SCHOOLS: How could we do it better??

[SnowGnome]

The debate on schools reopening is getting pretty heated, we know two clear and opposing considerations.

1. School is the best place for children to be

2. Not closing schools will accelerate spread, putting families and staff at risk of short term illness, long term illness and death. It also means that tens of thousands will see bubbles closing with cases in Tier 4 areas anyway, removing all provision for key-worker and vulnerable children.

Neither of these considerations is really up for debate, they’re both obvious. The fury seems to be over whether one is more important than the other. But surely that’s the wrong question to be asking and both points matter.

The problem is that the solutions proposed are equally divided: close schools or don’t close them

There have to be better solutions, so what are your ideas, and how would other people’s suggestions affect you? We all really seem to want the same thing here which is as much time in school as possible, but without risking spread. I’ll put a couple of suggestions in next post.

If you’ve come on here to say “it doesn’t spread in schools, children don’t get ill from it, we never had any in our bubble last term blah blah” this isn’t the thread for you. Find somewhere else. This thread is about trying to find a better way through, not being dogmatically tied to one of two completely incompatible points of view.

@Rubyrubyrubyred

Oh and allowing parents who are willing or need to (due to ECV) the option of teaching at home whilst retaining school place

I will never understand why they've not done this before, it would relieve so much pressure on schools already struggling

@BelleSausage

I think the answer is already out there. It was debated in July and some quite vocal selfish people have the government and excuse not to do it- because it would cost money.

1. Rotas
2. investment in online teaching branches in secondaries for vulnerable kids and families who want online.
3. extra child care settings in ‘nightingale’ centres to support childcare for working parents.
4. social distancing in schools provided by the above.

I think all this is sensible. Plus online learning and masks for most when it's appropriate. I think education has suddenly got a lot more expensive and we have learned the hard way that it's not possible to have everything we used to have at the same price when it comes to education. It's a bit like people shouting that bread should still somehow be the same price when the cost of wheat has gone up.

[quote SnowGnome]@Rubyrubyrubyred how would that work, would you just have them in for eg academic subjects and have same sized groups but only half of them? Eg Yr 7 and 8 morning, 9 and 10 afternoon?

Or would you split a class in two and have half in morning, half in afternoon?

I can see how splitting the class would work in primary, but in secondary difficult with different subject teachers[/quote]
The whole point of split classes is to isolate children do the virus does not spread. A weekly rota allows time for symptoms to develop, tests to be done, and isolation to begin with one set of children while the other set is relatively safe. Split days won't do any of this. Children will be using rooms, toilets and sitting in chairs recently vacated by a different group, and staff are more likely to spread the virus

Move to online for all years for January to get numbers down.

During February start with Rotas.

By March (when most elderly/vulnerable have been vaccinated) start to bring whole classes back in staggered starts and watch the numbers.

Key worker children, y11 and y13 in at all times

@FippertyGibbett but the majority of high school students are under 16 too?

I agree with most of the ideas here.

Unfortunately, the current immunisation programme in secondary schools has been shelved in some schools.

One of my year 10s is still waiting on a year 9 Vaccination that never took place due to the Covid outbreak in March, and I've seen other posters write the same thing. When I ask the school and local immunisation team they can't say when these routine vaccinations will take place.

Also, due to six isolations my DS has been out of school more than in, so hard to actually vaccinate his year group anyway as half of them are SI on any given week.

If numbers are going to spiral, then we might all have to make more changes. Rotas could help meaning more distancing. Temperature checked on entry for all, ours only does staff. Unless your exempt or working/mixing with a child who whose deaf or it could cause other problems, then all in a mask or a shield. Has to be worth a try as all would reduce risk.

@AgentProvocateur

Not accurate. Friend’s reception age son in UEA is on a week on/week off rota. Secondaries are entirely online. This is Abu Dhabi but might be different for Dubai.

But everything else is open- all shops, restaurants, even soft play. Nurseries fully open too.

I think those that don’t want their children in school and have the means to educate at home, should be given that option without recourse.

That will reduce the numbers of children in school.

I don’t know how many are for / against school closures, but if it was 50 / 50 then you’re halving the risk, right?

A colleague in Spain says his private school uses perspex screens at lunch and infra red cameras.

Obviously this isn't possible here, given the budget constraints in UK state secondaries, but I was interested to hear about these techniques and add it into the pot.

[quote SnowGnome]@FippertyGibbett but the majority of high school students are under 16 too?[/quote]
That’s true. The PGD states that those aged 16 and over can have it. Let’s hope they are trialling it on 11 years and older now.
I read somewhere that a nasal spray vaccine was being trialled for children. That would be fantastic, and a real weapon against the disease.

@middleager

I agree with most of the ideas here.

Unfortunately, the current immunisation programme in secondary schools has been shelved in some schools.

One of my year 10s is still waiting on a year 9 Vaccination that never took place due to the Covid outbreak in March, and I've seen other posters write the same thing. When I ask the school and local immunisation team they can't say when these routine vaccinations will take place.

Also, due to six isolations my DS has been out of school more than in, so hard to actually vaccinate his year group anyway as half of them are SI on any given week.

The high school kids in my area are being vaccinated in school.

I’m a TA in a primary school. I definitely do not want schools to close, as I have seen the negative effect it had on some children last time. In an ideal world, I would like school to be open to children Mon-Thurs, with half the class in each day (so everyone gets 2 full days of school.) School should close on Friday during which time teachers can plan for the following week as well as putting everything needed for home learning online. TAs can use this time to clean/rotate resources and prepare for the following week. Additionally, parents should have the option to keep their children at home if they want to.

@BelleSausage, yes Dubai. Sorry should have made that clear. And it’s only the experience of two teacher friends. Other schools here may do it differently. So have secondaries in Abu Dhabi been completely online since March? That must be tough.

I read somewhere that a nasal spray vaccine was being trialled for children. That would be fantastic, and a real weapon against the disease

This would change everything

Hong Kong schools have only been in for around 3-4 weeks since January I believe

Actually, thinking about it, school should close on Wednesday, not Friday. That way you can have half the class in mon and tues, do a big clean and change over resources etc as well as all planning on a Wednesday then have the other half of the class on Thursday and Friday.

I think have half the class in on a Monday and Tuesday- teach fairly intensively. Send lots of 'finishing off' and consolidation home.
School is closed for a deep clean and PPA on a Wednesday.
Other half in on Thursdays and Fridays to repeat what you did on Monday.

This might work for KS2 upwards, but I can't see it working with the little ones as they cannot work independently.

I can also see it is a problem for working parents (being one myself) but think government could help with funding (if they wanted) or parents not at work could make a hub for that bubble in a village hall or community space. It's unpalatable to many and it's hated on here, but schools are not childcare ( or social services, food banks etc but that's another story) and it is not our fault that the government expects too much of a chronically underfunded sector.
Heck they haven't even given extra money for cleaning!

The other problem will be the same as we have with home learning.
Some children will engage and complete all given tasks and some will do nothing more than they are forced to - and these will be the ones that really need to do it.

I think some of this might have worked earlier on (when numbers were lower) but it's probably too late now, with the new variant, and can envisage it only working fit for the first week or two and then the teacher off with COVID.

@MummyInTheNecropolis that’s not a bad shout, a better option would be to have everything on zoom (including classroom learning) but only half the class in at once as I don’t think simply dropping three days a week is the answer unless we shorten holidays to make up for lost education time. I doubt very much you could justify closing schools on Fridays but you could try!!

Another problem raised up thread to be perfectly honest is parents.

For children to spread it in school they have to catch it outside of school.

I know so many people who are flouting the rules, even if it’s in a “limited and socially distanced way”.

I don’t know how you can deal with that, but I many ways some (by no means all) parents are their own worst enemies to their kids’ education.

Save all your excellent ideas, folks. The government have the perfect solution, according to the news this morning: send the army into schools, across the country

I’ve always liked the Monday/Tuesday half the class; Wednesday cleaning; Thursday/Friday other half idea, but it would only work if parents received appropriate support (financial and otherwise). Or, we could just have a few year groups back like we did over summer but prioritise those who missed school at that time. Teaching felt so much safer back then! And public transport was much emptier.
Actually, what I think should happen is this:

1. Working group formed of health experts, SLT, class teachers and TAs. Completely transparent with regular updates for the rest of us.
2. Working group comes up with (say) three options. Schools consult with staff and parents (& children for older age groups) and pick an option to go for.

I agree with others that a rota system with proper bubbles is what's needed. What most schools did in the summer seemed to work well and minimise outbreaks.

So, we need to figure out how many children we can have in school at any one time safely. In January, we already have exam years coming back, so they should be split up into strict bubbles, with no mixing, like we had for them last summer.

The week after I would have Y7 back in, and do the same with them.

Then bring back other years on a rota doing part days or just some days a week, to ensure social distancing and bubbling is possible.

Get them in for outdoor PE / catch once a week even if the school is closed. (However, I have peculiar dc's who would happily do cross country in the winter).

Online content like Oak Academy etc. made available on iPlayer would be a start. You wouldn’t need a dedicated device. Content significantly ramped up too.