Surely they can’t keep schools open as normal if cases keep going up like today!

[Worriedmum999]

My daughter went back to school last Thursday. She really needed to go as lockdown played havoc with her mental health. She was fine doing her academic work but she is someone who needs the social side of school.

We are a vulnerable family and, with this shitshower of a government, I had no faith that cases wouldn’t rise and I wouldn’t be forced to take her out of school again. But I cannot believe that she has been back 2 days and the jump in cases has been so huge. I honestly expected us to be able to get to half term. Of course deaths are going to rise now. Why wouldn’t we follow the pattern of the other European countries. Add to that the fact that people can’t get tested now and we’re fucked. And I’m so fucking angry and upset about the damage that this is doing.

What are the government going to do? Surely it will be impossible to expect parents to keep sending their children to schools when the death toll is huge again and the ICUs are full.

@HipTightOnions

This sounds similar to what we had but it doesn’t invite this: ‘I was able to give much more targeted input/feedback when teaching remotely. I can’t even look at their work now.’

That was me. Some examples...
We sometimes used the sort of apps mentioned by StaffAssociationRepresentative: some are very sophisticated so we could tailor the work precisely, pupils could ask questions and we could answer. We used Google Classroom to set our own work of all kinds. Narrated powerpoints. Home-made videos. Pupils submitted images of their written work so we could mark and feed back pretty much as normal. Some of the quieter pupils were much happier about asking a question discreetly online rather than sticking their hands up in class. The occasional live lesson.

It was a lot of work but we got better at it as time went on. Pupils who engaged with it made as much progress as they would have in school.

And that was full-time remote learning. Blended would have been even better.

Hip It sounds more two way than what we had. Wondering though, if you have one half of school in at one time and other half other time how would you have time for the remote part you describe? How do you fit it in

Not really- there will be many graduates without jobs happy to step in- a PGCE currently takes less than 12 months with generous bursaries, and I’m sure the rules can be amended if necessary to facilitate earlier qualification.

The bar is currently set quite low - no meaningful teaching by qualified teachers for the last 6 months for the majority of children- so it shouldn’t be too difficult to beat!

But as explained before schools didn't have to provide work in the Summer term, there was no requirement. When key worker and vulnerable children were in, the schools were told it was childcare, because if they did lessons then they those children would be at an advantage over the children at home.

If you want to complain to anyone about the inconsistency of provision complain to the Government.

@covidity

They must now keep schools open whatever happens.

Teachers who no longer wish to teach should leave the profession.

Um......

I will bother to explain, just in case the poster genuinely hasn't realised that the 88 schools which have partially or fully closed today have not done so because teachers didn't want to teach. They closed, partially or fully, because of Covid cases that then required self isolation.

One of the reasons a school will close is if there are not enough teachers. Self-evidently, the more teachers leave - or the more who are infected by Covid due to lack of safety measures - the more schools will close.

Stamping your foot and saying 'they must keep open whatever happens' doesn't help. Viruses don't hear you stamping, and the experienced, excellent, thoughtful teachers you need to keep in school are more likely to be alienated by it, and be yet more likely to leave.

But yes, we need more teachers. I think most comparable countries have double the number of teachers per student than the UK. We are desperately understaffed and so classes are too big.
However, you need people who want to teach, not just get a bursary, and currently people just don't stay long after training.

a PGCE currently takes less than 12 months with generous bursaries

But you just told the PGCE mentor to quit and now there isn’t anyone to train up these new teachers. Well done.

So any graduate who has absolutely no interest in being a teacher could become a teacher, that would be interesting.

Yes the government are rubbish, however some schools realised the standard was set too low. I really applaud these teachers.

@MarshaBradyo

A private school can do blended learning because for a class of fifteen it can pick up online outside school.

But how can it happen in state when the other half of school is being taught for the other session?

And that’s before any KW provision that takes up resources.

Marsha. It can work fine. Imagine a secondary school. Each class is divided into 2. In week 1 group A is in school and taught syllabus material. They are also set work to do remotely for week 2 which could include consolidation work/practice for what they were taught in week 1, time to memorise things ( science and maths formulae and rules, language vocabulary, etc) and initial study for new syllabus material ( flipped learning). While they are doing this in week 2, group B are in school with a repeat of the lessons group A have already had. It would work because the introduction of new material can be speed up because consolidation and practice can take place in the "off weeks" rather than in lessons and students will get better targeted teaching in class because the group's will be so much smaller! It does mean that vulnerable with difficult home situations don't get as much support as they would in schools but if the government were willing to put some decent money into it they could find study centres ( repurpose libraries etc? ) where certain students could be authorised to go. They could employ support workers ( not trained teachers or subject specialists) but those who could provide the same level of support as interested educated parents are providing for other students.

a PGCE currently takes less than 12 months with generous bursaries

We have already been told that, due to the covid situation, we cannot have PGCE students in school due to the additional infection risk. In-school training is a critical part of courses, but few schools will be able to offer training placements this year. i would not qant an unqualified person, or even someone who is nominally qualified but has never been in front of a class, teaching classes.

There is also the point that 12 months is an AGE in terms of this virus. Having loads of new teachers in 12 months to replace those who are ill next week is a bit like having, oh, I don't know, ventilators or Nightingale hospitals or something....

- no meaningful teaching by qualified teachers for the last 6 months for the majority of children- so it shouldn’t be too difficult to beat!

1. It isn't the schools' fault that you don't have to be qualified to teach.
2. Majority of children and you know this how?

Six months!! Can't you count? Holidays?? Ring a bell?

@covidity

Not really- there will be many graduates without jobs happy to step in- a PGCE currently takes less than 12 months with generous bursaries, and I’m sure the rules can be amended if necessary to facilitate earlier qualification.

The bar is currently set quite low - no meaningful teaching by qualified teachers for the last 6 months for the majority of children- so it shouldn’t be too difficult to beat!

Well seeing as it is a low bar you will find joining really easy.

Step up to the plate

Ok Educating that makes more sense in terms of resource, ie you don’t get teacher time in that week 2. But it’s homework isn’t it? Intensive review maybe, a bit like study for exams? Not online interaction as described below in second week.

Yes there are now bursaries for PGCE but course fee costs are still £9250

It is more than just "review" though.
It is an opportunity to practice and develop the skills taught. It is "homework" because it is being done at home but it is work that students need to do in order to progress. Teaching isn't continually introducing new material.
Students would be able to report back to teachers on what they were finding tricky for extra help when next in lessons too. Things like mathswatch and bbc bitesize would be useful to watch video explanations in order to review things they found tricky.
It would mean more work for teachers but I think it would be doable and students could make as good, if not better progress if they were minded to ( and the ones not minded to probably aren't making the progress they could in full time school anyway).

Intensive review. I don’t think that’s underplaying it too much. Taking what has been taught in week one and building on it for deeper knowledge.

Ds does make good progress in school, good predictions etc, but no two way interaction for last was harder for last term. What you describe wouldn’t be the same but it is possible to thrive at school and find online videos less helpful. Personally I’d take ft schooling of course for optimum results but I find the term blended learning opaque hence trying to understand what people mean by it.

Plus it sounds like two different options being described. The one where some make a lot of content plus online lessons or the one where students use external content during that week.

This would have loads of 2 way interaction though. Masses of it in the lessons of course but also the opportunity for "off week" students to feed back to teachers which would of course then inform lesson content for the next week in.
Of course you would prefer full time schooling, but I think this blended type learning with better opportunity for social distancing etc in schools stands a better chance of keeping schools open and running consistently than the "all in together" approach. I am in Greater Manchester though and facing rapidly increasing levels of Covid including increases in hospital admissions now. Someone in a leafy part of Gloucestershire might have a different view ( for now).

I'm envisaging a mix of teacher supplied content and other stuff ( eg bitesize) in the off week but no "live" lessons. It would be planned and crafted to facilitate progession by the teacher though.

Thanks for explaining Educating

It helps me envisage what you mean by blended learning

Most schools went back late last week (England) so positive tests can’t be related to that. More likely from the people coming home from holidays sitting on planes with the germs being circulated.

Just to touch on this.

In terms of when the schools opened, the jump in cases cant solely be blamed on that. But i dont think that travel on planes is an explanation either. Most places still have far lower rates than we do in the UK. In fact if you look at the figures, the risk is more likely to be from other Brits travelling on the same flight OUTWARD than the destination or flight back.

Also in terms of human behaviour, the knowledge that the schools were about to reopen may have led to changes in attitudes.

On Tuesday last week i was out somewhere and over heard two women who were letting their kids run riot and didnt have their face masks on in an enclosed area where its mandated. Their conversation highlights my point: they were saying there was no longer any point in adhering to the rules "because the kids were all back at school next week anyway".

So the return to school will have led to some substantial changes in more risky behaviour PRIOR to reopening because the knowledge that reopening was immenent changed behavior too.

This is compounded by the fact we have got to a critical stage where fatigue with restrictions has set in and behaviour was already changing. The number of people flouting rules on wesring masks has definitely increased week by week since they were made mandatory, as people realise there is zero enforcement going on and there is confusing government messaging about going out to eat, using public transport and going back to working in the office.

I reckon we have until about October half term before we either get to a point where the death rate is proving negligible so all restrictions pretty much get binned or we are in a position of abject chaos and a real problem with numbers.

I do find it fascinating how people are assessing this and saying that because theyve had so much contact with x number of people and no one has tested positive there is no risk. The risk has been constrained by behaviour and as that behaviour changes the risk changes. Thst means that people are ultimately potentially being lulled into a false sense of security but we wont know if thats true UNTIL that transpires.

And thats ultimately the problem we have. Behavioural expects dont KNOW what people are doing they can only guess.

Weve seen a slow breakdown in levels of compliance in the rules we do have which is as important as the places we go. And this is perhaps more significant than international travel etc.

Its the innocent 'one off' playdate last week with multiple kids and parents, to 'make the most of the last of the summer holidays' just when the parents are at wits end and kids are beyond bored thats just as significant.

@EducatingArti

This would have loads of 2 way interaction though. Masses of it in the lessons of course but also the opportunity for "off week" students to feed back to teachers which would of course then inform lesson content for the next week in. Of course you would prefer full time schooling, but I think this blended type learning with better opportunity for social distancing etc in schools stands a better chance of keeping schools open and running consistently than the "all in together" approach. I am in Greater Manchester though and facing rapidly increasing levels of Covid including increases in hospital admissions now. Someone in a leafy part of Gloucestershire might have a different view ( for now).

This.

You have explained blended learning perfectly.

And teachers are already marking for 30 pupils, we can easily mark and provide feedback on Google teams for the 15 working remotely. So when group A return to school, we can plan the lessons according to the work they’ve done at home.

I also like the idea of a virtual register, ensuring all kids are logging in. If not call home, behaviour points, etc

This won’t replace ‘real’ school but it can stop the spread and keep things running.

Why not ?
Close bars and restaurants ?

@covidity

Recruitment of less experienced enthusiastic young teachers who are at low risk from Covid may be preferable to retention of those individuals who have been in teaching for decades but seek to hide behind untenable Union diktats and sacrifice the education and welfare of a generation of children.

Children’s futures must be the overriding priority here, not teachers‘, and certainly not the unions who promote only the welfare of the teachers who pay them, not children who do not.

It’s time to actually live your socialist principles!

Covidity,

Why do you think teachers are hiding behind unions?

And why do you think that teachers who are very, very actively seeking to keep all young people from all background engaged with education throughout this winter (not all in school, then chaotically in and out without coherence) are sacrificing the education and welfare of children?

Why is it that teachers who want schools to be covid-safe - for vulnerable children, for staff, and importantly to every child's household - are said to be anti-child and anti-welfare? I can think of nothing more anti-child than actively advocating a plan that will harm vulnerable children and the vulnerable members of the families of other children?

Children's futures are best prioritised by a stable, well-planned, sustainable education, delivered by the best-qualified teachers, supported by a healthy family. It seems the height of folly for those supposedly on the side of children to actively push a model of school return that will lead to imbalances between rich and poor areas of the country, deprive the children most in need of the most experienced teachers of those staff, and risk their relatives?