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?

It's not up to parents to decide though is it?

I want my kids to get a education which the two in private schools have been through out.

Education is simply very important or it's not. I have four kids 16-5 and I have been told for 11 years education is everything. Take one day off or term time holiday and kids will go to shit.

But that's not true is it? I cant see myself getting worked up about education ever again.

However the kids in England do deserve a education. We wont have a vaccine for years or at least many months. Certainly not come September.

So do they just stay at home until 2021? 2022? If so I might just give up now.

Who pays the down line cost of a uneducated generation as next year 11s are totally screwed if this continues into next term.

My reception kid can bin off RE, history, geography even science until she hits year 7 in all honesty as long as she gets to read and write ( six in Aug and cant do either).

But secondary kids need to be taught especially those in GCSE years. If they dont, then education isnt important.

So I think it comes down to important society really sees education. I think a lot of things like drama etc will be binned off as teachers of those non core subjects will start being made redundant. Its already a murmur in my private school even with live streamed classes with state wont / cant even entertain.

Maybe we need to move longer term to just part time core subjects. What is alternative? Worksheets for drama?

It's not that hard to see what needs to happen.

Relax the specific social distancing restrictions that are making it impossible to get kids back into school, so that it becomes possible. Maintain other sensible measures, but no PPE for anyone in a school.

This is probably what Boris is going to announce later today. The ball will then be back in the schools court, and they'll come under enormous pressure to open up to more, and eventually all, children.

Stop saying y10s are back to school as if they are back ft, when in reality many state schools are back half or 1 day per week.

Prioritise Y10 and Y12.

Come up with a plan to acknowledge that there have been huge differences in provision and impact and account for it in exams (not just 'grade boundaries').

People will also need their other childcare settings back to capacity, including after school clubs.

Part time for students and allow teachers to come up with solutions ona school by school basis.

I'm thinking things like 'topic' we was used in the 1970s. You worked on a 'topic' with some group work, some pairs and some individual. These days it would have to be group in school then individual at home.

The 'topic' can encompass a number of subjects.

So you could look at the Tudors, obviously that's mainly linked to history but also English language. Some art based project, a model of Hampton Court, a portrait of one of your parents in a Tudor style.

Look up some Tudor recipes and at the general diet at that time.

Map out the progressions various royals took and how long it took to get there.

A single pievce of work would be uploaded and marked by different teachers for the content in their subject.

Obviously this is better at primary or lower down secondary.

This is probably what Boris is going to announce later today

Why would Gavin announce the complete opposite yesterday then?

"No child with a temperature or cough or any symptoms allowed near school."

If a child has symptoms then everyone in their class will be contacts and will need to self isolate until there is a negative test result. With younger children who may not be able to be tested it will be 2 weeks off school for everyone. The bigger the class, the more likely this is to happen.

If this goes on into September then I think they need to decrease the GCSEs that kids sit and lower the requirements according for A level and Degree entry for those cohorts.

If the kids arent going back in September term and the NUE supports this then surely so.ething has to give? I dont think choosing Art, drama and dance with combined science, maths and English will be viable anymore surely? That will be impossible for a year 10 or 11 come September if schools are still shut? Also how will vocational courses run? You can study hairdressing but the hairdressers are shut or you can study hairdressing but the school is particularly shut? Its going g to weave itself into a farcical nonsense in that type of scenario.

I would rather my kids binned off non core subjects tbh. Math, English, science and can the rest until they catch up.

Its cant be that every subject is important when schooling itself is not important. In fact bin off a the rest until secondary if this goes on for years. Because without a vaccine this will go on for years. Teachers will feel no safer this time next year without a vaccine and rebuilt schools so totally re write education to fit this new normal.

It cant work all ways. If school cant reopen then they must evolve and adapt to new curriculums.

If everyone has to sacrifice due to covid then dont make the kids suffer. Drop down the subjects that you can not deliver via worksheets.

If a child has symptoms then everyone in their class will be contacts and will need to self isolate until there is a negative test result.

I don’t know about others, but at my school only the child would be expected to self-isolate: no-one else would unless/until the child had a positive test result.

onions you're right, the child would have to self isolate with symptoms, but the class would only be contacted if there was a positive test result. Where the test is negative the child can go back to class as usual and their family can stop isolating (unless they have symtoms obv!)

Where the test is positive, the child needs to isolate for 7 days, their family and the rest of their class for 14 days. The other members of the household of their class mates do not need to isolate, unless their own child gets symptoms.

Fact some children need to be out of the family home and overseen by other adults for their own health, safety, social/emotional development.
Fact Some families are dependent on school to enable them to work.
Fact Children need to be educated. They are the future .
Fact .Humans are social animals and we need to socialise.

So based on the premise COVID 19 is here for a while, I would take all under 7’s out of school and put all age 3-7 year olds in nurseries/ kindergartens. These could be housed in church hall,s, scout huts parks play grounds etc. Work on the forest school principal, as much out door education as possible, no formal learning, concentrate on play, school readiness, fine motor and gross motor skills etc and social skills. Keep bubbles small. Staff with early years workers, some teachers, retired etc. Free provision school hours but any extra paid for by parents.

Primary schools now have enough space to house primary pupils in bubbles 15 children, use teachers and retired staff and TA, + dbs checked volunteers. Normal school hours.

Secondary harder as children travel independently. Maybe run a 2 shift system. Based on the premise older teenagers don’t function well early morning. Years 7-9 8 am -1 pm years 10-13 2 pm -6 pm lessons rest of day self study.

All children in groups up to 15 Similar ability grouped together as much as possible.Teaching will be more intense and targeted. So progress will be faster. More talk and chalk. . As classes filmed so available to any pupils who can’t come in due to shedding etc preferably in real time.
Lessons comprehivily planned to in qualified teach unavailable can be taught by TA.

Happy to have plan ripped apart.

@Mary19 - one issue with your plan is GCSE/ALevel students can't be in 1 bubble due to different options.

"I don’t know about others, but at my school only the child would be expected to self-isolate"

At my son's school the entire bubble self isolates until there is a negative test result.

@Spikeyball

"I don’t know about others, but at my school only the child would be expected to self-isolate"

At my son's school the entire bubble self isolates until there is a negative test result.

This is ridiculous they'll never be in school!

Good point Titus. I will have a think.

The schools need to go back full time and do the best they can - the government needs to throw some money at reducing overcrowding, hiring substitute teachers for shielded individuals (who could do admin work from home, maybe teach shielded kids online?) and increasing hand washing facilities but most kids just need to go back.

I’m in in Scotland and the governments planned 2 days a week in no way constitutes an education. A small minority of kids have parents who are able to make the difference up with blended learning but even then they miss out on the social side.

The ironic thing is it won’t prevent a second wave anyway. The kids are all out together and not social distancing. Lots of teens and preteens in the parks near me and I do t blame them. When it’s rainy and cold they will be in each other’s houses. Unless the NHS really is under extreme stress (it’s not) (and people know that) people will soon behave as normal, children will see friends and family, in their house and there is no way they will keep 2m apart for months and months. It just will not happen. So get them back to school their education is really important.

I can’t see things going back to normal in September
So the least the schools could
Do is at least of a decent job of marking and giving actual proper feedback

Just to clarify - I mean go back with some measures eg hand washing and reducing overcrowding but no firm 2m rule and no PPE.

Sorry that should have read Titsy. Maybe Post 14 education masks compulsory at school and social distancing completely expected. Windows open in all classrooms. Where possible different sections school different year groups. Floors, buildings etc. Really encourage cycling to school

@HipTightOnions

a 1 in 3.5 million chance of dying from corona

I mean, how was this figure derived?

If you have Corona virus as a child you have a 1 in 3.5 million chance in dying of it. Think of it like you get Corona and there are 3.5 million outcomes. Only one of those outcomes is death.

It does not mean 1 in 3.5 million children will die like some kind of bizarre death lottery. Hence how many children have it being irrelevant.

I'm thinking things like 'topic' we was used in the 1970s. You worked on a 'topic' with some group work, some pairs and some individual. These days it would have to be group in school then individual at home.

The 'topic' can encompass a number of subjects.

So you could look at the Tudors, obviously that's mainly linked to history but also English language. Some art based project, a model of Hampton Court, a portrait of one of your parents in a Tudor style.

Look up some Tudor recipes and at the general diet at that time.

Map out the progressions various royals took and how long it took to get there.

OMG, no!! Parents are frantic, trying to work from home and wrestle toddlers at the same time as trying to supervise "blended learning". The absolute last bloody thing they need is model-making and topic-researching (which require huge amounts of parental input).

If stuff is going to be send home, it needs to be worksheets. Of stuff that has already been taught and presented in the part-time classroom.

"This is ridiculous they'll never be in school!"

I said that when they told me. I've now checked the government guidance and it does say that whole class self isolation is only needed after a child test positive so his school must be doing their own thing. They have residential pupils so perhaps that is why.

If you have Corona virus as a child you have a 1 in 3.5 million chance in dying of it.

You keep saying this. How do you know? Because you read it in a newspaper? How was this figure calculated or measured?

I don't know because I'm a scientist! If you're interested why not find the study?

Why do you disbelieve it?

You can't accommodate full time teaching, especially at secondary with social distancing and bubbles. Our primary school is full and all hands on deck to accommodate yN, yR, y1, y6 and KWs.
Ditch the distancing/ bubbles.
Be cautious with assemblies/ lunches etc that mix larger cohorts.

Community transmission is already very low. U18s are very low risk of harm.

There is a lot of promising but tentitive evidence that the virus is weakening in severity and large proportions of the population have a degree of resistant markers. We are in a considerably more positive position than we were in March/ April (and probably Feb from emerging evidence)

This is the time of year for timetabling for secondaries. There could be more form based teaching rather than mixing sets for KS3. Not ideal, but reduces mixing.

We'll soon have a new cohort of y10 ready to start GCSEs, a cohort of y11 who've missed a third of quality, specialised time with their teachers (ditto for A-level) they'll be worse off than this year's exam groups who had pretty much covered their course content by 20th May.