Schools to remain closed until October half term?

[stopcollaborateandlisten]

Lots and lots coming out in the news how schools will finally be re-opening - anyone else think it might get pushed back at the last minute to after the October half term?

@SengaStrawberry

What were infection rates like in Israel before schools opened?

The article says daily infections had fallen to double figures in early May and the schools opened 17th May.

Very very worrying.

@TheDrsDocMartens

That’s my thoughts. I’m hoping there’s something I’m missing (or missed from the article ).

Yes, me too.

Just thinking - we really should have mini whiteboards. We should have one per student that they can keep with them at all times. The government should absolutely give schools a budget for this. Little things like this would really help.

Obviously teachers of small kids won't be able to always maintain this but then they won't be teaching 180 kids a day, will they.

I will be with 270 children per week with no real SD or protection, and no money for extra cleaning. Aged 4-7 so no expectation of social distancing. Small Victorian classrooms which are normally crowded anyway.

When I compare the Covid secure procedures for dh's office, where they aren't even seeing many clients in person right now, compared to what alcoves secure means in a school the differences are immense.

@nellodee

Just thinking - we really should have mini whiteboards. We should have one per student that they can keep with them at all times. The government should absolutely give schools a budget for this. Little things like this would really help.

Do you not have them? We have had small whiteboards for the children all the time! Plus sponges to clean and pens. They have their own that they keep in their tray.

I mean we have had these for years. I expect these are standard!

I just don’t get how this is being allowed to happen. This is so dangerous.

The unions are doing nothing
Upthtead someone said their LEA knew it was dangerous
The staff and management know it’s dangerous.

But it’s still being allowed to happen. It’s like Brexit, it’s just being allowed to drift on with no challenge

TheEmoji

The thing is, teachers and their representatives have been so battered and so reviled for so long - both before and during the pandemic - that many are now scared to lift their heads and say 'no, this is too dangerous' - we know that if we do, we will be shouted at and made to feel at fault AGAIN.

Temperamentally, teachers tended to be 'the good children' at school - the ones who listened, the ones who liked being right, the ones who helped - and overwhelmingly do the job 'for others' and not for themselves, and so they are perhaps more sensitive than others might be to this kind of sustained negativity.

What is the answer to schools. Well they could have done things so much better

The schools aren’t responsible for government policy.
Schools didn’t make the rules. The government did.
Schools wanted online learning - the government said no.
You can’t teach small classes and be available online - doesn’t work

@neveradullmoment99

What is the answer to schools. Well they could have done things so much better. 1.Over the months that schools have been closed, they should have been looking at other creative ways of ensuring children were educated. This could have been done by using online platforms, opening up other suitable spaces etc. ensuring no child should be disadvantaged. They should have put money where their mouth is.

1. Still having children in a % of the time. Small numbers as planned but clearly social distancing and other mitigations firmly in place so that education was maintained throughout this whole situation.

What we now have is a shit blended learning plan not much better than the one we had before if things go wrong in school. Headless chickens as it was in March.

1) is a good point. What would you suggest though, for schools with students who don’t have access to computers or even reliable WiFi? Or whose home environment is too chaotic and unsupported to study at home? Should schools just ignore those students or try to give a more level playing field? At my school, that wasn’t just 2 or 3 students by a long shot.

Also, put their money where their mouth is? What money? Schools are already chronically underfunded and many have had to put any “spare” (not really spare but diverted from e.g. teachers’ pay rises) money into soap, hand sanitiser for every classroom, printed work packs (paying for printing and postage to students) for students who don’t have access to technology, lunches and food packages for families who rely on free school meals... The government could have properly funded some laptops for kids (our cohorts’ laptops never arrived) who need them, could fund extra cleaners, extra cover teachers to cover teacher illness - there’s plenty the government could do, but isn’t. I’m sure people are aware of this, and it’s surprising to have to repeat it.

Of course neveradullmoment99 if your ire was directed at the government and not individual schools, then we agree with each other.

@neveradullmoment99 Secondary here - we do have classrooms, but they are per teacher, not per child, at the moment, so we wouldn't be able to use them because of the guidelines on equipment. I'm not sure whether every department has them either. I'm not sure how much use they would be in say, geography? I'd imagine we're a way off having one for every child in the school.

Whiteboards, not classrooms!

What would you suggest though, for schools with students who don’t have access to computers or even reliable WiFi? Or whose home environment is too chaotic and unsupported to study at home? Should schools just ignore those students or try to give a more level playing field? At my school, that wasn’t just 2 or 3 students by a long shot

This has been the argument against online teaching all along. So because a few kids don't have access to a laptop (show me a child who doesn't have a smartphone) we can't provide online learning. Also the libraries have started reopening now so that means some computers are available though it is not helpful when permanent library closures (eg Hampshire are closing eight) are still happening. This is not a good enough reason not to do virtual lessons (and they can be recorded so those who can't watch "live" can watch later). I got shouted at on here for saying it was a race to the bottom but it is. You don't refuse to provide learning because not every child can access it. You make it available and most will access it in some way.

The government could have been much more creative. They could, for example, have said "This is the Scheme of Work for Reception to Y9 and every school in the country is going to use it for the next year." That way, they could have created a single online learning platform and recorded lessons that actually fit the scheme of work being used in schools. They could have put in a free helpline with human support for that SoW so that every child had support available to them, whether at school or not, online or not. I think they would actually have got volunteers for that. They could have created TV channels specifically to air programs for schools.

I thought that's why Oak Academy was set up? To provide a national online teaching resource for parents in line with the NC?

cologne4711

It wasn’t “a few” kids, it was over 100. Now extrapolate that over hundreds of schools and that’s quite a sizeable number.

But yes, I agree that online learning should have been prioritised, and basically all the points that nellodee raised.

But where do you think the money for that very centralised decision should have come from?

Mere yes I agree, Oak is government backed and funded.

The libraries in my county aren't open. They are doing click and collect only. One person at a time allowed in building. Collect your book from front desk and leave.

For the roughly 40% of children with no access to tech in some schools, what else do you suggest?

Oak Academy is pretty good as online recordings go.

But it’s still not a complete substitute for actual class. You need someone with the student to prompt and talk about it a lot of the time.

Although all schools follow the same curriculum up to KS3, the order in which we do things and the topics we cover can be in different orders. For example, not all students will be studying "The Romans" at the same time, or "Angles in polygons". But we could be.

I'm thinking about a situation where children are at home, isolating, and if they switched on the TV, there would be a lesson there, more or less covering what their peers were doing in class.
It wouldn't have been impossible, but it's certainly too late now.

@nellodee

I'm thinking about a situation where children are at home, isolating, and if they switched on the TV, there would be a lesson there, more or less covering what their peers were doing in class. It wouldn't have been impossible, but it's certainly too late now.

Sadly not all children would engage with the tv, and what if you have say 5 children of different ages and levels. My dd has done almost no work since March, she has Autism and won’t engage with online work or the TV, she usually has specialist education (specialist school), she’s never done homework as work is for school, home is for doing other things. It’s been hard work getting her to engage in any work other than learning through fun things such as cooking or art. My other dd was meant to be sitting exams, she’s now doing A level prep work and will luckily do work online, she is possibly able to do most of her work without a teacher or school environment. All kids are different and some don’t have access to what they need to learn.

Does anybody know what the rationale is for not allowing teachers to wear PPE? That is the bit I struggle to understand. I also don't understand why they are going straight back to FT - here in NI, we are still being told they will only attend 2 days a week (though I believe this is to be firmed up next week). I really don't understand why England is rushing straight in with FT.

To the poster who took offence at me saying 'getting back to work in Sept' - I was simply referring to the fact you are not working at present, I obviously was not referring to the last lot of months. I can assure you I am well aware teachers have been working - my own DC attended school throughout lockdown.