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.

I have a Y10 and a Y6. Both Autistic, both also SEN (Dyslexia and executive function difficulties) In their wisdom my LEA rejected their applications for an ECHp (another application is going in)

Two different Schools.
Both sent home endless worksheets in first two weeks.
Cue hysteria / refusals at home. Real problems.
So, we stopped for 2 weeks.
Now, they are just getting back to a calm 6 hour day.
We are following our own timetable / curriculum as School have sent home no new work in all this time, no option to hand it in, no marking.
No calls to ensure welfare. Nothing. The transition for Y6 is a (static) 'video' of the new school. I asked to collect Y10's workbooks (he'd been sent home ill the week before) = 'not possible'. It's DIRE.

I am very concerned about September, esp for my Y10.
He will learn FAR more at home (plus not be bullied so badly he is having epilepsy like 'fit's which is why he was sent home)
BUT how do we do the practicals for Science / DTech / Engineering?
How does he have the discussions for themes in English Lit?

It's a huge mess. The Govt has made it impossible for Schools to plan. But there is no doubt some Schools have tried, and some done the bare minimum, whilst the actual Curriculum has been paused by Govt since March. And, ditto, like all professions, some teachers are outstanding, some should change jobs.

For those considering private day school for September Harrow School is going to offer sixth form (virtually) for those who pass an entrance exam for girls and boys for £15k a year. www.harrowschool.org.uk/Harrow-School-Online?returnUrl=/default (for STEM subjects only for A level)

There’s a special kind of oblivious that thinks £15k a year on school fees is within reach of folk on this thread.

Xenia. I think this kind of post would go down better in education

Pick up on the tone of the thread!

It is somewhat satisfying that the parents on the WhatsApp who were the first to say 'my child will not be going back on June 1st!' are the same parents now outraged that there are no spaces in the bubbles for their dc's. What changed in that month? Lockdown got too much for them?

@Xenia

For those considering private day school for September Harrow School is going to offer sixth form (virtually) for those who pass an entrance exam for girls and boys for £15k a year. www.harrowschool.org.uk/Harrow-School-Online?returnUrl=/default (for STEM subjects only for A level)

Xenia you really do always add a unique perspective to a thread

It's usually either absolutely batshit or offensively tone-deaf. Occasionally both.

To be fair that may be of interest to some. Mine are abit young yet but if not would be tempted - as an ardent state school supporter never thought I would go over to the dark side....how things change!

Thank you for all of your hard work, I wouldn't want the pressures if being SLT right now, chasing ever moving goalposts.

Am in Ireland feel same way. I supported closure for a time but now in Ireland we down to less than 20 daily new cases & everything on a Rd map to open. Still no school til Sept. which is ok as we finish up end June anyways but we don't know what that will be in sept. Remote learning was a disaster. My first communication from my son's new sec school in Sept was a text this morn to order the school blazer before end of June. Not a word of anything else since Jan! My creche is not reopening for summer (not worth it) and only offering me half days in Sept & won't be accepted with a runny nose. I have the rage!

I'm surprised. Mumsnet and Facebook was full of people saying 'how disgusting' it was they were reopening and that precious DC would it be going back any way blah blah blah.
My DH is on furlough and I'm working from home full time. I'm dreading dh going back to work as basically ds will have be left to himself all day. We were relying on schools going back and restrictions lifting sooner

I do however agree that schools should be going back too, however people are pointing out that shops etc are opening, one key phrase missing, 'with social distancing' So if anyone can work out how schools can maintain social distance between every staff member and child? For example our local school has welcomed back the year 6s. Classroom physical size allows for 10 children in a bubble with a teacher, gov guidance us no more than 15 per bubble. So there are 60 children in year 6 usually split between 2 classes with 30 in each. 60 kids divided into bubble of 10 would require 6 rooms. There are usually 2 classes for each of the years, 3, 4,5 and 6 so that's 8 classrooms. 6 are now being used for just the year 6 group so where do the other children go? The field??

I don’t think that Xenia’s comment is batshit. I know a number of people who spend £15k + on holidays each year but would never consider private school. Maybe they will change their priorities now....

My DS1 went back to his private school today. He is year 5 and, as far as I am aware, hardly any other year 5 children are back at other schools. His school fees seem pretty good value now!

@Alizzle

I'm surprised. Mumsnet and Facebook was full of people saying 'how disgusting' it was they were reopening and that precious DC would it be going back any way blah blah blah. My DH is on furlough and I'm working from home full time. I'm dreading dh going back to work as basically ds will have be left to himself all day. We were relying on schools going back and restrictions lifting sooner

*not surprised

It would be great if this could be discussed without it turning into an opportunity to make snide remarks about the over sixties. Like every other generation we are not all the same. I think the decision made to backtrack on school opening is due to the fact that the preparations to do it safely have not been prioritised. Many teachers and head teachers have said that schools were simply not ready. Let's hope that given a little more time, sensible arrangements can be put in place that will keep teachers and pupils safe. To all those who are asking how they are going to work I wonder what you do in the long holidays normally?

@pliudev I use a combination of holiday clubs available from 8 until 6, and holiday for the DC with their grandparents.

@Pliudev in the longer holidays I use a holiday club. Which are not open at the moment. It's hardly the same as 6+ months of school being shut.

@Nihiloxica

I am so angry about the way our children have been treated. I don't think I've ever felt so politically angry about anything.

Me too and me neither.

Me three

3 weeks ago = all left-leaning people, unions, teachers, left-wing councils, Labour party all saying 'We cannot even consider opening schools until it is 'safe' '. (Never mind that 'safe' is completely meaningless in this context.)

This week = those same people saying 'the government needs to get pupils back in school'

The difference is, as soon as the government abandoned the aim of getting the rest of primary back in school, the naysayers changed their tune. They clearly just oppose whatever the government does and don't really care about the children.

And I'm someone who has never voted Conservative in my life! I'm a member of an education-related union and I seriously considered ending my subscription when I read their response. They recommended that members refuse to even attend meetings that discuss reopening!

Ok I can understand that and I think people at home with children who are trying to work have had a very hard time during the lockdown. I do sympathise. Anyone know what's happening in other countries? A lot of them seem to have dealt with all this better than we have in the UK. Could outdoor holiday clubs be an option? I know our weather isn't always wonderful but as I understand it the virus is less likely to spread outdoors.

For me the tide turned on my son's secondary school when I heard the level of support other schools were giving. No calls home here, just some work set for some subjects. Makes me angry that other schools have clearly had much better provision.

This morning on BBC1 a conservative MP (the MP for Ipswich) said that Unions were being deliberately difficult in stopping children getting back to school. As a teacher this doesn't surprise me. I think there is something more sinister going on here and unions are trying to score political points against the government by making it really hard to get children back. You only have to look at the social media pages of union leaders to realise that they are using the situation for their advantage. Our children are being denied an education - which was acceptable for the short term but cannot be allowed to continue.

Xenia's post might be of use to some people. If I had a child in year 11 - I'd be looking at that option as online provision in many schools is crap.

I personally wanted to schools to close. I do sympathise with the unions. I do think Gavin Williamson is totally inexperienced and this has been handled badly. Although I would love my senior school daughters back in school before September, I do appreciate the difficulties. What has really horrified is the idea that they might not all be back in September. When there is so much time to plan.

[quote Mascotte]@IncrediblySadToo no, they haven't, they say it's "very rare".[/quote]
Read the piece, not just the headline!

I think the Gov haven't been strident enough with their expectations of state schools and their provisions for children who didn't have access to the IT needed for distanced learning. Our school have been massively complacent on learning (no IT issues, very few FSM children - encouraging parents to have incredibly low expectations of their teachers, where as private school's were straight in there. 12 weeks later the DofE have still not set expectations on schools and some are frankly taking the free pass to an easy time of it. How on earth do you encourage and motivate kids to work hard when their teachers are so absent?