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

I do keep finding that all these other countries are much more cautious about the oldest pupils, interestingly.

But what were the cases and transmission rates like in Switzerland when the kids went back? That's a key bit of info.

What are class sizes in Switzerland? How many pupils use transport to get to school?

Ironically enough, Spain and Italy are keeping their schools closed BECAUSE they want their economy to open up.

@starrynight19

No extra cleaners in our school as it only has one cleaner at the end of the day. We are just trying to clean as we go.

Yep it’s back to what we had at the beginning wash your hands and hope for the best.

To be fair I'm not sure there is much evidence that the fact it all went to shit after that had much, if anything, to do with infections in schools. More the fact we discharged a load of people with Covid into care homes completely lacking in PPE and with no testing capability, and other questionable decisions like only quarantining people coming in from hot spots several months after that ship sailed. I think it's fair to say there is a fair chance that if we'd not made stupid decisions like that, and had the testing capability we have now, plus the treatments available and knowledge of how best to treat it, the outcome would have been very different, and schools taking extra hygiene measures, or "washing their hands and hoping for the best" would have been sufficient. Covid is not unique in being a relatively ubiquitous virus that can kill people. The problem we've had is the sheer numbers of cases. If we can keep case numbers down by other means, then there's no reason to believe the virus is going to spontaneously generate itself from nowhere in a school or anywhere else. Yes, there will be cases in schools, and we will stamp on them hard to avoid infection rates getting out of control again. Infection rates in schools will mirror infection rates in the wider communities they belong to-as long as we take a holistic approach to keeping levels low, and stamp on outbreaks in schools or anywhere else, there is no reason to keep schools closed or operating at half capacity.

France went back to school in full last week and close for the summer next week, really?!

No extra cleaners in our school.
Us TAs are cleaning the loos 4 times a day, taking it in turns so each of us only has to clean them once a day.
Plus we do all the desks and chairs and any laptops or iPads used in the session at lunchtime and again at end of day and sterilise all the plastic toys, pens, pencils and rulers on a friday.
Going to take forever when everyone is back.

Yes appu which massively affected attendance.

You talk like a politician tuck!

Is not closing a nursery with 23 confirmed cases stamping on it hard ?

Unfortunately, it seems a little more like PHE are excited by the chance to study transmission.

I don't really see why temperature testing is quite so easily rejected, a number of forehead scanners especially if start time is staggered should be doable especially in primary school- once in the morning, once before lunchtime. Not that I wouldn't trust fellow parents to not send in a sick child...

We have extra cleaners but couldn’t afford that until a vaccine is found and the government will only reimburse us in the event of an actual outbreak.

Our most recent update from the LA/PHE was to prepare for a full reopening in Sept and then high likelihood of some kind of closure in the autumn term. This was a few weeks ago. I do wonder if a second wave is anticipated.

As a primary teacher I’m actually glad they have just come out and said no social distancing. At least they acknowledge that it isn’t possible and are no longer using words like ‘encourage’ and ‘where possible’.

I really hope there will be separate guidance for EYFS/Y1 and that the desks in rows/ teacher only at the front doesn’t apply. Because that’s not how children of that age learn.

I only know a Swiss teacher in a private school and they wore masks in the corridors and the teachers have screens. Oldest ones still on half classes.

As a primary teacher I’m actually glad they have just come out and said no social distancing

They haven’t said that though, have they? Not for staff?

Appu it does seem to stay that staff should keep their distance. Hopefully the full guidance will clarify if this is just from other adults or from the children too.

But I’m glad it’s acknowledged that children can not distance. Where the precious guidance was a bit woolly on this, we have found that some parents want their Y1 children distancing and some don’t. At least if it’s clear we can be explicit that this is what is expected.

@Piggywaspushed...er, thanks?

No idea on that particular case, but the guidelines clearly state both at the moment and in the leaked document from today that for any positive cases, all children in the bubble should self isolate for 14 days. Which is what has happened at that nursery. Plus, they are testing all of the other children and staff. What more do you think would have been gained from closing the whole nursery? How long would you like to have seen it closed for?

So kids have to sit in rows facing the front like in Victorian times? That's not going to work for my son who already dislikes school.

Given the number of faulty tests, I think a shutdown would make sense. They certainly did that in Israel. if they are indeed testing the whole nursery, that's good. That is meant to be against the guidelines, interestingly.

I like this comment :

The other problem with ‘whack a mole’ is that’s it’s entirely reactive. You don’t even try to stop the moles popping up and you can’t; you’re forever one step behind.

I also found PHE's comment on the nursery pretty alarming, like it was lovely opportunity.

Well maybe temperature testing not easily doable but possible and would be one line of defence. I have picked up my children at end of school with really high temperatures. Teachers are not nurses and especially when back up to full classes it can be easy to miss a sick child.

The guidelines say no temperature testing.

I was talking to some Primary school teachers the other day, they said all the children in school at the moment really enjoy having their own desk and space in the classroom.

I really can’t see subjects being dropped. I can see maybe some reduction in timetabling but really hope not. It would make more sense to only set homework in the key subjects and use that as catch up time . Also have a child very keen on drama and art. She is good at core subjects but struggle with the boredom that is Y6 and the focus on core.

Of course it's an opportunity @Piggywaspushed it helps to inform best action for future - probably saving lives. There hasn't been an opportunity like this before unlike:

Hospitals.
Care homes.
Public transport.
Meat processing factories.
Offices with air con.
Restaurants.

From which much has been learnt about who is at risk and how they were infected.

Not to mention the Recovery trial. An opportunity to test treatments. Which is working and recovery rates are up.

It is PHE job to learn more! If they can show how the virus spread then it will either add weight to the 1,500 paediatricians that want kids back in school. Or your argument suggesting it isn't safe.

I was talking to some Primary school teachers the other day, they said all the children in school at the moment really enjoy having their own desk and space in the classroom

I bet ds y5 would too, unfortunately he gets me and oak academy. Actually not too bad but school really is closed off to him. Feels like all or nothing. Will be glad when September sees an end to the split.

I'm going to start looking for another job. I don't think I'll be alone.

Shutting Leicester schools(except for vulnerable/key worker children) suggests the Health Secretary believes opening them risks spreading the virus (from Kevin Macguire via twitter)

My daughter is in yr12 - I want her to be safe at school, I want her teachers to be safe at school. ,My preference would have been for the Govt to have levelled with us and said - we're going to have a period of unusual teaching and announced a well thought through blended hybrid of f2f and online teaching rather than this 'balls to the wall' defiance

I agree user. There really needs to be separate guidance for EYFS and KS1. Some of these children have been at home for 6 months. They cannot be made to sit down facing the front all day! They also really need to clarify sharing resources as there's no hope of us having 30 of everything we need!