School re-opening under threat

[jomartin281271]

Headline in the London Evening Standard today that this new surge could threaten re-opening of schools. I'm not surprised. The government know that it's not safe to open schools under their current guidance. Cramming children, teachers and admin staff into those tiny spaces could cause a catastrophe. I feel sorry for teachers. Most of them are really committed to the job and their lives are being put at risk. Scary times.
www.standard.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-second-wave-schools-september-a4511516.html

DomDoesWotHeWants they certainly have.

I don’t work. I will be incandescent if it is suggested children’s access to school, peers and face to face learning (online is a crap substitute for eyfs and KS1) should be based on my employment status. If you want to keep your child at home, fine, but the suggestion of rationing education by parental employment is appalling.

Either all children have full time, they all go part time, or it is closed to all but the most essential of key workers (and vulnerable children). And before the latter of those options is chosen, every entertainment venue, pub, restaurant and gym should be shut down, travel abroad restricted to emergencies only and proper policing of social gatherings etc should take place.

Why haven't the government explored teaching particularly secondary school children in alternative buildings - church halls, community centres, leisure centres.

Not only did they not explore it, they explicitly told heads not to do it.

The DfE have been worse than useless. Actively preventing solutions from being found.

So how am I supposed to earn a living? Teachers won't lose their jobs if schools close, I will.
That isn’t the problem of the school system, nor is it their priority. Quite rightly the focus is on education for children and safety in the school workplace.

@nellodee

This is what annoys me. If it was acknowledged that we might face disruptions, we could have spent the summer realistically preparing for them. I have about 2 weeks of work to do over the next month, producing resources to support a full return. I'll be pretty pissed off if having spent a good proportion of my holidays doing that, I am then placed in the position of supplying substandard distance learning at ten seconds notice for a second time around. We had ample time to prepare for a really high quality blended learning regime this winter, and in my opinion, we wasted it.

Do NOT come complaining to me if your child's learning is substandard this Autumn. (I don't know who I'm aiming that at really, it's just a scatter gun rant!)

I teach in FE and all planning work we are doing over the holiday is for resources that can be used face to face and distance learning. Next aademic year is going to be hard but much easier to face if all bases covered. We are prepared and expecting major disruption. Also planning for resources to be used when staff go off sick which inevitably they will.

We have already used interactive distance learning on full timetable before the summer but now have more experience to create a better teaching and learning environment.

I have two new courses to design. It is time consuming but that is what most teachers spend their holidays doing .

Why can't they just put mask wearing and PPE in place? I don't understand this.

My DS NEEDS to be at school. He is not learning anything at home and his confidence is shot. I'm not a teacher, I cannot teach him properly. Plus I need to work (can't work from home in my industry).

I'm really concerned about September. The government need to put provisions in place so all children can go back full time and staff can feel safe.

Colour me shocked.

I'm the moany mum telling my dc's they will be in masks at school to give them a fighting chance of some education in Sept. I reckon it'll be a mess by Oct at the latest.

Yep wax. The bloody drama over masks is doing my head in. The pupils need to wear them.

[quote motherrunner]I posted this on a thread in AIBU about mask wearing:

“I’m still amazed that some parents are opposed to a strategy that could help keep schools OPEN.

Yes, there’s lots of guidance but the suggestions for a safe environment is ‘where possible’. I can hand in heart say in my school, that it is isn’t. I will not be able to stay 1m away from your children, actually not children, adolescents and adults (11-18). Your children will be shoulder to shoulder with each other all day due to the rows (better hope they’re at the end near the door!).

The only thing that can keep me safe is the ‘guidance’ and I will follow their isolation procedures very carefully so instead of soldiering in through the various colds and bugs I pick up I will isolate when I get the start of those symptoms. My colleagues will do the same. Your child will end up with a lack of educational continuity.

We can’t SD in secondary schools, we can’t implement regular hand washing, but we could wear masks.”

And today a HT in NI spoke of his fears of school closures:

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-53578636?intlink_from_url=www.bbc.co.uk/news/education&link_location=live-reporting-story" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-53578636?intlink_from_url=www.bbc.co.uk/news/education&link_location=live-reporting-story[/quote]
It's irrelevant what parents think about mask wearing in schools when the government say it's not allowed - at least for staff. They don't like it for pupils either but schools can't force pupils not to wear a mask.

@Tootletum those on supply or temporary contracts might but I appreciate that schools being closed is a massive issue for many working parents.

I think a lot of teachers will just wear masks. The HT is hardly going to send them all home.

The Cummings approach - them's the rules but I'm special so I won't keep them.

I think they should have aimed for blended learning (half in school, half online) for all years to try and give us a fighting chance at making it work and keeping things going for as long as possible. Kids could socially distance with half class sizes!

@megletthesecond

Yep wax. The bloody drama over masks is doing my head in. The pupils need to wear them.

They seem to manage in schools in other counties as well but not here apparently 🤷🏻‍♀️

DD is only 8 but she's worn one when she had her eyes tested & has voluntarily worn it since, and she's not the only one I've seen wearing one. even if half the kids wear one plus staff it's better than nothing.

@Triangularbubble I totally agree with you!

I am a ‘key worker’ so my kids have gone back. But my best friend is a SAHP, here’s have not. They are miserable and feel forgotten and let down. It’s not fair!

Why is there such poor focus on this issue? It’s like the Govt. has given guidance and just put their fingers in their ears while singing ‘la la laaarrrre’ very loudly hoping it will all just go away.

@PurpleCalm

I voted for this goverment but I feel they are putting all their eggs in one basket without having a Plan B for schools

Not sure they've even bothered to source a basket tbh, I envisage them just desperately cradling the eggs whilst running around in circles.

They are a total shower.

I think the point being missed here that it was not inevitable that we would be looking at a huge spike in cases in August that would prevent proper school in September. This spike has been caused by government policies and allowing, for example pubs and bars to reopen, people to take non-essential holidays abroad. It is such a damn shame for the children and young adults that all the gains of lockdown were for nothing and that they will still not be able to return to school 6 months after lockdown started in June. Other countries, including other European countries, have much better control of this virus and their children's education will not be as badly disadvantaged as the UK children in September.

@jomartin281271

I know the government are desperate for everyone to go back to work, but they should be asking the parents and teachers what they think. Lots of parents need to go to work and the schools could stay open for them. Where the government are getting it wrong is not listening to the parents who are happy to educate their children at home. If they set up a decent online education system that could be monitored remotely by teachers who have had to self-isolate, it could mean that only half the usual amount of children will be at school. This would make it much safer for teachers and the children who were at school.

Parents can continue to HE their children by deregistering from school. My sons school have asked me to hold off until September to see if any of the promised anything shows up yet.

If those promised laptops ever arrive, education will still be available when at home. Until they come, education will be disrupted.

Plans how to set up classrooms have been online for months from other countries, many have used the hospital stuff as a starter in terms of SD and ventilation, published on WHO.

Until we have track and trace in place, things will remain unstable. It's nearly August, track and trace was used globally in January. The same track and trace was used to track outbreaks from the cruise liners back in March/April. Yet how much so far has been wasted?

Education isn't important simply because it seems none of their mates or even themselves have financial interests in this area.

Correction: Obviously lockdown started in March - I must preview my posts and proofread the rapid fire typing...

The Scottish government categorically stated that mask wearing is at left at the discretion of staff and pupils/parents. They didn't "ban" it.

Nicola Sturgeon said that if individuals feel more comfortable wearing them, so be it.

And I agree with those who want masks in school - certainly secondary school. Other countries are doing this. It can only help.

@Elsa8

I think they should have aimed for blended learning (half in school, half online) for all years to try and give us a fighting chance at making it work and keeping things going for as long as possible. Kids could socially distance with half class sizes!

I agree. If we'd had something sane we could have built up from there. Many employers would have preferred their staff back reliably 50% than unreliably 100% I feel.

There isn't a 'big surge' though! Death numbers are falling. Cases are going up because we have gone from testing no one outside of a hospital to testing everyone who presents anything more than a mild tiredness. I was sent for a corona test last week because my IBS flared up! We're picking up asymptomatic and symptomatic people we simply weren't before.

@Tootletum

So how am I supposed to earn a living? Teachers won't lose their jobs if schools close, I will.

Took less than an hour 🙄

I think it might be beneficial if they prepared for this academic year to be X2 years long. Across the board as there are going to be disruptions, perhaps only locally but it would be so unfair if your school was one that only got half a year education and others managed more or less a full year if the exams at the end are the same.

Allow households, where possible to bubble for childcare, have a longer school day but split in half/half pupils, pay teachers overtime for this, and ensure employers allow flexible hours whilst all this is going on.

Many teachers (thanks for everything guys) are parents as well.

For consistency and a stable worthwhile education schooling needs a joined up solution that won't be ideal for all because nothing ever is but has to be better than "school year bubbles".

@neutralintelligence

I think the point being missed here that it was not inevitable that we would be looking at a huge spike in cases in August that would prevent proper school in September. This spike has been caused by government policies and allowing, for example pubs and bars to reopen, people to take non-essential holidays abroad. It is such a damn shame for the children and young adults that all the gains of lockdown were for nothing and that they will still not be able to return to school 6 months after lockdown started in June. Other countries, including other European countries, have much better control of this virus and their children's education will not be as badly disadvantaged as the UK children in September.

I think it was quite likely because we unlocked a fortnight too soon, before we'd really got it down. And after locking down too late.

If you look at Scotland - much more cautious about reopening - e.g. pubs only open outside. They've really focussed on families/children - no social distancing for under 12s now in Scotland.