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.

Don’t think I’ve ever been as angry or upset throughout this whole thing than I have this morning.
DS1 is in Y10 an is being offered 1 hour in total with his form tutor between now and September which is quite frankly ridiculous. He is a bright, fairly self motivated 15 year old but even he is losing focus and enthusiasm.
I’m a TA in the school DS2 attends (he’s Y4). His school have been amazing with a full timetable of google classroom lessons each day which are marked with feedback.
I’ve been in 2 days a week since the start of lockdown and that’s continuing but has been increased to 3 days now I’m in a bubble. I was banking on him being able to go back at some point even for a few weeks but now it looks like he can’t. DH has him the days I’m in work and I do google classroom at home supporting my year group on the other days. DH now has to go into work and I have no one to look after DS2 as all the keyworker places at school are full. We’d put DH off going back to work until now thinking DS2 would at least be in school some days but now that’s not happening. This whole thing has destroyed him. My happy, smiley, enthusiastic, active (he played football 5 time’s a week) has disappeared and it makes me really sad.
The teachers want to get back to work, TA’s want to get back to work so for goodness sake let them.

I think anyone wanted school to close but accepted that it had too. When they 1st closed I don't think many thought it would go on this long.

The frustration now is that there is no end in sight no expectations no worse case scenario no nothing. Everything around us seems to be adapting to a new normal except for schools. It seems schools are the bottom of the list in priority. OP I feel so sorry for SLT in your position you are in a no win situation with the parents or the government

This seems to be pretty typical
" I’ve been shocked at how poorly my local school has adapted to online teaching. My kids are done with their daily assignments inside of an hour. There’s zero real-time teacher interaction, and they’ve abandoned new content teaching.

So how come teachers are unable to provide enough work for children for more than an hour. Teachers don't like being criticised but seriously this is fair - what the heck are they doing when they can omly provide enough work for an hour?

An email ONCE A WEEK to my youngest and despite me ringing NUMEROUS times they are 'TOO BUSY' to do anymore.

What the heck are primary school teachers doing?

No wonder teachers are panned - its far to pan the ones who are doing bugger all.

Partly at least because a lot of jobs have been instructed to return to work and places reopen now, but with schools closed this is really tricky for a lot of people. It's okay though, it's only women who will be disproportionately affected, so why would the government give a hoot.

The tide hasn't turned. There are posters on here making unsubstantiated claims about DCs not shedding or spreading the virus despite the only large studies (in France and Germany) showing that DCs shed the virus at the same rate as adults and have the same viral load.
NYT article on DCs and transmission

Article on Drosten Study

There's an argument that at-risk DCs should be able to return to school but they always have been able to. Social services have been identifying them and they are able to access education with key workers DCs. Further, school hubs are providing food parcels to vulnerable members of the community too.

It's about time we as the parents of these poor children were heard! I did not want schools closed & it's just beyond ridiculous how long they are off for.
These are our children & no one will speak up for them except us! We need to do something.
The government are accountable for this & we have to make then listen!
The government need to take responsibility for this as they give patented the choice to send & the head teachers the choice to open! THE GOVERNMENT HAVE TO OPEN & TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
I too have never been so angry about anything before.
Children's lives matter too.

News from Luxembourg
today.rtl.lu/news/luxembourg/a/1531026.html

No second wave (yet)

Very little gets done in June/July, certainly in my kids' school. I supported schools shutting and I'd like them shut until September.

Those worried about education: this is easily accessable online. BBC bitesize for example. Youtube videos on any subject you can imagine.

Bbc bitesize is hardly a substitute for education! Their videos are OK as an intro but that's all.

So how come teachers are unable to provide enough work for children for more than an hour. Teachers don't like being criticised but seriously this is fair - what the heck are they doing when they can omly provide enough work for an hour?

I don't know. There is a lot of 'behind the scenes' stuff teachers do, but why the priority hasn't been made to deliver something that resembles some sort of guided learning is ridiculous. The government should have provided comprehensive guidance on expectations, and provided support in order to achieve that. The fact that it varies from school to school even within the same area is unfair. The school closest here has been providing work everyday and delivering worksheets for those who cannot access IT etc and providing feedback (if parents are also working it's been made clear this isn't compulsory and this will be considered when they return as in how to ensure no one is disadvantaged). The one a mile down the road which has more staff and fewer vulnerable children linked to some resources at the start of lockdown and not much else. That doesn't mean they're doing nothing or not working hard, but likely have been asked to do something which doesnt really benefit anyone.

No idea if I should trust the WHO report. The countries were cited are Asian. Their infection rate is in general very low. Does this apply to here?

Those worried about education: this is easily accessable online. BBC bitesize for example. Youtube videos on any subject you can imagine

Are we devaluing the teaching profession that much that these are seen as actual viable substitutes? Good for the government though, cheaper to just ask someone to babysit classes from now on whilst they just pop online, and might help with the retention issues which annoyingly expect teachers to hold a teaching qualification.

@Mascotte

*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.

Me too. I am incandescent. An entire generation thrown under a bus with no apology.

Yes, I am sure my son will be able to learn his entire Nat 5 curriculum by watching You Tube and Bitesize videos.

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?

I can't speak for anyone else, but I didn't want them to close in the first place, and I still don't want them to be closed now.

Initially all the complaints were that there was too much work and too much pressure on students and parents facing difficult circumstances, we cut right back in what we were delivering as a result. I absolutely agree it could have been done better but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

'There's an argument that at-risk DCs should be able to return to school but they always have been able to'

That should only be expected of them if it is safe.

Both the vulnerable and the shielded should not be expected to risk serious illness during a pandemic to access schooling.

Given that the need to isolate known contacts for 14 days, there is going to be a continuing need for offsite education for those pupils as well as medically vulnerable ones. Plus some schools might have to go to part-time attendance for a while depending on how crowded they are.

Parallel delivery on site and offsite (online?) is a considerable new task for schools

If bbc bite size and you tube are genuinely being suggested by teachers as a perfectly adequate substitute, then why don't we just scrap schools altogether and stick our kids in front of the tv? Much cheaper.

It's really weird to see professionals claiming that their skills are so worthless.

I didn't expect them to be closed to the majority for the rest of the academic year, with no sign as to when they will be back.

It's the lack of communication too. The Govt seems to be avoiding the subject and the media seems quiet too on this growing frustration from parents.

Those worried about education: this is easily accessable online. BBC bitesize for example. Youtube videos on any subject you can imagine

What about debate? Debating and throwing ideas around is a crucial part of A levels (or has been for my children who have done A levels). Are they supposed to debate with themselves while watching You Tube?

Vulnerable in this context means vulnerable to abuse.

Covid-19 is not the only risk.

So BBC Bitesize and YouTube videos are a good enough substitute for a classroom environment and qualified teacher with a degree? Pretty insulting to teachers and all the work they put in!

Not to mention the fact that many parents can't engage properly with helping their children learn because they're, y'know, working full time.

I just didn't expect them to be closed for as long as they have been - probably a very naive thought!

Desperate for them to get open, or at least find a way to get every child back into school in some way. DS is in year 6, he has some SEN and will get no transition into year 7. I know even if he went back now that transition wouldn't happen, but he'd at least get back into a routine and be with his peers. He struggles with communicating with his friends via his phone, he needs to be with them. So he's found that part very hard and upsetting. Made worse by the fact his school have now reopened to yr 6's but only the ones who have parents who have gone back to work- I haven't. Sadly that means all of DS's friends have gone back, been put in the same bubble etc and he's really upset that he couldn't have gone back too.

We are not stupid we all know about BBC BITESIZE!!! it's not school it's not enough for the children, it was good for the short term but not long term!!!
The children need to go back to school.
Why is wales & Scotland doing it so differently to us?