Primary schools back sooner than expected?

[deeplybaffled]

It’s hard to know what to believe, but PHE now seem to be suggesting that primary schools can safely return after half term - which seems to contradict all other recent reports and government comments
focussing around Easter!

@womaninatightspot

My local council has just given notice to cancel the school buses don't think they are going back any time soon.

Same in my area too . My uncle works for a bus company who have had their school contracts cancelled

Yeah defo open the schools up again when most of the Uk population is unvaccinated and we have a new more infectious strain.
Who’s clever idea is it again? 🤬

Why do teachers persist with the assertion that they have been banned from or penalised/disciplined/suspended for wearing masks?

Because the DfE guidance stipulates masks should be avoided. Some teachers have been threatened with disciplinary measures if they wear them. I’m not primary - FE- and I was told explicitly that I cannot require adult (non-exempt) learners to wear face coverings despite being non -socially distanced in the same poorly ventilated room for 6 hours a day for four days. I’m in my late 60s and clinically vulnerable. This is an example of the callous disregard for teaching staff from some management, and the unrealistic and dangerous approach from Government.

Surely we should shut schools for months just in case?

@Doublefaced probably in the same way that schools in the Summer term had come up with ways of getting more pupils into school by part-time schedules, rotas, utilising other buildings, but were told this went against Government guidance so had to shelve all these ideas. They were also told they couldn't wear masks so it was decreed in the school risk assessments they weren't to wear them.

However, schools are beginning to rebel. More and more teachers are wearing masks. Our local secondary had mandated masks for pupils in classrooms if they go back to being fully open. Schools are capping numbers being allowed in schools at the moment, even though that goes against Government guidance.

So even if the Government guidance still says no masks, I think many schools will ignore it this time, and as I said above I think even some Primary school pupils will be asked to wear masks too

Ok, fine, say we dont open in Feb, what is the plan then?
If Feb is not safe, how is April safe?
So, maybe it is time to start talking about repeating the half year? Catch up in the summer? Extending next school year etc.
We are talking about primary here, esp early years, which is a lot about learning to be in a school, to be in a group etc. That cant be done at home.

I don’t follow the news anymore. Who knows what is going to happen as they keep changing things ( I’m not against changing as data changes).

I have 4 school age kids and I’m not going to rage about what I can’t control. Let’s see what happens I guess?

Some people want schools to stay closed even if every adult had the vax. I can’t give headspace.

@Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow

Surely we should shut schools for months just in case?

Yes that certainly seems to be the attitude of some people!

However as the group of MPs highlighted yesterday, prolonged school closures are deeply damaging to children. That is something that cannot be ignored and needs to be considered equally as seriously as COVID.

I really hope so. Our school still isn’t doing any live lessons. I’ve been sat at home with a primary age child trying to ‘teach’ phonics when I have no idea of the sounds, you tubing videos and muddling our way through.
This is while juggling a toddler who is left in front of the tv.
When I finally get them to bed I catch up on the work I should have done. I’m SE so if I don’t do it I don’t get paid. I lose clients. My business won’t survive. But at the same time I can’t ignore the homeschool because 2/3rds of my child’s class are in school. So she’ll be the one going back 6 weeks behind everyone else. I will sacrifice my business to make sure that doesn’t happen.

The "fuck it I can't be arsed to come up with something better" approach to pandemic management

But at the same time I can’t ignore the homeschool because 2/3rds of my child’s class are in school. So she’ll be the one going back 6 weeks behind everyone else. I will sacrifice my business to make sure that doesn’t happen.

@Ilovenewyear if that happens, the school will put it extra support for her to catch up (along with others in the same situation). Especially with phonics and early maths. What year is she in? It sounds really stressful for you - perhaps you could ditch the schoolwork and focus on learning through play, which your toddler could join in with too?

Sorry, bold failure in that post!

. Some teachers have been threatened with disciplinary measures if they wear them.’

By SMT?
By LAs?
Where?
Which schools?
What were the outcomes of these threats?

The situation is volatile.

Opening school too early throws a molatove cocktail onto it all.

Schools are capping numbers being allowed in schools at the moment, even though that goes against Government guidance’

But the attendance figures speak for themselves? 5% of secondary school pupils were in school on 13th January?
Again the disparity in MN experiences is very much at odds with statistics.
One teacher claiming that she knows three colleagues who died with Covid, given the UK stats that 150 is the total number of UK deaths?

A lot more people need to be vaccinated before schools can open fully IMO.

Teachers and parents, particularly if there will be mandatory attendance.

I desperately want things to be back to normal btw. The more mistakes that are made, the longer this all drags on for.

On working and home schooling 8 year old dd with sen, I said before the first lockdown was awful, we didn't even get a work sheet but it forced me to really step in with dd.
It was the best thing that could have happened to her.

Now I'm sort of out of that passive.. Let the school do its thing I can see how crucial it is for parents to be more engaged with dc with sen.

Not to rely on one teacher in a large class to do it all.

This time round we are given work and it's only due to my past involvement that dd can just about keep up.

We only do the core stuff and I have to sit with her. I literally run to support in my breaks, I try and match it.. And we do very little..

From the 1st lock down I realised how powerful 1:1 is we only did about 20 mins a day and yet she came on so much.

She's as happy as anything not being in school and is contacted friends via tech.

Many dc with sen... Love not being in a classroom.

I am a Primary school governor @Doublefaced, I have knowledge of schools discussing the possibility/legality of capping numbers as they go against the current risk assessment. Local Authorities are looking at this too.

Numbers are capped with us and there he nothing like the numbers in hearing about in other places

It's full and they operate a waiting list now - only a few kids in the halls each day like before no one is in the classrooms

One teacher claiming that she knows three colleagues who died with Covid, given the UK stats that 150 is the total number of UK deaths?
Why not, this can be true. My profession is significantly smaller in membership than teaching, we definitely have much fewer deaths and everyone is working from home, but I still know two people from my professional circles who died.

"Know", as in I've met them once at a conference or we worked together on a project a decade ago. The news travel ultra fast in densely connected circles - "remember XXX? She died of covid yesterday".

@ineedaholidaynow

I am a Primary school governor *@Doublefaced*, I have knowledge of schools discussing the possibility/legality of capping numbers as they go against the current risk assessment. Local Authorities are looking at this too.

And masks?

Numbers where I am in London are at around 450 per 100k. That's significantly less than this time a few weeks ago but it is still too high.

I would want to see numbers at less than 100 per 100k before I sent my DS back to school, as they were in September.

@emptydreamer

One teacher claiming that she knows three colleagues who died with Covid, given the UK stats that 150 is the total number of UK deaths? Why not, this can be true. My profession is significantly smaller in membership than teaching, we definitely have much fewer deaths and everyone is working from home, but I still know two people from my professional circles who died.

"Know", as in I've met them once at a conference or we worked together on a project a decade ago. The news travel ultra fast in densely connected circles - "remember XXX? She died of covid yesterday".

There are over half a million teachers in the UK. Sadly 150 have died. The person who claimed to know 3 colleagues ( personally) disappeared from the thread fairly sharply when the ONS figures were referenced. People exaggerate online all the time. When it’s fear mongering and damaging it’s not ok. When it’s an attempt to push an agenda it’s not ok.

Many of the teachers/staff are now wearing masks in class this term. They didn't before, but had been allowed on our risk assessments. Children are also allowed to wear masks in our risk assessments, but this is not the same across all schools