Huffpost - leak on School Guidance

[PatriciaHolm]

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/school-reopening-whole-year-bubbles-full-guidance-covid_uk_5ef9dd4ac5b6ca97091288e4?oo9&guccounter=1

Full document due this week, but some "highlights"...(I use the word advisedly)

• secondary bubbles of up to 240 children (essentially a year group) -No in-class social distancing requirement for primary pupils, with secondary pupils advised to stay 1m apart but not at all times -Teachers advised to keep 2m away from pupils, at the front of the class, and away from colleagues as much as possible as if in a supermarket

• Compulsory engagement with the NHS Test and Trace system, with whole classes or year groups liable to be sent home if a pupil tests positive, but whole school closure not seen as generally necessary

-No face coverings for pupils or teachers, on Public Health England advice, as they “interfere” with teaching and learning -Children seated facing forwards in same direction and not at circular tables, with pupils wearing normal uniform and washing hands throughout the day -Teachers advised to spend no more than 15 minutes at any one time closer than 1m to anyone - Fines of up to £120 for parents whose children fail to attend school. In contrast with the “softly softly” approach taken during full lockdown the message will be “education is not optional”

• Heads told not to put in any staff rota or physical distancing that would require extra space or make it impossible for all pupils to return full-time.

- Contingency plans for some or all of the school being put in local lockdown and any temporary return to “remote” teaching needing to be of a high quality -Some subjects for some or all pupils may have to be suspended for two terms to allow catch-up on core subjects such as English and maths, with a full spread of subjects returning in the summer term of of 2021 -Some pupils may have to drop some GSCEs altogether in Year 11 to allow them to catch up and achieve better grades in English and maths. GCSEs and A-levels to take place as planned next summer but with some “adaptations” - First year pupils at secondary school may have to be re-taught English and maths from their final year syllabus at primary level

@FrippEnos Oh. So I didnt need to go to university for 5 years and spend £20k to learn how to teach English. All I needed was to have a chat with an english teacher! Handy to know that that's all I need to do when I decide I want to teach GCSE IT.

I agree, particularly regarding Shakespeare. I am an English teacher with a degree in English and have taught Sh. to A'level, GCSE and SATs classes but would still have to prepare notes, esp for A'level.

Not straight forward at all.

I give up. Here comes the second wave. I hope not to be washed away by it!

If there are any parents of English pupils at GCSE/A'level (or teachers of other subjects!) I am going to put my notes online shortly. I have left the classroom and don't want all the resources and research to go to waste so will put it online.

More or less what I was expecting.
How do we get round the issue that some parents will send their children in, knowing that they have symptoms?
We have a child who has been off school for the last 2 weeks. Her dad rang the school and said she had a temperature. When he was told that he couldn't send her in for 2 weeks, he then tried to say it was a headache/that she was fine/that her mum was ill, not her! I don't know if she was ill or if they just wanted a day off, but it is worrying.

marsha do you realise how it sounds when you keep saying so long as they have triple science

Do you realise how you sounded when you said if it all goes to shit : by this do you men many people falling ill, being hospitalised and maybe dying?

Try to show some sensitivity.

I think it's terrible. No protection for students or staff is unfair. I wonder if there will be a number of parents who pull their children out to homeschool rather than be fined

If they're going to start fining people then I hope the relevant duty of care is there to make schools COVID safe, otherwise it's shakey ground.

The problem is going to be multiple teachers getting ill / needing to isolate. I doubt they'll have enough teachers.

Long thread, I am guilty of not reading all. Very intrigued by bubbles.
My idea of just one week a month of actual F2F teaching is looking more likely.

Triple science is helpful to do science for A levels, but not essential. I did double science, well taught, then joined a sixth form where literally every one of my peers had done triple science. And I still got top grades - really, the gap isn't as large as is sold to you and if everyone is in the same boat, good teachers can bridge the gap for A level. If you really have a son who loves science then he can read a bit more outside of double science.

Bright students coping well with Maths and English should absolutely be allowed to continue their none core subjects. Dropping one or two should be the students decision.

I think some people are reading more in than has been said and getting themselves overly worried re dropping subjects.

Some subjects for some or all pupils may have to be suspended for two terms to allow catch-up on core subjects such as English and maths, with a full spread of subjects returning in the summer term of of 2021

This does not say all subjects for all pupils. But to my mind it is saying it might be better to e.g. miss a term of Geography and a term of History in y8 to help catch up maths and English for those he need catching up.

Some pupils may have to drop some GSCEs altogether in Year 11 to allow them to catch up and achieve better grades in English and maths.

Again, this does not say all pupils to drop all their options. The more able students aiming for A levels might well be fine anyway, but less able ones who maybe need 5 GCSEs inc English & Maths for their BTEC or apprenticeship could be well served by dropping an option subject.
At my DD's school that would free up 5 hours a fortnight plus homework time, plus revision time, plus exam time, which could be quite significant if used well by the pupil. (And no, not all students with low academics are lazy layabouts before people say it wouldn't be used well.)

Do you realise how you sounded when you said if it all goes to shit why are you quoting me? Read again it was another poster

Yes I care about triple Science. D’s excels at it. So what? We all have our own stresses. For others it’s drama or art. And?

Dropping one or two should be the students decision.

Which leaves you with a timetabling issue. Mrs X’s French class now needs two teachers. One to teach French, one to teach/supervise extra maths/English.

And I dgaf how it sounds. Do you realise how you sound? Annoying

Dh read me something out last night from a Japanese study.

Widespread or compulsory use of face masks, reduces Corona deaths by 70%. But we can’t wear them.

Also the thought of duty..... when it’s packed

And where do they go, and what do they do during the time the option subject is running? Or are we (the teachers foolish enough to have chosen a non-core subject) supposed to have them in our classroom, refusing to do the subject they chose in the first place, disrupting everyone else's learning? There aren't lots of teachers spare to be able to take an extra study group.

[quote SqidgeBum]@FrippEnos Oh. So I didnt need to go to university for 5 years and spend £20k to learn how to teach English. All I needed was to have a chat with an english teacher! Handy to know that that's all I need to do when I decide I want to teach GCSE IT.[/quote]
If that is all you have taken from my post then there is no helping you.

I’m guessing those dropping subjects to focus on core subjects will be in the original subjects class sitting at the back with online or written work for core subjects to do. Which many won’t apply themselves to do and a distraction for the rest of the class and teacher.

I had covid in March and it was 6 weeks before I could stand up for ten minutes, and 8 weeks before I could home school my son. What happens if loads of teachers get ill for that length of time in a second wave? That is considered a minor covid infection, but the schools would be on their knees of all the staff went off ill long term like that.

I can't see how this is going to work unless the covid magically vanishes into thin air in August.

I am glad I sound annoying.

@MilesJuppIsMyBitch I'm right here with you, trying not to take it personally too.

I don't want to homeschool either (I have a job that I love and that I've been doing throughout, apart from anything else). I really, really don't want to lose my children's school spaces or be fined. I want them back to normal as soon as either there's a vaccine, a decent treatment or negligible.

@Whysomanyexcuses "Shielding ends in August"

No, it doesn't. Shielding pauses in August if case numbers are low enough. At that point, shielded people can return to COVID-safe workplaces but should continue to work from home if at all possible. They must continue to follow strict social distancing of at least 2 metres at all times.

@TeenPlusTwenties

Who supervises this study if half want to carry on and half don't?

Sacrificing History for a term to catch up Maths, who teaches the maths?

That’s great.

I have every sympathy for any parent facing losing best subjects for their dc. It is stress-inducing. And this stress will differ depending on student.