Christmas plays private schools

[bellamountain]

So this is not to cause a state vs private school debate but for the past two years (nearly) most state schools haven't been entirely restriction free. My DS state primary went back for a few weeks in September this year to finally be able to eat with other year groups in the dining hall, have assemblies and play with the other year 1 class on the playground before it was stopped due to covid cases. They are cordoned off and not allowed to play with the other class outside. The Christmas plays for all the state schools in my area are cancelled, as are many school trips, Christmas fetes etc.

Meanwhile, the private schools in the area are carrying on as normal. Christmas events in full swing ahead and they have many more than the typical state school in any event. Parents allowed at functions, champagne the lot. Kids mixing freely with other classes. It's all normal. Kids might be asked to wear masks in chapel now but that's as far as it goes.

Of course a private education is going to be better and all the trimmings that go with it but is it only at state school kids who are disease vectors? It's just utterly ridiculous that everything outside of school is normal, parties, cinema, sports, nightclubs, restaurants etc etc but we can't see our kids in a Christmas play?? I don't begrudge the private schools at all, it's just precious moments taken away (kids are only little for a short while).

So this is not to cause a state vs private school debate

What is it for then? If you’re not happy send your kids to a private school.

@CarrieBlue

So this is not to cause a state vs private school debate

What is it for then? If you’re not happy send your kids to a private school.

What a ridiculous comment. I've already acknowledged the fact that private schools bring extra privileges but cordoning kids off at play time and cancelling every event going (with no room for initiative) just highlights how stuck in the mud many state schools are.

It is a State v Private thread though isn't it?

State schools here are having Christmas events, though we missed Fireworks night due to cases at the time, so it's regional. Here they've put the fair outside with staggered time slots, and segregated year groups for the concert with LFT and masks mandatory, so all pretty safe. I understand your upset, it's hard to keep missing out on the small stuff we'll never get to do again and not be sad about it. Could be lack of ideas on ways to do it safely, can you ask the school to consider doing events outside? Each year group singing to LFT'd parents outside on the sports pitch on a different day can't pass on much of anything.

No it's not. This is about what has been taken AWAY from state school kids. Things that can happen and have happened for years and years that now can't go ahead in case someone catches covid. But I guess a private school event and catching covid doesn't matter.

The state schools in our area are having parents on a ticket only basis into their nativities. However the private school I work in have chosen to film ours instead. The decision was taken this week due to high numbers in our County.

A resource issue?
Our DSs old school (private) invested ££ in providing testing to allow things to go ahead. Also had the resource to manage it.
Also class sizes are smaller, so easier to manage things if people isolating.

A lot of these extra-curricular things are run voluntarily by staff too - not necessarily part of the contract. People are tired. It's exhausting having to do things with covid restrictions/H&S checks, especially when things end up being cancelled at the last minute.

Also has it occurred to you that a lot of private schools are much smaller than state schools? Numbers of pupils does reduce risk.

I would hazard a guess that private schools may have more cash to incorporate safety measures into the school anyway - around here it's smaller classes anyway, better facilities and ventilation, more cleaning and deep cleans, more adults to keep children washing hands and practicing appropriate measures to reduce COVID. So I imagine they also have more money to use to keep the events safer.
If you want the same for state schools campaign for more funding to match private ones and the flexibility to use those funds to keep the school COVID levels down (I'd hazard a guess most funds are currently
Being diverted to keep the school open with high levels of staff absence but that is based on my knowledge of local schools)

So this is not to cause a state vs private school debate … but here’s a massive inequality between the two that I’m not pleased about

Either you are wanting a class debate or you’re looking for a ‘aren’t state schools crap’ pile on.
Maybe private schools just have to prioritise ‘the experience’ over some forms of safety because they’re reliant on parenting choosing to fork over £18k+ per year and they won’t do that if they don’t get ‘the experience’.

State schools don’t really give a f* what the parents think and funding certainly isn’t reliant on that so ofc they are going to follow gov guidelines to the letter.

Well, our private school moved their planned for concert to onliune last week and told us that the nativity will be likely to be online too.

Just a bit of anecdata really. (PS- never had champagne at any parent event. I feel like I am missing out clearly!)

@JetRocket well you hit the nail on the head.

There are some fantastic state schools though but they tend not to have a stale old leadership.

@IcelandicCabin are you sure you're not at a state school 😉

State schools all have carol services and nativities here so it must be local decisions

My children go to an independent school, parents cannot attend the school plays or church service. There is a strict mask mandate for any adult going into the grounds where it's needed, but we are very limited on when we can step foot over the threshold.

They are in class bubbles, parents evenings are online, prize giving cancelled. No school fair.

It's not just state schools.

The risk profile is different for most private schools as it's simply fewer bodies with better ventilation. It also just depends on what numbers are doing at the time. DS's private school had a rugby match cancelled this week because of high numbers. The Christmas play will be filmed this year. DD's private school hasn't cancelled anything. DS2 is in state and we've had 2 events in person and mixing but it's a very small school.

[quote bellamountain]@IcelandicCabin are you sure you're not at a state school 😉 [/quote]
very sure! :) (But I just might be e-mail the Headmaster about this champagne idea ) [shakes fist threateningly in direction of school]

I think it completely comes down to the schools/local authorities and whether they have had lots of cases etc. Ours started the year pretty normal, assemblies in the hall, eating together, playing together. Since half term our council has decided cases are too high so our original plan to have small numbers of parents in has had to be scrapped and we are not doing assemblies or eating in hall. Still mixing outside apart from one bubble that's had an outbreak.

I don't think for once this is actually a state/private issue, although I know first hand the inequalities in our education system normally.

The private school next to our state comp has the same amount of kids in the whole school which we have in 1.5 year groups. So about 300 kids in the whole school we have 280 in one year group.

I think it is hugely variable and based on each headteacher/local authority risk appetite. I have kids across different schools, indie and state, and one of the state schools is doing full works with plays, parents on site etc, one isn’t doing anything at all and still not even running mixed year assemblies and the private school is hovering somewhere in the middle.

You’re trying to make it state vs private when you’re actually just unhappy with decisions taken by your local school. It’s not representative.

Parents at private school more invested in the school (literally, and mentally). More likely to be doing tests when asked. Entitled, but willing to jump through hoops. State school parents on the whole are just entitled.

It will be down to the number of cases in the school or in the area. Some local authorities have asked all schools to add restrictions others it is down to individual schools
You wont know the number of cases in each individual school
It's not a private v state school issue

Also dont you think your headteacher wants to keep their staff and pupils safe? You would be complaining if you had to isolate and miss Christmas because the school had crammed everyone in a hall just before Christmas

That's sad for the children. It's not the case at my son's state primary- the head removed all restrictions from September so we have gone back to normal completely: lunch together, daily whole school assemblies, Christmas fete and nativity next week.

I work in a private school
Trips have been cancelled
Matches between other schools cancelled last week
Nativity plays....not decided yet but will possibly done twice to halve the audience size.
Assemblies are via zoom
Lunch times are done in extra sittings so children can spread out more
Christmas Concert has been limited to the older year groups
We also have to follow guidance !!!