So it’s going to be back to school for privately educated children whilst state kids get thrown under the bus

[S1nkorSw1m]

So no more primary children in and secondary left until Sep at the earliest.Of course this gov aren’t bothered about the nation’s children as they prioritise the hospitality sector over schools. Most of their children will be in private schools getting an education.

What an utter shambles.

Yep, My brothers kids go to a private school, full online lessons, vitual one to one learning & parents demand this.

Then again, in more normal times, the difference in teaching standards, facilities and class sizes is huge too.

No point complaining though, we have voted for this for decades.

Can I add to the private schools are following state guidelines and are also at risk of closing, the whole sector is on its knees so what maybe be even worse if the parents who use the private sector have no choice but to apply for state places.

I can see that creating even more of a situation

I work in an Academy (Primary) in a fairly deprived area and the headteacher is very keen to reopen as widely as possible, so I expect they will start opening other years asap. It's 3FE modern-built school and they have set up a large marquee in the field so they have capacity to accept more pupils.

They have provided an excellent full-time online programme of teaching and work-setting during the last few months including providing tech for any children who need it so now the job will be to manage the split between those coming back and those continuing to stay at home.

Personally I believe the government is at fault for not providing the equipment, guidelines and support for schools during this period. It's been left to SLTs... and of course the blame is all being put on individual teachers.

What gets me is most of the school age population are low risk. Expecting children to make sacrifices for older people is unusual, many older people would probably prefer to make sacrifices so their grandchildren can have a future.

I keep seeing this and people seem to forget that adults work in schools. If 2 fall ill the school could close. The children may be low risk but the adults aren't.

It isn't at all unusual for children to be considered after adults. It's been that way through history. Only comparatively recently did people begin to think children mattered as much.

Children don't create wealth so the government is not in the least concerned about them at the moment.

Social distancing means schools just cannot fully open. Not allowing teachers to wear masks is plain stupid.

I don't think they are back at school.
However, I know people with children in two different private schools and they are receiving full days of lessons via teams. They have to register in the mornings (attendance is compulsory) and then have lessons with 20 minutes break between each one so they can get away from the screen for a while.
So, bar a couple of weeks where the schools were setting up the systems, their education has continued pretty much as before. The GCSE and A-level students continued to study the curriculum as if there were going to be exams and in one school I know of the GCSE pupils are now have bridging lessons to get ready for A-levels as well as enrichment activities and projects which they would have had if they'd been in school and the A-level students have had reading materials and work provided to prepare them for the subject they have chosen to study at university.

Meanwhile, my friends who have children in various state schools are reporting differing levels of educations. A couple of them are coming close to the private schools with the amount/quality of work provided but no online lessons. Then there are a couple who just receive one or two worksheets per subject a week, going over things they have done before and no guidance on how to help their children.

So yes, a chasm opening up.

@GeneticTest thanks, this is helpful info.

Not sure why peeps are bashing the gov - there is little advantage to the gov of schools being closed

Social distancing requires smaller classes, which means more rooms for classes, more teachers, more classroom assistants, more washing areas, more cleaners for rooms, equipment and toilets.....

All either not possible or hugely expensive.

I’m in school so yes I do want my kids in. I’m expected to go in for a tiny number of kids whilst I leave my teens to go feral, get depressed and watch their future go down the swanny.

With regard to the unions (who werent involved in producing the governmens guidance) which bits do people not agree with in particular?
The ' long' list of demands were
Lower infection rates
A national plan for social distancing and guidelined for when PPE was appropriate
Testing easily accessible for staff and children
Whole school tested if someone tests positive
Protection for extremely vulnerable staff

I do get that there will be some high risk teachers. It still feels wrong to me. The children can't advocate for themselves and their futures.

Schools are tied by the gov guidance - They are limited to only 25% of a year in school at once.

My DSs school which is private, wanted go back to school in June for y10 & y12 for actual lessons but they can't.

Even alternating weeks for y10 & y12 (with only 40 pupils in y10 & 30 in y12) with the entire school premises available for them, they are not allowed because the number of pupils exceed the 25%.

They have remote learning which has been great, but have only been offered 2 days in school, with the years split in 4 with just access to teacher no lessons, until the end of term.

Grasspigeons
Did the unions specify how low for infection rates?

Have 4 all in different independent schools, all are still home. As far as I know their schools have reopened but only as recommended by the government for reception, year1's and 6's and have made clear they will be following government guidelines. However, aside from having their entire school day virtually, 8.30am - 3.30 (somedays 4.30 due to clubs etc), there have been no changes to their education/school day. If anything I feel like they are getting more work now and much more homework.

I'm not sure how beneficial anecdotes are but since that seems to pass for facts nowadays ... our private school isn't going back.And they've made it clear that although schools are supposed to go back in Sept, it will only be part-time and DCs will still be getting online learning. It's following the same advice as the state schools.
Lots of the DCs aren't getting any support at home because their parents are at work. A very low percentage of the DCs are engaging with the online learning.
A lot of our parents choose private education because of the wraparound care. Now they're not getting that, they're struggling to fit their DCs in with their careers.

A lot of people studying educational attainment (IFS for one) think we are at the point where we will have long term effects on poorer cohorts of school closures. Appalling. Something different needs to be done to avoid this outcome.

It’s been going on too long now for it to be a shrug and a ‘they’ll catch up’.

Why can’t we actively fund and recruit for new teachers and staff to allow ones in vulnerable categories to shield? It hasn’t even been tried. Children need a new deal.

MarshaBradyo - i'm not sure. They wanted a sustained downward trend. It was several weeks ago when they came up with their demands so infection rates were higher then. It was as much about government providing evidence it was safe because the government did that huge presentation about R being below one but in some regions its above 1.

@Juliet2014 My year 5 is going back to his private school tomorrow!

The union demands should have been

1 all kids back at school ASAP, teaching is a vital public service
2 if social distancing is mandated in schools, money must be provided for Nightingale Schools and additional teacher recruitment
3 shielding teachers must be protected from any pressure to return

The very idea of a union arguing that its members should not do their jobs for months is crazy.

I’m getting bored now with the ‘it’s the adults at risk not the kids’ line.

So private school teachers have fewer health risks than state? Secondary school can teach outside, in halls, the largest rooms, find spaces where you don’t need to be close to pupils. Get the kids to leave the room before you. Part time at least should be possible.

Everyone says soncdary schools are cramped and can't cope with pupils going back - surely a secondary school can accommodate year 10 and year 12!!!!! that is less than 1/3 of students or for yr 7-11 20% and for a 6 form college 50%.
AM sick to death of the unions constantly blocking this issue.

No private schools will not go back because this spineless government know someone like the OP will come along and yell class war, and they don't have the guts to stand up to that. And the private school will not re-open until the government okays it for fear of being sued. There is no reason why my DD cannot be at school as they have the space but she's not and won't be. So rejoice OP, all children will be equally messed up by this.

Our primary school has opened for N, R, 1 and 6, plus 2 classrooms of KW children.

But that's using all our teachers and TAs (4 are shielding).

To open for years 2, 3, 4 and 5, even if we did put marquees up in the playground or used the local church hall or persuaded the library to open for us, we still wouldn't have enough staff.

Could the government ask retired teachers or student teachers to come in? Or OFSTED Inspectors?

I’m getting bored now with the ‘it’s the adults at risk not the kids’ line.

It's only true if you think Covid-19 is the ONLY risk.

Kids are at all kinds of risk of harm from ongoing school closures.

Subjecting them to these risks to keep adults safe from a not very big risk (for the najority) is perverse.

Maybe we should require teachers do medical. There seems to be an unusually high risk amongst those teaching at state schools.

Good thing doctors and care home workers and shop assistants are less vulnerable.

To be fair, the problem with Y10 and Y12 isn't really about space, it's more about timetabling, particularly with Y12. They all study different subjects - so if they all have to stay in the same bubble with the same teacher, how can this work? Worth it in some state schools I think, as more disadvantaged kids can at least do supervised study, even if they're effectively being supervised by a cover teacher (or perhaps their form tutor, for pastoral support). But DS's (private) school has decided it's far better academically for them to stay at home, where they're getting high quality remote learning delivered by their normal subject teacher, than to come in for a series of cover lessons.

The private school I work at is going back in two weeks. Plus they have been delivering a full time table with zoom lessons, registration and marking the work that children do.

The state school my children attend have not had any zoom lessons and they are following worksheets that are put on the school website, with generic replies when I send the work in. Thankfully they are looking at returning the other years on a part time basis for a few weeks. So I am grateful for that. But this lock down has definitely showed me the divide.