Which year groups back first?

[dippyegg32]

I'm guessing not too dissimilar to last time so secondary exam years, reception and year 1? With other year groups following within a fortnight so everyone gets at least two weeks before Easter.

@LucyLockdown

Once again people seem fine with them not bothering to do anything to make schools safer and reduce transmission.

Who cares what year groups go back if the end goal is to have them all back in the same overcrowded, underventiated, close contact way and people getting ill and having contact with illness all over the place?

How would you spilt it up?

Ie how would you get what your goal is?

They need to all go back. I'd send tomorrow if I could. None of this priority years first that just makes it harder for the ones left.

@GrumblyMumblyisnotJumbly

No drip to the media about rotas is apparent so looks like they will select certain years again.

The issue is if you split up the priority years ones at home go back to very little provision.

It only works if they stay as full classes.

Our rates are well below what they were in November. It seems madness that areas like this are still off . They're waiting too long.

@ArosAdraDrosDolig

My yr 1 will be staying home in Wales if it’s after half term I think. I think it should be exam years first.

But sadly it’s not about the children and it’s being done so parents can go back to work.

disagree with this. I mean exam years should be prioritised but so should the youngest. I have a year 1. He should be one of the first back as this whole mess has been going on a fifth of his entire life. He is hugely missing out socially so the extent that I'm quite worried about it (not worried at all academically, he is only 5 after all). I would move heaven and earth to send him back to school right now, though am happy to wait a while for my year 3 son if needs be.

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot

In this scenario critical worker children would be in all day but in the afternoon session would do mostly self led art/ reading/ topic work/science (possibly supported by a TA) still in the same room for safeguarding and there shouldn’t be huge numbers in for full day.

cohort A would do same as critical workers but art /topic etc self led at home in the afternoon. cohort b would do self-led activities at home in the morning and then in school for taught core curriculum in afternoon.

There's not enough space and staff for this. If you've got more children back in, including children with 1-1 support who are not in at the moment, then there aren't spare TAs around to do childcare in the afternoons.

In that scenario it would be normal classes in primary: So x vulnerable /critical worker children in all day Plus x children from cohort A in morning Plus cohort B afternoon It wouldn't allow for separate bubbles. It isn't perfect but allows in person teaching for all the class and importantly allows distancing as you would have fewer children in at any one time. It doesn't require any different staffing to normal because the classroom would have the usual staff in.

@LucyLockdown Once again people seem fine with them not bothering to do anything to make schools safer and reduce transmission
That's not true. As a parent I would dearly love the DfE to have given money to schools to install protective screens between desks, install ventilation systems, hire portaloos, procure marquees to allow more outside learning and give them a plan allowing rotas of some form. But other than sign petitions asking for schools to be made safer and prioritise school staff for vaccines what can we do?

In SA, my friend's kids have been on a rota since early on. Split into two cohorts so Cohort A is M,W,F in school one week, T and T the following week and so on. On their home days, they do some live lessons (must be a TA or another teacher) and continue with set work. Seems to be working really well.

We won’t go back in March whatever they come up with.

He is hugely missing out socially so the extent that I'm quite worried about it

If the concern is social contact and not parents working, for lower year groups, then why not campaign for the reopening of children's playgrounds and outdoor social/out of school groups, gradually moving to indoor play areas for children.
And focus on schools for older exam years and important transition years.

To be fair most playgrounds seem open round here. Some are packed solid when I've been past. Lots of non socially distanced socialising between children.

Playgrounds aren’t a good enough substitute for early learning. A lot is learning though play.

I don’t have R1 or yr1 but I can see the difference between nursery age and playground. In fact nursery emails learning goals met every day and so many are what happen in nursery not a playground.

I don’t have YR and Y1 but it’s important they go back.

There’s also thinking on disadvantaged dc falling behind a lot more if early years missed.

All children have unmet needs. It’s hardly fair really to legislate to meet the needs of early years and not, say, an eight year old.

How is that ok?

And letting exam years go back for academic reasons but banning them from mixing outside school? So actually legislating that they must engage with school but cannot engage socially?

There comes a point when we have to balance risk.

From the language on MN, I think some people find that hard, for example saying playgrounds are ‘packed solid.’ Imagine that for a minute - visualise it. Are they really or is that exaggeration designed to highlight danger and non compliance. And why do that? Anxiety? Fear?

Same with ‘supermarkets are rammed’ (no they are not) and ‘people flocking to Cornwall’ (no they are not).

The hyperbole is staggering, and I hope it isn’t modelled in front of children, it will not help their already fragile mental health.

I thought the aim was to have all children return at once? That's what the BBC reported.

My personal feeling is that it would be better to have all children in using a rota, rather than some in full time and some getting nothing. This is both from an education and safeguarding/wellbeing viewpoint.

If we do have a staggered return, I think transmission risks will be taken into account- so possibly younger children first. The youngest children are also those least able to learn from home (in general).

From a secondary point of view, educationally, obviously Y11, 12 and 13 need to be prioritised, with Y10 as a second priority.

But how does having them on a rota help socially? Can they choose to be with their friends?

I think the packed playground comes from the need to substitute school with something that comes no where near in school learning.

In a bid to claim its all about working parents even though KW dc are already in, and no one cares about struggled non KW face.

It’s a down grading of importance of early years so dc can stay home and playgrounds will suffice. It’s not correct though. Tg decision makers realise EY are key.

I agree that keeping any years home so teaching resource gets split up for those in won’t be an option,

It’s the use of language though.

‘Packed solid’

In January? No it’s not. That’s exaggeration.

@CountessFrog

But how does having them on a rota help socially? Can they choose to be with their friends?

Surely seeing some people face to face is better socially, rather than seeing no-one except for socially distant walks? They may not be with their best friends, but in a group of say 15 kids, there's likely to be someone they get along with well enough to chat to. Or they may make new friendships.

Currently, we've got about 20 Y7s in school- I don't think most of them are normally good friends, but they get on ok- and the boys especially enjoy having the chance to play a game of football at lunch and break. They're not getting a much better deal educationally (do the same work with a teacher to assist, who may not be a specialist in any of the subjects they have that day). But they are getting a better deal socially, for sure.

I think it ought to be workable in most secondary schools to get students in for a day a week on a rota system (with a separate system for sixth form). And I do think this would benefit students for lots of reasons.

people flocking to Cornwall - If this didn't happen, care to explain how our case rate per 100,000 went from 300 in less than a month?

My guess will be they will leak something to the press to test the waters, as they care more about limiting short term reputational damage than long term strategy.

Then the science bodies will say something different to the government.

The government will deny the science and continue to repeat whatever they decided with catchy 3 word soundbites.

School leaders will find out information from press releases with 'information to follow'.

Information will follow less than a week before the children are due back.

There will be a u turn or change in guidance 48 hours or less before students walk back into the building.

@Abraxan If the concern is social contact and not parents working, for lower year groups, then why not campaign for the reopening of children's playgrounds and outdoor social/out of school groups, gradually moving to indoor play areas for children
It will depend on the families circumstances what the most pressing concern is but largely it is a combination of:

1. wfh with interruptions and trying to support home schooling children simultaneously
2. educational gaps - the expectation is parents to support primary children (sometimes multiple children) in 4-5hrs schoolwork per day across curriculum
3. socialisation/mental health/physical activity - many primary children haven’t been able to spend time in person with another child outside their family since school finished for Christmas holidays in mid Dec.

Academically yr6 is pointless once SATS are taken out of the equation. But socially it's important.

[quote GrumblyMumblyisnotJumbly]**@Abraxan* If the concern is social contact and not parents working, for lower year groups, then why not campaign for the reopening of children's playgrounds and outdoor social/out of school groups, gradually moving to indoor play areas for children*
It will depend on the families circumstances what the most pressing concern is but largely it is a combination of:

1. wfh with interruptions and trying to support home schooling children simultaneously
2. educational gaps - the expectation is parents to support primary children (sometimes multiple children) in 4-5hrs schoolwork per day across curriculum
3. socialisation/mental health/physical activity - many primary children haven’t been able to spend time in person with another child outside their family since school finished for Christmas holidays in mid Dec.[/quote] For me it’s overwhelmingly number 3. Feel very grateful that I have two dcs that broadly get on. A singleton’s mum friend is beside herself with worry.

Sansasnark

No, I don’t ‘care to explain it.’

More aggressive language.

I have a place in Cornwall, I’m Cornish by birth and I’m down there regularly. I have never travelled down when not ‘allowed’ to.

I was there throughout august last year and it was no more or less busy than any year.

Your increase in rates might -shock horror - have nothing much to do with tourists. London is a huge tourist destination, I don’t recall tourists being blamed for any of their issues.

@CountessFrog

It’s the use of language though.

‘Packed solid’

In January? No it’s not. That’s exaggeration.

The two local playgrounds, one in particular, has indeed been 'packed solid.' I was surprised as I felt it would be too cold and would keep people away. It seemed not in the two occasions I drove past. It was as busy as a summer's day normally.

Hardly kids in Yorkshire perhaps but a frosty day did not stop the children in those two playgrounds. Granted that probably went every day - was a Wednesday mid day and a Sunday morning when I passed more recently.

(Our local rare went from 121 cases to 483 within a short space of time, too. I don’t live in a tourist destination).