NEU September schools checklist

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NEU have recently released a checklist for opening of schools in September and I couldn’t see any threads relating to this. Not sure how this will affect the opening but there was a similar list published with regards to the June reopening’s which didn’t go ahead quite as planned.

neu.org.uk/media/11476/view

That was posted on here a while back. It’s mad. There’ll be no time for teaching by the time all that is followed!

@Worsthomeschoolteacherever

That was posted on here a while back. It’s mad. There’ll be no time for teaching by the time all that is followed!

Did wonder if if published awhile ago as I read about it only today from an article on a certain national newspaper posted yesterday. That must have been to coincide with Scottish schools opening this week.

Not sure about time left for teaching, reading through the list, and if followed would prevent schools from opening under the current plans.

I've read this and have seen it before, it's not new: it's all questions that need to be asked before teaching starts in Sept, and form part of a risk assessment which helps the school open safely. It's the kind of detail that needs thinking through in a school, if it's a bit overwhelming, just be glad it isn't your job to do it.

In any case, most schools have already done this.These are the government guidelines, it course we need to follow them and check they are being followed.

Not sure of your point about when will teaching take place? We're still going to be teaching and assessing in the normal way.

@Worsthomeschoolteacherever

That was posted on here a while back. It’s mad. There’ll be no time for teaching by the time all that is followed!

Why is it mad?

Its a list for the union reps and the SLT.

It shouldn't involve teachers very much at all.

Schools have worked through this checklist already and used it to inform their risk assessments.

A lot of planning has gone into making schools as covid secure as possible so that we can reopen in September and the unions have been working hard to get schools open in September too, contrary to what the media is saying (and people always fall for it don’t they?).

It won’t affect teaching time much.

The sticking point will be that the union wants bubbles on one class and the government are saying one year group. Also the union wants vulnerable staff to continue to work at home whereas the government has said there are no such things as vulnerable staff any more. On many points though, it lines up with government guidelines.

The bubbles part isn’t really a sticking point because schools will have made their own arrangements according to how many staff and rooms they have available.

Vulnerable and formerly shielding staff will have their own individual risk assessments in addition to the safety checklist and the school’s own risk assessment.

A huge amount of work has gone into getting schools ready for September.

I'm an NEU rep and went through the checklist with my head at the end of July. It took a couple of hours, though a number of points were left unticked, as you would expect in such a lengthy document. It's not a legally binding document and it won't affect the reopening as others have stated.

Some posters are talking as if when the union wants something, it must happen and if not schools won't open. In reality, if heads won't agree to points (or agree to them and then go back on them...) there's not a lot that can actually happen, unless members are minded to make a big deal out of it, which none of them are ime, me included.

The point about vulnerable staff is that the union would support them in asking to work from home if they want to, but many actually want to go back to school. Again, if someone does want to work from home and head refuses, the union doesn't sweep in and force it to happen.

The NEU had 5 tests that they wanted met before agreeing to schools reopening (keeping in mind that schools will open whether they agree or not...) and at the start of July the union position was that most of these tests had been met or partially met.
neu.org.uk/neu-five-tests-government-schools-can-re-open

I'll leave you to read and see whether you think these have been met and to what extent... I'm not sure whether the stance has changed in recent days with cases being on the rise - I've seen nothing official from them recently.

Please don't believe what you read or see in the news about unions preventing opening. They are just trying to keep staff and pupils as safe as possible and have nowhere near the power that Johnson et al would like you to believe anyway.

Great post @theduchessstill

The unions are NOT preventing reopening

I agree - great post. The bubbles thing I mentioned as a sticking point because the union stance is impossible in most secondaries, because of space/toilets etc etc. I totally agree that the unions can’t force issues and are grossly misrepresented in the press.