School drop offs and distancing

[twentiethcentury]

I just can't see the mums I know social distancing at drop Offs and pick ups when schools go back. They all love hanging about and chatting. We will all be shoved together on the roadside which is surely nearer one another than spaced out in the playground. Even with staggered drop offs I can't see it working. Just me..?

We only have a thin pavement on which to wait outside. To get to my child's "line" and wait in turn I'll have to pass everyone in the line in order to join the back of it thus passing very closely to other parents. It's so stupid.

• I have to drop off one child at 8.30, one at 8.45, and one at 9.00.

Same again at the end of the day (staggered from 2.30 - 3.00).

That means I will be hanging around the gates, and cold. Doesn’t make sense from an infection control perspective in my opinion.*

Exactly and so I'll be walking past you possibly twice and in close proximity (in theory). Ridiculous.

Those saying children won’t socially distance. I think you’ll be surprised how compliant children are - especially when it’s “the rules” at school.

Mine have been in school under keyworker provision and then following change to bubbles.

My youngest who is 4 understands about staying in bubbles, washing hands and not touching other children. We went to the park and she was very conscious not to go on equipment other children were using and leaving space.

Noted with small schools and small outside pavements and roads causing social distancing issues. However just as some restaurants have managed to negotiate allowing use of abutting roads etc can't some smaller schools do the same and get permission to section off a part of the road outside at school drop off and collection times? Mine did that as it was an excuse too to get drivers to park further away as they were not all switching off their engines (mostly fossil fuel car drivers not electric) despite big banners and road markings outside school entrance for childhood pollution control. We are obviously only discussing basic Covid safe social distancing crowd control and not say how to get your child to Mars etc! Restaurants have managed to get use of road for outside summer dining so maybe schools can use the same Covid secure measures?

My children aren’t socially distancing in their bubbles, and if I’m being honest I don’t think children should be forced to socially distance anyway, especially outside in a playground ... that will stay with them for life and it’s very unnatural.

I think people do have to eventually recalibrate their mindset and unfortunately as unpalatable as this may sound - they like grandparents, have to take this global deadly medical pandemic seriously as a real war be it a health war. The previous big one was about a century ago during the Spanish American Flu.

It's war time and this young generation like those before will live through this and be more resilient and mindful but will not be mentally scarred forever. We simply have no choice but do whatever it takes to all survive this!

But we don’t know they won’t be mentally scarred, as it’s never happened before. Even during the warS kids didn’t have to ‘socially distance’ . The whole concept is very alien And the long term impact unknown. I was walking up the road and a kid literally ran away from me to their parents leg... I wasn’t even closer than 4m! How will that be untaught?

I'm annoyed with this plan too. We've got to walk to the gates further away (adds five minutes onto a 25 minute walk) so dragging the kids further in all weather's. Just because apparently adults can't pop in a playground and spread out! Ridiculous. They could let reception out at
3.00. year one and two out at 3.05
Year 3-4 out at 3.15
Year 5-6 at 3.20.

Then do the same in the morning from 8.40- 9.00am.
That way less will arrive and be leaving together.

But they've decided Instead we've got to queue and go in like Noah's ark!

I'm sure parents have enough to cope with without being forced to walk to an entrance that's further away and having one kid one side and one the other. Nightmare!

Well aware all schools are different.

@OverTheRainbow88

But we don’t know they won’t be mentally scarred, as it’s never happened before. Even during the warS kids didn’t have to ‘socially distance’ . The whole concept is very alien And the long term impact unknown. I was walking up the road and a kid literally ran away from me to their parents leg... I wasn’t even closer than 4m! How will that be untaught?

I don't believe they will be mentally scarred if explained calmly. They will be less affected if we clear the virus out to a greater extent, more quickly.

I think you're being a bit short-sighted. It is a lot to take in, but really, we all need to do as much as we can to distance and prevent spread.

My son was back at school in June, (yr1) and none of the parents social distanced from each other, I did at the start but then I kind of thought, my son is playing with his special friend everyday they hug and kiss each other at school apparently 🙄 so why am I avoiding this child’s mum?

Logically the risk is the kids at school
Touching same things and breathing same air
The risk outside or being on the playground is probably low of parent to parent (see beaches/marches etc)
So the strategy is wrong really. And i agree with q i am more likely to be closer to people for longer than in the playground.
But yes i do agree parents and kids mixing is increasing contacts and chances 1 will be a spreader. Plus supposedly adults are more likely to spread than kids (they think 50% less in kids).
Also contact tracing is apparently 2m i think inside or out so you dont want to be named when another school parent is positive

@GameSetMatch

My son was back at school in June, (yr1) and none of the parents social distanced from each other, I did at the start but then I kind of thought, my son is playing with his special friend everyday they hug and kiss each other at school apparently 🙄 so why am I avoiding this child’s mum?

Repeating my earlier post here:

If mum A has the virus asymptomatically but maintains social distance from mum B, even if child A and Child B are in class together there is a chance of it not spreading to the other family.

Because Child A will be off isolating as soon as Mum A shows symptoms which will be BEFORE they can spread it to Child B to take home to Mum B.

Read up on chains of transmission before spouting incorrect information. Dangerous stuff this.

Mum A -> Child A -> Child B -> Mum B takes a lot longer than Mum A -> Child A + Mum B -> Child B. Therefore it can be interrupted.

Protect your families by social distancing. We're doomed because people refuse to get to grips with the basics.

Am getting quite reading the same mental error over and over again.

@Illusionordelusion

I have to drop off one child at 8.30, one at 8.45, and one at 9.00.

Same again at the end of the day (staggered from 2.30 - 3.00).

That means I will be hanging around the gates, and cold. Doesn’t make sense from an infection control perspective in my opinion.

Same here, I have 8:40 and 9:00. No time to go home, we walk so no car to sit in, we're not allowed to stay on the grounds and they've asked us to not clog up the pavements outside school. What are we supposed to do? Not to mention it means I'll be late for work. Previously I could drop them all at 8:45 and planned my working hours around this.

@Intricate56

Rubbish isn’t it? The school are standing firm too with this. They are not allowing exceptions for anything. Mine are usually in wraparound but that has been cancelled full stop. I have no idea Wether I’ll be able to shorten my hours at work and WFH isn’t an option.

Dreading September!!

Essentially unless there is absolute cooperation between the educators (schools, heads, teaching unions, local authorities and relevant education, public health and social services departments etc) then I can envisage dangerous potentially unsafe transmission occurrences if families with multiple children (at the same school) are not Covid smart catered in terms of logistical arrangements.

I can't understand why if there are say two, three (or more?) children from the same household in different year groups cannot be accepted into and out of school in one safer bubble? I am sure there will be a number of multi children school families and any less Covid smart split timed slots between home and school bubbles will potentially result in more opportunities and vectors for school and families communities transmission. Essentially the split waiting around nonsense may lead to bumping into our families in a similar predicament and will ultimately allow the virus to spread more efficiently within the school community.

Just needs a bit of logistical logic applied so that schools won't be opening and closing at short notice repeatedly if Covid safety is compromised and schools become yet another indoor care home type Covid incubator. The children may survive Covid but what about the adult staff and older family members?

Our school were sensible and allowed all siblings to be dropped at the earlier time slot and collected together. Anything else is a bit daft in the current climate, especially in winter.
It’s the secondary school travel that worries me. At school the year of about 200 children will form a bubble but the school busses will be crammed full of children from all the different years. I can’t see any way around it though as they need to get them all back learning.

I've got one going in at 8.50 and another at 9.15. School claim that they couldn't possibly take both at 8.50 as TA's aren't paid until 9am. I find the whole thing slightly absurd as they won't let us stay on site and we'll all be congregating on a narrow pavement outside the school. 25 minutes stood in the cold and rain is going to be miserable. Not to mention the fact my work is based around the fact I can drop them both off at 8.45. I really don't know why teachers couldn't be a bit more flexible in terms of welcoming kids into their classroom potentially half an hour early. They are starting later and finishing earlier (30 mins for lunch). To be honest I'd rather keep them at home.

The problem is it’s relying on parents being sensible and a small amount of them just won’t be able to.

If parents stick to the drop and go methods put in place it needn’t be an issue

We have our dots to stand on whilst waiting!

@Sirzy

The problem is it’s relying on parents being sensible and a small amount of them just won’t be able to.

If parents stick to the drop and go methods put in place it needn’t be an issue

But what about parents with two drop off times? As I said in my post above, I have 20 minutes between my drop off times, during which I'm not allowed to be on the premises, nor do they want us waiting on the pavement outside. I'd love to be able to just drop and go, it'd mean I'd have a chance of getting to work on time!

In those cases it also needs schools to be sensible!

Everyone managed it fine at our school when the kids went back in June.

@Intricate56 I have exactly the same time and issues, this was the first year I thought I would actually be in the office before 9am! We are 3 miles from the school so drive but on a very long driveway to the school from the main road so probably won't have time to get back to it anyway.

It seems to be a missed oppertunity that siblings can't be dropped together and collected together, they could make it lst drop off if it is an issue.

However to keep schools open we need to do our bit qs parents, no gatheringbaround gates or blocking pavements, thats creates hazards and the school then need to find other ways to manage things and it still wont be gathering in playgrounds.

Most teachers are being flexible, you may not see it but covering breaks or cleaning in upaid time, clss cover for an extra 10 mins a day (our aschool). Taking on extra work etc.

Please please social distance though, we have teachers coming back who have only just stopped shielding and i imagine seeing half your classes parents having a non sd chat will not help stress levels or virus spread.

At the end of day we want the same thing schools to open, stay open and have few cases to disrupt them.

It seems to be a missed oppertunity that siblings can't be dropped together and collected together, they could make it lst drop off if it is an issue

This is what our school is doing (and did from June). If you have more than one child at the school, you drop them all off and pick them all up at the earliest allotted time. Worked well.