What measures is your primary school taking?

[Anniemabel]

The only measure we’ve been told about is staggered drop off and pick ups and class bubbles of 30 (although after school club is all in one and everyone has siblings in different classes!) In the letter the head set out the staggered drop offs rules and described them as “one of many measures” but didn’t elaborate on what the other measures are.

Is it reasonable for me to email the head and ask for specifics. The main thing I’m worried about is how track and trace is supposed to work - there is no out of hours school phone number - so If a child is diagnosed with covid at, say, 3.30 on a Friday you can’t let the school know until Monday at 8.50. I’m going to raise the question with the head but just wondering if there is anything else they haven’t covered that I should raise.

The track and trace teams are now working closely with the local councils so the school will 100% be notified before Monday

I don’t think this is correct, my son’s nursery has given us a dedicated covid mobile number to contact out of hours. There would have been no need to do that if the track and trace guys could get hold of them out of hours.

Track and Trace can absolutely get hold of local authorities who can deal with/contact the appropriate person out of hours. A dedicated line might be a bit quicker though, especially in the case of a nursery if it’s private.
Our primary is having staggered starts, class bubbles of 30 and key stage bubbles for wraparound care. Then things like no hot dinners initially, eating in classrooms, limits to what they can bring in/take home, lots of hand washing etc. I’m happy that they are doing what they can sensibly do.

Just apparently staggered drop off and collection timings and banning of shared mass public transportation for staff and highly recommended and preferred for families but obviously cannot mandate until first school Covid case is traced back to TfL etc. This is for a state central London primary and many parents have selfishly deliberately gamed the entry requirements small catchment area system (and moved back to actual cheaper possibly more spacious homes miles away way out of borough) and are dragging young children in and out of central London on train, Underground and bus rush hour commute. Not ideal at best of times but foolish and nonsensical with Covid preference and high correlation of vectors via jammed packed crowded hop on hop off tag team London commuter rat race mass shared transportation,

Extra handwashing, no parents in building, ppe to be worn when changing a child, mask to be worn if working with child less than 2m for 15 mins+ unless side by side, that's okay 🤔 parents sd during drop off pick up, no assembly or indoor gym, increased lessons outside, windows open at all times regardless of weather, bubbles of around 35 ish and stay in bubbles in playground and dinners eaten in class. All mix on buses etc.

Staggered dropped off, bubbles of 30, every one except reception eats lunch in class, but all collect from the hall no assembly.

Staggered starts and ends (but the parents will hang around and chat anyway and the uks2 kids will all wait and wander home together- this is what happened in July). Then we are in class bubbles and as a teacher i'm expected to stay with them all break and lunch, eating with them. I get a 20 min break all day. During which i'll clean their toilet. Then some of them will go home on the bus, which makes a mockery of bubbles anyway. They'll sit as normal but facing forward because they've all got to cram into my room, so no social distance at all. They'll all face me. Apparently having the window open will magically prevent infection. I've been given 1 bottle of spray and there's one sink for them all to use. No masks. No ppe. Marking all their books as normal. Still expected to sit alongside and work in small groups. The windows will save me. Oh, and the group that usually come in to do their PE have said it's not safe, so i'll be doing that as well now. I'll give them all their own pencil cases ( my own purchase as there is no extra cash for anything) but that's really just to make myself feel better. There's no real point to any of it. It's lip service.

When I get home I will strip in the porch, shower and change. It's just to make myself feel better about possibly infecting my mum, who has vascular dementia. I will try to get my kids, who will be in massive yeargroup bubbles and then mixed upwith everyone on the schoolbus anyway, to do the same thing.

I am taking my asthma meds religiously and trying to keep my autoimmune condition under control. I can't do anything about my age or the menopause.

I am just thankful that the virus is intelligent and knows not to go into schools.

Same as phlebas.

It's all bollocks. It's still 30 people in a poorly ventilated room for 6 hours a day, without PPE.

No, it wouldn't be reasonable.
If your head is anything like ours, she will have worked her arse off from April onwards, and I really hope is having a thoroughly deserved rest right now, not responding to individual parent enquiries.

My dd's school is doing staggered drop offs which I think is pointless. There's 15 minutes between them and who ever drops them off (gp's or me before my mad dash to get to work!) will stand there for 15 minutes till the other one goes in! I can't see how bubbles in schools will work with the mix of siblings and after school clubs/childminders. Each bubble will be mixed out of school anyway. Staggered drop offs are just causing more stress for working parents.
I work in a school and we will stay in our bubbles (small classes of 10) but start and finish times are the same across the school.

DS primary staggered start and finishes, class bubbles of 30, one way system, no assemblies,own stationary, eat lunch in classrooms, staggered lunches and breaks, outdoor lessons were possible,no changing for pe, no indoor music lessons, no 1-2-1 sen sessions for first half term then reviewed, no after school activities. But breakfast and after school club running with mixed ages! Many children use public transport (we walk). We also have a schools out of hours mobile contact-this isn’t a new thing has always been the case. Never used it so don’t know how it’s manned only assuming it’s answerphone. Op if that was my sons school I would be contacting them. As far as I’m aware guidelines were in place before the summer so they must know the majority of it and if they don’t they’ll be working anyway implementing for September

Still waiting to hear details! I think they're planning on staggered starts and finishes but know no more.

@Kez0777 at DS staggered drop off and pick up you drop all children off at the earlier slot and pick up from the earliest slot. Eg you have child in yr6 and yr3. yr 6 start at 9am and finish at 3:30 yr 3 start at 8:40 and finishes at 3:05 (can’t actually remember accurate times) You drop both of at 8:40 and collect both at 3:05. Not perfect in any means but stops the parents hanging around with children waiting or chatting.

[quote CKBJ]@Kez0777 at DS staggered drop off and pick up you drop all children off at the earlier slot and pick up from the earliest slot. Eg you have child in yr6 and yr3. yr 6 start at 9am and finish at 3:30 yr 3 start at 8:40 and finishes at 3:05 (can’t actually remember accurate times) You drop both of at 8:40 and collect both at 3:05. Not perfect in any means but stops the parents hanging around with children waiting or chatting.[/quote]
That's sounds good and I hope their school do this. I'm not sleeping due to the worry of how it's going to work. I can make it to work 5 minutes late if I drop at the first time but the second time isn't possible for me to do!
I'd spoken to my work about being late and owing back the time and they have been good about it but since the holidays we have the staggered drop off times which then changes it again!
I can't see how it will work for childminders, their school is across 2 sites and different times at each school so they would have to constantly keep coming back and forth dropping different year groups off

Staggered drops offs, no parents in school, no use of corridors as all rooms have outside doors, windows/doors open, extra handwashing or sanitizer, teachers/TAs expected to do extra cleaning including toilets (not sure how they'll find time), tables laid out so children aren't facing eachother, class bubbles except at lunchtime when it's a year bubble of nearly 100, no staff room.

Absolutely no idea, we haven't heard anything yet. I am going to contact Senco in the next couple of days as I have no idea how I'm going to get dd2 in whatever time her drop off is - she is going into year 1 and we spent all the time she was in reception having to go into the class with her and the TA or teacher peeling her off me (ASD/anxiety). I am so worried that I won't be able to get her in the door as she can't go in alone

Primary school: staggered drop off was a thing anyway where the gates and doors open for 10mins and children go in when they arrive in that 10 mins, staggered at end of the day by surname so those with surnames at the beginning of the alphabet go home before those with surnames at the end, no parents in the building, no bags to be brought in, lunch in disposable packaging, don't know if they are providing hot food (I hope so because DC2 in Reception was given a jam sandwich, biscuits and raisins for lunch everyday in the last half term, which I didn't argue because she was only there 2 days a week but I will have to send her with a packed lunch if she is given that everyday), year group rather than just class bubbles to cover lunch and break times which is presumably so the teachers get a break, breakfast club will just have them sat at tables in year groups (no idea how as they don't know who will be there each day, we don't have to book in on a daily basis just pay for the term then turn up whenever), no information on how the classrooms will look etc, no idea what will happen about PE,

Staggered drop off and collection, class bubble, meals in classroom, play time with bubble, pe kit worn to school on pe day, tables in rows, extra hand washing.

I'm really impressed. I wish I could say the same about my older dds secondary school...

Our school has given very little information.

All we know is that drop offs and pick ups will be staggered and that the bubbles will be y1+y2 / y3+y4 / y5+y6..... we gave two classes in each year group so my school is doing bubbles of approx 120 kids. What could possibly go wrong???

Have no idea about the youngest either, she is due to start nursery at the end of September and I've had no communication from them at all. I expect to hear more when the holidays end.

I’m going to stick my neck out here and say I think they should be going back in conditions that are as close to normal as possible. At the moment the virus appears to be well controlled, with hospitalisations and death rates very low. So whilst I absolutely would expect quick reactions and possible reimposing of some local lockdowns if the situation changes with winter, I don’t believe the virus justifies the vast impact it’s had on our children’s education and mental health.

@phlebasconsidered I really really feel for you, but what would you suggest is done differently? Children need to be back in school. With the best will in the world, you wouldn’t be taking anywhere near these kind of precautions in a normal flu season, which I imagine is likely to also have a significant impact on your health, or your Mum’s.

We have bubbles of 90 here! Staggered drop offs. Not heard much else yet. Know school are doing their best with pretty rubbish government advice/provision.

@MoiraRoseIsMyQueen

I’m going to stick my neck out here and say I think they should be going back in conditions that are as close to normal as possible. At the moment the virus appears to be well controlled, with hospitalisations and death rates very low. So whilst I absolutely would expect quick reactions and possible reimposing of some local lockdowns if the situation changes with winter, I don’t believe the virus justifies the vast impact it’s had on our children’s education and mental health.

@phlebasconsidered I really really feel for you, but what would you suggest is done differently? Children need to be back in school. With the best will in the world, you wouldn’t be taking anywhere near these kind of precautions in a normal flu season, which I imagine is likely to also have a significant impact on your health, or your Mum’s.

There is a flu vaccine offered to the elderly and vulnerable. We don't have a vaccine for Covid yet. Comparing the flu with Covid is like comparing apples and pears. We all just want what is best for us and our families. Sadly, some of us are more vulnerable than others, so we are justified in voicing our concerns.

Staggered drop offs
Class sized bubbles
Lunch in classroom
After school clubs for single bubbles
PE/forest school kit to be worn all day on applicable days
Lots of hand washing

I'm happy with all of that, it sounds appropriate and reasonable.

Staggered drop off and collection, class bubble, meals in classroom, play time with bubble, pe kit worn to school on pe day, tables in rows, extra hand washing. I'm really impressed

Problem is you can't please everyone (or necessarily anyone!) The above that is described as impressive is exactly the same as what was described by Phlebas as pretty much abhorrent and unacceptable. Same measures. Different opinions.

I'm in a small school. I suppose our SLT had the choice of using the size advantage for either extra safety or extra normality. They've gone with the latter (which I understand - our parents pay a lot of money for extra 'stuff').

We have 'bubbles' of 2 year groups (about 60-70 children) but those bubbles can be broken 'for the normal continuation of education' (basically for boarding, wraparound care and some enrichment).
We have:
staggered drop offs and pick ups
designated play areas for each bubble at breaktimes
hand sanitising stations in every classroom to be used at the start and end of each lesson
adults are supposed to distance from the children, especially if we teach cross bubble
all sport to be taught outside
no assemblies or chapels that cross bubbles
no large group singing

Haven’t heard anything so as of yet nothing