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

I have a "can-do" suggestion re: schools.
The Government could chuck a bit of money their way, in order to make things a bit safer.
But I predict some negative "can't do" responses from those in charge.

Italy has been in a very precarious financial position for quite some time. It won't be Italy paying for this. It will be the EU (basically Germany). We would also have been funding Italy too if we hadn't already left the EU.

@SlipperSwan

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

I don't think the teachers are negative, I think the government has been utterly negative. Of course in many schools we could have found ways to make things better, more spread out etc with government direction and some bloody funding.

Schools have been an afterthought, teachers are doing their best but the guidance is, sorry to say, pathetic.

I agree: there is a lot we CAN do. I have several suggestions:

-Free teachers from stupid amounts of planning and paperwork so they can focus their time on delivering the maximum number of contact hours (currently only about half of their working hours are contact hours)

-Expand the offering for outdoor based education, forest schools and physical activities (expensive)

-Shorter school days (would require more flexibility from employers and more provision and funding for wraparound care)

Unfortunately I can’t see any of these things happening.

@CallmeAngelina

I have a "can-do" suggestion re: schools. The Government could chuck a bit of money their way, in order to make things a bit safer. But I predict some negative "can't do" responses from those in charge.

This, exactly. For example - government could pay for extra cleaning if nothing else. And blocks of temporary toilets as many schools struggle for toilets.

There's been absolutely no effort and no money. Government do not give a shit.

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

Nope. That's just it.

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

Because nearly all suggestions are impossible with current educational funding, staffing resource availability, safeguarding regs and so on.

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

Yep. That's what schools are doing. Within current funding, safeguarding, staffing resource and guidance.

It hasn't happened yet.
Let's praise it when it obviously works.

Denmark successfully did reopen schools.

I dare say DK did better than Singapore or Hong Kong in getting & keeping schools open. Of course, Sweden hasn't closed schools for under 14s at all.

@ohthegoats What schools will be doing in England is not good enough.

I blame government guidance and the fact there is no additional money at all made available, but we could have had better.

We are sending our kids in to an inappropriate setting imo, in terms of transmission risk.

In my school we would actually be able to do split days - our community is mostly immigrant, one parent working. So, we could try and get them in a split shift type thing - but that would only be 3-4 hours schooling a day. Then there are obviously some parents who would need childcare for the other half of the day, but based on level of afterschool club uptake, it wouldn't be many.

Teachers would still be exposed to 30 children in a 'bubble', over the two groups. But easier to do some sort of distancing maybe.

I think we have just folded as a country, I remember watching Harries talking about us stopping testing and thinking and the concept of zero SD in secondary schools is the same.

Just given up and pretending it's ok because 'bubbles' magically stop viruses or something.

@SlipperSwan

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

I don’t think anybody is blaming teachers, teachers need resources. It’s a completely different country but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be sharing it’s ethos.

Ie let’s invest in and support schools in making the absolute best of a throughly horrible situation. Rather than, we are just going to have to crack on with it as we were I’m afraid and take the fall out on the chin.

It’s okay though because Boris will hold his hands up to making mistakes in a couple of months time if necessary.

Excuse the rant, but it’s outrageous, these are our children. They can’t vote with their feet and deserve better.

@Appuskidu sorry I was kinda of replying to a pp saying that they’re doing with numbers and then someone said they weren’t. When I said back to normal life I mean parties, shopping, holidays, beach parties etc I never see social distancing in any of my friends or families photos. You’re right, schools aren’t back yet and they have an extra long summer holiday d

It’s okay though because Boris will hold his hands up to making mistakes in a couple of months time if necessary

I expect he’ll do what he did with care homes and blame schools, saying something like-‘the guidance said you had to stay 2m apart, so if you caught it, you weren’t following the guidance and it’s your own fault!’

Here’s a thought: how about the policy makers focus on opening schools instead of pubs. Give schools the money instead of propping up privately owned businesses. It’s not the responsibility of the teachers to reopen schools safely - it’s up to the government to fund and resource appropriately to make it happen.