Why can’t schools...?

[Howsaboutwejust]

Why can’t Primary schools just take 30 per bubble? They could eat packed lunches in classrooms and not mix with other bubbles. Where toilets are an issue one year group use the boys and one year group the girls (this would work in my school because two classes share one set of toilets). If they need more toilets then surely some kind of portaloo wouldn’t be too hard to organise?
And why can’t secondary schools (for years 7 & 8 at least) teach children in their register groups. Work as in year 6 where one teacher teaches the whole curriculum. I realise that would take some planning and reading up on different subjects, but surely at the level of year 7 & 8 it would be do-able?
If only Boris would say full classes can be together then all this would be fixed. I know that it would mean mixing more households but with siblings in different bubbles as it is now lots more than 15 households are mixing.

I think the thing is that we are totally in the dark. There was a time I would have posted on here that there would be no way exams would be cancelled. Or no way schools would fully close. And yet here we are! We don't knlw what the next few weeks or months will look like at all, so it's irritating to discuss it with people who don't seem to understand schools at all, which can come off as negative. It's also not that we don't love teaching.
Realistically the way that school looks needs to change for the foreseeable, but we are just sitting waiting for the gov/dept of education to make some decisions so we can move forward.

I'm really concerned that people are coming up with these ideas that don't take any health and safety for staff into account. And then claiming teachers have negative attitudes when we point out the logistical and educational reasons why they aren't the best plan.

Staff aren't just "shielded" or "healthy". There's this great swathe of staff who are "vulnerable" as well. Those people don't have the same protection as the shielding people, and are expected to be back at work by most of the public. Yet we have been warned we're at greater risk of complications than healthy people our age. I'm not particularly worried about dying if I catch covid, because I know that's extremely unlikely. I AM bothered about developing complications which would cause me to be ill for weeks/months and could leave me with permanent issues. That has never been a consideration with my relatively safe job previously, and there's nothing I can do to predict or minimise that risk if all pupils are allowed back full time.

Why can't schools just ignore the rules the government are forcing them to follow to reduce social contact and prevent spread of the virus?

Why?

Why?

It's a mystery to me.

Frippenos & your comment is helpful In what way........

Msawesomedragon there are lots of people in jobs that are the same as you, teachers are not the only ones working in this environment! Lots are going in & coming up with plans to make it work. Some teachers are NOT

Flinstones

Its as helpful as yours

Frippenos I really hope your not a teacher, I would worry If you were.

But we all know how quickly illness spreads around the class ordinarily. If schools aren't allowed to put any safety measures in place I'd be left wondering what we did all this for in the first place.

flinstones I think you'll find that I'm going in to school this week too. I'm not saying I won't, and I'm not even saying I don't want to. What I am saying is that my health needs to be considered as part of the health and safety of reopening schools to a wider population. Some of the plans people are coming up with do not consider my health and safety at all.

I would be happy from both a safety and an educational standpoint if I can continue to socially distance from the children. That, unfortunately doesn't allow for all pupils to be in school full time, but it does allow for approx half of the pupils to be in school at any one time, with the other half being educated remotely. This will actually increase my workload, but I'm willing to do that in order for the families of my pupils, my colleagues, and myself to minimise the risk of catching the "moderate" version of the virus.

I am absolutely willing to help come up with plans to allow more pupils into school, and have even suggested some to my head (he's ignored them, but that's how it goes in teaching). Nothing on this thread is new and innovative, it just isn't logistically viable, or is of less value educationally than the part time blended learning model that is being considered in a lot of schools.

Don't forget, a lot of teachers are really, really hoping for the need to socially distance to be gone by September (as we would like track and trace to be fully operational and enough by then). It would make my life so much easier to be able to be in the classroom full time with the full cohort of kids. We're attempting to plan for the worst (shooting a bit blind in the absence of guidance from the government) while hoping for the best.

Have you seen the images on the television today? Debenham staff are wearing face shields, have till shields AND 2m distancing in place.

Schools aren't allowed any of those things!!

Nothing on this thread is new and innovative, it just isn't logistically viable, or is of less value educationally than the part time blended learning model that is being considered in a lot of schools.

I completely agree with this.

Educationally, I actually think 'blended learning' or part time shiz is AMAZING. Supported metacognition out the wazoo.

But only for kids who have the right tech and somewhere to work.

Flinstones

Oh no gutted.

Ohthegoats. That's why I think the government needs to put some major investment into new "childcare" centres for primary and learning centres for secondary for those that either need the childcare because parents are working or need support and tech outside of the home.

That's why I think the government needs to put some major investment into new "childcare" centres

We could call them ‘children’s centres’ and open them near schools in areas of higher socio-economic deprivation?

Oh, hang on...

@Danglingmod

Have you seen the images on the television today? Debenham staff are wearing face shields, have till shields AND 2m distancing in place.

Schools aren't allowed any of those things!!

Absolutely! Other professions have been afforded some protection yet people want to throw teachers to the dogs 🙄.

Chitty and Dangling

If a teacher wanted to wear a mask and / or a face shield to do their job - who's to stop them?

(I'm in a different country, so I don't know the answer.)

My reception age son went back to school today, a primary teacher can teach reception without too much additional stress as all subjects are of course familiar.

An ex is a teacher (and sendco), hes a maths teacher, that doesn’t mean he can teach computer science, MfL, history, resmat, chemistry etc. It also means children don’t receive an equal education. Those taught by a maths teacher will progress well in maths, yet another class will progress well in biology. So come September everyone is at a completely different place in the scheme of work.

@Prokupatuscrakedatus

Chitty and Dangling

If a teacher wanted to wear a mask and / or a face shield to do their job - who's to stop them?

(I'm in a different country, so I don't know the answer.)

It was in the Government’s guidance for schools. Heads then need to action the Government’s advice and we have to follow that. In our school’s Covid action plan, it specifically says that school staff are not to wear masks or PPE apart from when dealing with children displaying symptoms or if they are providing intimate care for a child.

How about at least having primary back in bubbles of 30 then. Secondary to continue with home learning for a bit as the older kids should be more able to get on with work independently. If primaries stay like this past September how on earth are people meant to work. Working from home whilst looking after young children and also trying to educate them is unsustainable.

How about at least having primary back in bubbles of 30 then

That’s not a bubble, that’s a class.

Realistically in bubbles of 30 there will be no social distancing in an average sized classroom. Not enough space for even a metre distancing. If then children will not be required to social distance in schools why should they social distance anywhere else?

@Prokupatuscrakedatus because the guidance said no PPE my headteacher has banned it for staff and children. No discussion. We aren’t allowed to source and pay for it ourselves either.

What is a teachers ideal solution? One week in and one week off for half classes?

“What is a teachers ideal solution? One week in and one week off for half classes?”

My ideal solution is for a magic wand to appear and rid us of Covid-19 but yes, my second choice would be your suggestion - essentially running the timetable twice, for half of the class one week and the other half the second. This would be tricky in terms of what the half not in school do, but that would need to be factored into our planning (so what we teach them one week, leads into their home learning the next week).

If it’s done by surname with a bit of common sense (eg half siblings allowed into same group) then at least families would be able to plan, knowing all DC would be in school at the same time.