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Original poster

No social distancing in 6th form classrooms/common room

440 replies

kitnkaboodle · 02/09/2020 16:44

I know that there was an earlier thread on this that ran to 1000 messages and shut down, but ...

I'm sitting here with egg on my face, as through the summer I didn't believe my DS (16) telling me that in his (new) Y12, they wouldn't have to distance from the other pupils in sixth form or be spaced out within the classrooms. He said that things would be 'the same as normal', and I honestly thought he was talking rubbish.

He's just home from his first day and, sure enough, the WHOLE sixth form is classed as one bubble and there are no social distancing measures at all between the kids there apart from desks all facing the front. I'm not sure about teachers - will ask later, but I presume they aren't in the bubbles and have to keep apart.

I glanced at the earlier thread title (that was something along the lines of 'the govt are letting the public believe there will be SD in schools') and thought it was all a bit paranoid (without reading it). However, I now genuinely believe that photos of all the 'back to school' stories have been carefully curated to show kids standing/sitting at least a metre apart. I'm one of those who thinks that we just need to 'get on with it' now, regarding schools, but I do feel royally hoodwinked by that. It was very subtle ... (and now I have to apologise to DS for not believing him!!)

OP posts:
GhostTypeEevee · 02/09/2020 16:50

Haven't they said that there is no need for the bubbles to SD which is why I was very Hmm at the staged pictures and videos, especially the one that panned away from the carefully arranged kids showing all the others in the other half of the classroom

Mrschickpeabody · 02/09/2020 16:51

It’s always been known they were doing year group bubbles at secondary schools. Why do people claim that they didn’t know this and we we’re all mislead?

Mrschickpeabody · 02/09/2020 16:53

What staged pictures? How do you think they’re going to get all the dc back with social distancing?

TheSeedsOfADream · 02/09/2020 16:54

I'm not in the UK and know about the bubbles. Have you not been following the news OP?

kiwibee · 02/09/2020 16:55

There is no social distancing at all in schools.

There are also so many crossovers between bubbles (even in primary) that the bubbles may as well not exist.

W00t · 02/09/2020 16:55

We have some A Level classes of 28/29/30. How do you think we could social distance them?Confused

Fine if your subject has 8 or whatever, but not practical in most schools/6th forms!

Original poster
kitnkaboodle · 02/09/2020 16:55

Mrschickpea - I think I just didn't fully take on board what being in a bubble meant. I think I just thought it meant that they would be isolated from the rest of the school, would have staggered break times, would have to quarantine if one was infected, etc ... That's all obviously true, but I didn't really think about the 'closeness' of the bubble - the fact that it would be like being able to hug your grandma, or whatever, if she was in your bubble.
it's my naivety! But thinking back of all the imagery from the summer ... I think my expectations of today were a bit different from the reality!
It's also going to make it nigh-impossible now to discourage DC16 from congregating in groups outside of school.
Sorry if I'm late to understanding all this!!

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 02/09/2020 16:57

Omg. The people on my thread trying to tell me that the photos were fine and made no difference and that parents would know...

SimonJT · 02/09/2020 16:57

So a class of 30 children 2m apart, that would be an impressively large classroom.

SionnachRua · 02/09/2020 17:00

Not your fault that you fell for the smoke and mirrors, it's the Governments fault for aggressively wafting that smoke about.

GhostTypeEevee · 02/09/2020 17:00

@Mrschickpeabody

This one twitter.com/itvnewspolitics/status/1298596988922011648?s=21

I agree that SD can't be done in schools but it seems rather disingenuous to have a a video like this. Why are the kids so spaced out and then at the end they're all close in the other half of the classroom? They've always said there won't and can't be SD so just run with it

JoanJosephJim · 02/09/2020 17:02

My son's sixth form have to do a year group bubble because they take 3 subjects possibly 4. It is impossible to bubble children in classes. This isn't a primary where one teacher teaches them everything.

Ours have staggered the year 12s and 13s so they are arriving at different times and eating at different times. But it is a whole year 13 bubble.

Classes wise they have made the decision to do a weeks timetable over a day. So for physics they would usually have 5 hours of teaching over a week now they have an entire day; 5 hours of physics. I cannot imagine that will be fun despite his love of physics. Same with his other subjects.

They have hand washing stations and a one way system around the building. They haven't got extra classrooms or extra teachers, they are doing the best that they can under the circumstances.

Original poster
kitnkaboodle · 02/09/2020 17:03

Don't flame me! I'm quite a sensible person and I think I thought it would be different in a sixth form! I didn't really think it through.
I'm not criticising schools for any inability to space out large classes of kids.
I am, however, heartily agreeing with those posters on the other thread who felt that the govt (and, oddly, the BBC) were taking a lot of trouble to show classrooms and stock photos of socially distanced classrooms. It might sound conspiracy-theorist, but ... I feel hoodwinked now and people on that earlier thread can feel justified!

OP posts:
tootyfruitypickle · 02/09/2020 17:05

I really can't wait for dd to be able to get back to her secondary and hug her friends. I'm so glad there's no SD going on in secondaries, enough is enough for the children.

TulipsAndLilacs · 02/09/2020 17:06

The whole sixth form will be a bubble not socially distanced at my dcs' school. Over 200 kids in the 6th form. A local sixth form college has 1250 per year group and they are doing a year group bubble. Other year groups will be a bubble. Not sure why recent news stories have shown schoolkids socially distanced and wearing masks.

noblegiraffe · 02/09/2020 17:07

If anyone wants to revisit the ‘government is making you think schools will be socially distanced’ thread it’s here www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4007867-The-government-is-trying-to-make-you-think-schools-will-be-socially-distanced

I’m not sure about teachers - will ask later, but I presume they aren't in the bubbles and have to keep apart.

On that subject, you might be interested in this thread here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4007363-Teachers-could-be-superspreaders-due-to-lack-of-mitigation-measures-admits-Matt-Hancock

And this story to go with that thread: www.tes.com/news/distancing-schools-unachievable-say-90-teachers

Just to keep you up to date with the wool the government is still pulling over the eyes of parents.

Piggywaspushed · 02/09/2020 17:07

Ermmm. the guidelines do say the older children should be encouraged to observe distancing. Hate to break it to you tooty.

HipTightOnions · 02/09/2020 17:10

I was in for INSET today. By 8.30 my colleagues had pretty much trying to stay apart.

noblegiraffe · 02/09/2020 17:10

If you want to see more pictures of what schools don’t look like, check out this story from the BBC today

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53947513

Bunch of lies. The BBC also has a story earlier saying that there would be screens between pupils. Nope.

ChanceEncounter · 02/09/2020 17:11

@Mrschickpeabody

It’s always been known they were doing year group bubbles at secondary schools. Why do people claim that they didn’t know this and we we’re all mislead?
Because the messaging kept referring to 'social distancing where possible'. It was done deliberately, to muddy the waters.

Also because social distancing is obviously needed, the government couldn't just say the truth which is that schools are a free-for-all Sad

HipTightOnions · 02/09/2020 17:11

pretty much ... given up ... trying to stay apart.

Original poster
kitnkaboodle · 02/09/2020 17:12

Piggy - yeah, I'd like to think 16-18 year olds were sensible enough to show SOME restraint and self-control under the circumstances. They're not primary kids wanting to hold hands any more ...

For the record, I am PRO schools opening and very supportive of teachers soldiering on. I will be watching news reports this evening with a more enlightened eye. Let's see what they show ...

OP posts:
ChanceEncounter · 02/09/2020 17:13

This reply has been deleted

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ineedaholidaynow · 02/09/2020 17:13

Would be good if pupils could take photos of what it actually looks like rather than the staged photos.

tootyfruitypickle · 02/09/2020 17:13

It's about a balance. DD will SD from majority of year group where she can. But she's already met and hugged her closest friends, and I wouldn't expect her to distance from her wider group of friends either. She did it until August but enough is enough. It's a MH risk vs virus risk and for children the former is far more of an issue at the moment.