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!

Well what a fortunate position you must be in BigChris

Every school by me has cases that I know of. Half of them don't make the news though, including my own son's or the whole school that closed.
The DfE/PHE don't seem to be keeping tabs.

So school is a luxury. Right now both my son's classmates have parents with Covid. Both schools have multiple cases, whole year groups out.

That's the weekend reporting lag. Sunday/Monday always lowest of the week .

This was a fortnight ago after just two weeks back.

I work with numerous schools and believe me, this list does not include half of those impacted. These are only the ones where parents shared letters with the paper.

www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/more-8000-well-kids-school-18958533

I wouldn't make any changes either, the current rules are strict enough, they just need to be enforced and people need to stop whining about the rule of six or masks and realise that they are just not that special.

Sport outside is fine, they've already taken steps to restrict some indoor sport. Maybe contact sports outside need to be looked at again.

I don't think it's too late. We could work together to support schools and help children through this time. There are lots of things that could still be done.

I don't think the coronavirus problem will go away very quickly (although pandemics historically don't go on forever, they tend to last a couple of years).

Realistically we should be planning for this and the next academic year.

I agree with a lot of the above posters re

• more space (so church halls/ disused offices/ hotels etc.)
• optional temporary home learning esp for ECV
• more & better on line learning

I think we could get parents and other family (with DBS checks) possibly involved in book clubs and on line study groups to support the schools.

There are possible economies of scale if schools with the same syllabus work together.

Students themselves could even contribute to podcasts on particular topics of interest and that in itself could be educational.

I think we could really make this work well.

I entirely agree that schools should stay open for children and families that want and need something more like the more conventional provision, for example no wifi or tech at home, or socially vulnerable.

The thread title said or wouldn't you, I'm just giving my opinion ! Agree with previous poster

I mean I agree with cologne

I think more space is key, or reduced numbers, but that's not what people like to hear, or fund.

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

Dd's state school would be pleased to hear that they are v posh! If someone is off due to covid the lesson is streamed or recorded and they can access it at home.

Where possible bubbles should be smaller - no more than 30. It may require a rejig of forms at half term but up until yr 8 children could either be taught in mixed ability classes or forms rearranged so that they are in the same streams for everything. I know that this won't suit everyone but neither does being sent home regularly because someone in your bubble of 300 who you might not even know has had a positive test.

Two week alternating might help with children having streamed lessons for two weeks then in for two weeks. Again this might not be practical in higher secondary.

I would be happy to see the rule of 6 reduced but we should ideally still be able to see someone from a different household outside and socially distanced. I wfh so I wouldn't otherwise see anyone outside my immediate family

I wouldn’t have opened universities as students should be fine with online lectures and should engage as they’ve chosen to be there.
Students don't want to pay the same fees for on-line learning though so universities will end up going bust and graduate education in the future is down the pan.

Landlords will go bankrupt because students don't be renting accommodation. That will affect the housing market. Everything has a knock-on effect. Everybody and everything on earth is connected. You can't change one thing without affecting another.

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

That’s completely shut? Nearly 1 in 6 secondaries have groups of kids at home isolating. Thousands of kids affected. Look in your local news to see the schools affected near you.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-54341418

I would close down pubs, restaurants, cafes, indoor adult anything.

I would close places of worship for anything other than weddings and funerals, not allow normal services.

I would not allow mixing of adults in houses.

For schools I would keep classes of 30, many junior classes take more than 30. I would not allow any movement this academic year into a class once it is a size of 30.

I would have testing facilities in every town and allow all children and staff in school priority testing.

I would close down pubs, restaurants, cafes, indoor adult anything

Would you be happy with increased taxes to pay for the furlough scheme then ? I just dont get how this would work , an effective test and trace system and keep everything open would be better surely?

I would agree to not mixing households to keep DC in school and for people without school aged children who are wfh to be able to mix.

I wouldn't. It's pretty obvious that schools drive transmission of the virus. Lots of kids crowded into classrooms. Even half capacity would be too much, and there isn't enough teachers to do half classes anyway. Definitely not enough to do both online and in school learning. Either we need to decide we don't care if cases rise, in which case keep the schools open and everything else open too, or we do care about the case numbers in which case unfortunately schools and universities need to close and go to online learning again. We can't have both.

Test quickly
Funding for supply teachers
ECV can take 6 months out and reassess - although it is hard for a school to be responsible for a student not in

But no shut sectors / furlough
Socialising decreased

Optional PPE for teachers

@Itsabeautifuldayheyhey

I wouldn’t have opened universities as students should be fine with online lectures and should engage as they’ve chosen to be there. Students don't want to pay the same fees for on-line learning though so universities will end up going bust and graduate education in the future is down the pan.

Landlords will go bankrupt because students don't be renting accommodation. That will affect the housing market. Everything has a knock-on effect. Everybody and everything on earth is connected. You can't change one thing without affecting another.

And? It’s absolutely perverse, we have sent young adults off, promised them an experience they can’t have and got them into tens of thousands pounds worth of debt so they can keep a landlords asset artificially high in value. The same assets they will never be able to afford, if the housing market doesn’t end up correcting itself.

It’s an awful thing we have inflicted on those young adults, all to keep the rich richer. That is a very good reason they should have stayed at home.

@bigchris Well I will pay higher taxes anyway.

If the Government had spent the last few months getting testing sorted and a working Good track and trace system - learning from countries like Germany it would mean more things could be open,

If they close schools many more people cannot work.

@bigchris. My school has 9 confirmed cases in students and 3 in staff but were not closed.
We had 22 staff off isolating today so remaining staff have been asked to collapse classes (ie join classes together)

I had a double lesson this morning that I had to do twice - once for the half the class that was in and then once again for the half who are at home isolating - only I had to do that one after 3.30. 3 of them didn't log in, so I've had to condense and send via email.

I have two lots of duty now (because we've doubled break and lunch to distance) so I didn't get a break (and I mean two minutes for the toilet) from 8am until 1.45 when I just left my 6th formers because I was desperate.

It is not sustainable at this level. Schools may not be closed but just the dealing with the constant fallout of isolation, testing, cases and stressed kids is totally untenable.
I suspect we'll have to close soon because of staff student ratio alone.

Prioritise rapid tests for teachers and children. My school of 1000 students was sent TEN tests. They lasted 2 days and there have been no replacements since.

Ideally: Child or adult has symptoms- gets a test from the school office and goes home to SI. Test gets sent off, result within 24 hours.

toomanypillows

Prioritise rapid regular testing for all in education. Without this we will just see more and more closures / staff and teachers isolating.
Changes to all those facing exams this coming year.

toomanypillows combining classes at at a time when everyone wants to half them?! 😱