Secondary school open evenings back to normal

[noblegiraffe]

Lots of secondary schools are gearing up to having sixth form and prospective Y7 open evenings over the next few weeks, entirely back to normal - this means adults and children crammed into classrooms and corridors and lots of mixing.

Teachers are obviously used packed classrooms, but I'm not sure what parents will be thinking about it? Particularly ones who may be working from home or in workplaces that still have covid measures in place.

We have a face to face year 11 meeting coming up... All of year 11 and their parents in the school hall. Masks aren't mandatory but hand sanitiser will be available.

My ds is in Year 11 and running a music workshop at his school Open Evening on Monday. Life has to return to normal, I'm sure there will be some covid measures schools will employ at these events but other than that we have to return to normal. We have to be mindful but I echo what a pp said, there's more to life than covid.

Our local secondary is staggering the times by primary school, to limit mixing as much as possible

Immunosuppressed, disabled parent here. I asked if the secondary could make a recording of an information session and was told no. They could do it for the last 18 months but not now.

I'm sure there will be some covid measures schools will employ at these events

Er, no. Unless you count an open window?

When my daughter was helping out at the open evening, she said loads of parents were saying how glad they were to actually be able to view the school and meet the staff and kids. My daughter really enjoyed helping out too, she was year 7 last year and it was all a bit strange. She’s enjoying being able to get more involved with things this year, clubs are back on after school, the kids can mix more. Just praying it lasts. I do worry for the teachers whose vaccines may be reducing in effectiveness.

I went to an open evening at our local secondary this week. I was so relieved it went ahead. My year 6 child is anxious enough about moving up next year and being able to actually see where she’s going and talk to teachers/students was a big help.

They organised it into pre booked time slots so not everyone went at the same time. Masks were worn, lots of sanitising stations etc. I was happy with it but then again I’ve worked in a public facing role throughout covid so it wasn’t really anything out of the ordinary for me.

I’m all for being careful but our kids have missed out on enough already.

Our local secondary just did their prospective Y7 open evening online and will be doing the same for 6th form later this month. The head quite sensibly says his priority is to protect the existing school community as much as possible and doesn't see exposing his staff to more potential covid contacts as wise.
I have several friends who work in schools, and they are still being super cautious, limiting socialising, still meeting outdoors as much as possible, they are very aware of the potential for spread across a school.

I was lucky that we went for an in person tour last summer at our feeder secondary.

Virtual tours are rubbish in comparison.

I'm glad they've got information evenings for years, and open evenings for year 6 applicants.

We need to move on. If you don't feel comfortable it should be available online.

If you don't feel comfortable it should be available online.

Yeah, we're not doing this, so it's interesting that you expect it should be an option.

Dd1 is Yr6 and where we are the schools are approaching open evenings differently - pre-booked slots/1 adult and child only/family tickets.
Only 1 is online only.
Most are Requesting masks & lateral flow tests - but not had it enforced yet.
As a parent I want to be able to get a real feel for potential schools and that's just not as possible without actually talking to people. On the one we visited so far it was no busier than town centre on a Saturday or tube/bus. They had mitigation where possible, 1 way system, multiple rooms set up for same subject to separate people.
Is it completely safe - no, am I hugely worried that it riskier than other activities, also not.
For me - individual risk assessment dependent on circumstances is the key as with most things.

Our open evening is online only.

They had mitigation where possible, 1 way system, multiple rooms set up for same subject to separate people.

We're not doing this either.

I wonder if parents will be turning up to ours expecting mitigations then and will think us reckless because we don't have them.

Actually I don't expect them to offer it. But I expect most places will, to placate those who have anxiety about returning to some sort of sense of normality.

I have been to lots of events recently. Lecture on personal statements, inside a lecture hall, at Southampton Uni Open day. Most didn't wear masks.

Next week, in the school main hall, open evening for years 13 and 8, having not had one for yr7 Ds2 who started secondary last year.

I'm happy to go to such events and so are all the mums I know.

I'm so glad to be about to go round the schools with DS - having gone through this whole process with DD online only it makes a MASSIVE difference being abe to see the school in person - both the buildings and the atmosphere. I can tell you that some of the schools that produced impressive online offerings/ presentations were not the schools that I actually liked on the ground at all.

Most of the schools we are looking at are booking for open events to keep numbers down.

But I expect most places will, to placate those who have anxiety about returning to some sort of sense of normality.

I'd expect online or face-to-face, not both, because teachers directed time is restricted. The question would be what would be lost from the calendar to 'placate' those parents. The teacher upthread is getting a day off school!

We're running ours as normal, except the speeches in the hall.
No online option.

Obviously can only speak for myself but would still attend without the mitigations but having them is a bonus.

I think it's tough to limit attendance and then not have any online offering at all though. Means that only those over-invested mn type obsessives like me who have been checking websites daily would get a chance to see things at all. Unless 2020 open evening still available online coz it won't have changed that much.

I think most parents will be bloody relived to actually set foot in the school their child is attending! I still haven't seen my new year 7 child's school

I hadnt really thought about this. My DS has started year 7 but my older child is at the school so I know the school already, but last years open eve, the transition day and summer events were all online.
I had an online meeting this week for year 11 parents which was much more preferable than going to school because of the timing of it as well as probably being more covid safe... but yes next month there is an actual open eve.
I'm hoping parents eve stays online. I much preferred that

If I were choosing now, the head's approach to covid would influence how I felt about the school. So no measures at all would put me off tbh.

I think it's tough to limit attendance and then not have any online offering at all though

We're not limiting attendance, so I guess that's ok then. I don't think there are any changes to the speeches either, they are still going ahead. If you can have hundreds of unvaccinated kids packed into a hall for an assembly, then why not hundreds of mostly vaccinated adults?

I think quite a lot of people who were asked to wfh have now returned to the offices at least part time. Certainly know I have which means the usual crammed public transport, normal offices, shops etc. Primary drop off back to normal.

So suspect alot people will be used to busy spaces now.

I can see what this thinly veiled thread is aimed at getting at

I would expect and want all open evenings to go ahead without restriction to be honest and to quote the often used phrase on here it is an invite not a summons. People who don't want to go don't have too. Can't see how it's any different from being in a busy shopping centre etc...

I personally couldn’t care less!