How/when did the tide turn on schools?

[LaceCurtains]

In the beginning the mood here was almost desperate calling for schools to be closed.

In the last week or so there's been a marked shift to getting them open (from peope here).

Is it the same people who wanted the closed, now calling for them to get back to normal or have the original campaigners gone quiet/new people got louder?

FWIW I always thought schools closed as early as they did because of public pressure and it seems to me that "other" things are getting back to normal more quickly than originally planned/expected (because of DC and the need to distract?) but schools don't seem to be included in that.

I'm at a loss as to why schools are being treated so differently. I'm SLT in school, if that makes a difference and the government guidance is a shambles. Changes daily but doesn't seem to have any clear aim.

@younghillkang.
Quote
Exactly a number of comparisons to Luxembourg on this thread- who only reopened primary schools very recently btw - but left out a number of facts, one important one is that they hired hundreds of extra staff in order to do this safely. Possible partly because Luxembourg is tiny and extremely wealthy! This meant that they could run smaller classes.
luxtimes.lu/luxembourg/40755-hundreds-of-extra-staff-hired-for-primary-school-reopening

They also issued masks to students and staff, and children over 6 wear them, as well as building multiple disinfection stations within schools. Cafeterias are closed down, and no PE. They still only run limited provision but instead have provided provision for alternative childcare.

Primary school pupils will be split into two groups, with each cohort alternating attendance in public schools in order to reduce class sizes and limit the chances of spreading coronavirus.
During the weeks when learners are not in school, alternative childcare arrangements will be made in communes where possible. Additional education staff were hired to greet children upon arrival in school, to supervise and work with learners during the week they are not present in school and cover where teachers are not able to return to work.
delano.lu/d/detail/news/mass-recruitment-drive-primary-school-reopening/210533
End quote.
In my of the explanation of the schooling situation in Luxembourg I avoided making too much of a comparison of resources.

You are quite correct. In Luxembourg the return to school has been a very high priority of the Government and resources have been thrown at it.
Of course Luxembourg has a head start on Britain as Education at all levels has received significant funding over many years.
A considerable amount of planning has gone into the return which presently has proved successful.
Statistics about how many have returned have not yet been released but in the first main week of secondary school return a figure of 95% was mentioned. This is close to the normal.

We are in Scotland and Nicola was quite clear from the outset that children were unlikely to return to school before August. It now looks likely that this will be part time until at least January. I would be incredibly disgruntled if I was getting mixed messages and didn’t know what was happening from one day until the next.

We are happy with that but I am a stay at home parent to one, very bright, 13 year old who dislikes the social side of school. Our school have excelled themselves with the online learning they are offering and whilst I’d be lying if I said he was “motivated” he is happy to just get on with the work and get it done. I completely understand that this is no use for working parents or very social children.

Just watching the nightly update on BBC news, I can not believe the education minister hasn't shown his face tonight! What a coward!!!

It’s at times of crisis like this that the results of ten or more years of underfunding and poor management illuminate how neglected state education has been.
However the voters appear to prefer a Government that does not spend on education.

Has this turned into another thread where teachers speak to parents as though they are children?

Quelle Surprise!

I notice this in the real world. People who’ve always worked in schools (since they left full time education) don’t seem clued up on the real world and operate in a hierarchical bubble where they know best and they can patronise all they talk to.

How are all of the shops going to open if a lot of their staff have to stay at home and look after their children...That's got to be a problem surely...

@gf makes a very good point. I think the villain virus is in fact shining a bright spotlight and revealing the decrepit state of this country's healthcare and education system, and all the debt.

"old" Europe - bar Germany - looks so weak and feeble and old-fashioned compared to the "new" world of Asia and the Pacific - and I don't mean China. I mean Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, poor Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam. Countries which had the knowhow and scientific/health funding to close quickly, who had the tech knowledge and manufacturing capacity, who had practised plans in place to control their borders and influx of virus, to carry on virtual education, to promote masks and visors and get pupils back to school and businesses back in a prompt manner - with excellent PPE. Some already realised that these countries had a great future due to education, reliance on science and values, plus lack of national debt.

I notice this in the real world. People who’ve always worked in schools (since they left full time education) don’t seem clued up on the real world and operate in a hierarchical bubble where they know best and they can patronise all they talk to.😂 Signing off a personally addressed email to a parent as Mr/Mrs/Ms still makes me laugh, Council workers do the same - but I know of no one else. 😂

It's an utterly rubbish situation, finally had a response to my email about home learning, apparently the school are unable to provide anything other than the weekly task sheet, there will be no feedback, marking or interaction. They will also not facilitate the home learning for the key worker children when attending school. The government specified this is childcare so they do not have to and will not be providing more apparently. They don't acknowledge that children with 2 key worker parents are disadvantaged. So disappointing. I will politely raise further.

I spoke to my lovely teacher friend who is providing so much more. I know some schools and teachers have been fab, it makes me more disappointed with our school tbh. We don't have an option to move schools, unless we consider private. Lots for us to mull over but I know we can't continue like this until September.
I'm sorry for anyone struggling.
Some of the teachers on here have given really balanced views which has been helpful.

Yesterday I did online parents' evening got my Year 9s -crucial time to keep the motivated to start their GCSE syllabi's next year. Obviously no safeguarding issues at all meeting online with parents -any school could do that.

Transition for secondary is now happening in August so may be the same for p1 as my youngest is starting then.

We're also in rural Scotland. Ds goes into p1 and whilst the school are suggesting activities and sending work sheets, the only transition item has been a video of the buildings.

I think the problem is that a bad school is a bad school, no matter if it is under normal conditions (before lockdown) or these unusual circumstances (distance learning).

Rather than a weekly task sheet, at our school all children in all year groups have daily learning activities set on their year group website which cover English, Maths and Topic. Most of the activities have answer sheets linked so that the children or parents can mark their work. These home learning activities have been available from day 1. And now that we have Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 back at school full time, the home learning is still available for those children that are either shielding or that their parents were worried in general and decided not to send them back.

As a parent I can say I have felt completely supported by my children's school in all aspects. We are expected to contact the teachers at least once a week to let them know how the children are getting on with the work, or how they are doing in general. Other parents I know whose children have learning disabilities or are not coping well, get daily phone calls and all sorts of help from the SENCO.

The school is also open for key workers' children and has always been throughout the lockdown, including Easter and half-term.

As a TA who is back working in one of those Year groups allowed to come back to school, I can say that we would love to have all the students back, but it can only happen when the government guidelines change. It has nothing to do with what the teachers want or not, it has to do with what the government decides (whether right or wrong).

When the government first announced schools had to prepare for wider opening, they messed up the guidelines sent to school big time. They amended documents on a daily basis and it totalled to up to 50 different documents that the school had to read though to be able to find what the latest change was. Preliminary plans changed and had to be re-written a number of times because the government kept changing things.

I sincerely hope that by September things can go back to normal or close to normal. I think it is a good thing that people are writing to their MPs and they should continue to pressure the government to publish what their long term plan is so that at least we know what to expect. We all want the same thing, to see our children back at school when it is safe.

@Ellle I didn't think it was a bad school but we now feel patronised, ignored and that they don'r care about the children. There were 8 children attending school before last week looked after by 1 teacher and a TA, it's astounding they think the level of contact/efforts were enough.

I never wanted schools to shut - just accepted it was a reality (London ).
Now I have two children who are not in priority years and a shit home school offer (yes I have complained to head, exec head and chair).
I can't imagine how I will feel if it is part time in sept

Pomegranatepompom
I've done my fair share of trying to defend schools on here, but I concede defeat. That sounds appallingly shit.
I do feel angry at such schools who give the rest of us a bad name (on here, anyway).

I didn't think ours was a bad school either - but they have done as little as possible - good long list of websites - but it's not easy to teach yourself A levels - I can't figure out what's changed with the school management - they are normally very pushy and highly academic - possibly they think they are helping by not pressurizing the kids too much (who knows!) but it's crossed over to the lack of support and teacher engagement and is making things increasingly difficult.

All the local HT (15 of them) got together to tell us all to lower our expectations, stop comparing provision at schools (in that teacher talk style, we definitely got a lecture and a bit told off 😂) and back off - it was a weird letter. Of the three local secondaries - none of the parents I know have been happy (we still compare - how naughty are we!)... no feedback, little marking, no phone calls for either child.
I really hope they get back to school because the distance learning is not working well despite IT provision being plentiful in our area - the schools are not willing.
Have sent a letter to our MP, waiting on the reply, two letters to the school - got told off proper teacher style for the first one, I was of course being completely unreasonable - the second one I thought I'd take a different tack and praise them for the things they were doing right - to encourage them to do more that didn't work either. 😂 And I am laughing because I'm over being angry - the Gov need to do something - right this time!

@callmeangelina I feel quite tearful about it, work has been awful, tbh I might resign, at least I won't be stressed plus have to try and home school.

I feel so, so disappointed with the school.
It's obvious from the posts on here, some teachers have done far more. I don't think we can repair how we now view the school. This is a new head, the previous head was amazing and I can't help but think, it would have been different under his leadership.
The government set the bar low, but the school seem happy to be at this level.

[quote Speeding201700]@IncrediblySadToo

www.cnbc.com/2020/06/08/asymptomatic-coronavirus-patients-arent-spreading-new-infections-who-says.html

It's also in the dailymail but I refuse to link that hahaha.[/quote]
Sorry not read through the thread but on bbc website today an article shares that Dr Van Kerkhove who made that claim has clarified her comments. It seems she was talking more about those who remain asymptomatic and never get ill with COVID.

Also article writes: ‘Director of the WHO's health emergencies programme, Dr Michael Ryan, said he was "absolutely convinced" asymptomatic transmission was occurring, "the question is how much".’

The stance by WHO at this point of time seems to be they don’t know yet on this issue whether and how much asymptomatic patients can transmit the virus and when it comes to permanently asymptomatic if at all.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52977940

@Guylan. Yes that was my point. People not understanding what was actually said and then making statements that are incorrect!

We had a letter about high school transition. They are getting 1 2 hour visit to high school. Utterly dismal and pathetic

Ours are getting nothing at all.

I completely understand that this is no use for working parents or very social children.

Or special needs children like my youngest, or my also very bright 14 year old who needs taught his National 5 courses. Or probably most people really :( what a shambles

That’s rubbish @CountessFrog

Yeah it’s dire isn’t it?

It’s absolutely ridiculous

Women and children thrown under a bus to protect old men is basically what it comes down to. The patriarchy is alive and well.