keyworker provision and be in fulltime anyway? The government has relaxed it's 'only if they're not safe at home' message so school should take them unless they have extremely high numbers (unusual for a secondary)

I meant I work in a high risk area not that I have had Covid.

I didn’t take up my keyworker place because I was made to feel irresponsible when I can technically WFH some days.

And I’m glad I didn’t.

In my school, when they finally let them back in, keyworker kids are being put in the school hall with a TA.

Blue, we (UK) had more deaths yesterday from covid than Australia have ever had. Maybe that might have something to do with the differences in school provision?

The situation is dire.

I'm very concerned about the mental health aspects and the impact on children's physical health.

My youngest DS13 is suffering, he needs the important elements that going to school provides - exercise, socialising with his peer group, being part of a community, having a sense of purpose.

The loss of an academic education is of course a worry as well, but I'm more concerned about his mental and physical health which are both suffering immensely with no school. Online schooling will not provide those all important community and social elements.

DH is a teacher - with no government guidance his school are planning three separate timetables for Sept. 1. Continuation of current full time home learning. 2. Full time in school 3. Hybrid - part time in person, part time at home. He and other teachers are worried about how they'll manage to deliver both in person lessons and online lessons - part time in school means PT for the children - teachers will be there full time teaching all the different batches of children on a rotational basis. With very small class sizes teachers will be extremely over stretched repeating classes.

maybe you could add in your letter about the fact that FSM provision will not be provided over the summer since access to food is even more fundamental than access to education

This isn't normally provided, why would it be provided now? The tax credit system provides for this doesn't it? It's what I use to finance meals for my children during the school holidays. If it's provided depends on how it is funded, if it's coming out of existing school budgets than I think it would be completely wrong, it should be financed by the government who (as far as I am aware) are not providing additional funding to schools to cover the increased costs that they are facing.

polly - because as usual a crisis like this affects those who are the poorest. It was done over half term (belatedly) and should be done over the summer. Food banks and church groups normally help over the summer but they are suffering from a lack of donations, increased demand a reduction in potential volunteers because a lot of their existing ones are retired and therefore at greater risk.

*CountessFrog(

‘Go and ask the government?’ That’s the sort of reply my teenager would give, tbh.

Who else do you think would have an answer?

Or are you happier crying "hysteria" and "hyperbole" at anything that you don't like?

The Nazis set out to systematically exterminate ethnic minorities, the disabled and the vulnerable, because they thought their lives were worthless, and it’s clear that in this scenario your sentiments are not dissimilar.

@Younghillkang: probably a good idea for you to carry on with your usual policy of not referring to the Nazis....?

I don't want to remain locked down indefinitely for a lot of reasons. Among others because it's the wrong thing to do for the most vulnerable people in society, who in fact are the people who most need a functioning society, education, medical and other kinds of care, and the company of other people.

If you think that coming out of lockdown to resume normal society = systematically exterminating groups of people on the basis of profoundly racist and false beliefs, then how do you suggest that vulnerable people are cared for by others? In two or three years time when they covid-only NHS has run out of money, should all complex medical care be cancelled? How is a disabled person meant to conduct their daily life without carers, access to transport, company, forms of exercise, aided independence? Is it the best thing for a child of immigrant parents who don't speak good English yet to be deprived of the opportunity to speak in English, read, or even do home schooling for an indefinite period of time?

Get a grip.

@Beawillalwaysbetopdog

polly - because as usual a crisis like this affects those who are the poorest. It was done over half term (belatedly) and should be done over the summer. Food banks and church groups normally help over the summer but they are suffering from a lack of donations, increased demand a reduction in potential volunteers because a lot of their existing ones are retired and therefore at greater risk.

Good point. I just hope that it is not yet another things that schools are expected to fund without additional finance from the government.

Having read through every bit of D of E guidance, the tone seems set for the plan to be remote learning for the foreseeable future. It would be far more helpful I think for the government to commit to this publicly so everyone can prepare themselves for the long haul.

@Edujaded really?

Yes, that's how it reads, I think. Do read it for yourself though as some of it seems deliberately ambiguous.

These are the two main documents:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers

www.gov.uk/government/publications/preparing-for-the-wider-opening-of-schools-from-1-june

Thank you. I’m going to read through it now before I finish my letter to my MP. Poor kids missing out on so much and poor schools and teachers who lack guidance and funding and who will no doubt end up being blamed in some way. I didn’t think it was possible to be more disappointed in the government.

@edujaded I agree that the government are planning for remote learning to happening for some time yet, but I don’t think they’ll be announcing that as a big reveal to the public. They like giving info in bite sized amounts!

@Edujaded

I do agree with you but then this part of the actions for wider opening document gives me cause to think maybe at least in primary increasing bubble size and therefore allowing all in at same time is maybe being considered

So with all this remote learning are the gov planning on letting us all not work to oversee it?

@JimmyGrimble on the contrary, the sudden loss of community and loss of education is going to have a profound impact on the mental health of all children.
Just because two of our children have "diagnosed" MH problems doesn't mean I dismiss what all children are going through right now. I don't know any MH practitioners who are unconcerned about the impact of school closures on children. That doesn't necessarily mean they should open, but it does mean that all schools should be innovating and finding ways to rebuild a bit of a sense of community - recorded assemblies, small group activities online etc. Which some state schools have been doing . And interesting which the NEU are now endorsing as an approach.

If the plan is remote learning into the September term, what is going to happen with employees being back at their workplaces. Employers aren’t going to facilitate employees staying at home indefinitely

@Raphanus3217

So with all this remote learning are the gov planning on letting us all not work to oversee it?

Of course not! I’ll be in full time with KW children whilst my secondary school child is home alone.

Me too App except I’ll be putting foot down from Sep. I’m not throwing my 4 secondary aged kids in exam years under the bus like the gov have any longer.

There is also talk of no exams next year and kids to be graded on a years continual assessment

OMG I don't exactly trust SNP but this means kids leaving school without having actually sat an exam in either 4th or 5th year.

Surely they should be looking at spacing the exams out using bigger venues (council sports halls, including the halls in primary schools, hotel function suites) to SD the children sitting exams.

The SNP are worrying that they will completely screw this up.

I haven't rtft sorry.
One thing I think is really sad, for both teachers and pupils is now the lack of relationship between teacher-pupil. Teachers, who, in a classroom setting would pick up who finds something tricky, who's finished first and might need challenging, as well as the personalities of kids. Likewise kids form bonds with their teachers or TA.
My (ks2) DS teacher has been incredibly responsive on emails etc and the teachers email lessons the day before, send another email if parents have found issues with certain websites or learning platforms and respond to personal emails. However at this stage, it's all parent directed, DC themselves arent able to directly ask for help, or for something to be explained. I'm (I hope) reasonably intelligent but had to get my year 10 DD to explain something as I didnt understand the phrasing/jargon used.
Having said this, I dont know what the answer to the whole problem should be. It's almost impossible to SD in schools and once parents are back in the work place there might be pressure to send kids in who are unwell simply because they cant afford to be home. You only have to see how quickly norovirus can sweep through a primary class to know how things spread.

I can't see how the exams can go ahead next year as pupils will have lost more teaching time than this years external exam candidates. I think they should go with the predicted grades instead. So far the current year 10s have lost 1/3rd of in person teaching time which is really problematic for subjects with practical elements like science, engineering, GCSE PE and so on. Well, all subjects but especially those.