Every child in every year group will return to school in September, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has said.

[itswhereitsat]

I didn't catch the briefing but read the above comment in the news. The big question is, did he say whether children returning would be part-time or full time? Or did he just gloss over that bit?

Qasd,

What about the current Y10s, who have already chosen options and studied them for a year?

What about A-levels?

You cannot have a solution that sort of works for 3 year groups, can be forced to work for 1 year group by completely messing up their chosen options at short notice, and doesn't work at all for 3 year groups. That's not a solution.

If we don't get kids back to school soon the drain on the NHS from mental health support will take from other areas.

Nothng is going to be perfect. Kids have sacrificed enough. It has to stop and thankfully is now going to.

This.
September is 10 weeks away. A lot can change by then.

Secondaries cannot follow a bubble model, and staggered starts get very tricky with teachers working across different year groups. 1m social distancing only allows half the students in a classroom. So a full opening, even with handwashing, masks on transport to school, and increased cleaning, basically makes the whole school a single 'bubble' for transmission. So a few cases can close down the entire school, not to mention affect those sharing public transport with pupils
Yes, bubbles won't work in high school. The thing about a few cases closing down a school is potentially true, but at this point schoolkids are already getting on public transport with real humans. They are mixing in groups, across, families and their parents are going out to work, and shop in increasing numbers. Most people are pretty much done with lockdown at this point, so there may well be more infection accross the community.

scuse rogue commas!

Just out of interest - how many people on here work in an environment where there is no social distancing? (And if so, no PPE also)

There's absolutely no way on earth the secondary schools round here will be able to social distance. We are in a very rural area, the extremely limited public bus service travels around for miles picking up children from various villages and hamlets, before dropping them at one of the secondaries. They'd have to triple the number of buses at least, this in an area where they are always threatening cuts and school closures. Conversely, the primaries would probably be OK as they're usually undersubscribed and fairly roomy. But secodnaries, nope, not a chance

Well there is.

Re buses they could have staggered entrance like primary schools are doing.

They could do it by year group. Buses drop off one or two year groups then go back to get the next. Day extended for those children and staff starting later. Many parents like myself will choose to drive them for a while. We will get up earlier.It’s going to be tricky but frankly I’d walk across hot coals to get mine back in school.

A lot of our kids come to school either on public transport or use the school bus service, which is shared with a neighbouring school.

There speaks someone who knows nothing about school transport.

Not you strawberry !

Personally, I am not confident it is safe at all for school to go fully back to normal in September. Boris is like Trump, he throws the idea out without any evidence/check it would be possible (unless he has a crystal ball, of course), his idea then gets favour and it is difficult to stop no mater how deranged it could be.

Things can be better by September, but we have no way to know. There is no evidence either that the virus is getting milder and it doesn’t need to either being so infectious before they symptoms appear. We may be experiencing an improvement, as with any other virus, due to the nice weather only.

This is explained well in this article: What is a second wave and is one coming? [[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53113785]]

Sorry here’s the right link

That article clarifies nothing. The headline is a question fgs.

I have 4 dc and have always used school transport so your rude and patronising assumption is wrong.

School transport won’t be the same but in many areas it could be adapted.

@Apple1971

Just out of interest - how many people on here work in an environment where there is no social distancing? (And if so, no PPE also)

I’d also like to know the answer to this....

No petunia, I meant the financing and organising of school transport : and the fact that huge cuts were made to transport subsidies.

Most of our buses do multiple schools and can't be shuttling kids from one school backwards and forwards all day.

I imagine the government will just say sod social distancing in schools and, therefore, on school transport , too.

Not all schools by any means.

Our massive school has staggered pick ups already and bus company must only be dealing with that school given the times. Pretty sure they won’t have a bustling schedule of school trips and other outings the rest of the day at the moment.

The other big school uses a private bus company parents pay for. Again clearly only that school unless other schools start at 10 or later.

Many bus companies have been sitting idle losing money. I’m pretty sure they’d jump at the chance to get moving and adapting.

Many parents will now happily drive. Roads will be a nightmare but then lots are still wfh. C’est la vie.

They are going back. Transport will have to be adapted.

My massive school shares buses with other massive schools with slightly different finishing times.

There have , I repeat, been massive cuts to school transport subsidies. the government is not going to give this money back.

It's not as simple as viewing them as private companies making money directly from schools.

That article clarifies nothing. The headline is a question fgs.

If you want a exact response, nobody has it. Period.

That is your school. Others differ.

Bus companies are going to have long days filled with nothing. Potentially more buses available( those reserved for trips that start same time as school rush hour)Parents will be encouraged to drive....

It will need to be on a school by school case. To say the entire sector can’t adapted before you even start trying is incorrect. Employers will need to be understanding that many parents will be going school run for a while....

@TheMotherofAllDilemmas

That article clarifies nothing. The headline is a question fgs.

If you want a exact response, nobody has it. Period.

Exactly so why try and scare people with second waves that may never happen?

I'm not working at the moment as long as schools are closed as I have one child with autism who needs 1 to 1 (so no income for me). DH did have to go into work at the start, no different to normal though desks are spaced out but people flying in and out from here there and everywhere including colleague from Wuhan and sharing toilets, now working from home, working from 6am to 11pm somedays and asked to take a 20% paycut - he declined but quite a few redundancies there. They are awaiting to here when go back in - at the moment just lab staff are in.

Not been out since lockdown until yesterday but came across quite a few working not socially distanced - the lady on the till at Longleat was maybe a meter away if that from everyone though no touching, two men on a toll road where right next to each other and taking 50ps from people with everyone's hand touching (we didn't go across it), takeaway handed DS the meal. Lots of people not socially distancing out and one massive group of about 30 at Longleat sitting together. DS announced he was doing lockdown better than 99% of people in this country. I would imagine most people in retail aren't socially distanced and lots with kids not able to work.

handed DH not DS

How long do you spend next to the lady on the till at longleat? Or the toll road men? Is it an hour?

Just trying to find out who here telling schools to go back and get on with it is also working somewhere, inside, in a room, with 30 others, in fairly close proximity to other, for an hour. Repeat x 5 or six.

We don’t have school transport for the majority. Our students travel on packed buses to get here.

Also note the fact that most parents will be doing the school run for extended time comment? Why is that? Would it be because it’s not safe for you to go back to work?!? Hmmm......