School half day once a week for deep clean...

[Baconking]

..and non teaching time for staff.
Are any other schools doing this? Just wondered if it is the norm?
We're also being charged for childcare for the afternoon if unable to pick up after lunch

All the schools around here are doing it.

Yep, on Fridays they finish at 12.30 although I had an email today saying from next week it will be normal times.

Probably makes sense in a primary setting as the teachers need 10% of the week timetabled and it would be impossible to have a separate member of staff covering that 10% for each class so bubbles would completely fall apart. In a secondary setting it is less acceptable but realistically nothing new in many schools.

Nope, not happening here

To be honest it's a good idea. Schools are under pressure to be back to the old normal, ie they don't have time to constantly go around disinfecting areas.

Not here. Private though.

Not happening here.

My DH is getting his PA time during the school week and his class being covered by another staff member

That's not happening at my children's primary school but each class has a higher level TA that covers the teacher's ppa time and the deep clean is straight after school on a Friday.

Yes it's happening here in the junior school but not the infants... I have a kid in each so that's fun! Thankfully I work from home so although disruptive it is manageable.
Weve been told its so the teachers get their planning time without having to introduce a cover teacher to the class bubbles rather than for cleaning.

It's a legal requirement for teachers to have 10% PPA time.

Some schools don't have the budget to fund the cover for PPA time unless they shut for half a day.

Not here. We (the teachers!) clean at the end of the day, and it's then topped up by cleaners.

Nope

Realistically it doesnt make sence to do this on friday PM as the school is left empty over weekend and so most covid on serfaces would have gone by monday morning. Wed afternoon would have been more logical to deep clean

It’s mostly for PPA. Previously PPA would have been covered by one or maybe two HLTA who would have covered every class’s PPA time but obviously that would break the bubbles.

Believe me, if you saw what was going on in some schools with regards to social distancing , you'd want the school to be closed for s full day for cleaning

Yes this is happening at our school at 1.15.
Told it’s for cleaning, nothing to do with PPA.

Not happening here (primary or secondary). I wouldn’t be impressed with this to be honest. Its bad enough that they’ve shortened the school day by half hour (break times not teaching time).

This expressly goes against the government guidance which is that schools should not reduce teaching time due to Covid. I would be complaining.

No but wish it was tbh.

Instead our school has added an hour onto the school day for catch up...

@Weareboatsremember

This expressly goes against the government guidance which is that schools should not reduce teaching time due to Covid. I would be complaining.

Good grief. Please don't.

Not for us (indie prep).

All the local primary schools in our area our doing half days on Fridays. No clue about the secondary schools.

Believe me, if you saw what was going on in some schools with regards to social distancing , you'd want the school to be closed for s full day for cleaning

How will extra cleaning help with this in any meaningful way?

This expressly goes against the government guidance which is that schools should not reduce teaching time due to Covid. I would be complaining.

Me too. A deep clean on a full Friday afternoon seems a completely futile exercise given how the virus remains on surfaces and transmission risk. It’s about as pointless as spraying air freshener in a windy playground after one of the children farted at playtime.