Can we unlock the schools at start of Feb?

[MeandT]

I'm totally supportive of the lockdown BUT by the end of next week, case numbers nationally will be the same as they were at end of November. Hospital admissions are falling again.

Rather than going back into tiers with the shops and food pubs open (where all the spreading happened in December), can we not issue all the teachers with N95 masks (and vaccines for the clinically vulnerable), make all the kids wear triple layer face masks all the time, and just get on with the important job of educating this country's kids in person? Starting again 1st of Feb.

AIBU to ask if we can send the kids back as soon as we hit the case rate we unlocked at on 2nd December?

IABU= no way, the cases will shoot up too quickly again, even if they all wear masks all day.

IANBU = yes, get them back before half term, the only reason it went nuts in December was because everyone was out Christmas shopping and seeing family.

@CallmeAngelina

Well, I concede that there are some quite stupid people out there who want schools open at all costs, with no thought for what that means for the wider community beyond their own selfish situations.

Aka, Usforthem. Or whatever they call themselves now.

They running a twitter campaign and vote to try open schools. Also the telegraph gives them the time if day.

Many supermarkets have closed due to outbreaks, including tesco in greater Manchester and over 400 staff were tested, a staff member died many other shops have had to close.

I don't understand the lack of compassion that states... They go down the coal mine in an earthquake, so why don't you?.

I wonder however, can the US for themselves volunteere in some way? Obviously with dbs checks..

Could they help in classrooms whilst teachers use remote teaching?

So you can actually go into pubs? No. Go into Next and browse and try on clothes? No.

Do you actually know why that is? I’m not sure you do.

When my dh was in hospital he wore a mask the whole time. Admittedly not all patients did but it is definitely compulsory to wear one for outpatient appointments aswell.

Yes and during the last Lockdown schools stayed open but non essential shops, pubs etc shut

Still sending mine in as we are both keyworkers and I am wfh. I keep my y6 dd of Mondays and Fridays as she wants chilled out days
I'm rather anxious as she starts comp in September however even if she has to go to school and sit in an empty class with a laptop she will be going as kids need to go to school for mh purposes. Also the maths teacher saying it is sufficient online. Do you realise most comp kids lay asleep in bed during lessons (my nephew whom is y8 told me this earlier) also the children with discalculia (my dd) how do the schools support this when there is no small classes for extra support.

From talking to a number of comp teachers they like wfh or in school via video because they do not have to deal with shouting at naught kids whom are talking and misbehaving its basically ill teach and its upto you if you listen or not

I'm not sure of your point, @Christmasfairy2020.

Also, how will sitting in an empty classroom with a laptop help your child's mental health?

Yes rather odd to say sitting in an empty classroom is better for mh than being at home with parents!

We do have separate sessions for dc who struggle with maths? We work on line with them, we can see what they are working on and communicate directly with them.

Unfortunately it's down to the teacher and what techniques they use to make sure dc are paying attention and don't have signed in but not paying attention.
But it's the same in a classroom.... You can't force the dc to pay attention, be good and listen?

@Christmasfairy2020

Still sending mine in as we are both keyworkers and I am wfh. I keep my y6 dd of Mondays and Fridays as she wants chilled out days I'm rather anxious as she starts comp in September however even if she has to go to school and sit in an empty class with a laptop she will be going as kids need to go to school for mh purposes. Also the maths teacher saying it is sufficient online. Do you realise most comp kids lay asleep in bed during lessons (my nephew whom is y8 told me this earlier) also the children with discalculia (my dd) how do the schools support this when there is no small classes for extra support.

What??

I sit in rooms with 15-20 students still, waiting to see if I’ll be a footnote.

Same tactic as that thread about teachers having a ‘lovelier’ time now schools are closed.

Can we run click and collect schools ? If not, then not really comparable... and if we are using anecdata, my town is like a ghost town. Only Costa open for take away coffee, no take away beers at all!

As for kids lying in bed during live lessons
Obviously the schools fault... 🤔 any ideas? Hmmm anything?

How about parents make it clear that their education is important, take all gadgets off them, change the wifi code etc until work is done. Might help.

@Christmasfairy2020

From talking to a number of comp teachers they like wfh or in school via video because they do not have to deal with shouting at naught kids whom are talking and misbehaving its basically ill teach and its upto you if you listen or not

'shouting at naughty kids' Ah yes. The jobs a dream without that

I'm trying to picture click and collect schools! Suggestions please.

@Chosennonesneakymincepie

Can we run click and collect schools ? If not, then not really comparable... and if we are using anecdata, my town is like a ghost town. Only Costa open for take away coffee, no take away beers at all!

As for kids lying in bed during live lessons
Obviously the schools fault... 🤔 any ideas? Hmmm anything?

How about parents make it clear that their education is important, take all gadgets off them, change the wifi code etc until work is done. Might help.

Yes, I'm sure that removing devices and WiFi will help secondary students with online learning

@Christmasfairy2020

Still sending mine in as we are both keyworkers and I am wfh. I keep my y6 dd of Mondays and Fridays as she wants chilled out days I'm rather anxious as she starts comp in September however even if she has to go to school and sit in an empty class with a laptop she will be going as kids need to go to school for mh purposes. Also the maths teacher saying it is sufficient online. Do you realise most comp kids lay asleep in bed during lessons (my nephew whom is y8 told me this earlier) also the children with discalculia (my dd) how do the schools support this when there is no small classes for extra support.

What your nephew is doing is totally at odds with the ‘comp kids’ at our local school who have to be up and dressed for registration and have a full online time table they are attending.

Online can work pretty well for Maths, obviously the older they are the easier. My DS is doing A level and college have said there are some aspects of online work that is going better at the moment than when they are in and socially distancing as they put them in small groups with graphics tablets and the teacher can see exactly what they are doing whereas in the classroom they can’t at the moment because of social distancing.

Sorry to hear about yiur DD , mine has dyscalculia too and still hasn’t managed to get her GCSE Maths despite 3 attempts. Thankfully it hasn’t held her back and she is doing a degree at a Russell Group University.

Saying on sky news it could be May before they open . Between last years missing months and this years . Our poor children .

Well yes kowawi it would depend on the school. Or maybe more games consoles. I have 2 teenagers and am remote teaching from home and on rota for keyworkers.
My two have to show me what they have done during the day to earn their screens/consoles for the evening.

My DC 13 has also been identified as needing support, from the govt targeted funding, for kids who are behind due to the impact of the Pandemic. It probably isn't that, she has always struggled with Maths and number.
She will be online tutored in a group of 4 instead of having 2 if her RE lessons. She is worried this will be a bit intense and awkward but I think that is an impressive provision from the school.

@Chosennonesneakymincepie

Well yes kowawi it would depend on the school. Or maybe more games consoles. I have 2 teenagers and am remote teaching from home and on rota for keyworkers. My two have to show me what they have done during the day to earn their screens/consoles for the evening.

Mine would need a tablet or PC and WiFi to do all his schoolwork and to be online for classes, he doesn't have a console. He's attending school under keyworker provision, but if he was home and I was at work I could hardly take away what he needs for schoolwork. He reads on the tablet, but even if I could take it away he would just read physical books. It's not as simple as taking away consoles for many kids.

@Peppafrig

Saying on sky news it could be May before they open . Between last years missing months and this years . Our poor children .

If that does happen (and I think we really hope it doesn’t) then it is really important that alongside the working out what happens to this year’s exams thought is given to next year as well.

I could block Royal Road, but they are other sites too, and heaps of books in the house.

Kowari
Many teachers would be over the moon if their students were choosing to read books. Our Librarian is doing a real push to get kids still engaged with reading.
Motivation is always a problem in and out of school. I have done a lot of research into this as part of my NPQSL qualification and set up student voice groups (pre covid) to address this.

Carrot and stick is a difficult balance. Many kids can not see the 'point' of a lot of the curriculum. Which I agree with, since Gove messed with the Specifications in 2016, they are very content heavy and can be seen as irrelevant by students.

Trying to coax them through with an eye on College is the best motivator we've got, and then colleges say 'I only need 4s and 5s'.
Tis difficult and hugely more so now.

@Chosennonesneakymincepie His maths teacher certainly wasn't impressed when she caught him reading on his phone in class last year . It's almost all he does in his spare time.

His grammar requires a 5 in English language, he's likely to get 4s for English. He wants to stay for sixth form but it still doesn't help him with motivation day to day. Being in the school environment helps though, even if it's just sitting in the computer lab doing online learning.