WTAF schools...

[SoberCurious]

My friend who works for the DfE says they are planning for kids to go back to school in December 😭😭😭

[Sedlescombe]

raspberryismyjam. Still think it’s all working fine?

[cantkeepawayforever]

I should say that I am in the clinically vulnerable group, and have chosen to take a class-based role to allow more children to return to school than would otherwise be possible. If I had not declared myself willing to take a class group, then I would have stayed at home to run home learning - there is no 'safe' option in school.

[cantkeepawayforever]

I think the other issue is that the DfE guidance states that shielding school staff should work at home, and that those who are clinically vulnerable but not shielding should be put in roles where 2m distancing is possible.

"If clinically vulnerable (but not clinically extremely vulnerable) individuals cannot work from home, they should be offered the safest available on-site roles, staying 2 metres away from others wherever possible, although the individual may choose to take on a role that does not allow for this distance if they prefer to do so. If they have to spend time within 2 metres of other people, settings must carefully assess and discuss with them whether this involves an acceptable level of risk."

As no roles with children in a primary classroom exist which allow the adult to stay 2m from other people (hence the bubble concept for primaries), then clinically vulnerable teachers cannot take class-based groups unless they volunteer to do so, or unless the level of risk is deemed 'acceptable' [the latter is more likely as cases drop and / or further research on transmission in classroom situations becomes available]

It means that although clinically vulnerable staff are NOT shielding, they are like the shielders in the sense that they cannot necessarily be counted in numbers available to staff classes / bubbles.

[LolaSmiles]

Theredjellybean
I'm not sure it's a higher percentage, more that it doesn't take many staff to be clinically vulnerable (advised to be working from home), extremely clinically vulnerable (shielding) or have a family member who is shielding to have a substantial knock on effect.

If a school has one teacher per class in primary and one member of staff has an underlying health condition, one member of staff is working from home due to being pregnant and another is shielding due to their DP being extremely clinically vulnerable then that's 3 classes without a teacher, or 6-9 bubbles without a teacher (depending on class size and whether the bubbles are 10-15 as not all classrooms can have bubbles of 15).

That's a much bigger impact than, for example, an office team where people are working from home anyway due to Covid measures.

[WatchoutfortheROUS]

I'm a SAHP and I find pps suggestions that SAHP help schools hilarious. No. I won't be volunteering to help in school. Not when I know staff who have refused to go back for "h&s reasons" ie it's not safe (they're not vulnerable or older at all).

If schools aren't open (which is starting to be ridiculous now) I will be concentrating on continuing to home school my own DC. The dfe clearly won't make educating my DC their priority, so I will.

[Davincitoad]

Well in my secondary meeting we have been told two weeks so who the f knows anymore

[Blackbear19]

I think people are mixing up vulnerable and shielding, ie there are a lot of people with things like high blood pressure that are potentially vulnerable vs the absolutely must not get it, cancer patients who must shield.

[Drivingdownthe101]

There are no shielding teachers at our large primary Theredjellybean

[Theredjellybean]

Can somebody explain to me why on these threads there is always so many comments about so many teachers needing to shield or living with vulnerable partners /children/grandchildren etc.
What is it about teaching that seems to have a disproportionate number of employees needing to shield?
My team at work is about 40 people, we have one shielder.. And she does not fit the criteria but has mild asthma and is insisting she must shield.. We are a nice organisation and happy to let her.
My do has responsibility for 5000+ people in teams all round the world and has 30 shielders in total.

So why are the % of teachers needing to shield so high?

[MarshaBradyo]

Holidays could still be taken. Everyone who is not in now could stop trying to homeschool and take summer schooling.

Children in school stay in.

[Homemadeandfromscratch]

I does make sense but wouldn't really help people who have holidays booked for end of August or businesses relying on holiday trade.

we had holidays booked in April, in May, in July... it would be perfectly possible to shuffle things around if we really wanted to.

I am not sure employers will be so understanding about childcare in August either.

[Homemadeandfromscratch]

have summer holidays NOW then back to school in August (like in Scotland).

At least having July off, back in August and 1 or 2 weeks off in September would make sense...

No break from August to end of October would be far too long, but nothing stops anyone from creating a new September break.

That will never happen though

[Blackbear19]

Bendover I'm in Scotland and can honestly tell you I am counting down the days to the holidays, less than 2 weeks to go.

I does make sense but wouldn't really help people who have holidays booked for end of August or businesses relying on holiday trade.

The other thing is it gives BBC / Gov a bit more time to sort summer school. As usual Scotland will be neglected when it comes to BBC and holidays. But we can blame Holyrood for not doing anything.

[bendmeoverbackwards]

Idea from my oldest dd - have summer holidays NOW then back to school in August (like in Scotland).

[Blackbear19]

Ah sorry Streaming I was assuming he was primary school.
What a mess. I can only hope that your own efforts will see him ok.

[LolaSmiles]

No wonder there is disparity in outcomes
Are you seriously trying to argue that disparity in outcomes can be explained by generalising how well a school has coped in a pandemic to usual teaching and learning?

[Streamingbannersofdawn]

They do work in partnership with a junior school but that idea would be beyond them.

Sorry, I'm furious at the way he has been disregarded.

[Streamingbannersofdawn]

@Blackbear19

He's in year 8 so no lower years working at his level.

I've been sourcing work myself. Bitesize, Maths Factor and others or other things I've researched.

They hadn't been able to teach him anything in the last six months (I'm not exaggerating) so he's learning more with me than he has in a long time at school.

My main worry is him going back!

[SociallyDistanced2020]

Lockdown has been hugely revealing of the disparity in the approach of schools. I have had my eyes opened like never before.
Some primary schools have had Zoom contact with individual children or small groups within a class, or even Zoom assemblies or virtual sports days. Other schools cite safeguarding as to why they can't do this, whether via Zoom or any other platform. Within our LEA schools are planning on using different virtual platforms for blended learning from September, with some choosing Google Meet and other Microsoft Teams. Some have been calling kids to check in daily / weekly / fortnightly. Some haven't called at all.
Some are setting work daily and marking and returning it and some seem to be doing nothing beyond the initial home learning sheets sent home at the start of lockdown. Why the disparity? Should there not be more direction from Government (UK or devolved) or is this just how education is even in normal times?

No wonder there is disparity in outcomes.

[Blackbear19]

Streaming if they know he's working 2-4 years behind. Can they not ask teachers lower down the school to include him in their work they are sending out?

The last thing you'd want is for him to slip further behind.

[Blackbear19]

Longwhisters - I never said a word against teachers my comment was purely directed at the poster having a dig at those who are furloughed.

[Streamingbannersofdawn]

@OldLace

Our experience with school is similar. DS with ASD and ADHD was sent home a week early as they "couldn't keep him safe" they had so many staff going off sick because of guidance.

That was fair enough but he literally cannot access any of the work sent home...they know he is working between 2 and 4 years behind where he should be but no effort made to differentiate his work at all.

We do get a phone call every week to "check we are okay". I have no idea what the point of this is. I am fairly sure that if I told them I'd resorted to locking him in his room to watch horror movies on repeat while eating nothing but sweets they would still do sod all.

To be fair, they were crap before this so I wasn't expecting them to suddenly get a clue in lockdown.

If I ask for information they basically "dont know" what's going on. In fact having read the guidance I have more idea then they do (nothing new there).

[sashagabadon]

Sorry wrong thread!

[sashagabadon]

I think a mixture of good/ excellent and poor/ bad
Good
NHS coped amazingly. Staff really pooled together
Financial support for businesses/ self employed/ furloughed etc
British public were generally amazing. Volunteers/ captain tom/ clapping/ neighbourly goodwill/ most obeying lockdown
Now testing v good and track and trace will get there but initially poor
Vaccine progress , leading the world. We may be one of first with this and i am on rhe oxford trial and that seems hugely impressive to me
BbC online education etc , national theatre free, etc

Bad
Carehomes not handled well. Second to NHS imo when it shouldn't have been.
Ppe at start not good at all. We need to manufacture our own
Bame deaths eg. Bus drivers, nhs etc. Should have reacted quicker to this.
Media has been awful generally and so partisan that is definitely a negative.

Ultimately i agree we need to see in 12 months and a review is essential so we can react better next time. It was a steep learning curve for us as a nation but we have never faced this before.


Lots of lessons to learn but many positives too.

[mumofpickles]

Part time secondary teacher and part time consultant in teacher training working with dofe. I have resigned from school after 19 years in the classroom. Teacher training applications are down for this Sept start and all of this years trainees have a position for Sept which is not usual. Not all ITT is provided by government and there are some excellent alternative providers, just at the moment not the people willing to enter the profession. I have been horrified by the lack of clarity given to headteachers and the unfair pressure they have been put under by the government. Personally my own primary age children have had a miserable lock down being left largely to their own devices and little home school support as I am struggling to keep up working from home. I am completely exhausted and am crawling to the end of term. I will not be offering to work over the summer.