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?

[Petitefiloute]

Oh @BunsyGirl that's such great news! I've heard nothing from our school yet. Is your DS going to Y7? Fingers crossed it's the same for us!!

[BunsyGirl]

@Petitefiloute He is going into year 7. Fingers crossed for your DC. DS’ new school have said that specimen lessons will now be done in large areas to aid social distancing
and that he has to bring a packed lunch to eat in the playground rather than using the canteen. Really happy with their sensible approach.

[herecomesthsun]

I have always made a point of pitching up and supporting my kids for sports day, but not gonna lie, none of us actually like or are much good at any of it. So no biggie for us. I might plan an extra day out to make up for it.

it's a real shame for the kids who enjoy it and are good at it and their families.

[Robostripes]

I’m gutted - my DS is in reception and I haven’t been allowed to see inside his school building or classroom the entire year. His school were planning sports day and class assemblies for parents but the latter are off and the sports day will go ahead but without parents. Missed out on first Christmas concerts/nativities too.

[Iamsodonewith2020]

Our week long yr 6-7 transition still happening with no alterations. So pleased.

[GiantToadstool]

Primary sports day still happening but limited to one parent.

[Petitefiloute]

@Iamsodonewith2020 do you mean the summer school? That's after July 19th though.

[HSHorror]

Yes i think the year missed event hardest on reception parents, then the end on yr6 too.
For yr r starting wasnt too bad for the kids. We had no settling in in jun obviously last yr so didnt meet the other parents.
Then sept all in masks.
We did have a hour in sept in the yr r play area with parents in masks if they wanted to go inside.
So the kids were ok. But for us an isolation in sept was annoying as that meant missed friendships.
The nativity was videoed but not too well in that I actually couldnt tell which was my child.

For older dc mid primary it's all been fine.
Staggared starts mean she can actually go in when we get there. So onky real issue was the lockdown leaning times.
Ive been lucky dc2 hasnt lost anything in the classroom jumpers etc as obviously cant go in to look like i did with dc1.
Obviously might miss sports day but im not bothered really as dc1 has been mamy times. Yes missing dc2 first one. However it's often absolutely roasting. The events are odd like skipping, jumping over something or throwing something. And it's completely non competitive so actually not as fun.
The actual race at the end is only say 8 random kids.
I think it's pretty sad really. My kids are crap at sport. But it would be nice to see an actual winner get something. (Age differences neaning the oldest more likely win aside).

[Abraxan]

@FlatToppedTree

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

Depends on the school.

We are doing small groups of 10, after school (so about 3;45pm) for half an hour outside with the new class teacher and LSA.

[DrMadelineMaxwell]

Even allowing one parent per y6 child for an outdoor leavers event exceeds the number of people legally allowed to have at an organised group of people at the moment (in Wales) so we are planning for a leavers thing on our field that may well not happen. Numbers may be relaxed enough to do it but we wont know til much closer.

The vitriol aimed at us last year for not bothering to hold a leavers event for the year was beyond belief. The system then was having a small group of kids who had to sit socially distanced all day and attend on a rota basis. Yet parents couldn't see that we couldn't just throw all that out and let them merge en masse for shirt signing and parents attending too, so I'm not surprised that any curtailing of the normal end of year things is being reacted as it is by some.

[Tal45]

No transitions days, no prom and no end of term production at our school.

[Iamsodonewith2020]

Petit no this is transition week at new secondary school the first week in July

[HelenaJustina]

@DrMadelineMaxwell vitriol is right! It was so unpleasant, and the insidious drip has already begun again this year.

[laselvar]

The vitriol aimed at us last year for not bothering to hold a leavers event for the year was beyond belief.

I absolutely agree, it continues in my school this year where (a small but vocal minority) continue to criticise and blame us for using Covid as an excuse to not do things. We have continually had parents tell us they expect all restrictions to be lifted on June 21st and we're angry we were planning our end of year activities (play, sports day, parties, leavers assembly) within the current restrictions- with the provision all could change if restrictions were tightened/relaxed. That particular group have been quiet this week.

[3asAbird]

Important guidance from dfe that may impact on transitions days and leavers parties

schoolsweek.co.uk/consider-holding-proms-outdoors-dfe-tells-schools-after-freedom-day-delay/

[loulouljh]

Such a shame for our poor kids...more unnecessary rubbish. More events missed. They will never get this time back.

[MarshaBradyo]

Events outside cancelled

It’s unbelievable atm maybe they’ve just been forgotten

What can we do

[SleepingStandingUp]

We can't go to sports day - outside with what, no more than 50 parents in attendance on a large field. Transition week is going ahead. If we can't do sports day I'm assuming stuff like productions inside is a no

I'm really annoyed at sports day though,were a small school with fairly low number of parents with a big field. It's perfectly possible to socially distance and we've missed so much over the last two years

[Ceara]

DS's infant school has said no spectators at sports day in 2 weeks time (the event will go ahead for children in class bubbles). But transition days to junior school, mixing up 100+ kids from 3 main feeder schools plus no doubt other individual schools, are going ahead. And the end of term church service will also go ahead with no restrictions as long as step 4 happens on 19th July.

Makes no sense to me. Sports day - outdoors, massive field, parents could be told to stick to family bubbles and keep the yelling down. Church service - indoors, sardine-like conditions in previous years so distancing kinda tricky, singing. Why cancel the first as it's too risky, and plough on with plans for the second for which risks are higher, as will be the case numbers by then too.

Transition days are tricky as they're so important for the children but... last year the children managed without anything, and this year there's opportunity to consider creative options, surely? Outdoor meetups with new teachers and classmates combined with virtual presentations and tours, for example.

[Petitefiloute]

@Ceara a lot of schools didn't change the classes though so there was no need for transition. Many y6 last year had an awful time transitioning to secondary because of the lack of transition event. At least they had seen their school at open event before the pandemic. This year's intake hasn't. Sports day is cancelled every other year because of rain anyway.

[cappuccinoandcats]

@loulouljh

Such a shame for our poor kids...more unnecessary rubbish. More events missed. They will never get this time back.

So true but people can go to football matches. Everything seems tipped against children and young people

[GiantToadstool]

Ours is having sports day with 90 in the year each plus one parent...

[Passthesauce]

@MarshaBradyo We have a by-election in our constituency tomorrow. I am planning to share my views with party reps at the polling station. Young people completely overlooked yet again.

[CallmeHendricks]

Why would last year's Yr 6s have had such a terrible transition to yr 7 because of the lack of official events?

We never had any sort of transition at all in my day and we coped. I think we went in in the afternoon before the term began in September and that was it. It was fine.

[BunsyGirl]

@CallmeHendricks if it was all fine for everybody why were transition days introduced in the first place. For some of us back in the day before they were the norm it wasn’t all right.