Schools guidance released

[Orangeblossom78]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-53253722

No dropping of subjects at GCSE then. Posting for info

All well and good 'extra sinks and hand sanitiser stations' - I've a relatively small secondary who have just spent £10,000 on 'mobile/freestanding' sinks. Yes, great it gets the pupils back, but with so many schools with deficit budgets ( 2 out of every 3 in my LA, due to government cuts and underfunding) and no extra funding for schools, not every school is going to be able to do this. Governors can only legally set a deficit budget if they have a recovery plan - that usually means cutting staff.

Governors can only legally set a deficit budget if they have a recovery plan - that usually means cutting staff.

Yep. I don't think people understand the constraints that schools are operating under and think it can be overcome by a can do attitude, unless I suppose the can do involved printing money.

I may be wrong but I think the evidence is now leaning towards indoor transmission being the main route, hence face coverings. I think formite transmission ie the usefulness of hand washing (although obviously always helpful) is becoming a more secondary route. I will be writing to our Head requesting my kids can wear face coverings if they choose to. It’s a myth older children don’t want to wear them/find them traumatic. With girls in particular they’re becoming a fashion accessory. Who doesn’t remember the excitement of something personalised at school? At the very least they should be optional, all the girls would choose to wear them if they can buy/make their own. This would go a long way to mitigating risk. I’m hoping by writing, with a link to relevant research, in it will be on “file” and need to be addressed. Maybe if more parents did this schools would be negligent not to act?

@C33P0 - as far as I am aware, under the blended model or with bubbles, there is no PPA/specialist teachers. However, the teachers will still need their PPA time.

Yes staff can move bubbles, tad will move bubbles, bubbles can all mix at before and after school clubs so basically they aren’t actually bubbles ... just used to try and get the trust and convince parents they are!

Bubbles are no more.

I can see my old head having mixed class phonics sets up and running by Day 2 to get ahead if the game for the phonics screener!

@Howaboutanewname - I asked on another thread about buying things like hand sanitizer for schools (as I know lots of parents would donate) and was told to leave it to the schools to buy. If you are buying it out of your own pocket why can't parents help out?

Keepdistance

But honestly it has never been clearer that education and nhs need to be separated away from gov control. It is a conflict of interest. As is a LA paying for sen support.

This should be the battle hymn of all teachers, schools, parents and unions.

I can understand parents being worried, but I think that we really need to take the bull by its horns and start living again.
Life is one huge risk, and unless the child is particularly vulnerable, they do need to return to school in September. However I do think that this business of keeping groups of children apart is a total nonsense.
Regardless of any plans and protocols put into place, I can guarantee as soon as a school breaks up for end of day, and they are out of those gates, the children will be in huddled groups, not to mention the 500 children crossing the road outside the school!

I absolutely know the unions are never going to win that battle. But why did they try? Although interventions by local politicians haven’t helped the cause. They could have said no to the interviews. Left the government to spin in the wind

The unions have to engage on behalf of their members.

Are they going to rewrite a sense policy and not send out shitty letters if attendance is less than 95%?

No.

The "back to school" has to be shown to work, and fining parents is the only way they can assure the highest attendance. Even when the schools are unlikely to be safe in the eyes of many parents and staff.

Sallyb392.

That means I’ll be mixing with 2,200 other people in a small densely populated building.

But we have to ‘grab the bull by the horns’ because staff are disposable after all aren’t they?

We had one year 7 sent home and advised to seek medical attention after ingesting hand sanitiser before the lockdown, so yeah, they really are that daft.

To be honest, I think some schools are going to have to crack down on behaviour expectations. Time out/inclusion/isolation rooms and detentions aren't going to work anymore.

I think it's going to be a case of 'behave or go home' as it currently is with out y10s that are in, in quite a lot of secondaries.

It does put a lot of the risk onto older parents as they also have the older parents. We are 40s and parents mid 70s. Same with older teachers really. And of course any of those living with the older generation. But not even that realistically how many kids will stay away from the GP from sept until a vax?! Even our non 70 so non vulnerable GP are 65 both with high bp. That's going to make for a fun xmas. (Maybe everyone would take the kids out beforehand.)
I was sat im garden and could hear a GP i know talking to one GC as they went to collect the other from preschool (they must be at least 60+), so to think that this wont spread to the GP is well silly even if most dont live together as many will still do school pickups (we are after all being told its safe), relatively speaking it may be for young kids but they should clarify it is not safe for the adults they live with or are bubbled with.

And there should be a new phrase instead of as safe as houses - as safe as cheltenham (or obviously the Spain eng football which were actually outside so should have been ok).
So schools going back like this are as safe as that. Or maybe like that the gov just wanted the money and as many people infected as possible. I mean as a strategy infecting mainly the youngest makes some sense if you ignore the people they live with. As if gov arent buying enough vax for them anyway..
Tbh i would be concerned about anyone who listens to and believes a word this gov says

It does put a lot of the risk onto older parents as they also have the older parents. We are 40s and parents mid 70s. Same with older teachers really.
Yes, this. As parents in late 40s with parents in late 70s, one with several conditions that make him very vulnerable, we have a child in infant school. Grandparents usually do school pickups. That won't be happening. But we both have the luxury of professional jobs with a degree of control over our diaries and employers with enlightened flexible working policies. We are not all in the same boat, not everyone will have those luxuries.
We won't be seeing grandparents on my side (their decision) unless we have been isolating prior. Which means probably not at all between Sept and new year, something that doesn't fill me with joy. My son is back in school so not seeing them now until August.

The more I read, the more convinced I am that the guidance has been written in such a way that when schools say they cannot fully employ the measures 'suggested', the blame can be placed firmly on them.
Not on the government who have said there needs to be extra cleaning, children should be washing hands at prescribed times, that children should be forward facing but still maintain sd with their teacher, that windows should be open to allow for ventilation etc etc. Our school only has one cleaner on site most of the day. We would have to pay overtime or employ extra to be able to clean as often as suggested. We would need extra soap to cope with the handwashing requirements. Having the windows open to allow sufficient ventilation would mean our victorian building with its ancient and inefficient heating is even colder in the autumn and winter months as well as increasing the heating billssince much of the heat would go straight out of the windows. Even if there were enough marquees and portakabins available for the entire country, not every school has the space and few I know of have the money to pay for them and the extra resources that would be needed. I am also a governor, so I know exactly the state of our budget. We do really well to make sure we get beat value and maximise the money we have, but the extra costs that the guidance would impose on us without any financial aid to help pay for them, will lead to job losses. We are already cut to the bone - we have no 'extra' staff at all, every teacher in our school teaches, even the head. Our support staff has been cut and cut over the last few years to the point where we now have two 'general' TAs for the whole school (almost 300 children) and a small number of 1:1 staff who work with children who have been awarded support hours by the LA. We have already had to call back the 'vulnerable' members of staff in order to open to the year groups the government wanted back in school from the start of June. We have no money, we have no spare staff. We cannot pay for screens etc. We have a can do attitude, but we cannot 'do' if we have no money with which to do it.
But when we are unable comply with the guidance, people won't look to the government and wonder why they hold our education system in such contempt that they deliberately issue guidelines they KNOW schools cannot meet without the cash to do so, no, they will blame the schools and the staff for not having a 'can do ' attitude.

@Erictheavocado

The more I read, the more convinced I am that the guidance has been written in such a way that when schools say they cannot fully employ the measures 'suggested', the blame can be placed firmly on them. Not on the government who have said there needs to be extra cleaning, children should be washing hands at prescribed times, that children should be forward facing but still maintain sd with their teacher, that windows should be open to allow for ventilation etc etc. Our school only has one cleaner on site most of the day. We would have to pay overtime or employ extra to be able to clean as often as suggested. We would need extra soap to cope with the handwashing requirements. Having the windows open to allow sufficient ventilation would mean our victorian building with its ancient and inefficient heating is even colder in the autumn and winter months as well as increasing the heating billssince much of the heat would go straight out of the windows. Even if there were enough marquees and portakabins available for the entire country, not every school has the space and few I know of have the money to pay for them and the extra resources that would be needed. I am also a governor, so I know exactly the state of our budget. We do really well to make sure we get beat value and maximise the money we have, but the extra costs that the guidance would impose on us without any financial aid to help pay for them, will lead to job losses. We are already cut to the bone - we have no 'extra' staff at all, every teacher in our school teaches, even the head. Our support staff has been cut and cut over the last few years to the point where we now have two 'general' TAs for the whole school (almost 300 children) and a small number of 1:1 staff who work with children who have been awarded support hours by the LA. We have already had to call back the 'vulnerable' members of staff in order to open to the year groups the government wanted back in school from the start of June. We have no money, we have no spare staff. We cannot pay for screens etc. We have a can do attitude, but we cannot 'do' if we have no money with which to do it. But when we are unable comply with the guidance, people won't look to the government and wonder why they hold our education system in such contempt that they deliberately issue guidelines they KNOW schools cannot meet without the cash to do so, no, they will blame the schools and the staff for not having a 'can do ' attitude.

100% this. It's a disgrace.

What Erictheavocado said.
Our 1:1 tas are already in class in bubbles.
They will have to stay that way as we only have a couple of general tas.
We are trying to have two adults per bubble as, without scheduled breaks, one adult needs to occasionally use the toilet and often you need first aid, minor issues etc. We are doing break duty every day, there’s no ppa or management time and no spare adults or money.
I want all children back but the government needs to provide some resources.
Masks - children are pretty used to seeing people in masks now. Yes it interferes with teaching- but not as much as constant illness.
Money for cleaners and cleaning plus sanitiser/soap etc.

An acknowledgement that it’s not as safe as staying home - 32 plus people in one room all day just won’t be. Stop telling us it’s our attitude and put some money into it.
It’s really important- therefore funding for this should be priority after healthcare at the moment.

Kids with 1-to-1s have their legal protections returned in September so their TAs won't be able to support general bubbles.

I can understand parents beng worried but we need to take the bull by the horns and start living again

This.

The risks are minuscule. The risks of long term mental health issues and educational stagnancy if we stay in lockdown are much bigger, particularly for the large groups of less privileged children we have in the UK.

Erictheavocado

I agree with you but I think there is another more sinister reason behind this which is if anyone in school dies as a result of catching Covid there then government can make the individual school (governors) responsible for not complying with the advice.

@Oaktree55

All the girls would choose to wear face masks?!

Of course they would! They're sooo cool. That's why you see all the teenagers wandering about wearing them!

I think it was the trend setters who started the look for 'middle aged in Tesco feeling a bit silly' that really made them take off

@Hearhoovesthinkzebras that's already the case.

I think it's going to be a case of 'behave or go home' as it currently is with out y10s that are in, in quite a lot of secondaries.

But then you get into illegal exclusion territory.

[quote havefunpeleton]@Oaktree55

All the girls would choose to wear face masks?!

Of course they would! They're sooo cool. That's why you see all the teenagers wandering about wearing them!

I think it was the trend setters who started the look for 'middle aged in Tesco feeling a bit silly' that really made them take off [/quote]
Rather flippant irresponsible comment. Have you seen the trend on TIk Tok have you noticed all the teen on line shops selling them as an add on to basket? I’m not talking surgical type masks. I do have experience of this hence my opinion. I agree boys might not want to.

You use the word embarrassed. Why should there be embarrassment at potentially doing your part to stop the spread of this? Ridiculous and very depressing point of view. The majority of us I would hope try and do what we can day to day to help others. This is probably the simplest easiest thing each person could do in certain settings to help others. Depressing sentiment to not want to do so out of “embarrassment”.