Italian Schools - Wow, worth a read

[sunseekin]

I was wondering why Italy was doing so well against coronavirus. If they’re policies for schools mirror their general approach and ethos I can see why. Worth a read...

www.google.com/amp/s/www.thelocal.it/20200630/outdoor-lessons-and-smaller-classes-how-italys-schools-will-change-when-they-reopen-in-september/amp

The recruitment is already underway from the massive waiting lists in every region. Thousands of teachers work as TAs/supply etc whilst on these waiting lists for the elusive permanent contract. They have also introduced (but this was before Covid) a fast track for graduates to become qualified and are also talking about incentives to encourage career changes.

Nobody knows what will happen come September, they are talking about splitting larger classes and alternating days, 3 days each, or mornings/afternoons, or half at school and half online (direct online lessons as was happening during last term) but only for secondary.

Wrt childcare and working parents- kids mainly are only at school till lunchtime anyway, so working parents who needed childcare already had it in place I suppose.

kids mainly are only at school till lunchtime anyway
No? Surely kids are at school approx 8.45 - 3.30? I’ve never known school finish at lunchtime?

I'm sure there is something inventive out there to provide childcare and education in a safe way for most of the day. I'm just 100% that this government is not interested in finding it.

@Raimona

kids mainly are only at school till lunchtime anyway No? Surely kids are at school approx 8.45 - 3.30? I’ve never known school finish at lunchtime?

Here or in Italy?

In the UK... school doesn’t finish at lunchtime? It’s approx 9-3.30!

I have a child at senior school and he goes from 8 - 13 six days a week. And at primary school my children go from 8.30 - 13 3 days a week and 8.30 - 16.30 for 2 days. Some primary schools have longer hours.

What!! School on a Saturday?! Surely this isn’t normal nowadays? And I’ve never known a normal state school in the UK finish at lunchtime?

Ramona- I'm talking about Italy!

*Raimona

I'm Italian, it depends on the school...some go home at lunchtimes and go in on Saturday mornings, others finish at 3ish and don't do Saturdays, when I was a kid it was common to have Wednesday completely off.

Not a lot of Italian women work full time, and people are more likely to live in their 'home towns' so have family and friends available for childcare. I think people will be wary of using nonnas for childcare but there'll usually be a sister/cousin/neighbour to do childcare swaps with. Getting an older teenager to do a few hours tutoring is really common as well.

Also Italy is made up of more large villages and small towns than the UK (and less million person plus cities) so I think class and school sizes tend to be smaller. Village primaries with a joint class of say 6 kids in year 3 and 8 in year 4 are still pretty common.

I think it's a good plan for Italy but wouldn't necessarily work in the UK due to our different demographics and weather.

@Raimona

What!! School on a Saturday?! Surely this isn’t normal nowadays? And I’ve never known a normal state school in the UK finish at lunchtime?

This whole thread is about schools in Italy.

That's the same wherever though Cam (you know me from elsewhere btw!) The UK has plenty of small rural schools and where I am in Italy I have a class of 34!.

What will definitely not happen anywhere in Italy (except in some forward thinking Montessori style place in Trentino) is anybody doing anything outside once temperatures drop below about 23.

@lifeafter50, "Interesting no mention of masks (which some of the more deluded British unions are demanding today)"

Why "deluded?" Why should school staff and students not be protected by masks as much as the rest of the population?

MorningManiacMusic eek! from mumsnet or RL? (luckily I don't post anything too embarrassing on mumsnet)

I think (but have kind of lost track!) MN and poss FB? I'm in Puglia?

Just mumsnet I think MorningManiacMusic I live in the UK now and my one RL/fb friend in Puglia doesn't have DC in school yet.
You live in a beautiful part of the world, coronavirus dependent we're meant to be visiting Puglia next summer!

(sorry, school thread derailment over :D )

This whole thread is about schools in Italy
And my point was that the UK can’t replicate what Italy is doing because we don’t have the space, the weather, or the teachers... unless we reduce contact hours below the normal 9-3.30, which then poses problems for working parents who aren’t prepared for DC finishing school at lunchtime.

Ah OK.
Tourists are starting to filter down now, so fingers crossed you'll be OK!
I'll stop derailing too! Sorry OP!

@Raimona

This whole thread is about schools in Italy And my point was that the UK can’t replicate what Italy is doing because we don’t have the space, the weather, or the teachers... unless we reduce contact hours below the normal 9-3.30, which then poses problems for working parents who aren’t prepared for DC finishing school at lunchtime.

I don’t think anyone on this thread was suggesting the UK government intend to replicate this.

They are employing extra teachers, the last paragraph states so.
That won't be happening here unfortunately!

@MorningManiacMusic

Ah OK. Tourists are starting to filter down now, so fingers crossed you'll be OK! I'll stop derailing too! Sorry OP!

Derail away, love a happy distraction atm!

@Appuskidu - yes I agree, sadly not a suggestion for our country although the ethos and determination for a safer (and therefore more long lasting approach) would be nice. Like @ohthegoats said it’d be nice if we felt the government had their thinking caps on over schools a bit more, it feels like that’s just whack them all back in, but maybe there is more going on behind the scenes....

it feels like that’s just whack them all back in, but maybe there is more going on behind the scenes....

There really isn’t

@Raimona

We don’t have the room to space the pupils 1m apart. Schools don’t have spare classrooms and we don’t have the weather to teach outdoors. We also don’t have enough teachers - splitting classes in half would mean doubling the number of teachers.

Sorry to pick on one poster but why do we have this negative approach. Can't can't can't - it drives me crackers!

We can can can do so much, we should be trying really really hard to make school as good as possible.

Yes it's so negative to apply the laws of physics and reality to the situation.

WHY can't teachers just be a bit more "can do" and clone themselves! Why can't teachers just change the weather? Why can't they magic up larger rooms?

Such negativity in Uk education