If You Could Choose Any Education Option for Sept

[IDSNeighbour]

I'm getting so confused by what parents actually want to happen with schools right now (I'm not a parent, I'm a teacher). I want to know what home opinions my classes are going to be coming in from in Sept - whether they're likely to be nervous or confident, whether they will want to SD or not, etc.

I know parents aren't one hive mind but the 'loudest voice' seems to keep changing its mind. Or I hear different ones, idk.

I'm sure there used to be a board for polls and surveys but, if I wasn't imagining, I can't find it.

So, if you're up for an unscientific straw poll to help me gauge general feeling, can you post A, B, C, D or E in the thread (you can explain if you like, I don't mind!)
A - I want full time schooling as close to the old normal as is allowed
B - I want full time schooling but with safety measures such as social distancing and masks for all who can and are old enough.
C - I want blended learning (half in the classroom and half online)
D - I want to keep my child at home all the time, home school them and not be penalised (ie, I want my place back when I think it's safe)
E - I think schools should remain closed for most children for now.

1. Primary

1. Low risk area but a few miles from an area in local lockdown.

1. I'm a SAHP and could give my children a high quality academic education but it would be an impoverished form of home education without face to face social interaction and learning with peers. (I think it's important to remember that the homeschooling we did in spring/summer was nothing like homeschooling in normal times). C would work fine for us as a family but would be hugely unfair to the many working parents who can't properly educate their young children at home.

A (secondary). However the school's approach is more B, but without masks.

@Alittleodd

"@duffeldaisy I think your questions are good ones to consider too - I hope I don't sound stalkerish by saying that I recognise your name from a lot of school opening threads and I can empathise with where you're coming from. The constant stream of "well if you don't like it re-register" for parents/the "well if you don't like it then quit" for teachers posts have really stifled a lot of decent discussion and I think they've led to a lot of views becoming more entrenched on both sides."

Lol! Yes, I've been going through a bit of an anxious period, so did post a bit on those! While there were quite a few parents thinking similarly on there, I actually ended up finding some local facebook groups were practical as everyone in them has similar concerns, so there was much more room for discussion and no shaming.

But your post has been really helpful, here, in seeing more of an overview and a more nuanced picture.

Like you say, when it's all or nothing in some of the other posts, it makes it feel like there are just two equally horrible sides to this - you either want your children in school full-time where they'll be at risk and people will die, or you want your children to lose out on all their social interaction and ruin their lives/future careers , when in fact everyone wants the best for their children/family/community, and I think a lot comes down to how people have experienced these last few months. Giving a broader spectrum of options helps to open things up and look at things more communally, rather than in just two camps.

I would say to those who've not had many cases, please try to be understanding that those of us who have, and who have shielding family members at risk, who might seem to be 'overreacting', but who have gone through a time of ongoing daily stress, might want an option D just to have that option (especially if no C option ends up being offered).

I think A will mutate into C in the next few weeks/months, I sincerely hope it won’t but can’t see how it won’t, certainly in some areas.

Good piece on R4 on schools atm, from scientific POV and learning loss. Reassuring towards opening them

A preferably but could cope with C and think schools should have been given a big injection of cash to plan for A morphing onto C. But DH and I are key workers who can WFH and have the space for us to work in an office far away from the kids in the playroom schoolroom. Not everyone has that luxury.

D

@duffeldaisy I hope you manage to find a solution that works for you, and I feel you on the anxious period. I went through one of those myself and it took quite a while to pull myself out of it.

I saw the same false dichotomy pop up on the lockdown remote learning threads - because of some of the anti teacher vehemence I found myself jumping to the other "side" as my brain went "hey that's not fair you must be wrong". Ironically, that made me feel like a much lower standard of remote education was acceptable and I was a lot more tentative about how I approached the work some of my tutees had been set by their school (and I shouldn't have been, because honestly the quality was absolutely shit in some cases and I absolutely know it could have been done so much better with the resources available to them. And yes I know what resources are available to them, I bought them) And I think that affected how much progress we could make together.

Which actually completely vibes with the science which says that if someone has a defined view point presenting them with the opposite side often just entrenches them further.

A
Primary
London

A

A definitely.

"Which actually completely vibes with the science which says that if someone has a defined view point presenting them with the opposite side often just entrenches them further."

Yes! Much as I hate to admit it sometimes because I can feel myself becoming entrenched in certain attitudes - there's a certain security in feeling you've got it absolutely right and anyone who disagrees is wrong! But it is true.

Thanks. I'm still torn, but now I've learned more about the actual realities of what home educating would be, what resources there are, etc. my anxiety levels are a bit more manageable. I still don't know what to do, but feel less 'trapped' if you know what I mean.
Just knowing that there are options is almost enough - that we can perhaps risk the children going back to school, knowing that at any point there is still the option of withdrawing them if it starts to feel unsafe. Before that, I'd been hiding my head in the sand a bit, which doesn't really help.
(Still desperately hoping for an option C to kick in here, though! Proper distancing would make all the difference to my peace of mind).

Absolutely A. If there was social distancing or masks for my children I would keep them home. I’m so concerned for their mental wellbeing. The evidence is showing that children are at very low risk and the risk to their long term health is going to be greater if we don’t get them back to as near normal as possible.

A... would not accept anything else

A

A

B but as it was in the school during lockdown so no social distancing in a bubble and no masks.

It's an independent special primary and secondary.
Low case area bordering higher case area.
Both of us at home (one wfh) but ds needs specialist support and facilities and therapy input and has mental health issues. Remote learning isn't possible and part time attendance will have little effect on risk due to small classes.

@duffeldaisy well, if you do decide to go down the home ed route and want some info/curriculum or content support (am I right that you have secondary age children?) send me a message - I'm an ex science HOD and I also teach maths at GCSE, I know those tend to be the areas that give parents pause! I have a ton of resources and I write individual curriculum plans on the regular (among other things I'm a private tutor, for my sins) so could happily give pointers :)

I feel the same about options, my son is going in to Yr 1 and he's at a very, very good oversubscribed primary. The other school in catchment is very much not good (at all) if we pulled him out he'd lose his place and that was causing me a lot of anxiety (I think I'd have to home ed permanently or cave to my MIL and send him to private which I so very, very much do not want). We've actually decided to move away from the area for other reasons and that's made me much calmer because I don't feel like I need to keep his place at all costs. It's made me happier to send him back because it doesn't all feel so "all or nothing" now.

For those who have voted A have you thought about teachers? Yes the risks to children seem low, but there are more reports coming out that children, especially 11 and over spread it as well as or more so than adults. So if teachers catch it off the students and have to go home sick, what do you think schools should do bearing in mind many schools have very little or no budget for supply teachers and very few general TAs who could look after a class, due to funding cuts?

A or B.And I say this as the parent of a child who has been shielding until now.

I will literally go crazy if I have to try and balance home working and childcare any longer.

The governments provision for working parents has been shit and the home schooling has been rubbish too. My mental health is suffering and so is my child's.

A, anything else is not worth doing. The Unions need to stop pushing the political agenda and get our children back in the education they have the right too.

[quote ineedaholidaynow]@Uhoh2020 do you think schools will stay open in your area?[/quote]
yes I do, nothing else has closed so why would schools close? I think there may be times when the bubble may be told to isolate possibly but full school closure for long periods No

B, but would be OK with A.

As of 12:10

A - 61
A/B - 13
B - 10
B/C - 19
C - 42
C/D - 4
D - 10
D/E - 1
E - 2

A/C - 1
A/D - 1
B/C/D - 1

Thank you for this, it's really interesting. My school is going down an A/B approach but it's pretty much A really. There's loads of hand sanitiser stations to be used on entry and exit to every classroom/area and we are supposed to stay 2m from the children (not sure that's realistic tbh!) Staff and children can wear masks if they want to. Our bubbles are 2 year groups each (about 60-70 children) but the school has said we have to accept that there will be occasional 'leaking' of the bubbles to allow the normal running of the school - in which case I feel we may as well not bother!!

1. Are you answering for primary or secondary?
2. What has been your local area of risk? Lockeddown hotspot/Threatened with Lockdown/average/low
3. Are you working full-time/under pressure to get back, so need schools back for that?

1. Primary (and nursery)
2. No idea,I don't know anyone who has had a confirmed case of Covid.
3. Yes