DS school is mixing his pods - I need to complain don’t I?

[SummerCherry]

DS is in a slightly unusual primary school in that he is in a special unit for children with SN, but attached to a mainstream school. In previous years there is integration, where the children who are able to, spend one or two lessons in a mainstream class.

I had assumed that this wouldn’t happen this year, as it means mixing for smaller pods. Also, one of the reasons I felt a bit better about DS going to school is that he is in a small class of 10, even though they all take school transport.

Also the teachers only wear visors, instead of masks, and don’t seem to understand that this doesn’t really protect them or the children.

I just got a note in his book last Friday that they were going to do integration with the mainstream (class of 30) from next Monday and that they were all very excited about it.

My heart sank, so now DS will also be in a class with 30. I think I need to write to the school and raise this as an issue don’t I?

@Triangularbubble I would of course start with a polite communication with the teacher - although I can’t have a conversation as she does not share a phone number and DS takes the school bus.

@zaphodbeeble not really true. I am sure it is not really very comfortable. However all across Asia teachers are wearing masks all day as are pupils, many in primary too.

[quote SummerCherry]@zaphodbeeble not really true. I am sure it is not really very comfortable. However all across Asia teachers are wearing masks all day as are pupils, many in primary too.[/quote]
Children with hearing impairments can’t hear if their teacher is wearing a mask, this includes masks with windows. If my sons teacher wore a mask he would be unable to attend school.

Please come back when you’ve tried it yourself op, especially with those kids that lip read

You also have to remember that guidance is that masks impede communication but heads can allow masks use in corridors etc in lockdown areas. Some schools don't allow staff to wear ppe during a lesson

Jeez well you can be quite pedantic and pick every hole you can - it still won’t change the virus which will not care, and the responsible thing to do is to try and reduce the risks as much as we can. Of course everything can have an issue, which can then be problem solved - a child with a hearing impairment etc, some teachers refusing to wear a mask because they don’t like it. But it won’t change what are the most effective barriers:
Masks, hand washing, open ventilation, small mixing with others, being particularly careful when spending long periods of time indoors.

They don’t stop being effective barriers because of dislikes, issues, dislikes, not wanting to make a fuss, resources.

Exactly what we’re already doing

You're lucky that vizors are being worn. I'd be happy to wear one, but told it's not deemed necessary.

It is very unlikely that your school won’t have risk assessed this. Ours is done weekly. The bubble for my school is 3 classes and for my son it’s a year group of over 1000 students. So 30 is not many at all relatively speaking. Also, teachers aren’t allowed to give out their phone numbers - I am sure you know this but it came across as though you felt he or she was being unreasonable in this. Apologies if that isn’t what you meant.
And, as others have said, masks all day is not appropriate for so so many reasons. Visitors enable children to see who they are talking to while offering more protection than nothing.

If you don't want your dc in a bigger group this year, why not just tell them? I doubt they would go ahead with it if you strongly object.
I will wear a mask full time the day the pupils wear theirs full time. I'm getting a bit tired of all my efforts to protect others and maybe one out of every 30 tries to protect me back.

I find it a bit annoying that you think it's ok for everyone else's children to have class bubbles of 30 or entire year groups in every school in the country, but you think it's outrageous that your DC is going to now be doing the same thing.

Socialisation and mainstreaming is part of your DC's educational needs. Get a grip. If everyone else's children can survive it in class size bubbles, so can yours.

I think you have mixed up 2 things : your assessment of the risk and school’s assessment of the risk. Don’t get me wrong, I’m unhappy about lots of things. I personally would prefer mix of online and onsite teaching, children staying in the same classroom with teachers moving, 1 or 2 designated TAs for my DD and so on....But it’s only my view, and DD’s her school needs to manage lots of tasks: safety, quality of education, social and emotional needs students and teachers, and of course financial aspects.
You should have contacted DS’s school before the start of the year to ask them about possible changes. You presumed that they would do things in a certain way but it didn’t happen. Your DS was never intended to be in a bubble of 10. The school’s intention was always to carry on with mainstream integration, it just didn’t happen during the first weeks.
I would approach the school and try to find compromise but bear in mind it might not be possible. Even it’s these difficult times schools are obliged to fulfill all their obligations: full access to curriculum for all pupils, mainstream integration, etc.

Nobody thinks that large "bubbles" are a good thing.

But that's what schools are expected to do according to government guidelines. You need to complain to your MP, not to the school.

By the way you could email Senco, Pupil support or whoever is in charge for this unit or just phone to the reception and leave a message that you want a chat with this person.

I work in a school with an attached resource base and we are working as usual really. We are carrying out interventions and the children are in their mainstream class and the resource base at different times in the day.

These children have missed out on so much, they need to be back at school and getting the education they deserve.

@SummerCherry why can't you have a conversation? Surely you phone the school and ask for a phone call! I call parents all the time!

@ithinkiveseenthisfilmbefore

I find it a bit annoying that you think it's ok for everyone else's children to have class bubbles of 30 or entire year groups in every school in the country, but you think it's outrageous that your DC is going to now be doing the same thing.

Socialisation and mainstreaming is part of your DC's educational needs. Get a grip. If everyone else's children can survive it in class size bubbles, so can yours.

It’s not about I’m better than you Jack. Why don’t you also try and get your own school as risk free as possible?

My child has to ride in packed school transport and because of his SN is more risky overall. But surely this is not about us all competing? It’s about being supportive to a school to be as risk free as they can manage.

[quote maverickallthetime]@SummerCherry why can't you have a conversation? Surely you phone the school and ask for a phone call! I call parents all the time![/quote]
Fine with that. It’s not about that. It’s about raising it as an issue.

I have to say I’m quite surprised that so many people would rather put me down than support having safer schools for all.

And for all those saying well they have bigger bubbles, why would you want my sons class adding to that? This is as much about protecting the mainstream class as it is my sons. We all can do out bit to help minimize the risk. There is a risk, so let’s not just ignore it. My school has not risk assessed it. They just feel, I guess as many of you do, that they just have to accept everything and get on with stuff. Without any critical thinking.

I think I’m out of this thread! My own friends are a lot more reasonable.

Lol at your own friends being more reasonable. Off you trot then.

@greenlynx You should have contacted DS’s school before the start of the year to ask them about possible changes.

I did do this. I chatted to and emailed the school, asking about all possible changes. Said also that I was fully supportive of their own safety and if they needed or wanted anything from me, even less hours, that I would be fully on board. We had some exchanges and I worked really hard to get DS to comply to several difficult changes for him, including wearing a mask, not hugging other children etc.

They told me he would only be in his pod of 10 and that he’d mix with another pod of 10 each lunchtime, it was to let the teachers have an extended lunch break and time off so I was fine with that. Even though they didn’t last year! Now this other class is 30, which I wasn’t told about at all. Which altogether make 50.

I teach a year 1/2 class. The children need to be back in school. You would be shocked at how much has been lost after 6 straight months of no school, both education-wise, socialisation-wise, fitness-wise, concentration-wise, etc. They need to be there, and we're making it as safe as possible to do so.

We don't have the money or space to employ more teachers and build more classrooms so only 10 children are in a class.

It's not about critical thinking. It's about the bigger picture. They need to be in school.

As do my own 3 children who are in secondary school and in entire year group bubbles. No, it's not ideal. But it's necessary. Especially for my Year 11.

I work in a special primary school, none of us wear masks as it would seriously impede communication with the children and cause a heightening of their anxiety. We keep everything clean, social distance and have key stage bubbles.

Your child’s school has a plethora of risk assessments to complete at every stage, integrating the ARP children will have factored high in this. Ask them for the risk assessment before you go in guns blazing. Equally think about the social and developmental good it could do your child.

Primary schools, are generally low risk, as the children are under 12, and every decision made is risk assessed and kept on file, not everything is open to parents, unless it is asked for.

@SummerCherry
apologies, your last post do change situation, I think you are right to be upset and even cross as the school specifically told you about smaller bubbles. But I would still ask them about reasons for this change nicely.

By the way did you consider to take DS to school by yourself to avoid packed school transport?

I don’t have a car and the school is several miles away, as it’s for his SN. If he wasn’t SN I could have walked to the nearest school, but it’s not suitable. DS is severe SN.

He’s also only just coping within his own ‘bubble’ as his own teacher is taking a year out because she doesn’t want to risk getting Covid. They had to bring in a supply teacher. He will not keep to himself either in a big class, he goes up close to others and runs around putting hands everywhere. He had difficulties with integrating mainstream last year so I’m not even sure he should be going so quickly. It’s usually better he does things when he is really fully prepared and can succeed, as going badly it sets him back.

He’s also already had to have a COVID-19 test because he picked up two nasty bugs from other kids already, and it was pretty traumatic getting him tested to be honest. If he had refused the test he would have been treated as positive as others deemed close contact including some in his class would have also had to go home for 14 days. Possibly his teacher they have to get quite close to him at times.

But really I’m just a bit taken aback that his school and by the sounds of it others, are not taking the minimal risk route. I home schooled DS successfully and he thrived to be honest, but I want him to be able to experience school, just not to be taking risks that could be easily avoided.