Minister threatens headteacher who wanted to move to online teaching

[DecemberSun]

www.theguardian.com/education/2020/dec/12/minister-threatens-school-heads-over-pre-christmas-online-lessons?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR1w1oeCcjoUnPnz4jdlJq0CfyPlyMfnS_gNYuBp6yZo9K7zLVnycfEgmzY#Echobox=1607767566

I think Whitty's stuff on schools was well after schools reopened.

Piggy They might have to work within the budget constraints but yes I believe Whitty when he says what he does. Even if he could ask for money to build double the schools, which is not up for grabs.

Yes I do think the harm has been evident. I’m not digging stuff up for people to quote mark it. But hearing DV and child line spokespeople- they have made compelling statements. Why is the feeling so strong if it’s easy breezy? It’s not.

I’m actually not against a trigger point in secondary for high cases separate to Christmas issue incidentally.

My theory is that it’s to keep the R number near 1 for vaccine trials. The Oxford trial complained in the Summer that the R rate was too low to effectively test their vaccine in the wild.

@BelleSausage

Good Lord! It is like listening to a broken record.

Your son likes to be back at school. Great.

Your son’s school hasn’t been closed by staff sickness. Wonderful.

You are pleased the schools are open and that it is working for you. Lovely.

How are you struggling to see that many schools have been closed by staff shortages and pupil outbreaks. Many Yr11 pupils have lost considerable chunks of this year to isolation. Many parents have been left without childcare for weeks. Many teachers are at the point of burnout trying to prop up the system.

It is great that you are fine. If your school
Is fine then crack on. But there are quite a few school not fine and not coping and they aren’t being allowed to make adjustment to help their staff and student bodies.

Why should other schools be made to struggle just because your school is fine? One size fits all doesn’t work.

And again. I don’t want a one size fits all.

I want a trigger point regardless of schools wanting to meet family for Christmas.

I don’t want to hear they are fine out school. This is dismissive. And no not just my child

@BelleSausage

My theory is that it’s to keep the R number near 1 for vaccine trials. The Oxford trial complained in the Summer that the R rate was too low to effectively test their vaccine in the wild.

That's an interesting point. I'm in a trial and they were actively recruiting teachers because we're in the firing line...

@BelleSausage

Good Lord! It is like listening to a broken record.

Your son likes to be back at school. Great.

Your son’s school hasn’t been closed by staff sickness. Wonderful.

You are pleased the schools are open and that it is working for you. Lovely.

How are you struggling to see that many schools have been closed by staff shortages and pupil outbreaks. Many Yr11 pupils have lost considerable chunks of this year to isolation. Many parents have been left without childcare for weeks. Many teachers are at the point of burnout trying to prop up the system.

It is great that you are fine. If your school
Is fine then crack on. But there are quite a few school not fine and not coping and they aren’t being allowed to make adjustment to help their staff and student bodies.

Why should other schools be made to struggle just because your school is fine? One size fits all doesn’t work.

It’s so frequent and so rosy. I wouldn’t be surprised if it isn’t a personal account tbh.

But where are social services marsha? Schools are primarily for education. that argument is trotted out by Tory MPs to distract form austerity and its consequences.

And we are still talking , in the OP, about one school making a decision for the MH of his (all female) pupils. I think we should assume he knows his girls' needs and issues.

Ah my favourite poster getting in the act

Yes there’s no way a zone two school in London has had only two cases. I’m making it up. There’s no way...

@Piggywaspushed

But where are social services marsha? Schools are primarily for education. that argument is trotted out by Tory MPs to distract form austerity and its consequences.

And we are still talking , in the OP, about one school making a decision for the MH of his (all female) pupils. I think we should assume he knows his girls' needs and issues.

Piggy there’s a lot of pressure for all schools this week to not go in and I think that’s why the response has been as it has.

I’m all for change for secondary to respond to high cases normally. I hope ours does.

I though I would read the actual report from NFER Marsh as I’m aware journalists can always put a spin on things!

I’m not sure I trust a report that concluded ^Parents will need reassurance that schools
are safe^

But they did also recommend
While the Government’s additional funding for catch-up support is welcome, schools need extra resources to manage the demands of Covid-19. This is particularly true for additional cleaning and sanitising regimes,

And

In future episodes of partial lockdown, ‘blended learning’ must ensure equity for all pupils.

And

^Schools need more government support
to prepare for remote learning in a local lockdown. In particular, they need a clear
steer on safeguarding.^

I agree with all of that.

Yes sounds good

My daughter’s school is offering online learning for the final week but in some years, including hers, there are more children isolating than in class.
Friday’s maths lesson had 23 students at home dialling in and 7 in the classroom.

Williamson would be out of his depth in a puddle.

This is absolutely it. There is no covering up the ineptitude any more!

@MarshaBradyo

Yes sounds good

But you don’t want blended learning no?

@MarshaBradyo

But no one is saying that all pupils are fine out of school.

However, when I say some pupils are fine out of school I am also thinking of the ones I know personally that aren’t and all the things we would do for them (like keep bringing them into school).

The issue here is that some parents are so terrified of their child not being constantly ahead that they are willing to make the lives of vulnerable pupils are staff a misery.

Are you at all bothered that blanket school opening has meant the vulnerable pupils in tier 3 areas have missed weeks of school? Does it bother you at all that keeping school open for students like your son not to fall behind in any way has meant damage to the learning and mental health of less advantaged kids in other schools?

What happens to a child in a tier 3 school, with key worker parents, no online schooling and on their second or third isolation period because the government won’t allow rotas or firebreaks. There’s plenty of them in Hull and Manchester and Liverpool.

But they are outside the M25 and therefore don’t count, right?

Chloe no I don’t because in reality school access would be very limited. In many schools all years that were meant to couldn’t go in as kw very high. If this moved to a few days a week it would likely be very little and no access to school outside that. So very little equity.

I prefer all in and all out in secondary (or streaming to all no matter where they are.) this means teacher access to everyone.

What does partial lockdown mean? I admit I haven’t read it. Equity sounds good. We didn’t have equity in above situation.

Belle yes I am which is why I want trigger cases for remote.

This is separate to the threads with people aghast DfE or minister has said no pressure Christmas. I can understand why they’ve taken a harder line atm. It could be chaos if half schools go ahead - primary yes. If they drew the line at secondary it would be better.

No pre Christmas that ys

@MarshaBradyo

Chloe no I don’t because in reality school access would be very limited. In many schools all years that were meant to couldn’t go in as kw very high. If this moved to a few days a week it would likely be very little and no access to school outside that. So very little equity.

I prefer all in and all out in secondary (or streaming to all no matter where they are.) this means teacher access to everyone.

What does partial lockdown mean? I admit I haven’t read it. Equity sounds good. We didn’t have equity in above situation.

You can’t keep harking back to the first lockdown though as evidence it won’t work at another time. Even you yourself have stated your school is better prepared but is yet to try it. There are legal guidelines now that will ensure schools that don’t comply will be held accountable as well.

I don’t want schools to close either but then I didn’t want an idiotic government to allow a free for all for 5 days over Christmas and therefore, for about 4 days, blended learning is a reasonable option that should be available to Heads if they wish.

Chloe Yes secondary is great I’m fine with that. I’m ok for when they switch.

How do you see primary working better? What’s the set up

@MarshaBradyo Our secondary does that too. 'Dual presentation' in class and for self isolatorsand - increasingly - students who are off school but well enough to join the lesson who are opting in eg. Within the 48 hr exclusion period after D&V. It works well.

@MarshaBradyo

Chloe Yes secondary is great I’m fine with that. I’m ok for when they switch.

How do you see primary working better? What’s the set up

My Primary aged DD has had 4 weeks of self isolation this half term alone. Their home provision has been excellent.

Granted a fair bit has had to be done in the evening and weekend due to me having to teach live lessons into my classroom (and to my students SI at home). I’ve loved having The Oak National Academy too. My DD is very pleased with her new learnt word of ‘liquified’ today from her Science lesson!

The benefit of blended learning would be that those children who needed to be in school, could be, more safely for all, as the case in the OP proved.

In the case of SI, none of those children can come in.

The children can also go outside for fresh air and exercising with blended learning. Not with SI they can’t.

It’s so shortsighted to rule out blended learning completely.

Some subjects simply do not work beamed into the home while some are in the classroom. It's my idea of hell.

@MarshaBradyo, with the greatest respect, how many of your ds's friends can you possibly have spoken to in depth about their feelings re: school, when we're in strict tiers/partial lockdowns?

As opposed to the teachers on here who have to mix at close quarters with hundreds of them each day?

[quote CallmeAngelina]@MarshaBradyo, with the greatest respect, how many of your ds's friends can you possibly have spoken to in depth about their feelings re: school, when we're in strict tiers/partial lockdowns?

As opposed to the teachers on here who have to mix at close quarters with hundreds of them each day?[/quote]
Ok here’s a better picture. We had weekly calls with teachers and towards the end of lockdown we chatted. Teacher remarked even the happiest at home students were struggling and lagging behind. That was secondary. My other point is I don’t think the dc I’m talking about are that different or special - it seemed a very natural reaction to prolonged isolation and excess screen time. Even adults struggle with endless zoom. And that’s not learning just talking. I don’t find it strange at all!

In primary very easy to get picture - I see loads of people each day.

Piggy they don’t do that either and I have to say I can understand your feeling. Sounds hard.