School returning to normal. When?

[mrsnw]

Lots of positive news today regarding more easing of restrictions in may. Do you think the bubble system in schools disappear? Parents be allowed into the buildings etc.

@NicolaDunsire

I agree about video call parents evening - brilliant!

I third that!

Some things have been really good.

Especially for secondary and college students.

Some online learning but access to college if needed. Even just an afternoon or 1 day a week. Or learning onsite for 4 days and a day/afternoon of independent study with tutors on hand.

One local secondary has set up a brilliant system that every parent I know with kids there wants to continue!

Our school has a road map that mirrors the governments. We have after schools clubs back and visitors are allowed in the school again. Next phase is joining up with another bubble for playtimes and by June 21st everything back to normal.

21st June

We don't have bubbles and never have.

Parents/carers in school if necessary, same as it's always been really.

I’m a teacher and a parent and I have mixed feelings toward it.
My DD and students have loved having toilets and ‘play areas’ just for their own year groups - no more year 11s hanging around in toilets when year 7s are wanting to use them. But the whole keeping year groups separated and cleaning down desks etc causes me a lot more work and it’s not the normal school experience.
I would like a happy medium to happen going forward - normal extra curricular activities, no stressing about accidentally mixing but having separate areas for each year groups still.

Our high school have said they are aiming to get back to normal from September (have had site divided into year group areas with no moving around the site).

I hope to god masks go on May 17th.

Hopefully expecting children to wash their hands every five minutes will be toned down a bit. My primary age child has been coming home from school with hands that are actually bleeding they are that dry and cracked from the excessive washing and drying.

I can't wait for after school club to go back to normal. 6 year old DS1 hates going now because they have to sit at a table with only children from their year group bubble. He used to love going.
For me as a teacher I'm not in a rush to stop wearing a mask even though I'm fully vaccinated because the children and their families aren't. I'd happily ditch the lateral flow tests though.

DS wants them to keep lunch in the classroom as he hates the big, noisy dinner hall and staggered start and end times are a dream. No congestion on the roads and it works so smoothly.

YES to parents evening online. They can set a timer and cut people off and you can sit on the sofa. It's perfect.

I work at a university. We have been told to plan teaching to be back to how we were pre covid, come the new academic year in September. No social distancing, masks, nothing. All in a classroom like it never happened. It's crazy. Can't see how schools will be able to justify not going back to this too if the roadmap stays as is

Im hoping for the end of bubbles in September, so DD2 can go back full time. Sixth form cant have both years in together with the bubble system so they have only been in part time since September.

I think it should be sept as earliest when everyone offered a vax (+3w).

I prefer online parents evening.
Because dp can choose to listen in rather than look after them both. Only downside is not getting to see their books.

I would prefer school subscribed to online books. Think of the time saved! Because we cant currently just pick the correct books for the child, plus obviously dont get any over holidays or weekends etc

Drop off is probably easier as before i had to wait around until a precise time when dc could go in. Much better and less chance of kids messing about or getting soaked.

We had huge issues in yr r with the yr 6 so im quite happy dc2 isnt mixing with other year groups also probably helps with siblings fighting too.

Tbh im fine with the dc not being listened to be volunteers as we read at home.
Most primary parents would be 30-45 so this next batch of jabs 30-40 + 3w could make a big difference.

Imo rates are not as low as they seem there are a lot of people not testing and others wrongly using lft for symptoms.

Restless - completely different as uni students would have been offered a vax...
Though i suspect schools will be back to normal. They havent been sd anyway... Dc is still sat elbow to elbow with a kid and sharing pencils and having books home...

A room of 30 unvaxxed kids.
Though i know uni had rooms of say 300 and wonder how many will take up a vax? US unis are requiring a vax.

If we are down to 40 who might be mostly vaxxed by mid may.
Thats 18-39 in about 10w by end jul.

@Hollyhead

I would at least like pick up time to go back to normal rather than my ks1 DC being conned out of 20 mins education each day.

They don't get 'conned out of education', they have fewer breaks, so more contact time during the day. My kids finish 20 minutes earlier, but get half an hour less break, so are getting conned into 10 minutes extra education a day.

I love not having parents in the building. It's always the pain innte arses who like to hang around, insist they bring a child right to their peg. Hopefully parents realise now that kids can, and should, be doing all that themselves.

The residential trip has had to be cancelled. Can't get insurance.

My DCs’ trips are still on so it is possible.

Hopefully not until every adult has been offered vaccination.

Unlikely to go back to normal until children are fully vaccinated.

If that’s true it’ll never go back to normal as I can’t see many parents vaccinating their children against something that barely affects them.

Oh to no longer have to make packed lunches - for children who don't like sandwiches. God its a faff. Will be so glad to go back to just paying money for someone else to deal with feeding them at lunchtime.

We are hoping we can drop social distancing and bubbles by September at the latest, maybe by the summer.

We aren't planning an end of year show this summer - we'd have started sorting it already by this point.

We are having year group sports days in July, it on a large public field, with classes sat apart from one another. We are hoping parent will be able to observe.

We are looking forward to every child being able to have l,ah times together, and for key stage 1 to be allowed to eat in the hall once more, hopefully t]returning to full cooked meal options too.

As staff we'd love to be able to all have lunch together, rather than just in year groups. Feel like we haven't seen some of the year group staff properly for so long.

My normal role involve teaching all classes my specialist subject, crossing bubbles and classes, which is officially allowed. I did it in September term but we stopped it again after October half term as covid was going round school quickly. I miss teaching everyone, and I am looking forward to being able to do my 'proper' job rather than additional class support in one year group.

As of May 17 we are starting to allow class volunteers in again so long as they follow in school restrictions and take twice weekly LFTs. Ideally we want them to be part of a bubble of someone already in the class.

Some things we may well keep. We've liked parents not coming into class for drop offs. The children have settled better. Especially reception right from September. I think that may stay going forward.

Secondary teacher, primary parent.

I would like:
To stop marking. Dear God, the marking and marking of assessments. And the yr11 and 13s on the edge of breakdowns/ kick offs.

To have one lunch.
To close windows.
To teach without a mask on.
To get rid of hand san and associated cockery.

I liked parents ' evening at home. Not having to drive for half an hour or so after them was great. As was not having one eye on the queue.

I would like some kind of contact with the primary. If we can do several parents' eves, open evenings etc, I'm not sure why my kids' school can't do one. Mind you, not sure why the local high school can't do them either.

I think it will be next session in August at earliest. Not much point in changing much now when the schools break up here in under 8 weeks.

@Totalbeach

The residential trip has had to be cancelled. Can't get insurance.

My DCs’ trips are still on so it is possible.

Dc1(11, y6) residential is still on too. They should have gone last March, the week we locked down.

I was speaking to one of the staff last week & she said they're hoping to drop masks at drop off/pick up & to be able to run a sports day & leavers assembly as normal in June. Staggered drop off & collection likely won't stop or return to what it was until September though. They're also planning on making the ban on cars after 8:30am permanent, which is brilliant.

I think masks and social distancing (or bubbles which is the crap school version) need to stay as long as they do for the general population. Schools have adults working in them. Some have had both jabs, some have had one jab but some are still waiting! I’m sick of it all but if it keeps people safe, we should continue even with the unpopular mitigation like masks.