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.

Definitely A. Not worried about the return to school and I think Them For Us are doing sterling work in trying to ensure our kids get an education.

A but would accept B

As of 16:35

A - 99
A/B - 17
B - 17
B/C - 23
C - 55
C/D - 6
D - 16
D/E - 1
E - 2

I know this is a very rough tiny poll to a small biased demographic, but I am truly surprised so many people just want ‘normal’ when there is no normal! I think many parents just don’t get the situation we are in. Many countries such as Denmark, South Korea, Germany all are much more pragmatic and aware that schooling can only work with some compromises.

Two children at different schools. I want primary aged child in special school to attend as close to normal as possible.

I cant get my head around secondary. My sons online learning was very good so some kind of blended learning would be good. Bit of motivation and contact but smaller numbers.

[quote askmehowiknow]@monkeytennis97 please reassure me you're not a maths teacher[/quote]
Well, once we've qualified we can teach everything although no, I have never taught maths. However I stand by the proportional representation statement I made.

Are SK, DK, Germany: doing full time school -- if not, how many in-classroom hours are, say, 13 yr olds getting?

@Bookridden

Definitely A. Not worried about the return to school and I think Them For Us are doing sterling work in trying to ensure our kids get an education.

Them for us Much more accurate!

Blended learning will leave the most vulnerable children behind. They've already been disadvantaged most by discrepancies in access to the work set in this school year. If schooling is part time and children expected to keep up at home, it's the vulnerable who will fall even further behind (SENs, access to resources, chaotic home lives).

This is such an important point.

@notevenat20

askmeknow So looks like the winner is a resounding A

Enough to restore your faith in humanity :)

yup, the same measure that gave us brexit, bojo and cummings, gives us a system with few checks and measures spread with eain a place where the virus could spread with ease.

You must be so proud.

@IncidentsandAccidents

Blended learning will leave the most vulnerable children behind. They've already been disadvantaged most by discrepancies in access to the work set in this school year. If schooling is part time and children expected to keep up at home, it's the vulnerable who will fall even further behind (SENs, access to resources, chaotic home lives).

This is such an important point.

So it should be properly funded. Did Gav ever get the laptops out to the 'won't you think of the' vulnerable?

@IceCreamSummer20

Z - I want ventilated classrooms, options for blended learning, maximum 10 in a bubble, masks for secondary, good hygiene. Most of all I want excellent contact tracing and for the halt to pubs being open and soft play etc. If not home school with place held.

This!

But also adequant funding for schools so they can actually afford soap in the toilets, hand sanitiser, additional cleaning staff, additional or tempory hand washing stations (like other countries people LOVE to make references to) and toilets (with cleaners to clean them). Funds for effective technology and staff training (teaching online is very different to how your taught to teach face to face, i have family members who specialise in online teaching) if they have to go online to be able to produce good online sessions (people would be amazed by how many teachers don't have good enough Internet or technology at home, or schools simply lack the softwareband hardware to provide such sessions, even a decent mic can be circa £50+ and thats without the computer to record onto). School buildings which are actually big enough to fit the pupils in during normal times nevermind a pandemic, laptops and Internet provided to the pupils who need it (online dongles and laptops on loan for high school children, dosent need to be top spec).

But its all wishful thinking and would require a government that prioritised public schooling... even if we got one tomorrow it will take years to reverse the damage of the past 5/10 years

[quote askmehowiknow]@monkeytennis97 please reassure me you're not a maths teacher[/quote]
Not sure why you are saying this as what monkeytennis97 is saying is correct.

yup, the same measure that gave us brexit, bojo and cummings, gives us a system with few checks and measures spread with eain a place where the virus could spread with ease.

@FrippEnos I know... sigh...

@monkeytennis97 funding would of course help (and the government massively failed these children during lockdown) but it isn't just about money and resources. It's also about having a good learning environment at home and, for younger children in particular, parental support. Blended learning would continue to negatively impact children who are already most disdvantaged.

But the vulnerable, SEN etc pupils will also be the most disadvantaged if A fails. That is why there needs to be a robust back up plan provided and funded by the Government.

If blended learning is brought in then some children could be prioritised for being in school, just like in the summer term.

My DS coped brilliantly with remote learning last term, so if he had to do the majority of schoolwork at home so others could benefit from being in school, then we could make that decision.

A definitely

@IncidentsandAccidents agree with everything there. Especially about the government failing the vulnerable children, as they have done for years. I just can't believe people think that this government could organise safe reopening of schools.

ineedaholidaynow

But the reason why we don't have a plan b is because a won't fail. Bojo has decreed it.

Then it does and the circle continues.

A question for all those voting A

If this fails

Who are you going to blame for

1/ It failing
and
2/ There being no back up plan?

I think many parents just don’t get the situation we are in.

How patronising.

We have actually all been living with this for the last 5 months, it’s not just teachers.

I’m still trying to understand why kids being back when cases are so low (in Scotland) is so dangerous and placing so many people at so much risk. My local area had 2 cases last week out of a population of 177000 people. There are still suppression measures ongoing outside schools. Yet people still talk about “risk” and “danger” as if there will be large numbers of certain deaths within 5 minutes of schools opening.

I don't believe it will fail.

C or D. Dd would prefer C.

yup, the same measure that gave us brexit, bojo and cummings, gives us a system with few checks and measures spread with eain a place where the virus could spread with ease.

Lets try that again but in English

yup, the same measure that gave us brexit, bojo and cummings, gives us a system with few checks and measures within a place where the virus could spread with ease.

Much better

This is what is happening in Germany
www.thelocal.de/20200810/more-schools-in-germany-reopen-to-pupils-but-with-strict-coronavirus-rules