‘Education tiers’ for schools - London

[CallmeFP]

Just had an email from school saying Govt has required schools to set out Education tiers in response to Coronavirus, detailing what’ll happen with different tiers.

Even though London is tier 2, the education tier is still 1

So if we move on to Tier 2 only year 7, 12 and 13 will be allowed on site.

Anyone else had this?

Year 7 were last year's yr 6 who around here were busy in school doing year books and plays.

Arguably y7 have suffered less because they were in school last time. Although against that would be that this is a very difficult time to go through schooltransition.

Just that the same kids seem to end up being left with the home learning, and heir capacity for it is less as a result.

Also y8 only had half of their y7 so many were not fully transitioned, to take them out again when they’re just starting to settle - finally - would not be great.

Blended learning for all years would be far preferable than singling out year groups to do home learning. I really don’t think that’s on again.

@CallmeFP

Just had an email from school saying Govt has required schools to set out Education tiers in response to Coronavirus, detailing what’ll happen with different tiers.

Even though London is tier 2, the education tier is still 1

So if we move on to Tier 2 only year 7, 12 and 13 will be allowed on site.

Anyone else had this?

Could you copy the email (redacting any personal info)

Schools were notified about this back in August and were told to plan for tier 2. I wonder what is going on now whereby emails are being sent from Government telling schools to finalise these. Is a possible move to tier 2 school level coming our way?

@Char2015

Schools were notified about this back in August and were told to plan for tier 2. I wonder what is going on now whereby emails are being sent from Government telling schools to finalise these. Is a possible move to tier 2 school level coming our way?

They just have to be prepared for any closure. We were given a few reasons why this might happen (tier 2, staff off, bubbles)

But we got ours a while ago now so I doubt prompted by anything more than needing to be prepared.

Just re-read one of the letters about this. This is what it states:

Academy is now subject to Tier 1 school level interventions from Monday 19 October 2020.

I'm not sure what this means. I thought all schools were Tier 1 from the beginning of the academic year.

Char2015 they just said additional guidance to do with covid was received late on Wednesday, don't know what specifically that was yet as they are still figuring out what it means for the school.

We're in T3 and school (secondary) are open as usual?

The schools Guidance (here - www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools )

was updated yesterday.

There are indeed Tiers, which differ from the National Lockdown Tiers. They are laid out here
www.gov.uk/government/publications/containing-and-managing-local-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreaks/covid-19-contain-framework-a-guide-for-local-decision-makers#annex-3-tiers-of-national-restriction

I believe all of England is still under Education Tier 1. Tier 2 mentions "a rota model" for secondaries, but does not specify how schools should do that, so that is where local differences (even school specific) will come in.

In summary,
-Tier 1
The default position for areas in national government intervention is that education and childcare settings will remain open. An area moving into national intervention with restrictions short of education and childcare closure is described as ‘tier 1’-
-Tier 2
Early years settings, primary schools and alternative provision (AP) providers, special schools and other specialist settings will continue to allow all children/pupils to attend on site. Secondary schools move to a rota model, combining on-site provision with remote education
-Tier 3
Childcare, nurseries, primary schools, AP, special schools and other specialist settings will continue to allow all children/pupils to attend on site. Secondary schools, FE colleges and other educational establishments would allow full-time on-site provision only to vulnerable children, the children of critical workers and selected year groups

• Tier 4

All nurseries, childminders, mainstream schools, colleges and other educational establishments allow full-time attendance on site only to our priority groups: vulnerable children and the children of critical workers.

Sorry OP - are you a Head teacher?

Why would you have just got an email about this?

I'm not doubting you - but could you explain a bit more.

Sorry - I've just seen Patricia's post.

So its' official then. This will be on the news soon ... it's not already is it?

It's all too too confusing.

The "educational tiers" have been in the guidance for schools since August. It's very odd that there are three tiers, but they are apparently unrelated to the lockdown tiers. It honestly seems to me that initially they were meant to be tied together, then the government changed course and went on a crusade to keep all students in school regardless of the consequences and the "educational tiers" went by the wayside.

It's so confusing that the education tiers and the more recent tier system don't correlate. We need more information about what might trigger a move from education tier 1 to 2 (e.g. if tier 3 restrictions don't work, would this come next?) so that families can at least have some forewarning.

Maybe the educational tiers have been abandoned by the government like so much else?

But if that were the case they surely wouldn't be writing to OP about it now ...

Confusing to me as it seems schools are in tiers and local areas are now in tiers, but they don't correlate.

The lockdown tiers weren't supposed to be called tiers, the govt didn't call them tiers but the press did and it caught on.

The education gaps are already there due to inability to get on line for many schools.

Many schools however, with live on line lessons actually got ahead during lock down.

@IncidentsandAccidents

I have no faith that even the government know, which is probably why that information hasn't been made available...

House do you think the kids in those schools who couldn't access the live online lessons 'got ahead during lockdown'?

I'd like to see evidence rather than assertions because I know some teachers who reported very poor attendance at their live online lessons.

@Whatshouldicallme you're probably right. Sometimes it's difficult to know what is lack of transparency and what is sheer incompetence. What a mess.

I’m a parent who got an email saying that the government required them to share what would happen in each of the tiers. It’s then a large document going through each tier. I’ll see if I can post

How strange OP ...

I’m a secondary teacher and we had all of this information on the first day back in September, about how it would work in every tier: but yes, not the same tiers as the one they have invented now. To the best of my knowledge, we haven’t shared the info with parents though.