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Original poster

If You Could Choose Any Education Option for Sept

999 replies

IDSNeighbour · 14/08/2020 22:54

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.

OP posts:
Heathershimmer95 · 16/08/2020 01:12

@ineedaholidaynow The “deregister your child” posts are discriminatory against those with certain health conditions. I don’t think the keyboard warriors realise it when they’re furiously typing, but they are.

Keepdistance · 16/08/2020 01:16

Are almost all other countries wrong?
I dont think any except sweden are doing all in - wash your hands!!!
Its masks and SD in countries not in control (i dont count germany as they are obviously very good with tracking and healthcare (which we are not).
So in Scotland they were probably 1d away from 8 i think secondary age kids being in school with covid.
Why dont all you As get in 1 class and the rest of us will have the SD and measures and kids home learning.

Few kids may have died but the ones with new asthma will potentially be restricted exercise, people die of asthma every day. And obviously t1 diabetes isnt exactly fun thing for a child.
The gov limited new 28d deaths (?) Wont include them.

whattodo2019 · 16/08/2020 01:17

A

ineedaholidaynow · 16/08/2020 01:19

I read a report that Sweden used SD and reduced class sizes in schools last term, so more than we are doing

TaxTheRatFarms · 16/08/2020 01:26

Here’s a strange stat from this thread.

I broke down how many posters voted for their choice by writing only the letter, with no follow up explanation or reason.

For example, if someone posted “A, but maybe B if it doesn’t go well,” I didn’t include them. Likewise if they posted “C, but moving to A if transmission drops,” I didn’t include them. I didn’t include posts where posters voted for two different options. I didn’t include posts which explained the reason for their choice.

What I did include is posts like this:

“A”
“Definitely C”
“Has to be E”
“It had better be A” etc, where posters just stated a letter with no follow up.

A - 70
B - 9
C - 15
D - 6

Posters who voted for B, C or D only or a combination of options were more likely to explain why they had voted that way.

Posters who voted A only often didn’t offer a reason for their vote. (Remember I excluded those who did give a reason for voting A.)

Interesting to me, anyway.

SophieGiroux · 16/08/2020 01:42

A but parents should be given the option of D if they wish. However I don't think teachers should have to do the online stuff as well as teach in school. If parents want to keep their children off then they are responsible for their learning.

Heathershimmer95 · 16/08/2020 01:44

Yeah it’s almost like some people were here for the considered discussion or to give their thoughts and others were directed here by a Facebook post to add their letter and run.

Heathershimmer95 · 16/08/2020 01:45

And also that some of us are open to different ideas and listening (including those who said A with thought and reasoning)

TaxTheRatFarms · 16/08/2020 01:52

@Heathershimmer95

Yeah it’s almost like some people were here for the considered discussion or to give their thoughts and others were directed here by a Facebook post to add their letter and run.
Isn’t it just Smile

Which is slightly preferable to voting but putting no thought into it/not understanding what you’re voting for, but only marginally so.

ohthegoats · 16/08/2020 02:54

A is just unicorn bullshit.

I mean, I want festivals to go back A at the beginning of September too, but it's not going to happen.

toolatetooearly · 16/08/2020 07:26

I didnt include an explanation beyond just typing A because I didnt think one was needed. I want what the OP said: "full time schooling as close to the old normal as is allowed"

Not sure what more I needed to say?

toolatetooearly · 16/08/2020 08:10

Also, virtually every possible opinion, from A to E and back again, has been expressed on 500 other threads over the past few weeks. I suspect most A posters couldn't be bothered typing them all out yet again. Especially on a Saturday night!

ineedaholidaynow · 16/08/2020 08:17

Well the Government have announced that they are going to run a campaign to show how safe the schools are going to be, it’s a pity they didn’t spend the money they are wasting on the campaign on the actual schools to make them safe.

PrivateD00r · 16/08/2020 08:20

Posters who voted A only often didn’t offer a reason for their vote. (Remember I excluded those who did give a reason for voting A.)

Perhaps people don't feel that A requires an explanation given that it is the 'norm'? Obviously anyone who doesn't want to return to the 'norm' will have a reason for that. I don't find anything strange about that?

ineedaholidaynow · 16/08/2020 08:30

@PrivateD00r I think everyone in their heart would want A but many people realise that it is not possible, so would like an explanation from A voters how they think it will be achievable at this time.

PrivateD00r · 16/08/2020 08:32

It has to be A or B for me. Blended learning unfortunately isn't an option due to how poor the online learning was before, kids cannot go on suffering like this. I don't see how it can be done any better this time when teachers are actually in teaching small groups of kids everyday on top of providing home learning Confused Teachers in our primary were in for key workers kids on a rota, one day a fortnight yet still the online learning provided was simply a handful of twinkl sheets uploaded - with no explanation or context given, and no feedback/marking. No differentiation. Our school was set to return with all classes divided in half and attending 2 days a week, giving all teachers one day to prepare the home learning - obviously that will be even worse than what they were able to provide when they had every day to do it.

We cannot let our children down by going back to that.

Our secondary has a plan in place to provide a weekly online class for each subject, should the school have to close again - this sounds very promising. There was zero contact last year with my year 11 child, just random pieces of work uploaded to google classroom here and there. It sounds like they are much more organised this time round so I would be happy for them to do C if that is indeed the case.

I worked out of the home right through (NHS) so it was an absolute nightmare juggling everything, literally the most stressful time of my life. But I am not even considering that aspect in the above response as I genuinely don't see school as childcare (though did avail of the keyworker school place, which our primary referred to as childcare, no teaching etc, they weren't able to even work independently on their home school stuff).

PrivateD00r · 16/08/2020 08:34

I think everyone in their heart would want A but many people realise that it is not possible, so would like an explanation from A voters how they think it will be achievable at this time

I guess it is just wishful thinking, the thread title does lend itself to wishful thinking to be fair

PrivateD00r · 16/08/2020 08:38

A is just unicorn bullshit

Are you sure? I was under the impression that is pretty much what is happening in England. Lots of teachers on here saying that masks won't be worn, no SD due to a tiny room. No ventilation. So that is A, yes?

(I am not in England and not a teacher, only going by the hundreds of posts on here from teachers....)

WhyNotMe40 · 16/08/2020 08:48

A is what is going to happen, with money spent on a campaign telling parents how safe it is, rather than giving schools any money to even clean.
But then they also haven't given schools any extra money for the payrise (agreed in January them reannounced as some sort of thank you). So schools will be having to cut costs yet again somewhere! If you think extra cleaning will happen (or indeed if teachers will receive the payrise) - then you are in a dream.world.

Parents should be shaming the government to actually fund schools properly!

Dallasdays · 16/08/2020 08:49

A

ineedaholidaynow · 16/08/2020 08:54

With the way the Government have handled the exams fiasco not sure how anyone can trust them in opening schools safely

Quartz2208 · 16/08/2020 09:00

I think the thing is A isn't worded as going back to school as normal before all of this started

It is as close to the old normal as is allowed - which is what is happening. Schools are following the guidance and making things as safe as they can with the constraints of classrooms/class sizes/transport issues and complete lack of funding.

B is the ideal pipe dream - what should be happening but what years of underfunding and overful schools cant have.
And personally I think masks in school would be a panacea. Can we really see High School students all wearing masks correctly.

Does where people live make a difference though? I live London Borders and it was rife before lockdown in March and we are pretty sure all through the local schools teachers/pupils etc. All anecdotal as testing was not very widespread at this point. Certainly we had a cough/temp/loss taste and smell/lungs felt like glass/trouble breathing virus the first week of lockdown.

My LA has has 1 case in a week. The bordering one 6 cases in a week. So I am happy and confident for now going ahead with A.

If I lived in one of the LAs that are reporting high numbers I would probably very much be leaning towards C or D

Pesimistic · 16/08/2020 09:04

B or C

AnguaResurgam · 16/08/2020 09:05

Are you sure? I was under the impression that is pretty much what is happening in England

Yes, in terms of the mantra of schools opening in the autumn. But that's not quite the same as staying open and running normally.

We need C, because closures aren't going to affect everyone, and leaving some DC high and dry educationally because they have repeated 2 weeks off (own isolation, or burst bubble) strikes me as wrong.

PrivateD00r · 16/08/2020 09:36

Why do posters have to be so inflammatory? Eg unicorn shit. If you believe teachers will get a pay rise, you are living in a dream world etc.

I am not a teacher, why wouldn't I believe teachers are getting a pay rise? It would be wonderful if responses could be a little more informative without the rudeness. It might help stop all of these threads from becoming bun fights.