Can anyone explain the staggered school start please

[notevenat20]

What exactly is happening with secondary school in January? I read that children will go back on the 4th online and the 11th in person. Is that right? Is this for all schools including private schools? If DC are going to be tested between 4 and 11 January where will this be? Or will it happen after 11 jan when they are back at school? Generally confused...

Here are some details of payscales

www.nasuwt.org.uk/advice/pay-pensions/pay-scales/england-pay-scales.html

Our school won’t be doing any tests. They don’t have the time to sort out the logistics. I fully support them. We got a letter today.

What if parents/children don't want them to be tested! Would they still be allowed in school?

Incidentally, v few heads are on 100K - most in my area are on between 50k and 60k - that isn't a complaint about my pay, just an observation

Is that heads of secondary schools?

Pretty sure that’s what you try to do to my profession with most of your disingenuous posts.

That's not right. The problem is one of perspective and being able to walk in each other's shoes.

@olivo No, it will be optional and only done with parental consent (one of the few things we DO know).

Testing for students is not going to be all the students, all the time. It's going to be the offer of daily tests for 7 days if they've had contact with a positive case. If they decline, they will do the 10 days isolation at home.

I just don't know if anyone knew before hand. I mean if you look at the covid data every month is a surprise

It really wasn't a surprise to most of the posters here. It's only a surprise to you because you've been so keen not to see a problem in all your other threads. Are you still maintaining there is no issue with covid spread within secondaries OP?

@notevenat20

Incidentally, v few heads are on 100K - most in my area are on between 50k and 60k - that isn't a complaint about my pay, just an observation

Is that heads of secondary schools?

I'm primary so was referring to that sector - although as there are far more Primary schools than secondary schools I would assume my statement is also correct as a generalisation (certainly in the LA where I work)

@Nellle they are also offering mass testing at the beginning of term, hence the staggered start

Our private school emailed today. They are awaiting clarification on who/where/when to test.

Years reception-yr6 go back as usual. Years 11&13 go back in person too (but presumably get tested as do key worker kids.

The rest go online for the first few days and return in person (we think) on 11th. There has been online stuff available all term anyway so it's just a few annoying days, hopefully. Consensus amongst parents seems to be that we should all stay home this holiday so I am keeping my fingers crossed that cases don't rocket.

I imagine the form teacher will hand out tests at an earlier start registration (they are easy enough to self administer) and registration will end after results are known (isn't it usually30 mins?). Head of year or somebody will probably escort +ves to a spare room for parents to collect.

Oh I see, I thought that people who were direct contacts were tested anyway (I am not in Uk!)

Can anyone give more information about the first week when key workers' children are apparently going to be allowed in school?
Does this include sixth forms at secondary schools?
In reality (e.g. in the last lockdown), did anyone send their sixth formers into school if they were key workers?
Or are sixth formers at secondary schools excluded due to age?

@racetothemoon

Can anyone give more information about the first week when key workers' children are apparently going to be allowed in school? Does this include sixth forms at secondary schools? In reality (e.g. in the last lockdown), did anyone send their sixth formers into school if they were key workers? Or are sixth formers at secondary schools excluded due to age?

Key worker children will just be supervised in a room doing the same learning as the rest of the children from home so I can’t imagine people would be sending sixth formers into school unless they are vulnerable.

None of our sixth formers came in as key worker places during the last lockdown. There wouldn’t really be any point....

Ours have e mailed us today.
3 bloody weeks to get through before it's back to school.

Our local college has emailed parents to ask them to complete a survey to state whether they are key workers (I assume just in case your circumstances have changed from the first lockdown). They have also asked for patience from parents as they are still awaiting more guidance in respect of how the testing will be done.

@ineedaholidaynow Yes, there will be far more key worker children than in the first lockdown, because we now need to factor in the children of teachers. In March-July, most teachers kept their children at home with them, but now of course teachers are on site full time.

Our Head has asked for all key-worker parents to get in touch with her by 22nd December so she can begin to organise their grouping and rooming for that first week. She's contact tracing until 24th, so she'd be working anyway.

She's basically not had a break since March.

Our Head sounded truly fed up yesterday...with good reason. This is no way to run education and for kids to be educated. We have been told about the online learning(working parents here to problematic) but nothing re testing as they simply don't know. Someone above said this is a new low from the Government and I agree with that. They need to treat people with respect and this is far from that.

OP there ahs been a pilot scheme running for many weeks now so the dfE DID know they would need too implement this. At a parliamentary select committee yesterday the PPS of the DfE was absolutely savaged by the chair for her excuses. She was told it wasn't acceptable.

She also admitted that they had not communicated with school leaders and unions.

It's not entirely clear to me why you started this thread? Your follow up posts don't quite line up with your OP.

I started it as I didn't know the answers. It turns out no one does!

Literally the whole media would have told you that. Do you only get news from MN?

Literally the whole media would have told you that. Do you only get news from MN?

The media would have told me that no one knows?

@notevenat20

I started it as I didn't know the answers. It turns out no one does!

So may I suggest you write to your MP to ask as well as writing to Gavin Williamson, Nick Gibb, DfE and Ofsted. Between them all maybe they do?

Key worker 6th formers could come in under the provision, but I doubt any will - they'd just be sat in the 6th form area doing their online work. A couple of vulnerable ones may be in if it is in their best interests.

I'm confused by this pay talk. I don't understand why some people think being promoted would result in less holiday - as in why would a head have less holiday than SLT. I don't think that's how it works with other employers - in a shop does the manager have less holiday than full time staff?

Yes, the media would have told you exactly what a shambles it is. For once, they seem to see through the DfE.

Literally, the fury of headteachers is all over the news.