What would you do to keep the schools open (or wouldn't you)?

[WhatWillSantaBring]

Just that really - what changes do you think schools, LEAs, and the government could bring in to keep the schools open? Practical stuff, such as would you make the children wear masks all day? Reduce class sizes to 15 to a room (fuck knows how, but that's part of the question!)? What else?

And what would you do, if you were the cabinet of the magically elected new national government? After the NHS, essential supplies (food, water, energy etc) what would you prioritise to keep open? Would you put schools over the hospitality industry? Put the whole country on total lockdown over Christmas to put a break on infections, if that meant keeping schools open? Shut universities but close primaries (or some other combination).

Or do you think we should close schools first to slow the spread?

We all know we could do a better job than this shit-show of a government, so let's hear your manifesto!

Make the bubbles smaller as in each class .my child is in isolation because the bubble burst but it was from the other class in the bubble and my child may have had zero contact.

I wouldn't do anything , things are fine right now as far as I am concerned
Schools aren't shutting , deaths aren't rising , nhs isn't overwhelmed

Take away the fines and support those with remote learning who can keep their children at home and homeschool. This will reduce the class sizes, help those who have vulnerable parents / children and lessen the risks.
We all know that eduction and the economy are priorities however schools are not covid secure many do not have adequate ventilation and as it turns colder children and teachers are seriously going to struggle to work in cold conditions.
If people stuck to the rules and stopped acting like spoilt brats we could live with this.
We still need to support the NHS and with hospital numbers increasing it's so important we as individuals do all we can to support them.
Lockdown is looming and it will be interesting to see what's announced tomorrow.

I’d close everything non essential (bars, restaurants) and ban household mixing (at least among families with children) before I closed schools. I’d go down the schools closure thing already designed - so secondary part time if necessary, primary prioritised. I wouldn’t force children at primary to wear masks but would allow teachers at any level to wear anything they wanted.

I do think of things as having a “contact budget” and I accept my family’s is pretty much used up by school. It feels fair for us to have tighter social restrictions than someone living alone and working from home.

I'll go first, obviously (it's my thread).

I'd prioritise schools over everything else (after essentials supplies).

Right now, I would be asking each school to confirm how much extra space they need to have 15 in a class, and then tasking councils to find that space -libraries, town halls, leisure centres, marquees on the playground - so that we could move to 15 in a class if we had to.
I'd be coming up with a clear set of home-school protocols for schools so that there was consistency at a national level on teacher contact time, setting work etc, looking at what the best practice is from those schools that did it well last time.
I'd get Ofgem inspectors helping do all of this - they're qualified teachers and should be setting the parameters up to help schools, not leaving it to the individual heads to work out what the hell they're supposed to be doing.
Goes without saying - I'd knock on Rishi Sunak's door (I'm keeping him for the moment) and ask him to give me a blank cheque to pay for whatever the schools need to keep them open.

I would definitely put something in place to support those who wanted to continue homeschooling to protect vulnerable family members.
Schools should absolutely be prioritised over the hospitality sector. University could and should be entirely online, they should never have dragged all the students to the university.

There are Not enough inspectors to become 2x as many qualified teachers needed if class sizes were 15.

I would like to reduce the manic keep windows open at all times policies, but otherwise think most policies are workable as is.

University is hard - I think practical subjects probably should go back - we need all the graduate medics and nurses and engineers we can get! Anything that can be online though should be.

I do wonder at what point we will have to pause the education system/allow extra terms/year before sitting exams - it feels impossible but so does expecting gcse students to sit exams if there’s another prolonged school closure. The inequalities between pupil experiences and learning will be so vast....

I would prioritise education over everything else and I include universities in this. I wouldn’t mind if high schools went to an alternate week f2f/online to reduce numbers in school but wouldn’t want to go further.
At the moment an awful lot of out of school activities are going ahead where children from different schools are mixing, exercising together so potentially spreading germs. These groups would probably be the first I would close, then swimming pools and gyms/exercise classes for all. Then pubs, none essential shops and socialising.

Get quick testing into schools. Temperature checks on the way in. Test teachers quickly

@bigchris

I wouldn't do anything , things are fine right now as far as I am concerned Schools aren't shutting , deaths aren't rising , nhs isn't overwhelmed

Unfortunately deaths are rising!

I wonder OP why you've picked 15 as the magic number? If it's for 2m distancing 15 will not achieve that. 10 would.
15 ok for 1m though

Schools must remain open for the poor and vulnerable and young ones, and all who need childcare.

But for all those families willing to go online, they should also be supported. It does not take much, the teachers should all have a device to flick on at the start of lesson so those online can join (with code).

Same timetable and attendance obligatory. If you have a tech problem, go into school.

This is not beyond a G10 nation.

This is, anyway, the future for today’s kids so get them used to it.

Support remote learning for particularly vulnerable children and teacher retaining school places.

Remote teachers utilised for teaching remote learning and extra funding for agency staff to temp for the teachers, maybe this would assist space to distance within classrooms.

I would also hope that those with school age children would distance from vulnerable family members.

What will the online ones do when the ones in class are given worksheets or textbooks? What will they do when the teacher is helping other students (who should not be videoed?) A webcam on the PC won't work as teachers don't stand in front of their computer during most lessons. Maybe mounted on the ceiling somewhere.

And by the way, this is already going on in some v posh schools around the UK but is hush-hush

Orange you don't mention changing the government as that would be required to get the kind of investment into state schools that would allow the tech you're talking about.

I would actually stop ‘grassroots’ sports and out of school activities to avoid children mixing with others than aren’t in their bubble. I know it’s harsh, but at least children will be able to mix with other children at school and there is no social distancing in kids football matches for example.

I wouldn’t have opened universities as students should be fine with online lectures and should engage as they’ve chosen to be there.

I’d issue a plea directly to parents to avoid mixing with other households in order to keep schools open. I’d make it really clear that this is what people need to do to keep them open.

I’d allow teachers to use PPE and actually provide funding for this and for hand sanitiser and additional washing facilities.

I’d encourage more outdoor education and sports and provide funding for resources for this.

I’d stop fines and guarantee places would remain open for those that wanted them after. Then rota Primary to reduce class sizes and go remote for secondary and colleges.

I’d rather businesses were open than schools as we need tax revenue for the NHS.

Not sure where some posters live.
Schools are shutting by me! Multiple cases, more than 100 schools impacted and more than 8,000 have been off at some point in the last three weeks.
What luxury to claim schools haven't shut when on my doorstep one has reopened after a fortnight again.
My Y10 was off after a bubblw burst, several cases at his secondary and his brother's secondary.
What luxury to not expect a child to be sent back each day.
A local primary has 15 teachers off in one day.

The horse has bolted. Whoever inherits this shit show faces an impossible situation - how to limit the damage.

I know what we should have done. Now thousands are missing out.

My son is in GCSE years, he has an early GCSE next year, didn't get some lessons when he was sent back for 2 weeks due to a case. Half the year were. Half got their full lessons in school. Others in low risk areas where pps live and think there is no issue with schools will have had their GCSE lessons.

So now, the scrambling around. Sick teachers, sick kids, healthy staff and students in isolation. How do we salvage this when students in places like New Zealand are probably having a solid school experience and independent schools are actually doing experiments in Science labs .

Small class sizes can only be achieved with half at home. Based on my recent experience this was part-time school, not blended.

The postcode lottery means inequality grows. Those of us with older children in high risk inner city schools face a continuous cycle of self isolations.

The Government had a chance. They had time, they had cash, they had teachers telling them it would be unsustainable.

Now it's too late for any well planned, proactive action.

Long term closure can't ever be an option again, its just kicking the can down the road again as the saying goes. I hindsight looking at the infection rate now compared to June we could have opened then to all pupils and been in the same position . We need to somehow learn to muddle through, its all well and good saying learning can be done online but school is about much more than education, its emotional and social interaction, its structure, its stability, its routine, for many abused or neglected children its a life line that can't be delivered via zoom or Google classroom.
ECV teachers and pupils (or families) should be supported with home learning if they want it, testing should be available within school (ideally a saliva test or something less intrusive than the current tests) with immediate results. Temperature checks. And if we are wishing for unicorns somehow magic up some extra classroom space and teachers to reduce the class sizes.

@bigchris

I wouldn't do anything , things are fine right now as far as I am concerned Schools aren't shutting , deaths aren't rising , nhs isn't overwhelmed

Really ?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-54336494

None so blind as those who don't want to see.

The rise in infections took off as soon as school opened and then after the normal 3 week lag the deaths have started to rise. You don't need to be an expert epidemiologist to work this out. Just to rub a couple of brain cells together and realise that viruses are spread by people in close contact. People are in closer contact as the weather gets colder because they are inside. Both of which applies to schools.

The balance between economy open and improving teacher safety is to make bubbles smaller. One week in , one week out with a proper online provision for those with no laptop/internet.

I apologise

Just googled , 30 schools are shut so far because of covid

Not sure why it's a luxury that in my county none have , 30 in the whole country isn't much is it ?

Close pubs etc.
Shielding re starts for those who want to. Paid at a basic level of pay. Parents can keep children off with no fine if vulnerable.
Universities online except practical subjects.
High schools blended learning- everyone in part time and some time online.
Primary schools bubbles back to 15. If this means part time, so be it. Part time school for all better than no school for months.
Stop non essential travel abroad and around the country.
No socialising with others except groups of 6 or less outside only- so a walk is ok.

Thanks patchwork

Hadn't seen the news today

That link does say But it's important to note cases had dropped for the past three days, while deaths had dropped for the past two days