What would you actually like the government to do on schools.

[StatisticalSense]

The demands on this site with regards to schooling are simply incompatible. Schools physically do not have the room or staff to reopen to their normal numbers of pupils with any form of social distancing in place, so it clearly isn't possible to get all kids back to school full time with social distancing in place.
What exactly would you like the government to be doing on schools that is actually feasible?

I don’t mean now but in August after the holidays here.

Reopen fully. Scrap social distancing. Get back to normal and pretend this fiasco never happened. Children have more chance of being struck by lighting than dying from covid. Teachers refusing to go back need to be sacked so they can take a job doing something which doesn’t expose them to people.

It’s a desperately neglectful thing that has happened. Prioritising the irrational fears of adults over young children. I could weep.

Sacked you say?
Just as well no teachers actually are refusing to go back then I suppose. The muppetry here is putting Jim Henson to shame.

Right now, some sniff of a plan would be good, especially for disadvantaged kids.

My 7-year-old SEN DS is regressing badly and I am getting very worried about him moving up from infants to juniors in September after 6 months of enforced isolation with a once-a-week set of worksheets. He has not seen or heard from his teachers or friends since March. If the holiday clubs do open, I am taking the risk and sending him for the sake of his mental health.

I also want the playgrounds open again; if we can open up shops, we can risk play equipment.

I agree with some others they probably will scrap SD unless they are going to pay for more teachers (which probably don’t exist) right now. It’s so unfair that children are going to school yet they are not been taught their normal subjects as usual. It’s like we have lost perspective and it isn’t right. Children will be very behind.... long term.

First, Improve home learning for all with a well thought out system, provide help and technology for poorer children.

Then, get everyone back at least one day a week to touch base with teachers, who can monitor progress and set work for the week.

That way every kid sees other kids too.

Those kids with health concerns or vulnerable parents could catch up via video or phone.
Meeting at least once a week helps with safeguarding, massively reduces risk while we wait for track and trace to be PROPERLY rolled out. It also provides all children chance for monitoring and socialising.

Hopefully in time once in, attendance could steadily increase as things progress.

If the government had the will to do something like this instead of wasting effort on a stubborn plan we could have the tech and preparedness to be doing this now.

Just to say to those who shout well we’re opening shops!!!

Yes. With social distancing.

Not as normal.

Restrict travel between regions. In regions with low infections, start sending back kids in year before gcses and year before a levels. Smaller class sizes plus masks - on a rota.

Outside these year groups expand key workers to those who provide non-emergency medical/social care/education so that more of these workers can work. Also expand to SEN, kids with poor access to online learning. Good test and trace in area and public health monitoring. Expand more provision according to local data

Big investment in oak because this will help vulnerable kids, excluded kids and will be good provision for next pandemic. Expand internet to rural areas. Hardware provision for poorer families - loaned hardware or library access.

Namenic. Agree with everything you say!

I think though that key workers already includes non emergency. Dh Is classed as a key worker as a life insurance underwriter, almost every admin and customer service role there has been classed as key worker all along (ours have been home because I work from home freelance and he was allowed to too). Gp nurses, teachers, shop workers, bank staff, many people already count as key workers

Our school now have all key worker kids (whose parents want them in) in though even though they can’t start to fully open yet due time rate

So good idea to get as many as possible in

Part-time school (half-class bubbles) for all years for now, full-time for everyone in September. If there are not enough classrooms, use currently vacant facilities like church halls, sports venues etc. (but make it clear that parents will be responsible for getting their kids there).

Classes in rows, chalk and talk teacher style, bit boring but OK and will stop kids falling behind while slowing virus spread. For playtime, let kids play normally as long as they are outside. EVERYONE needs to be wearing masks and teachers should have face shields as well. (No masks for kid when playing outdoors though). Get manufacturers to ramp up production fast. They have done this in other countries. In China and Taiwan, once it became clear to manufacturing companies that mask wearing would allow them to open up production (and minimize losses) faster, this incentivized them to divert production lines to making masks and face shields.

Get numbers down fast over the summer through compulsory masks (medical needs/disabilities excempted) in public places, aggressive test-and-trace, and centralized quarantine in empty hotel rooms.

All schools need to offer proper provision to all pupils while blending learning is going on. I know most schools are doing a great job, but a minority are not. This is not OK. Professionals need to be doing their jobs. All professionals, not just 85% of them. Roll out centralized curriculum provision where it's already available, so that teachers do not have to reinvent the wheel and can devote their time to reviewing kids' work and giving feedback/extra practice resources if it is evident that a child needs to work on a particular more or hasn't understood a particular point.

Keyworker kids should stay in separate bubbles for the moment, but they need to be getting an education. Give out the schoolwork packs being sent out to kids with no home PC and make sure they have set hours for working through these when at school. Again, most schools are doing this already but a minority are just babysitting the keyworker kids and doing craft activities with them.

English tutors and teachers in Japan are already having to do phonics in masks. by the way. It is challening but yes, you can do it. Usual method is, wear a face shield as well as a mask, put mask under your chin when demonstrating sounds, put mask back up afterwards. If IWBs are available, video footage can also be used to demonstrate sounds.

It is all a bit awkward and it is not ideal but it is a lot better than kids having no direct teaching at all, which is what is happening at the moment.

Decide now that next year will be predicted grades for GCSEs and a levels so students know what is happening.

Sort out provision for practical subjects like science.

@Astabarista

Just to say to those who shout well we’re opening shops!!!

Yes. With social distancing.

Not as normal.

Towns will be heaving. Plus it’s not a priority when parents have got their children at home and also WFM. Priorities people can shop online if they want to. Plus you can’t try clothes on so what’s the point?

*Send year 6 home and get a year that actually needs to be in school in. CHannel 4 tonight had a film of year 6s colouring in pictures of waterbottles - WTF - theose kids have nothing planned now except the loss of plays etc to mark the end of primary school

Getting year 10 and 12 in full time as they are the ones who really need it.*

Oh yes, this too.

Really don't get the weird sentimental drivel about "Year 6 need to have closure on primary school." Closure on primary school is a nice-to-have. Older teens with important work to do NEED to be in school.

Do you all realise that there’s only 5 weeks left until the summer holiday? Not enough to “roll out” all these massive changes.

Which is why the government suspended the curriculum for this term in the first place.

Teachers aren’t refusing to go back. We’re all back and teaching bubbles now. There’s no one left to come back except shielders.

Teachers aren’t refusing to go back. We’re all back and teaching bubbles now.

Most secondary teachers haven't been away , they have been teaching from home.

I don’t know of any teachers refusing to go in to school. We’d love to be back and teaching properly. Leadership teams across the country have spent weeks planning for the return of students only to have their plans ignored by the government. The blame for this mess lies absolutely with the inept Gavin. And as for the lightning analogy, have a read of this

Normal school, no social distancing. PPE for staff if they want it. Stay home if have a cough or fever.

^^This. Mandatory sick time/family sick time for all worker legislated to ensure to sick can afford to stay home (you might already have this in the UK..?)

I think childcare is the key thing isnt it. If school is to be part time then there needs to be a huge increase in available childcare.

If it's safe enough to have nurseries open then kids should be in school, not childcare all day.

Recent research from Southampton proves kids spreading this to each other or adults is really not a factor.

Get them all back with adjustments
Hand washing
Distance where possible
No large gatherings assemblies etc
Ppe for staff
Get to grips with remote learning for older children

Similar approach to the Nightingale hospital push but for education. Anything else is failing this generation

We should be in charge not these know nothing stuffed shirt idiot men (Johnson Hancock Williamson). What an absolute hash they have made of this. And is our children that are suffering.

Did you know Williamson’s previous boss described him as”not even basically competent” 🙄

@pineapple upside downcake
I totally agree with you!
What evidence do you people have kids don't spread covid? also how do you not know a 12 year old died in England just last week why are you saying kids should not bother social distancing ??

The recruitment crisis has been bad for years and is worse now because of covid. Presuming we can open fully in September, we are short two class teachers at my primary school, out of fourteen total classes. We did employ an NQT to one of them but she has changed her mind. All SLT aside from the Head are in class full time. Let’s hope supply is available and there goes the budget.

So posters saying just sack teachers, this is madness. We don’t have enough to start with.

All of this sudden concern for vulnerable disadvantaged children from people who wouldn't have given their needs a second thought 6 months ago but are now using them because they are useful to argue their point.
How long till they go back to objecting to the hitting, swearing or wanting too much of the teacher's attention child shouldn't be there.