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 know of loads of private schools who are struggling financially. And a lot of universities are teetering on the brink.

I read a couple of days ago (think in the Guardian as well as the Mail) did mention the uproar on here so the anger that is being expressed is being noticed and is making a difference... And that's the very reason why I keep bringing it up, because we have been told in no uncertain terms what the school expect from the teachers (not very much) and we are not to compare or complain (basically sit down, be quiet and get on with the worksheets)...it has gone on too long. I have written to my MP who has said he'll bring it up with the Education Dept - I don't hold out much hope but we need to keep repeating this message - our kids deserve better.

@Graciebobcat

I know of loads of private schools who are struggling financially. And a lot of universities are teetering on the brink.

A friend works in the accounts dept of a local one and she says the parents have been very happy with the way they have handled the crisis and there has been no significant fall in fee collection - they are surprised but as I said the parents know that locally the state schools have been appalling in their response - so I suspect those parents are feeling quite grateful their kids are being taught albeit only online.

As an NHS frontline worker in the community who has totally adapted the way I and my team now work I am appalled at the comeback from teachers. I know I will get blasted but have now reached the stage where I don’t care about that. What I do care about is the lack of willingness of MANY not all (clearly) teachers to refuse to adapt, show willingness or creativity in having my year 10 child back for more than the odd day or so. I have been constantly fobbed off with a multitude of excuses initially when enquiring re video conferencing and now return dates. The excuses range from ‘it takes time, safeguarding concerns, to an admission from the deputy head that some teachers flatly refused to embrace the tech.’ And all whilst the NHS was pulling out all the stops to rise to the challenge.
I’m a union person through & through but I have never been so disgusted at the response of another union. Their is at best ambivalent and at worst a dereliction of duty to our children. Instead of stepping up they are trying to hide behind excuses. In order for more children to return the unions have to be willing to lead the way and foster a problem solving approach like the NHS has and they simply are not. Really sad our children are being thrown under a bus.
And no I did not sign up for this either 😓

the unions and labour have come out of this very badly, Rebecca LB was on the Today show mid May saying how schools should not be open before Sep and the Unions have actively (Mary someone) worked against this and told their schools not to help the Gov at all. Totally obstructive - unlike hospitals where the staff get on with it and despite being at the centre of the covid storm are actively getting their hospitals ready and in fact have already done so in many areas. Imagine if hospitals just refused to re-start their services or supermarkets just shut down and cried it was all too difficult.
Labour twitter activists and guardian journalists were awful about this - now gone quiet of course.
They are just opposing the Gov for it's own sake but most of the public see this.
it's so depressing. If unions had said they would work with the GOV a month ago rather than doing F all and actively working against the GOV, we would all be in a much better position now.

To expand on the concerns -
It takes time - seriously how long does it take an educated person to master Teams, Zoom or WebEx? And if they are struggling, how worried should I be that this person is teaching my child?
Safeguarding - how come many schools are managing to overcome safeguarding issues whilst others use it as yet another excuse?
Flat refusal to engage - questioning the efficacy of the leadership team

For the first time in my life I am trying to work out if I can afford to send my kids private.

I am a big believer in free education, but if teachers and unions (!!!!) are blocking that, then I will have to get my children educated somehow.

@Sparksflying100

As an NHS frontline worker in the community who has totally adapted the way I and my team now work I am appalled at the comeback from teachers. I know I will get blasted but have now reached the stage where I don’t care about that. What I do care about is the lack of willingness of MANY not all (clearly) teachers to refuse to adapt, show willingness or creativity in having my year 10 child back for more than the odd day or so. I have been constantly fobbed off with a multitude of excuses initially when enquiring re video conferencing and now return dates. The excuses range from ‘it takes time, safeguarding concerns, to an admission from the deputy head that some teachers flatly refused to embrace the tech.’ And all whilst the NHS was pulling out all the stops to rise to the challenge. I’m a union person through & through but I have never been so disgusted at the response of another union. Their is at best ambivalent and at worst a dereliction of duty to our children. Instead of stepping up they are trying to hide behind excuses. In order for more children to return the unions have to be willing to lead the way and foster a problem solving approach like the NHS has and they simply are not. Really sad our children are being thrown under a bus. And no I did not sign up for this either 😓

completely agree - my point too and I also work in a London hospital and can see what has been going n there since March. Not once did anyone cry that they need to wait for minute instructions from the GOV - they got on with it and are getting on with the new situation now. So different from what I can hear on the radio from the teaching unions and labour polititians. So disappointing and infuriating. My daughter year 12 is gong back from next Fri - for 3 hours only. Absolutely ridiculous. She has her A levels next year. My neighbour teacher has had a lovely 3 months off. Talking to him last week "he is ok about going back but has enjoyed the sunny weather" bully for him!

Teachers have, on many other issues, deplored government interference and even sometimes said that schooling should be depoliticised and left to the professionals to arrange and deliver.

The government has essentially told schools/teachers/HT and of course governors, that that's what they've got - the scope to make their own policy and arranments that works in their school.

A bit like the each hospital and clinic making its own arrangements

I ask again how could teachers deliver online lessons when the tech is just not available for a lot of families?

I see the pro-government astroturfers are out in force, trying to shift blame onto teachers.

I do not want teachers to put their lives at risk - I want them to teach my kids and if it is deemed unsafe to do it physically then they must to be told to do it remotely - engage, learn and adapt and these not the qualities we want our kids to develop - what kind of example are they setting our kids? It has taken one of the dc's teachers 12 weeks to master Zoom - great you might say - he will only offer one zoom session to cover his requirement to offer one face to face lesson between now and the end of July.

@sashagabon the Conservative party have an 80 seat majority and have been in power for a decade. They are in charge of policy over school reopening and the response to the pandemic in England. Not the Labour Party, not the unions.

It doesn't matter what RLB says instructions come from DoE. So if you want a policy shift you can look to the Government.

@Graciebobcat

I ask again how could teachers deliver online lessons when the tech is just not available for a lot of families?

I see the pro-government astroturfers are out in force, trying to shift blame onto teachers.

I agree Gracie - but this is also being used as an excuse - our school has been using tech for years - any kids who didn't have it were given it by a local charity. And as for the rest of the country - if the gov can pay £2600 a month to furlough workers I think they can stretch to buying a basic laptop and wifi for kids. I blame the Gov, the Unions, the schools and the teachers - they have all let the kids down.

And I ask again where is the willingness to rise to a challenge? Where is the creative thinking? Here’s an idea..... how about schools joining together to form hubs to respond to the needs of those who need you the most? Those with no tech, those in disadvantaged homes, those with additional needs? The hub schools (just like the one who’s fab Head was on the Today Programme about 6wks ago) could provide pooled resources for those identified children.
GP surgeries did it, why not schools? And I also ask, how are you monitoring those children in need at the moment? Because my children have had only one phone call from their school since lockdown began. Their mental health is also suffering and individual teachers are refusing to acknowledge this. And yes parents are very angry because the government and local councils are giving individual schools permission to hide behind very flimsy excuses.

Just a few brief points from a teacher (secondary)

I know the experience for families has been mixed and some schools are not doing good enough. But from a inner London school that has tried very hard And I think is doing well here’s some thoughts ...

• zoom etc. We haven’t used it because many of our families have one computer per family. That means delivering lessons that exclude pupils who can’t access it which is wrong.
• we have done recordings so students can try and access later which works ok
• we have phoned home regularly but reaction is not always positive. I understand people are working from home and don’t want to be disturbed. It’s a balancing act. We have changed how often we contact home as a result.
• I call my tutor group every Two / three weeks to check in. It’s good to talk to them and keep in touch.
• We’ve reduced the amount of work we’re setting as many parents said it was too much and children were getting stressed and anxious (the younger ones mainly)
• some parents think we need to be setting more work. We are trying to find the right balance.

I think my school has done well and we have had loads of positive feedback from parents on how we are doing things. We are adapting weekly and taking comments on board. We are trying to find inventive ways of doing things and change when they don’t work.

But we also have to follow government guidance and keep our pupils safe when we do return. We can’t just come up with our own plan and do what we want .

We are welcoming 10/12 back next week and I hope most will come in.

Like everything I guess, some schools have done well, others haven’t.

Please don’t make judgements about all schools / teachers. It’s very damaging to those of us who have tried to do all we can.

I can't wait to go back but can't express it in real life except to 3 people as my colleagues think I am crazy. It won't be the same but we have to try to get back to something.
I am not frightened to go back and will take precautions to maintain social distancing etc.
I can't wait to get back in the classroom. Roll on June 29th.

Still people are moaning about teachers not using Zoom and other tech.

How many times does it need to be said that a considerable number of children don't have access to that? Talk to Johnson about getting it out there to them.

Or shall we just throw them under a bus because your kids have tech and will be ok?

As a teacher and a parent I feel the need to comment. I haven't read the whole thread as it made me too upset about how teachers are always to blame.
I have been working from home for the past 10 weeks with a 2 year old and 4 year old. At 8.30 my laptop is on and I'm replying to emails and marking work online. I am also trying to home school my child, in order to prepare him for reception and take care of my 2 year old (who seems to want to break every bone in his body while he throws himself off furniture!). I also have been given extra training I need to complete, write reports, continue with my other work, support NQTS and try to keep up to date with every changing guidelines so I know when I am needed in school and for how long.
I would LOVE to do zoom lessons with my class - local authority have told us NO to zoom. Plus I work in a high deprivation area where most children do not have access to the internet or the only device they have is their parents phone.
I would LOVE to speak to my class regularly- check in calls are being made by management so I can't.
We can't work on a rota system as before - its against government guidelines.
We can't set new content for the children to learn as we have been told not to.
I worry every night about the class I haven't seen for nearly 12 weeks ( some finished earlier than school closure due to parents worry.) So please do not tarnish every teacher as 'having a long holiday'.
My school phoned all parents a few weeks ago to see how they felt about their child returning and over 78% said they would not bring their child back in. I would love to be back teaching in a classroom, but I would have no children to teach.
Not all schools can go back fully due to staff shielding. We currently have 7 members of staff unable to return to work, that's 3 classes with no teacher... what do we do about those? We can't get supply in, as not allowed non members of staff on site. What do we do?!
All school guidance has been rewritten, our dwindling school budget has been hit hard with buying extra resources such as PPE, lidded bins, cones and tape to section off the playground.
Private schools HAVE to continue teaching (and can) because parents are paying for a service. Mostly children who attended private school have a privileged background or parents who can afford to buy the extras to help them to learn. Public sector schools are being restricted by varying guidance, differing values of headteachers and the variation of social deprivation in the area they teach.

This isn't a woe is me post, this is me stating the reality to MOST teacher at the moment.

I blame the state for closing schools. I would order them opened before end of term in full. Some schools abroad are opening without distancing. Then don't pay anyone who won't go into school - that will then sort it out. Encourage children to wash their hands more and those rich enough to afford a bar of soap to bring in a plastic bag with a towel and a bar of soap in it.

@Dancingqueenwannabe that sounds really hard. I realise that many teachers are in your position and feel like you. The problem is that there are so many loud voices saying they won't go back til "it's safe" and the unions are playing a really bad game by sounding so negative. But i suppose it's the loudest voices which are heard.

I'm also so worried about my child and feel
powerless so I'm probably a bit blinkered. Plus it's the teacher on my sm who's always wittering about not going back til 2021 and how great the lockdown is! Anyway, apologies to you and other hard working teachers 💐

DomDoesWotHeWants
Please see above for suggestions made regarding rising to this challenge.

@LongTallSammie

I have no idea what my DD's teacher is doing, but if her 'blog' posts (on the teacher/pupil comms blog) are anything to go by, baking, reading, sunbathing and deciding what to cook for dinner. DD's requests for help (I help with most things but I can't fix web based programs that they provide) are either ignored or she's told that they can't see it so can't help her. There have been no calls, to either her or me and I know of 2 parents that have been continuously calling school this week and no reply or response to messages. We receive less than 2 hours worth of work each day and sometimes miss requests because the teachers set work in the blog rather than work area and it gets full of 30 kids chatter. No marking, no feedback.

School has only just brought back key worker children after closing to everyone. Unless the rules change to 'go back as normal' I don't think DD will be in school again this year, and lets face it, the slightest cough or sniffle will close them down for 2 weeks at a time. I know we keep being told that it will just be the 'bubble' that isolates, but the 2 examples I've seen in the media, they closed the entire school.

The stats that I've seen show that the mortality rate in children is higher for lightening strikes and Scarlet Fever, but we haven't had a media scare campaign for those.

This isn't a woe is me post, this is me stating the reality to MOST teacher at the moment.

I guess that’s the thing though, it’s stating the reality for you. Many posters here have shared about friends and relatives who are teachers who aren’t working in that way, teachers themselves have openly said they’re not working in that way. I have a good circle of friends who are teachers, what you’ve described is true for three out of a group of around 12 teaching different stages in different schools and different local authorities. So certainly not most - and those who aren’t working are quite open about it, not in a “I’m getting an extra long holiday” kind of way, more in a “what else can I do in the circumstances” way and I fully support them.

What I can’t support are the folk who say I’m working like this so most people are working like this, when we know that’s just not the case.

My DS has had much more engagement, contact and personal interaction with his Cub pack than his school. The Cubs meet online every week, with brilliant activities planned each time.

The school are nowhere to be seen.

[quote Notonthestairs]@sashagabon the Conservative party have an 80 seat majority and have been in power for a decade. They are in charge of policy over school reopening and the response to the pandemic in England. Not the Labour Party, not the unions.

It doesn't matter what RLB says instructions come from DoE. So if you want a policy shift you can look to the Government. [/quote]
yes I agree to an extent but unfortunately the schools/ teachers etc will only listen to their unions and waht labour are saying as that is how politics work in this country - rather than constructively trying to work with the GOV they do the exact opposite - case in point Keir Starmer now complaining thst schools will not be open to all kids before Sep when that is exactky what his shadow educ minister was saying a few weeks ago. Like it or not , labour pollititans / unions carry a lot of weight with teachers / schools and so if they had taken a constructive approach rather than obstructive we would be in a better position now. Not sure how you can deny that to be honest
I actually can't believe Labours approach to his - so arse about face and the opposite of what Labour should be saying , which is kids need an education! Education, Education, Education - where has that gone??
Now their mantra Keep Schools Closed, Keep schools closed, Keep schools closed.
I genuinely can't understand it. And I know plenty of teachers - some have worked hard but plenty of others haven't.
One I know went back to Ireland - she is coming back next week and has had a lovely time. I might suggest to her she works over August to educate the kids as she has such a nice time off, see what she says to that!