What does this mean for schools?

[Shakepineapple]

Trying to get my head around what the delay to reopening means for the activities that usually go ahead at the end of the summer term.
Will parents be able to attend sports days? End of term productions? Will transition days go ahead?

@MrsHamlet Maybe not at the same time but in smaller groups. As I said earlier, my DS1 took his 11 plus exam with children from all over the county and beyond. There were far more than 27 schools involved!

Don’t understand why sports day can’t go ahead even if parents can’t attend. Seems lazy of schools not to be able to arrange this because it’s outside whereas it’s ok for them to sit huddled together inside all day.

Ours will but no parents.

Surely transitioning could be done in school bubbles even if only for a half day?

A transition day for 2 kids would be odd. And wildly impractical. But mainly odd.

[quote BunsyGirl]@MrsHamlet Maybe not at the same time but in smaller groups. As I said earlier, my DS1 took his 11 plus exam with children from all over the county and beyond. There were far more than 27 schools involved![/quote]
M school hosted the 11+. We did it over 2 days and used very single classroom so max of 6 pupils in a room. Of course that meant Yr 7-13 had to work at home for those two days. Please believe school staff when they say the logistics are too difficult, not as a PP put it, that we’re ‘lazy’.

[quote BunsyGirl]@MrsHamlet Maybe not at the same time but in smaller groups. As I said earlier, my DS1 took his 11 plus exam with children from all over the county and beyond. There were far more than 27 schools involved![/quote]
I'm sure there were but there's a significant difference between running an exam and running transition.

Our new students have 6 lessons plus form time, a tour, lunch break and all their parents come in. We can't do that in bits.

@motherrunner well my DS was sat in a room with far more than 6 people so the school in question clearly interpreted the “guidance” differently to yours. And the other students were definitely on site as I watched them come out of the school when I collected my son. Also the prefects collected the kids taking the exam from the school gates.

@MrsHamlet Not expecting it to be exactly the same as previous years but there could be something, particularly as most children have never even visited their new schools. Where there’s a will there’s a way.

For me the missed opportunity for some normality in school this year is one of the most disappointing things about the delayed easing. I just want to pick my 5 year old up from school without a fucking mask on, see his work up on the wall, watch sports day. The kids deserve to have a class trip, summer fair, mingle with other year groups in the playground. He went into reception having not been near school for nearly 6 months.
I really feel for y6 and the exam years too.

Ours have transition days planned but they're keeping the children in their respective primary classes as far as possible then moving them into new forms in September.
Sports day without parents and leavers' assembly in the playground with social distancing. It's only a small school with one form per year group though.
It sucks.

Where there’s a will there’s a way.
Do you have any idea of the logistical challenges of running an 11-18 school with a year 7 intake of 230 from 27 feeders, plus a year 12 intake from 8 feeders in an area with rural transport issues?
We'd love to do our normal "end of year" stuff. It's all planned. But we simply can't. It's not a matter of "will".

Our transition days st8ll going ahead. All 5 days of it

@Iamsodonewith2020 That’s positive. Is that before the end of the current school year?

@MrsHamlet when did you decide to cancel?

Yep. Week after next.no cases in any local schools since kids returned in March here though

@Iamsodonewith2020

Our transition days st8ll going ahead. All 5 days of it

It's not even 4 hours from the announcement... it might all be different tomorrow. ;-(

@BunsyGirl

There really needs to be an exemption for year 6 transition to year 7. Sports days, leavers assemblies, proms etc are one thing but not having the opportunity to see your new school is a completely different thing altogether.

I'm guessing you have a yr 6 child, if you have and you're worried about transition, maybe see if the secondary school will have an open day session for your child? It wasn't the same obviously, but my DS was invited for a walk round with his new HOY which was brilliant

@Iamsodonewith2020 Fingers crossed that it goes ahead. Really important for the children.

@blahblahblah321 Thanks, I do have a year 6. They have a transition day scheduled in a couple of weeks time so I am keeping everything crossed that it goes ahead in some format.

I am not concerned as it’s been expected for weeks that he would delay and they have confirmed it will all safely go ahead numerous times, including this afternoon. There is no change to educational guidance (I work in education) and hasn’t been since children returned in March.

We've attended sports days in the past week at primary school.

@Iamsodonewith2020

I am not concerned as it’s been expected for weeks that he would delay and they have confirmed it will all safely go ahead numerous times, including this afternoon. There is no change to educational guidance (I work in education) and hasn’t been since children returned in March.

I hope that's the case. All our communication with the secondary school has been "subject to lockdown easing going ahead"

@Iamsodonewith2020 Good to hear. You have given me some hope!

@Watermelon222

Don’t understand why sports day can’t go ahead even if parents can’t attend. Seems lazy of schools not to be able to arrange this because it’s outside whereas it’s ok for them to sit huddled together inside all day.

Also don’t understand why end of term celebrations and certificate celebrations can’t be arranged, even if outside....

Surely transitioning could be done in school bubbles even if only for a half day?

Ffs, why is it schools are constantly accused of being lazy?

Try working in a school at the moment and for the past 18 months.

Our school is already not having sports day, well they are but parents can’t attend, they said this a few weeks ago

My son is in year 7 so missed his year 6 residential, leavers assembly, last sports day etc and most importantly had no transition to secondary school. He has additional needs so was able to have a video meeting with his head of year and SENCO, but that's it.

At the start of all this last March I never would've imagined that he would miss all that. It's so sad that it's happening for another group of children a year later. Total shit.

@FlatToppedTree

Does anyone know what's generally happening with new starters into Reception class?

Obviously this will vary massively by school but last year when things were even stricter my child started Reception. She met the teacher by zoom several times before the end of summer term and we were also able to take her into the classroom just us and her the first day of term. So school didn't start for reception on day 1. Days 1 2 and 3 were taken up with parents (masked) visiting for an hour with their individual children. They had an explore of the classroom, met the teachers properly, got the chance to have a really good chat and play etc.

Then the first two full weeks were part time hours. Mornings with half the class first week, afternoons with the same half the class the second. Then all in together the third week. If any individual child needed longer to settle we were told that they could have it and continue part time up until half term but not one of them did.

As much as part time hours were a pain for many to be honest the children all settled really really well. They've done brilliantly, I'm so proud of them all and the school have done a great job.

I hope yours is ok, try not to worry.