March 8th for schools - who will go back?

[Springhere]

It seems very likely that schools will reopen in some form on 8th March but how do people think it might work? Staggered or full return? Opinion seems so divided on this. I'm starting to think primaries will open in full (as it would be difficult to have cherry picked year groups alongside keyworker bubbles) with a slower, staggered return for secondaries. Would be interested to hear what others think, especially those of you working in schools.

Whenever they plan to reopen they should remove the fines and allow parents to make the choice for their own families circumstances.
Let's not forget that when this all started schools were meant to have reduced class sizes and extra safety measures put in place and this simply hasn't been the case.
I live in an area where cases are extremely high so no I would not feel comfortable sending my child back right now, nor do I want them to open everything back up for us to plummet into another lockdown.

@stilllovingmysleep

I find it upsetting this whole idea of prioritising year groups based on exams

Should we not rethink our whole focus on exams? If not now when?

Would rotas / blended learning not work better?

As for exact dates who knows... I worry they'll just reopen widely with no plan, only to close quickly again which is a disaster for all involved and mainly for kids

Yes, that's a lovely idea but whilst the educationalists ruminate on what in the long term might replace exams, we have a duty to support those year 10-13 who will be sitting them!

My GD is at private school and has gone back, but on Wednesdays only. There are 6 girls from her year group there. I don’t know what the thinking behind it is, but it is doing her the world of good and preparing her for going back full time.

[quote Lifeispassingby]@SeasonFinale but ‘return by the earliest’ just means not before that date doesn’t it? So it is speculation to assume that means schools will definitely return from that date because that is not what the PM said?[/quote]
I never said he did. I was replying to a poster who had asked where the OP had gotten the date of 8 March from and badgered twice for a source so helpfully supplied it to that poster who could see why that date is being bandied about.

@mdh2020

My GD is at private school and has gone back, but on Wednesdays only. There are 6 girls from her year group there. I don’t know what the thinking behind it is, but it is doing her the world of good and preparing her for going back full time.

I really don't know why this kind of idea isn't more widespread. Put simply if they don't think it's safe enough to have all children back, why not have them in one day a week or something to do some outside activities. Wouldn't affect the KW children as they could just join in. Matt Hancock was asked about this at a press conference last week and basically ignored the questions.

My kids are year 1 and year 3. I don't really give a toss about academically. They are doing ok and will catch up in time. But this lost time has a massive impact (IMO) on their social development. I've not heard anything from the government about how they plan to address this. Quite possibly because they just can't.

Honestly if they don’t open back up soon I’ll be applying for a key worker space.

Those in school are able to ask the teachers for help and get to socialise. I think primary needs to be back in and the higher years at secondary. My year 7 is managing with a boot up his bum and have live lessons all day as if in school.

Praying for primary schools. At my limit with the primary school children now and just cannot keep them engaged at this point.
The secondary kids would benefit from being back of course but are getting on with work and it’s definitely less stress on my sanity!

It'll have to be primary schools as a priority plus exam years if we are going to unlock everything else. Parents can't stay at home and work in non-essential retail, supply chain or hospitality simultaneously.

@mdh2020

My GD is at private school and has gone back, but on Wednesdays only. There are 6 girls from her year group there. I don’t know what the thinking behind it is, but it is doing her the world of good and preparing her for going back full time.

Not in England presumably Otherwise breaking the law

*I really don't know why this kind of idea isn't more widespread.
Put simply if they don't think it's safe enough to have all children back, why not have them in one day a week or something to do some outside activities. Wouldn't affect the KW children as they could just join in. *

DFE guidelines have always said no rotas. It would have made sense last term to have rotas in hard hit areas so there was some stability but as it was kids in the NW who were mainly affected by bubble bursting and they wanted to continue the pretense that adults were bursting bubbles because kids can't transmit.

@tootyfruitypickle

Goodness no more of this prioritising years please! All back. I'd send back tomorrow if I could (secondary). Rates locally are lower than since early autumn it makes no sense for her to be off.

Apparently they don't want to return to tiers after 8 March so they are trying to get the rate low everywhere. 208 per 100,000 seems to be the rate nationally.

I think it'll be full time primary and part time secondary.

Maybe secondary from the Easter holidays barring some year groups

It does seem slightly ridiculous that they were going on and on about how schools were safe in December and threatening schools that wanted to go remote - and yet now, when rates are much lower, many kids stuck at home.

I think that there IS a middle ground - rotas allowing social distancing for all but frontline workers needing full school places (the old keyworker list, not the current one of everyone and the cat). Or even just outdoor PE for all.

It's this all or nothing approach by our government which is half of the problem.

They clearly don't care about child mental wellbeing as they're not doing anything low risk to address it (e.g. outdoor, socially distanced PE). They're also doing nothing to ensure schools safer when they do go back so we look destined to repeat the cycle of death and disaster.

Why are people calling for exam years to be back? Year 11/13 exams are cancelled so surely they are not a priority now? By that rationale years 10/12 should be the priority as they are facing exams.

Y11 and 13 are still facing exams and assessments that they need to prepare for.

Are they? I'm in wales and they are getting CAGs for their results no exams and the planned assessments have been scrapped.

NONE

Yep, lockdown. No idea what format those assessments will take as yet, we won’t hear till end of Feb. Full steam ahead for exam years.

Are they? I'm in wales and they are getting CAGs for their results no exams and the planned assessments have been scrapped.

CAGs here too, but the teachers need something to base the grades on! My year 11 dd will go straight back into mocks when the schools re-open, and we're expecting further exams and assessments later in the year. So I don't think year 11 and year 13 can be written off just yet.

I'd like to see some priority given to the current year 12s as well, as they have had a pretty shit time with GCSEs being cancelled. I don't think it's as urgent for year 10.

@lockdownconfused

Why are people calling for exam years to be back? Year 11/13 exams are cancelled so surely they are not a priority now? By that rationale years 10/12 should be the priority as they are facing exams.

Media and Johnson said exams are cancelled but teachers need to test the kids so that they can back up their CAGS. They mean exams that are sent away and marked by unknown examiners is cancelled. It's not known yet how English kids will get their grades or when they can retake exams if unhappy with their grade.

The exam boards have already indicates that there will be Autumn exams again if people are not happy with their grades.