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

He said schools are covid secure oak ! Another LOL, perhaps even ROFL.

and schools should be Covid secure.

Checks school plans for September...

Checks what other places of work need to do in order to be considered Covid secure....

@Piggywaspushed

LOL. I have mastered new slogan as a teacher

HANDS FACE SPACE

🤣 brilliant

If this is where we’re at in July Christ knows where we’ll be this Autumn 🤦🏽‍♀️

I have interpreted it through the medium of mime , too mrs but ,sadly, you can't see it.

I'm a parent of a child with complex needs. I'm very very very aware that she needs greater than average close personal contact than other children so therefore throughout I have made damn sure to keep her and us as low risk as possible. We haven't been anywhere crowded since March. We just about see my parents because I need a hand with the kids. We have her social worker but we aren't doing play parks or play dates. We aren't going to tourist attractions. I live near the beaches featuring in the news for being rammed.

The staff working closest to her know I'm being very careful so i know it is helping them be less nervous of the contact she needs and I feel it's the least I could do.

Well my reading of the briefing is we’re at max opening now. Logically either schools won’t go back full time or they’ll close perhaps gyms etc to try and balance 🤷🏽‍♀️. Unfortunately though schools seem to lead to highest community transmission. Maybe they’ll open for few weeks so Gov can say “well we opened schools as promised.”

I think that is lovely and proper of you. I have been the same with my non SEN kids. Thank you. If only everyone thought like this!

We're going to need another thread soon, there's too much to say and it's not even August yet.

@TheHoneyBadger

I am feeling confident and ready for good online provision if we shut. I’ve now bought myself all the necessary equipment and will spend summer practicing with it and getting good at using google classroom.

I’m teaching ks3 in a subject where they have one lesson pw and I would record those lessons, prepare differentiated resources and make them as good as possible. Then during their usual lesson time I’ll be available to chat to and ask for help etc via chat function or calls. I see that as way more valuable than clumsy live lessons with kids sat passively at the other end or too shy to ask questions.

Massively harder in my old department in science as even ks3 have 3 lessons pw. I’d be willing to make up for that disparity by going in on my day off to supervise the vulnerable kids and support their learning.

It’s all a lot easier when you’re prepared which obviously no one was last term.

Have a look at Miro.com (I don't work for them!) I run workshops as part of my job and utilized this tool very effectively. I've been also talking to my son's teachers on how to best use it potentially in classrooms, so drop me a dm if you need a fresh pair of eyes or just a sounding board :)

I really don't get it, if we are at the limit of what we can open now how can we possibly open schools full-time in September. Surely we need to be well below the limit to have flexibility in the system?

@Flagsfiend

I really don't get it, if we are at the limit of what we can open now how can we possibly open schools full-time in September. Surely we need to be well below the limit to have flexibility in the system?

I think that's what Chris Whitty was hinting at - that we may not be able to open schools, or if we do we will have to close other things.

Can I ask is this not happening anymore?

-English schools to get £1bn to help pupils catch up after lockdown
Schools will get £650m plus £350m to be spent on tutoring the children who most need it

Even if fines aren't enforceable dealing with the LEA is a hugely stressful experience that I could do without (I've have had what I suppose you could call a nervous breakdown). I really hate the idea of being dragged to court over something that isn't my fault. If I get Covid I could die due to my high risk of clotting. I genuinely have no idea what to do or what the answer to any of this is.

@MarshaBradyo

Can I ask is this not happening anymore?

-English schools to get £1bn to help pupils catch up after lockdown
Schools will get £650m plus £350m to be spent on tutoring the children who most need it

I think it's postponed until after October half term to allow teachers to assess the needs of students. Although I also think the money would be better spent on more effective measures to keep schools open than tutoring - such as more cleaners, more toilets, more sinks, better access to technology if we do have to close.

Thanks Flag me too, entirely. I just said that on another thread.

With all this hinting by the government to delays or restrictions on schools opening we need to know a lot more, not least what will happen with GCSEs and A levels next year.

Thanks thesun. Our school has mandated google classroom and I think it’s a great a good call actually as it works great even on a phone and has lots of useful features. I’ll check it out though.

I think Gov only announced full school re-opening to keep people 'happy'. I think they new opening other parts of society was going to cause issues which in turn they can blame on the possibility of not being able to open up schools in September.

There are still a few weeks until then.. let's see what happens.. but I don't expect things to get better in time to allow a full return for all children.

I notice there are more places where masks are compulsory.

Softening up ready for the announcement they'll be worn in schools?

I agree it could be better spent on getting a robust online teaching system in place so no opening/closing of schools and those shielding/vulnerable won’t be penalised or put in the position of having to return of face fines.

Only reopen when cases are as low as NZ, Scotland etc.

@labelsaccidentalbrewing

With all this hinting by the government to delays or restrictions on schools opening we need to know a lot more, not least what will happen with GCSEs and A levels next year.

I honestly don't think the Government know what they're doing tomorrow, let alone considering points like this.

The tutoring looked to be a money-making scheme as well. The government was putting that amount into subsidising an amount of tutoring from certain government-approved agencies. The school would have to then pay the rest of the cost of the tutoring to the agency. I forget the amount but say they subsidised 75% of the cost, but schools had to stump up the rest, but HAD to use those agencies. I don’t think these agencies has magically specialist teachers working for them-I doubt they had to be qualified teachers at all.

Schools don’t have that 25%. If we did, we’d be spending it on soap and hand sanitiser. Or staff pay rises?! If they just gave that money to schools to use-even if they had to use it for catch up instead of cleaning, the heads could pay existing teachers or TAs that the children knew to do additional interventions rather than 1:1 tutoring from random external agencies.

But the cynic in me says that this wouldn’t be making money for the government-approved tutoring agencies!

Don’t know how that post got so butchered.

I think that 1billion (like the amazing summer catch up scheme) will quietly disappear. Iirc it wasn’t new money anyway but dodgy shifting around of existing funding. Plus at least 75% of it was going to go to their magnate mates online tutoring businesses.

Oh God! Just read the announcement. Is it going to come down to pubs vs schools?

Anyone could see this shit show coming from miles away no despair.