Advice on schools in September

[Bannerwag66]

Hi, does anyone know what advice there is for schools in September. Year 4 child here breaks up next week. No communication from school yet so no idea what to expect really and just wondered if there is official advice or does it depend on district and particular school?

Re excluding/not excluding after a negative test
I get the difficulty with a mandatory all circumstances exclusion.
But false negatives are a thing. And not a vanishingly rare, not worth thinking about thing either. Plus I imagine getting a good swab from a wriggling and uncooperative and under the weather small child isn't the easiest job.
Would be good to have at least a clear message that parents who want to error on the side of caution, can, and sickness absence won't be marked as unauthorised.
A BAU line that missing a week of education is an utter disaster and unless they have a current high temp or have had D&V within the last 48 hours or have a covid-19 test pending or positive, they MUST be in school or parents will endure the full wrath of the law...would be a pity. Though is what I expect tbh.
Yes if it was left flexible some parents would send them in but those whose circumstances permit might keep them home and that might precautionary approach might break some transmission chains. Some is better than none. It's all about layering lots of little changes that add up to reduced overall community transmission, isn't it.

*err

Our primary school is doing the same 1 way system around the school each class already has it's own door . Doors open from 8.40 -9 and 3-3.20 children will be sat at desks reading during this time. Makes it easier for those with multiple dc in different classes than staggered starts for each.
Wouldn't work in a high school though

The school put some information on the website this afternoon:
-start times spread over 15mins

• different collection times at the end of the day depending on surname (just noticed that for surnames beginning with A school now finishes 30mins earlier which might be a problem for some people)
• no mixing of classes, so no assemblies, clubs etc, didn't specifically say about staggered break and lunch times
• different entrances for year groups (annoying if you have to drop off 2 children through different entrance gates, now I have to drop 1 off, go back to the street and walk round the corner to a different gate on a different street to drop the other off)
• breakfast club will still exist, but they will have to sit at a table with only children from their year group the whole time
• no information given about whether they will go back to wearing uniforms, whether they can bring bags again, whether we still need lunches in entirely disposable packaging, whether they should bring PE kits

Every school will be different but this is the guidance for parents.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-in-the-autumn-term

This is the guidance for schools

www.gov.uk/government/collections/guidance-for-schools-coronavirus-covid-19

However this could be updated at anytime and schools have to adapt it to fit their individual circumstances.

loris
We've read the guidance.
It will be different by Tuesday
and its still impractical drivel

Two questions:
What is the point of a test if it doesnt change the outcome: person with a temperature at home for a week, everyone else home for 2 weeks. Why would I go and get things stuffed up my nose and to the back of my throat??? I'll just stay at home.

If school attendance is mandatory when not isolating, how do you get the small child who had a temperature to school days 7-14? Everyone is required to stay at home except small child. Is this a fine-able situation? Note, noone goes past our house to get to our school, we had to take a school with spaces rather than catchment when we moved.

Maybe you would get a test so you could inform the school if it was positive.

@Muchtoomuchtodo

We’re in Wales.

I spoke to a head of dept at ds’s state comprehensive last week and they are anticipating that the kids will have very limited time in school for at least the autumn term.

That absolutely dreadful. The kids have already missed out on so much education and I bet it’s mainly the mothers that have to take yet more time off work.

@Evelefteden they announced yesterday that Welsh schools will return full time in September providing that the number of cases stay low 👍🏻

For schools to go back, we need to use the testing regime, not discount it! If a child or member of staff has symptoms and has a negative test, they should return to school. Otherwise, we will not be able to staff our schools.

@cansu

For schools to go back, we need to use the testing regime, not discount it! If a child or member of staff has symptoms and has a negative test, they should return to school. Otherwise, we will not be able to staff our schools.

Tests are available to anybody so if a member of staff or a pupil has symptoms I would expect them to be tested and act appropriately.

@Kitcat122

Maybe you would get a test so you could inform the school if it was positive.

But what are school going to do with that info?

I agree with testing and acting appropriately.
Positive test, stay at home til well, rest of house stay at home for 2 weeks. Totally understand.
I dont agree that a negative test should also result in the rest of the house isolating for 2 weeks.

Both our schools sent us a letter today. (primary, and secondary - different towns but same county)

This is what the primary letter says basically:
The school will be re-opening to all pupils during the week of 7th September.
There will be a staggered entry and exit times for each class.
Children will be in class group bubbles throughout the day and mixing between these bubbles will be avoided wherever possible.
We have not decided on availability of wraparound care yet (waahh)

This is what the secondary letter said:

Attendance will be mandatory for all students.
We shall be open for all year groups.
We shall do our very best to offer a full curriculum timetable from September.
There may be some necessary organisational adjustment required for us to minimise the risk of transmission. These adjustments are likely to involve:
staggering our start and finish times for specific year groups (sibling families may well be affected, I’m afraid);
the re-rooming of lessons;
an adjustment to the length of lessons;
an adjustment to our dining arrangements.

So ours is sorted.

Staggered start times over 30 minutes (helps that we have lots of gates and doors).

Classes in bubbles (we are 3 - 4 form entry, and usually stream across year groups), which will severely impact what we can catch up for lots of our kids, especially the ones who don't speak English at home.

We are allowed some specific intervention groups, but very much minimised.

Adults can move across bubbles because it is assumed they can socially distance more than 1m.

Staggered break times and lunch times - huge undertaking - children are eating all over the place. I don't get a morning break anymore, I have to go outside with the children. I get half an hour at lunchtime.

Staggered end of day - my year groups finish half an hour earlier than usual. This is taken account of within the shorter break and lunchtimes.

Toilets are cleaned at lunchtimes, bannisters (4 storey school), door handles etc. No assemblies, no singing, no computer room time every week (one day every 3 weeks instead), no library time.

Sounds shit to be honest, but I'm happy that it's as safe as it can be, and that we need to suck it and see. I wanted year group bubbles, but PHE said no. If for example a child gets it in class A and another in class C, then that would be 120 kids going home. But if it's just child in class A and just child in class C, then no children go home apart from those two.

We have to be prepared to go straight away with online provision. We're going to plan an online 2 week unit of work linked to our topic (but not in our knowledge organisers), and record it all over the summer so it's ready to go as and when. It is assumed that we'll need this.

(a) people are contagious up to a week before they show symptoms

(b) staggered start time public transport and bus travel

(c) STEM is thrown under a bus

@ListeningQuietly

loris We've read the guidance. It will be different by Tuesday and its still impractical drivel

Can't argue with this ⬆️

For us ‘staggered start times’ will mean half the school - so over 600 children arriving at the same time and leaving at the same time. No access to science labs or design and technology rooms unless in exam years. No clubs. No information yet on lunch arrangements, uniform, any learning support, buses etc.

Also no information on use of library, music lessons etc.

So the Dfe have a 60 page document for schools to follow - and the budget impact is horrendous
While putting an exact cost on these additional measures is difficult to do across schools of different sizes and locations, it seems few schools have managed to absorb the enhanced hygiene measures into their existing provisions.

According to Sian Churchill, business manager from Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi, the St Davids Peninsular all-age school in Pembrokeshire, the cost for their 600-pupil all-through school will come to over £17,000 for the autumn term.

“Just in terms of cleaning (staff and consumables) for our three sites, there’ll be an additional cost of approximately £1,150 per week,” she says.

“In addition to cleaning supplies, to date we have spent approximately £5,400 on signage, staff and other items required for school recovery, which is approximately £385 per week."

Mark Unwin, headteacher at Handforth Grange Primary School, put the estimated extra cost at around £12,000 in a Twitter post, while another school leader at a school in the south of England, puts the cost for the autumn term at around £13,000, which is a 30 per cent increase in cleaning costs and a 60 per cent increase in equipment.

Nicola Forster, headteacher at North Primary in Southall, has also seen costs increase.

“We’re spending a fortune on anti-bac, and even more lidded bins for masks now,” she explains.

“We are two-form entry and we’ve employed a full-time first aider and an additional unqualified teacher so that we can have four staff per year group. We’d already bought signage and distancing rugs for June, but will need new signage for gates.”

Fiona Wilcox, school business manager at The Burgate School and Sixth Form, tells a similar story.

“Obviously things like sanitisers, an extra cleaner, various cleaning supplies mean we have increased our budget for next year,” she explains.

“To put a figure on it is very difficult but we’re also looking at hand-washing stations and if you hire them they’re about £100 per week or if you have some plumbed in you’re talking about £300-400 to get some troughs put up.