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Nightingale schools

226 replies

Crimples · 14/06/2020 17:05

In the same way they knocked up all those hospitals in next to no time, why can’t they do the same with schools?
Genuine question, apologies if it’s has already been discussed

OP posts:
Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 14/06/2020 20:25

It was a little bit of positivity that I liked reading. So much anger from you.

But what you see as positivity many see as the danger in this - that post showed a worrying lack of understanding of safeguarding and legalities in school.

You can't have a school running with no head or deputy on site, no safeguarding and no first aid provision. Plus, no support for the supply teachers, none of whom would ever have worked in a school staffed only by supply. Are they going to.plan their own lessons, for a start?

JustALittlePinot · 14/06/2020 20:27

@MarshaBradyo

lol at Just are at I see you haha Hmm

It was a little bit of positivity that I liked reading. So much anger from you.

You may call it anger and you’d be right. I see teachers on their knees and I know the toll this takes. So you can sit there and say “haha” but that proves even more that you know nothing. If you’re so concerned, as a previous poster has said, please join a governing body.
Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 14/06/2020 20:29

Marsha

Do you think these supply teachers will also plan the lessons they are to deliver too, even if 500,000 can be found?

MarshaBradyo · 14/06/2020 20:30

You can remark on someone’s positive post, not suggesting it solves the issue. If others feel upset / angered by that then it’s on them.

Anyway I get the vibe from teachers, I’ll await government announcements and see what they do next.

MarshaBradyo · 14/06/2020 20:32

Just I laughed because your ‘I see you’ etc was not in line with what I was thinking and seemed ridiculous.

I can’t say more, If extra staff cannot be found. Fine, it won’t happen.

JustALittlePinot · 14/06/2020 20:33

@MarshaBradyo

You can remark on someone’s positive post, not suggesting it solves the issue. If others feel upset / angered by that then it’s on them.

Anyway I get the vibe from teachers, I’ll await government announcements and see what they do next.

Yes the government have been really useful so far. You’re a coward.
Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 14/06/2020 20:33

Well, yes, we can all make airy fairy positive posts that are unworkable and impractical. What good are they?

MarshaBradyo · 14/06/2020 20:35

A coward.

Oh god. I’m out.

It was a segue out of talking to you obviously because you are full on, and I cba to continue.

Appuskidu · 14/06/2020 20:36

I worry that no matter what is planned, SLT and safeguarding leads will be expected to be in the building every day throughout the summer to supervise.

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 14/06/2020 20:39

@Appuskidu

I worry that no matter what is planned, SLT and safeguarding leads will be expected to be in the building every day throughout the summer to supervise.
If schools are open I can't see any way around it, which is why they shouldn't be open in my opinion. I hope that schools will protect their SLT and refuse to open.
JustALittlePinot · 14/06/2020 20:45

@MarshaBradyo

A coward.

Oh god. I’m out.

It was a segue out of talking to you obviously because you are full on, and I cba to continue.

I’m not full on - this actually affects me. And my staff. It clearly doesn’t affect you as much as you know nothing. Useless idiot.
Michelleoftheresistance · 14/06/2020 20:46

Ok, large conference centre can be commandeered and bubbles of 15 taught in there. Let's think about the can-do aspects.

We can get all current un-needed furniture in situ (most of it) removed and stored in some outside lock up box bought and delivered to site, manpower to shift it all. This might be something parents or volunteers could help with but risk assessment/legal aspects need to be checked.

We can risk assess safety of all doors and exits and then get the requisite numbers of quotes for installing necessary childproofing throughout the building to the standards of necessary security so the best quote can be selected and the work booked - time and costing needed, plus costings to put right again when building is returned to original use. Possibly the accountability standards of set numbers of quotes could be waived by govt, but finding workmen to do this quickly for many premises may be something to think about.

We can buy all the needed right sized furniture to refit the classrooms, basically desks, chairs, some storage, and get that delivered when suppliers are able to provide this. Things like computer access etc will be needed but basically to just get a teacher in a room with kids on chairs to start with - time and costing needed

We can quote for and install child sized sinks and toilets and ensure the right number for the numbers of children - the adult sized ones are probably going to have to either be taken out and stored for later, or possibly we could get away with massed steps and child seats? Risk assessment involved since this is potentially dodgy- time and costings needed

We can advertise and interview for teachers, and mix and match across the main school site and the commandeered site so children have some familiar faces who know them and ensure enough SLT staff in post on both sites, plus recruit additional admin staff for the new site, then sort the references, DBS, updating safeguarding training and things like EpiPen training, the crucial policies, and set up pay systems to get to a start date and contract - time and costings needed

Play facilities will be needed including safely surrounded outside space for outside time: possibly fencing off half of the car park, however boundaries will need to be secure enough to pass risk assessment, and the pond in the grounds will need to be fenced off and made secure, as will every gate and exit point from the grounds for security , with this undone when the building is returned to use- builder quotes to LA specification (set number required) plus time for work to be done and costings needed

That's about 8 classes accommodated, that's about 1 primary school now sorted on its own site and its overflow site. Now let's start on the village hall.

It could be done: the above is just off the top of my head and school staff would probably think of hundreds more things that would have to go on that list. But really, the costs are...… unimaginable for even one site, and this would need to happen in hundreds and hundreds of them. The time needed to set it all up would be considerable before it could be up and running, and to try and cut any corners would need parents, staff, LA and government to accept normal standards of safeguarding, risk assessment and safety being reduced. And this is just to get kids with a teacher in a room, never mind planning, learning, resources, all the rest of it.

Yes, this pandemic is really shit for children and education, it's beyond frustrating. There aren't any easy answers.

MarshaBradyo · 14/06/2020 20:49

I won’t retaliate with a similar insult but merely think it. You’re right your jibes don’t affect me, you’re angry for very little reason. Which is your issue.

Obviously the state of education affects many though so you’re wrong about that. Anyway I take care and all that.

Appuskidu · 14/06/2020 20:59

I can think of one conference centre near us, that could be used. It would have enough rooms for my infant school to have half the children at school and half the children there. It is about 3 miles from my school though and loads of our parents walk. There is also no grounds, just a small car park which is right on a v busy main roads so we couldn’t go out at all for any playtimes.

There are probably 25 schools closer to the conference centre than us that would want to use it too, though!

There is a community centre nearer to my school that has a big v dark echoey hall. A class could go in it, but if you started to screen it off for more than one class, it would be too noisy to teach anything it.

No doubt, I’m not being ‘can do’ enough again though.

Iwantacookie · 14/06/2020 21:02

@thetriangle I agree. Alot of people are just trying to be helpful with suggestions and dont know the ins and outs hence why they ask the question.
I've heard more suggestions from this site than from the government about schools returning safely.

BreconBeBuggered · 14/06/2020 21:04

Schools can neither fund solutions without adequate resources, nor make public health decisions. The government needs to make clear what is expected of schools: to return full time or part time. That's it. Those are the only viable options as far as I can see. The government is not going to put billions upon billions into solving what is essentially a temporary problem. It'll be parents who are expected to be creative about childcare, tuition, etc.

CallmeAngelina · 14/06/2020 21:16

@MarshaBradyo

*I am a semi-retired/supply teacher who would be more than happy to teach anywhere. I would have my own childcare problems (single parent) but if they could be sorted I would love to teach again.

I’m sure there are plenty of supply teachers and early retirees who would be willing to do their bit. There was a major reorganisation in my county several years ago and 100s of teachers were made redundant or took voluntary severance.*

Nice to read.

Just another 499,999 to go then.
Appuskidu · 14/06/2020 21:19

The government is not going to put billions upon billions into solving what is essentially a temporary problem

This, with bells on.

PamDenick · 14/06/2020 21:26

I love how people are trying to come up with solutions. We all want the best for our children.
Thing is when it comes to school there is not one size fits all.
I heard from an ex- head today that she thought half the class should in lessons, the other half On the playground. That MIGHT work in a school of 200 kids.
However, some secondary schools have over 2000;kids on site. So imagine trying to teach the first 1000 whilst the other 1000 are outside on a muddy (and/or sunny) field. Imagine the amount of supervision needed.
Everyone is thinking about things from a primary perspective. Imagine a load of doddery supply teachers trying to deliver GCSEs to angry/and or highly intelligent/ and or petrified and or highly political and or completely disaffected drug dealing /Oxford potential / parliamentary candidate in a few years / 16 year olds in statistics followed by art followed by Physics followed by critical thinking followed by Drama followed by History followed by Religious Studies followed by Careers talk followed by English Literature (which text) followed by English Language followed by Media Studies followed by GCSE Dance followed by German followed by Travel and Tourism followed By DT followed by Spanish followed by Functional Skills Maths (cos we’re a bit crap at maths but the Government insists we got some sort of qualification in it) Followed by History (with an extra module in BLM because the teenagers will be asking about that because half of them will have been on marches this weekend) followed by GCSE music with a specialism in String ensemble followed by 20 minutes reading for pleasure.
Yeh. Get some supply teachers in.
Use theatres and/ or community centres.

That’ll work.

Italiandreams · 14/06/2020 21:49

Anyone else starting to think some of these solutions might be damaging on the children. I know people are trying to help but seem to be forget these are little children they are suggesting sending off to huge, strange venues to be taught by strangers.

I really want children to be back and things to be back to normal , but I wouldn’t be sending my child to anything like this.

ColouringPencils · 14/06/2020 22:12

30 in a class. The teacher comes to the lesson, not classes move around.

I imagine primary will go back to the usual as there is not really any realistic alternative.

Secondary. Years 7-9 are in sets and stay in the same set class for everything. Tutor group is with your set. GCSE you also stay in your same class, maybe there are pared down combinations of GCSEs you can take and they try to find the best combination for you. Eg:
History and French strand
Geography and French strand
History and German strand
Geography and German strand

It would probably need to be in sets too. This is most obviously a compromise, but still far better than learning from home.

A-level: smaller group seminars, video lectures? Like a junior university, you could have subject leaders in their field doing video lectures and school teachers running small seminars.

Bolt-on learning for children and young people of all ages to learn skills and study the subjects online that interest them. The internet is an amazing resource and we have barely scratched the surface of its potential. You could be having weekly masterclasses with world experts. You could connect with other learners anywhere - imagine sitting down for your coding class with kids around the world. There are also amazing educational resources that most parents can't afford to buy. What if the government paid for access to these? What if we recognised the need for the best educational content to be free for all, not only available to those who can pay.

Ok maybe some terrible ideas, but I would be interested to see a shake-up in education. The internet has made a lot of the things we traditionally learn fairly redundant, whereas the need to know how to read and analyse texts, understand facts and figures, problem solve, operate globally, think creatively, have never been greater. Surely now is the time for change.

mumsneedwine · 14/06/2020 22:16

@ColouringPencils we teach over 20 subjects at GCSE. Not many do the exact same combinations. It is a logistical nightmare if we need to bubble them.
And sets for English and maths are very different at KS3 so which one do we choose ?
I want to go back so someone work out how please.

Flinstones · 14/06/2020 22:20

Another thread where the teachers are not being very helpful in the discussion abut getting the children back to school. There will have to be lots of flexibility all round! Parents taking there own children to school, I'm sure they would rather that than they being home all the time. Why can't we use newly qualified teachers? Newly qualified doctors where used In hospitals.

HipTightOnions · 14/06/2020 22:29

Why can't we use newly qualified teachers?

We will be. They have just qualified and will start in September. As usual.

But where do you think all the extra teachers will come from?

ColouringPencils · 14/06/2020 22:30

@mumneedswine, I don't know what the answer is. GCSE seem to be the biggest problem from that point of view. But maybe a pared down list of options is preferable to not being in school at all. Clearly compromises will need to be made by students as well as schools and parents.