Times saying secondary schools might not open

[Orangeblossom78]

www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/coronavirus-secondary-schools-might-not-be-able-to-fully-reopen-in-september-hrfmxlg5j

Schools will not be able to fully reopen in September unless people behave themselves over the summer, scientific advisers have warned ministers.

Even a modest increase in people’s leisure contacts would mean a choice between shutting pubs or keeping secondary schools closed, modelling for the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) suggests.

Yes but with secondaries maybe the childcare aspect would not be as important. Not sure.

I can understand drama being tricky as lots of contact but art? Surely art would be OK- just need space? which art classes tend to have due to needing space anyway.

I alos have a year 10 and soon to be year 7. I agree my eldest just gets up does online work all day, not great.

There's no reason art can't be taught online. My son's done an amazing art project with his online school this summer. Yes I had to get some materials and set up a space for it, but the actual teaching wasn't an issue

And I am very academic and got banned from art at school for being disruptive - but would not like to see art and drama fall by the wayside. They teach all sorts of life skills and are also very good for wellbeing right now. Our children do online drama lessons (their teacher moved the classes online) and it has been a real boost during lockdown. Their teacher had to innovate in terms of content but they have had a fabulous time and have explored some of the emotions and experiences of lockdown through drama

I think a "blended" approach next year is the most likely. But I really hope subjects like art and drama are not seen as things that can be jettisoned.

How on earth could you have a year group bubble?
How could you keep them separate from the other year groups?

No surprising.
Cant uk just download the app used in other countries? As surely there will be an expectation if you go on holiday there anyway?
I think gcse and alevels in and restrict oub numbers further or the hours /days so maybe closed on fri or sat? Or after 9pm.
I still think 30 is too big even for primary as i doubt assemblies etc made that much difference.
Even at 1/1700 that is one positive student at probably most secondaries. And more in some areas.

One school is still planning an introduction meeting for yr r for sept for parents which seems crazy.
With uk behaviour and alcohol imo pubs probably should have stayed shut but them summer is probably the only time they can open all year.

Secondary is more important than primary and really that should be prioritized over even the working parents so over primary.
But depends on the course of those outbreaks were they teacher to pupils making the no masks even more ridiculous?

Mandatory masks in shops might keep it low enough

Art and drama would be hard to do without spreading it due to sharing objects moving around, singing etc.

No matter what
Schools need to mark work
Cover the curriculum
Discipline policy for children not submitting work (if not ill).
Online access and money for printing etc available maybe grants directly or vouchers.
Because there will be disruption due to SI

How on earth could you have a year group bubble?
How could you keep them separate from the other year groups?

I know, it’s rubbish.

Would the whole year group be sent home if 1 pupil tested positive? And all the teachers who had taught that pupil?

Would teachers be included in bubbles? Does every school have 7 Geography (say) teachers, one for each year? (No.) Would the Y13 Geography teacher be sitting around swilling tea while the Y8 taught the entire year group?

@keepdistance what discipline policy were you thinking for students not submitting remote learning work? Most of the things I usually do to make student do work in lessons requires them to be at school.

Discipline policy for children not submitting work (if not ill).

What do you suggest? Detention?

Pubs are indeed one of the riskiest places to reopen. Expecting social distancing indoors as people consumer more and more alcohol sounds absurd. Some states in the US are having to close pubs again after seeing them as hotspots for infection.

Places of worship should also remain limited in their openings (no collective prayer)

People should still be encouraged to limit their contacts.

Unless the reopening is phased back I can’t see the school return in September being seriously compromised.

I think the bubble thing was from Danish primary schools- who are not using it in secondaries and using rotas instead.

So sure why they are considering that approach here for secondaries. Especially as the bubble idea is about those children playing together and instead of any distance. That isn't as relevant for older teenagers perhaps.

It all seems a bit of a muddle. Just looked at our secondary plans online (plan of the school from above I mean) and there are several blocks- PE hall, DT, music, art all separate so surely could just have entrances from outdoors and then not have to mingle so much? Oh I'm not sure.

But I think they need a different approach.

So rich/middle class families will be able to spend this summer, travelling (in planes with no social distancing), holidaying abroad, but we won’t be getting kids back to school full time...

Yes the economy is important, but children (particularly disadvantaged children) are just being thrown under the bus.

I also feel that more wealthy families can afford zoos, cinemas and theme parks as well but I suppose at least play parks are opening too. As a low income family we have passes to the council pool which wold have been good but that is not open

Just looked at our secondary plans online (plan of the school from above I mean) and there are several blocks- PE hall, DT, music, art all separate so surely could just have entrances from outdoors and then not have to mingle so much

I can see why you would think this but unless you spend time in secondary schools it is hard to imagine just how overcrowded they are.

and of course private schools as well which the Times is reporting are having increased numbers applying for, and waiting lists

Pandemic promises to be unlikely saviour of ailing private schools
Online lessons, open spaces and smaller class sizes have driven a surge in applications

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/pandemic-promises-to-be-unlikely-saviour-of-ailing-private-schools-5xn9b053f

Oh I know what you mean Hip my eldest has been there several years and there are 1200 pupils- I have seen the crowds of them in corridors and pouring into the canteen.

Can't do bubbles of 30 in primary school and also expect a reasonable catch up to happen.

The post is about secondary schools not primary

Oh I know what you mean Hip my eldest has been there several years

Sorry, I hope you didn’t think I was patronising! I hate making my way down the corridors sometimes and I do wonder how the tiny Y7s feel.

It's Ok, I am just trying to think of how they could manage things to get them back. Yes ours is all boys and literally like big packs of them! They were eating big plates of pasta in the canteen at first break last time I was there!

I guess to have smaller groups it may be part time.

Transport to school also a big issue for secondary....

Perhaps in secondary they could look at a rota system so only half the students in at a time. If the school was literally split in half by initial letter of the alphabet then hopefully classes would be smaller and there would be less crowding in the corridors. Perhaps slightly shorter lessons with longer time to move between classes and time for teachers to wipe down shared resources.

I don’t have the answers but my Ds will be going into year 9 September.

I would send him back tomorrow. I am so concerned how a 13 year old is developing emotionally and socially.

I would open schools before pubs

I feel sorry for my sson to be yar 7, his end of year 6 experience has been ruined. The transition to secondary has been ruined. I remember this being such an exciting time. Now it could well be delayed and it is a lot more intimidating because people would rather get pissed in a pub or on a crowded beach.

Or the richer middle class people will bugger off abroad and bring it back, like they did from their half term skiing trips to Italy.