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.

@Highperbolay

Honestly, unless your kids have fairly serious health problems, statistically they are far more likely to come to harm on the school run, than they are from getting Covid.

I'm afraid this really annoys me. Yes, the kid might not be too badly affected physically, but the mental effect of bringing it home to their parents or grandparents with possibly awful consequences must surely be taken into account. Children don't LIVE in bubbles with no adults!

@Waxonwaxoff0 ok give parents a choice not to send back but exactly how is a teacher meant to teach both in the classroom and online or providing home learning at the same time? Not possible!

@Showchin2 personally I wouldn't deprive my child of an education at the cost of a very small risk of it affecting my health nor would my parents. I put their education far above and beyond any risk to my health.

My ds does have very serious health conditions...
...so we will be relying on the totally trustworthy and efficient system we have in place, which will give us the heads up to shield ds and keep him home if there is a spike (I hadn't heard that piece of info from Jenny Harries).
When home he will get work sent by his school....who will also be trying to manage his special needs class (this will be impressive as they have barely managed more than 1 generic sheet of work a week through lockdown, when only 2 children have been in)
...obviously if we decide to keep him home ourselves we will be fined, if he is as ill as he usually is in the Winter, we'll get attendance letters and he'll have to have frequent Covid tests that will be a fucking nightmare for him. Oh and I will not be able to go back to my very part time job. Great.

Their mental health will be a lot more fucked by keeping them locked away from society long term

@Bupkis presumably if your child was home full time you wouldn't be able to go back to work either

@ArtieFufkinPolymerRecords

This is quite simplistic but a solution could be that people decide, taking into account their own personal circumstances, if going back is a risk worth taking with no judgement or fines. So some (maybe most) children and teachers will go back to school but everyone has the choice in these unprecedented circumstances with no judgment. Teachers who don't go back to school can work from home providing online lessons and resources, marking work and generally monitoring the pupils who are at home. Pupils who are at home can arrange socially distanced meet ups for socialising if they want.

So if people decide it is not a risk worth taking and keep their children at home, who do they think is going to provide the education? If one teacher decides they cant return do you think they are going to provide lessons and resources and mark work for children from all different age groups? Most year 1 teachers are not up to speed with teaching year 6, and vice versa. What if all staff return and nobody is working from home?
Unless they are acting on medical advice, nobody should expect schools to provide work for children not attending.

Yes, we are up to speed with teaching any year group, and we do. We can't be employed in a school and then never move from that year group. I have taught from nursery to year 6, and I have know alot of teachers completely change key stages.

If like to see some context to the daily infection numbers.

Infection rate in my area has gone up recently, but that inflation of cases being recorded isn't being reflected in hospital admissions. Which was the whole point of lockdown. The prevent the NHS from being overrun.

Someone said I'm not showing much compassion, but where is the compassion for my children who are losing out on the education the deserve? It goes both ways really doesn't it

The preschool I work for has been closed until recently, I have been doing paperwork and calls to parents, during lockdown and wages were covered. Now with planning for September opening taking place I have had to say I can't return as I have no idea what the situation is going to be and I don't want to put them in a difficult position.

To be honest the work side is frustrating, but not as worrying as the lack of knowing how school is going to manage the on going situation with ds, shielding and putting something in place for what could be a long hard winter.

No one is saying kids shouldn’t go back to school and get an education. People are saying that safety measures should be put in place when they return. The same as other work places are getting.

I'm not a teacher and my observation of this thread is not many people have given any thought to the real risks teachers and TAs face.

A bit of empathy would probably go a long way.

Yes I am a TA, my 2 primary kids are at school (one self isolating now). Unfortunately my two secondary children are not. Well yr10 one day a week for 4 weeks so hardly. I am not saying children don't need to go back but I get upset with the stop being afraid, get them back attitudes. It still needs to be safe.

What does safe mean though?

I think now it's safe enough, you disagree. That's fine, but why is your opinion of safe more valid than mine? And vice versa? Who decides the ultimate definition of safe

It's impossible to get to a place where it's 100% safe

Yes, we are up to speed with teaching any year group, and we do. We can't be employed in a school and then never move from that year group. I have taught from nursery to year 6, and I have know alot of teachers completely change key stages.
Really? I didn't say aren't capable of teaching any year group (although lots are strangely reluctant to teach year 6), but I do not agree that every teacher is familiar with every year's curriculum, especially if they have never taught that year group.

but why is your opinion of safe more valid than mine?

It’s not individuals’ opinions of what is safe that matters here though is it?

The government has issued clear guidelines about how to make workplaces Covid-secure.

It has then ignored its own guidelines when re-opening schools.

If it is not safe (or ‘Covid-secure’) for other workplaces then it is not safe for teachers, is it?

Greysparkles how is it safe for staff to be in a small classroom with 31 children 2 other adults 6.5 hours a day no SD no PPE. Please tell me?

My daughter can catch up on her education.

Your daughter probably can, because she in early primary and has plenty of time, and presumably you are engaged in her education. However, a child who is currently in year 5, who maybe was not securely working at expected standard when the schools closed, only has one more school year to get them to the level required for them to be able to manage the work in secondary school.
The government has confirmed that SATs will take place next year, so if that struggling child is kept off school, therefore not accessing teaching and possible interventions, they may well not catch up and perform less well than they would be capable of, which can in turn impact on their secondary education because of lower targets/expectations.

unless they are acting on medical advice, nobody should expect schools to provide work for those not attending

THIS!!
And this is where mandotary enforcement comes in because by law we have to give our children an education. If your child is registered at a school its upto parents to ensure they attend that setting to receive the education. If you dont wish to use that setting and theres no medical grounds why your child cant attend then the alternative is to de register your child and home school and take responsibility of their education yourself. It can not be both ways.

My children will be in a year group ‘bubble’ of 720!
The logistics of implementing the guidance are almost impossible - better to just say to go back to school and get on with it.

@annie987 my gosh that Is a big school! My DS high school probably only has that many pupils in the entire school!
Theres no way any high school of any size could return with SD but I honestly couldn't think of any other way they could return than whats been said with the exception of maybe PPE visors/gloves for teachers and maybe children to wear masks in corridors but no doubt would be hard to enforce with such high number of pupils.

Being away from school is really effecting my ds.
He is seeing the odd friend but misses the school and his class. There a friends he hasn't spoken to or played with since March. We don't have a lot of family around either so it is really tough.

A year group of 720?! Really?! That’s 24 form entry. I had no idea schools were that big!

I everyone needs to get back to as normal as possible now. Kids need school.

I am seeing signs of people taking the piss with work now too.

To answer a pp question about whether people would go back to work just as before (ie no social distancing etc) yes I would.

I miss my colleagues and love my job and would go back to sitting in like sardines (we didn't have enough desks). I think community transmission is now so low that it's much less than in March.

For schools, I think it needs to be much stricter on when kids are kept off school. For example any fever or cough. No more sending them in dosed up. But that needs the schools and Ofsted to be on board and not encourage parents to do that.

A year group of 720?! Are you in the UK? I thought even the biggest schools had fewer than 3000 pupils in total.