WTAF schools...

[SoberCurious]

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

A school on the bbc news just now said that reducing the SD to one metre would only allow another 3 children in their classrooms. I'm not sure it would even make that many in my room. As it is, at least 3/10 can't see the board at the moment.

@snowballer

He was taking about a ‘catch up’ plan for the summer but absolutely no details about what that was.

"Which Gavin Williamson will be setting out next week" - I wonder if this is the first that Gavin Williamson has heard of this

Teacher contracts again.

Teachers have 1265 hours of directed contact time.
These hours cannot be done outside of the 195 days of term time and inset days.

I realise that this will rile up various posters. But these are the contract details that the government has set.

It will be interesting how they will work this as various schools have already been informed that they will not be open during the summer break.

The government have got the foggest idea about how to make a decision and stick with it.

School either need to be back for all years, even if it is part time or Teachers give proper lessons over Google class/Zoom or what ever. The inconsistency which with have happening now between schools and year group is not acceptable.

The government wonder why the general public are losing faith in them and how they are dealing with crisis.

Teacher contracts again.

Teachers have 1265 hours of directed contact time.
These hours cannot be done outside of the 195 days of term time and inset days.

Everyone is making compromises and they may have to if that what the government decides it needs to happen.

Do any of you realise that SOME (primary) schools are going to open to Yrs 2-5 on June 22nd, IF they have the capacity and staff?

Even wider gaps will emerge between the haves and the have-nots.

By September I'd imagine we'll be down to only very vulnerable people continuing to isolate. If schools aren't back by then, we'll end up financially fucked.

Clutterbugsmum

You're forgetting a little thing called employment rights. Apparently there are 506,000 full-time teachers in the UK across primaries and secondaries. The Govt would have to renegotiate contracts with ALL of them, plus part-time staff and TAs – they can't just tell them when to work and expect them to fall in line without new contracts! It's what any other company would do. And when you think that the largest company workforce in the UK outside Government depts, HMRC and the Armed Forces is Network Rail with 36,000, you can see how difficult it would be. Trying to renegotiate 36,000 contracts would take months, so imagine how long it would take to change half a million!

ok so what happens if the government abandons SD so schools can open and then rate of infections increase and some children die.........is that going to be acceptable or will what will predictably happen is that the public would turn on them and ahnd them their arses for allowing that to happen.

So thats the crux of the issue - are people really going to hold themselves accountable for agreeing to drop SD for kids to go back normally.

If not then it has to be accepted that SD is in place and not everyone can go back

My school has a detailed and careful plan for readmittance of year 10 and our local authority will not let us open. I am raring to go. Children need their education. I expect them in at Sept but our head is planning for December.

Clutterbugsmum

This wouldn't be a compromise it would be a complete change of contract and break employment rights.

The government cannot demand that teachers work in the summer break.

@CallmeAngelina Yes, the school I work at will be open for all years Monday- Thursday (deep clean on Friday) but only half a class in each week. Sadly children won't get many days in school before the end of term, but it's better than nothing.

The sad thing is parents will have to choose if their child is in the key worker bubble (full time child care) or the class bubble (4 days every other week in the classroom with their class teacher) we are ready to go for all year groups, just not all children at the same time.

Everyone is making compromises and they may have to if that what the government decides it needs to happen.

Is there a budget to pay them? No.
Teachers move school and house during this period.
Who would compensate for cancelled holidays?
Teachers have been working hard to sort out the shit show.

Plus the trashed contracts and employment rights issue.

I still don't see why reception/Year 1/Year 2 need to be in full time while other years get nothing

Because R and Yr are where children learn the basic building blocks of reading and writing - they'd be playing catch up throughout their entire school life if they're then thrown into the next school year without even being able to do the basics because you can guarantee the curriculum and expetations of where children need to be wont be adapted to accommodate the months of missed education. And yes, you can help to teach your R/Yr1 child to read and write in the interim however each school has their own way of doing it and scheme they follow which continues throughout the school. It can be harder for children to un-learn incorrect ways of doing things than it is starting with no knowledge.

callme Wider opening to more year groups 2-5 - lots of advice and decisions to be made about liability and insurance. Who is liable if the year groups are different to those suggested by the gov? We are trying to work out the legal stance on this.

No plans for summer care to be by teachers - currently. I am part of the discussions...though of course this could change again.

Everyone realises what a tough time this has been for schools. It's not just teachers but HT's and LA staff too - in my LA, schools have been open for KW children throughout half term and Easter, some have been providing care 7 days per week. Some HT's haven't had a break at all as they are responsible throughout. They can't be expected to work right through summer and then starting the winter term. As LA staff trying to organise care and work through the masses of government guidance (1000 docs and counting) there has to be some sort of break in the summer.

Changing the school year to include the summer, even just for one year, would involve millions of staff. Teachers, TA, learning support, school office staff, janitors, dinner supervisors, the catering companies that provide the food supplies, transport companies and probably even more not thought of.

Everyone is making compromises and they may have to if that what the government decides it needs to happen.

You know the government can’t just ‘decide’ to break a contract right? Any more than they can decide you suddenly need to start working an extra 3 hours a day. Teachers won’t be involved in summer catch ups.

@Clutterbugsmum

Teacher contracts again.

Teachers have 1265 hours of directed contact time.
These hours cannot be done outside of the 195 days of term time and inset days.

Everyone is making compromises and they may have to if that what the government decides it needs to happen.

But the government would need to agree to pay for it.

We always come back to the same issue. They don't see it as enough of a problem to throw money at it.

Social Distancing is going to turn out to be the Emperor's New Clothes

ok so what happens if the government abandons SD so schools can open and then rate of infections increase and some children die

Because swathes of children, and teachers for that matter, died due to catching covid during the 2 weeks leading up to the schools closing, a time which we now know was the peak period of infection..... oh thats right, they didn't, so yeah, sure, its far riskier to send our children back now when the virus is on the decline and no countries anywhere have had a resurgence of the virus to the same sort of levels from reopening schools and businesses.

ONS figures reveal there have been 65 deaths to date in the education workforce - this is out of 32,770 schools in the UK - unknown whether caught directly through work or from elsewhere such as going to the supermarket. Its time to get some perspective on the risk.

Teachers have 1265 hours of directed contact time.

But surely teachers who haven't been in school full time since March, and haven't been offering full days of online lessons haven't fulfilled their contracts and still have a lot of hours of contact time that they owe?

Add up all the contact hours that teachers have been paid for under their contract, but still owe, and I'm sure that would allow most schools (well the ones who haven't offered good provision throughout) to offer a period of summer school staffed by those who owe hours. (or I guess teachers could pay back money they were paid for the contact hours they haven't worked, and supply teachers could be paid for from this).

Contracts work both ways.

If anyone has been on the other threads about this several of us have written to our MP.

I'm personally not asking for teachers to work over summer nor am I blaming them - that lies solely with the government.

All points are valid re. it's a risk and how do the logistics work. BUT think I read

mrsm43s

You missed

These hours cannot be done outside of the 195 days of term time and inset days.

And teachers have been working.

Because there is much more to the job than presenteeism in schools and giving online lessons.

And on the R rate, several posters have explained this better than me but it can be misleading.

Maybe the government should post what the guidelines are for various scenarios to take effect, but like we have the 5 tests or what we for lockdown. I haven't seen that anywhere?