School from September

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What are your thoughts on the newly released information on schools returning in September? I agree that children need an education but can’t understand why other than putting the children into class sized bubbles that no other major precautions are being taken. There are no other circumstances where groups of 35 can mix without social distancing or PPE. So why is this ok for schools? I know we keep getting told that children aren’t too badly effected but they can obviously spread COVID-19 and the school in Leicester have all been closed down for this reason. I can’t help but feel cases will rise hugely putting everyone at risk.

I suggest year 11s and 13s back full time, and the other years on a rotating 2 week basis to allow minimal distancing and reasonable bubble sizes.

There. Done.

Looking forward to September, DS has missed far to much school already.

Short of magicing extra classrooms and teachers out of thin air what's the alternative?

PPE and better testing.

I agree re Ppe and see no reason why secondary school kids cannot wear masks! We initiated they wear blazers and ties every day but face masks which could actually reduce infection we think they shouldn’t - seems mad to me!

I also accept some level of ppe for teachers although obviously need to focus on ensuring this does not take away from the resources needed for front line medical professionals where the risk is greater.

I do think schools need to return though I don’t think it does no harm to kids months of education and think we do need to make sure that we continue to educate our children I think it’s important for society and our ability to maintain our position as a real leader in things like scientific research as has been demonstrated by the pandemic!

'parents and teachers need to accept the risk'.

@Frazzled2207 easy to say when its not your child or unborn baby or your own life that you are risking.

It's either this or keep schools closed tbh. It was perfectly obvious all along that class bubbles would be impossible for secondary schools. And any rota meaning kids were only in for a couple of days a week would significantly reduce the benefits of them returning to school, would still necessitate loads of distance learning, but would also still pose a significant risk for staff.
Dh and I are both teachers and have a dd in year 10. God knows I am no fan of this government, but I don't know what they're meant to do about schools tbh. They are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

@noblegiraffe yes absolutely if we’d had better testing all along we’d be in a much better position and the proposals would be much more workable with better testing and contact tracing

Honestly I think the Government is damned either way. Don't open the schools fully... allegations of neglecting education. Open them up... allegations of not caring about virus transmission.

Life can't stop forever. We need a way forward. Personally I think Secondary schools need more measures, such as PPE between lessons, not mixing the classes up as much... And more staff for smaller class sizes spread over a longer school day (even maybe Weekends).

Testing is getting better as we go along admittedly it was piss poor to begin with but its fairly easy to get tested now. I was unsure why no PPE but as @Qasd said it may be because it would take it away from NHS which need it more.
Its the best out of a bad situation. No its not perfect but it never has been even before all this.

This is making me nervous. At our school there are a lot of parents that send their kids in when poorly, often being sick etc, so I can't see any of them isolating if they get a temp. Going to be a long stressful winter.

At our school theres lots of parents who send their children in when they're poorly

Previous to this there was very much pressure to send children in. Our school would ask for GP letters and proof of medication etc to validate any absence. Generally if you kept your child off with a temp or cold you would probably self manage this at home so would have no proof. In the past I've been the parent that has sent my dc in doses up on calpol and thought if it's that bad they'll call me to collect because attendance pressure was so high. Hopefully they will relax this now. It's the same with work I've dragged myself in work feeling awful when really I should have been at home but as a nation that's what we do we try to carry on

The Apple Store seems to be managing to hand out free face masks to customers without depriving the NHS.

I’d happily use my own reusable mask as I’m sure plenty of the kids would too so it’s not like we’d have to kit out the whole school.

I’m so glad they’ve made this decision. Children need to be in school!

I bet if people were told to, as part of their regular job, to cram into tiny meeting rooms for meetings with 30 other adults and no protection, there’d be an outcry.

But not when its their children.

In most areas cases are so low now that it would be bonkers to still keep kids off school. As long as the low case level continues, with any outbreak jumped on quickly, it will be fine. Life has never been zero risk. A handful of infections per 100,000 people should not be scary to anyone who understands basic maths and is lower than early March when we all still lived normally. If cases start to rise a lot in some communities then I'd hope there are quick moves to close schools before they're affected too, I don't know if that's noted in the guidance or not.

Children need to go back now in Sept. They have missed so much of their education. Exams, leaving parties and productions, social interactions etc.

Whatever needs to happen for them to go back. Be that no social distancing and lots of hand washing. I’m fine with it. It’s had too much of an impact now.

Agree the risk was far greater in March. Mine went right up until the last day and I was not worried.

Kids need to be back. Parents need to prepare for disruption that is inevitably going to happen through winter. Schools should be allowed to consider using their own discretion on fining. There will be cases where it is reasonable a child cannot go back into school despite them not being vulnerable. But it should not be a parents health anxiety (I’m astonished how many parents are apparently terrified of illness all of a sudden) that prevents a kid getting an education.

I don't think there should be fines though. This just adds pressure on parents to send in unwell kids. No fines and then some parents who choose to keep their children home are well within their right, and are actually doing the schools a favour in reducing the number of children in at any one time. Win win for everyone.

I guess the fines are to keep an eye on vulnerable children though? Ha. Well that's what one would think if it weren't for Boris' government being the one imposing the fines.

I’m a SAHP who was hoping to return to work in September. I just don’t see how I could possibly do this with the threat that my children could be sent home every time there are 2 positive results within 2 weeks.
Who is supposed to look after my children? They are both too young to be left alone. How am I supposed to work?

I know it’s a simplistic view but either it’s safe for them to return to school or it’s not? I’d rather they tell us to continue homeschooling for another term then let us send them in with the threat of being sent home hanging over them.

Plus i can’t help but worry that if say, child A goes home ill and then tests positive the kids are going to be like “yeah none of us can go to school because A has the virus”. I mean it’s going to be pretty easy to identify who the children are.

I'm trying not to worry about something that is two months away, as so much can change in that time. I want nothing more than for it to be safe enough for everyone to go back to school in September but if it's not safe enough (in other words SD is still expected everywhere else and grown ups are still being encouraged to work from home if they can) then parents should not be penalised for choosing to keep their DC home if they can. Instead they should be fully supported to continue home schooling.

I feel similar @Gogogadgetarms. I am a pregnant teacher with an 18 month old who gets temperatures when she gets teeth, which is very month or so. If she gets a temp, I have to somehow figure out how to manage life with no childcare and no family around. Do I not go to work for a week every month or so? Where does the cover teacher come from to cover me? Will it come out of my sick leave and I will eventually be pulled up by my school. It's bad enough that I have the risk of getting covid while 32 weeks + pregnant. My life is going to be a s**t show come September.

Children should go back in September. For those who don’t agree, what are your suggestions?

@Parker231

Children should go back in September. For those who don’t agree, what are your suggestions?

I would have everyone back in half classes on a week A/B rotation for a month and see how that went.

There needs to be more flexibility - especially where families or childten have been shielding. We are supposed to pause shielding in August, but I have very little faith in the govt data or any of the systems that are supposed to help us out of Lockdown (it's just taken 17 days to get a fucking Covid test result, for example). Fining families in this position is an awful way of going about this.

They also need to ensure that there is a decent home learning system in place, we may be in and out of Lockdown, children with symptoms may be home more than in school over the winter.