Parents are the blockage at schools re-opening, not teaching unions

[noblegiraffe]

The government has spent months demonising teaching unions and blaming them for blocking schools re-opening, including in June when it was actually the government’s own guidelines that prevented the further re-opening of primary schools.

This has left them in a bit of a pickle because schools are re-opening in September, the unions aren’t blocking it, there are no plans for teacher strikes, but the latest survey data from the ONS says that only 90% of parents are fairly or very likely to send their kids back. If the data is similar to back in June, better off parents are more likely to send their kids back, and more disadvantaged families are less likely.

So the government are now running a campaign aimed at parents, putting out articles across all newspapers. The Chief Medical Officers have dutifully said that schools are safe. And the responses are ‘see, schools need to reopen, our kids are being thrown under the bus’. The message is being read the wrong way. It’s being read as being targeted at teachers and unions who it is supposed are stopping schools opening, and not at parents who don’t want to send their kids back.

And this is the government’s fault. Because they have spent months creating a fake war, they have dropped the ball on a real issue - creating safer schools that parents are happy to send their kids back to.

@IloveJKRowling

The problem is that it isn't safe. Not that people are talking about how it isn't safe.

Blimey, this with bells on.

It goes to show how pampered our society has become that people really think magical thinking works. If we don't talk about it / believe it, it won't happen. That worked SO well in March (not).

The scientific consensus is that safe school reopening looks like this:

Small classes - no more than 15 per class in bubbles so no cross contamination between classes
Good ventilation (which in winter will mean higher heating bills)
Extra cleaning
Adequate sinks ideally that bubbles don't need to mix when handwashing
At least 2m between desks (children sitting alone)
Masks at least for secondary
some say temperature checks
Children to stay home when ill - no exceptions

My DD's school went back like this before the hols. She loved the small class sizes and enjoyed school so much more. But they relied on outdoor space and extra staff to achieve it. They can't do that in Sept.

Says a lot about a country that's willing to waste billions on non-tendered contracts for PPE / test and trace that don't deliver but are not willing to support schools to stay open.

I have no doubt the dc who had small classes last term thought it good but it took whole years excluded for a term to achieve it.

What would you do next term to get the same small classes?

No, the entire school was back. My daughter's primary managed it by using hall and other spaces (including outdoors with some sheltered areas - which is why it won't work in winter) as classrooms and kids ate at their desks.

If the DfE would allow schools to use village halls / community centres etc and give funding for extra staff then it might be possible.

Failing that I think half time in school in small bubbles and the rest online would give best outcomes for both education and sars-cov-2 infection rates.

I predict bubbles within schools as well as whole schools closing a lot as it is. Maximum disruption.

JK From which date did the entire school go back?

It was late in the term when government said all years back. It was mostly private who could invite more years back, some state struggled to get yrs R, 1 and 6 as it was.

Part time school for everyone, including kw and vulnerable, is different to last term but still will be part time v full time in private sector.

What would you do next term to get the same small classes?

Well, I've answered this question on about 50 threads now, ongoing since about beginning of May.

Primary schools have tight communities around them. If we'd been asked to find alternative places to teach/to occupy back in May, we could have done it. Not a national directive of 'use libraries', but a local solution to the problem.

We could have children in school in a part time way - again, this could be about an individual school. Parents could have been consulted (as ours were about how to return some groups back in June).

In my school for example (where we have a lot of families who have a parent or other adult at home the whole time):

Children in school from 8.30 - 12.00 or 12.30 - 4.00. Classrooms and toilets cleaned in that half hour. Half a class in at a time, distancing possible, catch up possible. For the other half of the day, children who need it are looked after in another location like a kids club - sports stuff happens during this time for example. There are adults who run some of our PE provision who haven't been working for months, they'd have loved this opportunity. We have several options for other locations - a leisure centre, a church hall (linked to the school anyway).

Children get 3 and a half hours teaching with one short break. In small classes. Teachers see all children in the class, but in a safer, distanced way. Children do less mixing, so the number of households mixing is less too. Safer for the community as a whole.

3 and a half hours teaching in a small class is amazing - a better opportunity than they are currently given. Anyone saying 'children 'deserve' full time school' are talking out the top of their heads. Children deserve the time to learn what we as a country have decided they need to learn. 3 and a half hours a day is enough.

Wouldn't work for every school, but every school has its options. We just weren't given the time or money to investigate and arrange those options.

Well, I've answered this question on about 50 threads now, ongoing since about beginning of May.

There’s no obligation ; but maybe you should paste that somewhere so you don’t have to retype. Ok going to read..

3.5 hours is half the learning time. Compared with double that in private sector. Can you keep the attainment even?

I definitely wouldn’t want that in secondary exam year. Primary less pressure, but then again primary not as much an issue.

Italy brought in 40,000 extra staff and spaces for €2.9bn. It sounds good but one extra teacher per school here which doesn’t go far.

Every time someone has said extra spaces for half a school it becomes pretty clear it’s not that easy.

It sounds good in theory, but practically, how much and where

It's not number of hours but quality of input.

So for example children out of school with tutors don't get 4 hours English a week. 4 hours in a class of 30 is the same as 1 hour 1:1 dedicated to students ability.

So what is usually 5 hours teaching time roughly in a class of 30-34 would be as equal or even better if 3.5 hours teaching in a group of 15/17.

Same as those students who have precision teaching in small groups of 5-8. 30 minutes is far more productive than groups of 30 for a few hours.

The simple truth is if government had been willing to fund schools properly and had a plan before 3 seconds before announcing schools opening then far more could have been done.

Today I have heard a journo saying heads should stop whinging and get on and do what they want for their schools and stop waiting for government guidance.

Totally ignoring the fact they have to because the dfe is in charge!

The problem is private classes are already that size, so state would be half what they are providing. Even more of a two tier system.

@MarshaBradyo

The problem is private classes are already that size, so state would be half what they are providing. Even more of a two tier system.

I think smaller classes for half the time, leaving more time for home study, would raise attainment levels for many.

What we have now in state schools is absolutely shite tbh. I do not criticise teachers but:

• classes enormous
• exams system is unhelpful
• buildings appalling
• some of the curriculum is dire

We need to stop.obsessing about the attainment gap with oldfashioned UK private schools and say - what does top-notch European schooling look like?

I do think we need to watch the attainment gap. Look at A level fiasco, thankfully reversed.

U.K. private schools are pretty good? What do European schools do better do you think?

@MarshaBradyo

I do think we need to watch the attainment gap. Look at A level fiasco, thankfully reversed.

U.K. private schools are pretty good? What do European schools do better do you think?

They encourage social mobility instead of preventing it.

They do post results uni applications.

They don't redesign exams to be less fair.

Are a few positives.

Also the A-level fiasco was designed, not accidental.

This government wants fewer people at university. Do you think the people it wants to not go to university are state school or private school pupils?

I come from a post results university entry country I find the process strange here.

The rest sounds great but wondering what forms that takes

I doubt it but if you think it was designed do keep an eye on attainment gap. Especially if you think the government is promoting a wider one.

There's plenty of research available out there about the issues in UK schools. The UK system feels unlikely to change because so many people are wedded to it. Like so many of our institutions, we just don't seem to notice that other countries have evolved past us.

For example, how is it sensible for languages to be so neglected? In this interconnected world? National failure. And engineering?? We have only just introduced Computer Science GCSE.

As an outsider not educated here it has a good reputation. Not state so much, but private sector yes. People travel to use it.

State has to keep up somewhat which is obviously hard given funding gap, great if there was more funding, but going to part time school will mean many, not all, lag. I reckon I could keep primary level child going well at home but that’s just personal.

Secondary I need him in it’s complex exam year stuff (especially further maths) but his classes are small in any case for some subjects.

Ps on languages it will matter more to some but I’ve done a fair few jobs with international clients and not speaking any other languages hasn’t been an issue. Nice to have but it takes intensive learning to be fluent enough to conduct as every day language. Dc seem to be teaching themselves to code here.

I think smaller classes for half the time, leaving more time for home study, would raise attainment levels for many.

Agree. Also what ohthegoats said. There are so many possible solutions particularly if you try and solve the problem at a local level and allow communities to be involved - but the government says no. Why?

My daughter's primary is a state primary - they managed to get all kids back for 5 weeks because of exceptional effort on the part of the staff and the ability to have classes outside. They were offered village hall space (free) but DfE has said a flat no to that (the same space is used for assemblies, plays and other events so there can be no real issue - I don't understand it, it's almost like they want schools going back to fail).

This government is failing our children. It is a scandal. They don't care because their kids are in private schools.

Write to your MP. You'll probably find out they stop replying (mine has) but it's the only thing we can do, really.

I have no issue with using spaces for smaller ft classes.

I saw why somewhere else on here from teachers. Something to do with lack of spaces for all schools I think.

@MarshaBradyo

Ps on languages it will matter more to some but I’ve done a fair few jobs with international clients and not speaking any other languages hasn’t been an issue. Nice to have but it takes intensive learning to be fluent enough to conduct as every day language. Dc seem to be teaching themselves to code here.

That's nice, but nationally there are issues with our education system.

My children also code very well, but my children and your children don't change the fact that overall our education system doesn't deliver what employers or HE really need.

The national failure on languages holds British business back, it's not about my personal preferences.

Write to your MP. You'll probably find out they stop replying (mine has) but it's the only thing we can do, really.

Also write to your local paper, as it is more public so embarrassed them more.

The national failure on languages holds British business back, it's not about my personal preferences.

I really haven’t found this to be the case. In large global agencies with international clients in Europe and Asia. The language we all had in common was English. But something about being London based was a draw.

@MarshaBradyo

The national failure on languages holds British business back, it's not about my personal preferences.

I really haven’t found this to be the case. In large global agencies with international clients in Europe and Asia. The language we all had in common was English. But something about being London based was a draw.

Maybe anecdotally it feels that way. I refer to national trends.

"Government statistics show that the UK loses about 3.5% of its GDP every year because of a lack of language skills and cultural awareness in the workforce. Such losses appear to be symptomatic of a chronic condition of under achieving in British business. More than a decade ago, the British Chambers of Commerce found that linguistic and cultural barriers led to loss of contacts, turnover and profitability – and also to a reluctance to tackle new markets. This latent lack of language skills in the workforce suggests that the UK is already overdependent on Anglophone export markets."

Forgot to link theconversation.com/how-britains-monolingualism-will-hold-back-its-economy-after-brexit-72244