Email from DfE to Headteachers. Schools prepped to shut again?

[AntiMaskersAreTwats]

Do you think this means it likely schools will shut again?

You can't do a different thing for primary from secondary though kokeshi. People have families! It causes enough angst when schools are different by a few days or when DCs are in different LAs!

Excellent post @hallygore and I'm sorry you're going through that.

The fads in education; you're absolutely right. It's ridiculous. The Focus on knowledge, when independent skills are what kids need especially children with additional needs and autism.

There also has been a severe shrinkage of quality training for staff dealing with Sen and asd. Both funding for and availability. I've been teaching for 20
years, mostly in sen. There was an awful lot going on about 12-15 years ago; it's shrunk in the last 10. So many of my colleagues have never had the training I was lucky enough to get.

"If it's actual suspension of the curriculum (which is what I'm talking about) they don't need to learn outside of school, just be babysat. What do you suppose happens to such kids during the summer holidays?"

As I have explained it is easier in the summer. You don't 'just babysit' a severely disabled teenager with challenging behaviour. They need highly specialist trained support. I don't need to think about what happens - I have one.

Japan also has very different covid measures- as well as a hugely different education system- and shuts things down very quickly (including schools in affected areas) if it raises its head. It's apples and pears.

Schools closing would be the absolute fucking worst. Children need to be in school for their education and their mental health. I don’t feel it can be justified unless omicron ends up being incredibly deadly, and I say this as a teacher who is vulnerable to covid. Half my class went down with it before half term, which was annoying, but they were all fine and their families were all fine thankfully. I know that doesn’t mean that is always the case, but honestly I can’t imagine any of the people supporting school closures have seen the effects this has had on children. I have never, ever known so much anxiety and so many mental health referrals.

Define incredibly deadly??!

Playing devil's advocate I think it is overlooked how much school contributes to mental health issues. Especially , actually, the catch up panic narrative, even amongst teachers and educators of very young children. Oasises (?) of calm schools are not.

@Piggyinblankets

Define incredibly deadly??!

Playing devil's advocate I think it is overlooked how much school contributes to mental health issues. Especially , actually, the catch up panic narrative, even amongst teachers and educators of very young children. Oasises (?) of calm schools are not.

Having no access to in class school doesn’t make the pressure go away - it makes it worse as they are left isolated.

I’m glad this isn’t the general thinking about what is harder on dc.

This is the problem.

In normal, pre-Covid times, schools are not good places for some children. Bullying, the chaos/sensory overload, lack of SEN funding and support, behaviour of others in class disrupting learning for all, peer pressure, rigidity of curriculum and rules, exam pressure.

In lockdown times, lack of school is not good for many children. Cold, crowded, unheated homes with no food, lack of IT, lack of quiet, abuse, lack of socialising, lack of support from TAs or pastoral team, no access to reading books, no exercise

In school open scenario but constant disruption due to the pandemic and no mitigations in school the situation is not great for many, many children: illness circulating, worry about passing on to relatives, no consistency of who is teaching you, worries about exams possibly cancelled again, pressure to catch up, behaviour is MUCH worse so disruption for all and especially for those with sensory issues, rigidity and other needs.

It's not exactly as if one situation is infinitely preferable to all others. Children are suffering in all three scenarios.

I didn't say harder marsha. I am just saying it isn't acknowledged. Many students actually reported a break from bullying during lockdowns. Those students do matter.

The issues are very complex and , at the moment, schools are very high stress places which are underfunding and creaking under the strain of cuts to MH provision so that they have been expected to do it all themselves and solve all society's ills.

Or what dangling said!

That's very true @DanglingMod

The chronic underfunding is hitting so badly at our.
I teach mixed 3/4 - a small class. No TA.
7 out of the 11 year threes need IEPs, - 2 possibly just need extra support and 'catch up' (god I hate that expression!) I have requested referrals to Ed psych after talking at length to senco and parents for 3 of them, and been told we have funding for one - how do I choose.

And with all that as well as the year 4's how do I get on with teaching and gap filling etc etc

I am exhausted and think about those children all day and most of the night.
Then there's covid seriously on the rise in our school and families.

I don't want to do home learning- I don't actually know how the hell I could with my class in any meaningful way, but then I have my own family to think of too!

@DanglingMod

This is the problem.

In normal, pre-Covid times, schools are not good places for some children. Bullying, the chaos/sensory overload, lack of SEN funding and support, behaviour of others in class disrupting learning for all, peer pressure, rigidity of curriculum and rules, exam pressure.

In lockdown times, lack of school is not good for many children. Cold, crowded, unheated homes with no food, lack of IT, lack of quiet, abuse, lack of socialising, lack of support from TAs or pastoral team, no access to reading books, no exercise

In school open scenario but constant disruption due to the pandemic and no mitigations in school the situation is not great for many, many children: illness circulating, worry about passing on to relatives, no consistency of who is teaching you, worries about exams possibly cancelled again, pressure to catch up, behaviour is MUCH worse so disruption for all and especially for those with sensory issues, rigidity and other needs.

It's not exactly as if one situation is infinitely preferable to all others. Children are suffering in all three scenarios.

Well said and couldn't agree more.

Of course some children have a hard time due to bullying, it’s awful and not new - something we had too. But keep that separate and push for change there rather than closure as the solution.

As it damages many more.

"Japan also has very different covid measures- as well as a hugely different education system- and shuts things down very quickly (including schools in affected areas) if it raises its head. It's apples and pears."

If the UK is so much worse than Japan at controlling covid during inperson schooling, that would seem to suggest that the case for shutting schools in winter and opening up for a bit in summer is... stronger, rather than weaker?

The UK just doesn't seem to be able to keep schools open without mass covid during winter months, does it? I mean, I think ventilation systems and more money for heating are lovely, but if OminousCron is as infectious as everyone says, maybe these things are not going to have a magic wand effect? So maybe it's time to seriously consider an alternative for 2022.

Add on to that sorting a breakfast club (which I know any schools already had ) as so many children coming to school hungry.

My colleague put a little one into some spare clothes last week and took home her clothes to wash as she had been in the same clothes all week.

I know those children need those things desperately- but is it really school's place to do it?

@MarshaBradyo

Of course some children have a hard time due to bullying, it’s awful and not new - something we had too. But keep that separate and push for change there rather than closure as the solution.

As it damages many more.

Slightly minimising all the other aspects I mentioned, Marsha.

Behaviour of others leading to learning loss and chaotic classrooms
Sensory overload
Rigidity of curriculum
Peer pressure
Exam pressure
Lack of SEN funding
And more

Not just bullying

We need to completely overhaul the school system to adapt to the new Covid reality otherwise we’ll still be having this conversation in 5 years time and literally hundreds of thousands of kids will have been failed by a wholly inadequate antiquated system that was not fit for a Covid World.

I’ve just moved back into supply TA work from working in community MH, I have moved around a bit during this pandemic, so managed to see quite a lot along the way. Remote learning is often terrible for kids even from more affluent families as their parents are suffering from often severe MH problems themselves, and are often working from home more so unable to really be present for their children. Having said that schools too aren’t the most productive environments for MH either (high stress, pressured environments, staff suffering with MH etc).

I mean the list really is endless isn’t it? Personally I find working schools as a TA slightly less stressful than community MH working at the minute, as the shit really has hit the fan in those services.

Anyway rambling on now, but gosh what a mess all this is.

Add to that, Lack of CAMHS and other agency support
Lack of subject specialists, especially in deprived areas
Massive inequality in provision of facilities and other opportunities

@AntiMaskersAreTwats
You sound nicer by the minute.

Dangling it was in response to this in another post.

Many students actually reported a break from bullying during lockdowns.

@DanglingMod

This is the problem.

In normal, pre-Covid times, schools are not good places for some children. Bullying, the chaos/sensory overload, lack of SEN funding and support, behaviour of others in class disrupting learning for all, peer pressure, rigidity of curriculum and rules, exam pressure.

In lockdown times, lack of school is not good for many children. Cold, crowded, unheated homes with no food, lack of IT, lack of quiet, abuse, lack of socialising, lack of support from TAs or pastoral team, no access to reading books, no exercise

In school open scenario but constant disruption due to the pandemic and no mitigations in school the situation is not great for many, many children: illness circulating, worry about passing on to relatives, no consistency of who is teaching you, worries about exams possibly cancelled again, pressure to catch up, behaviour is MUCH worse so disruption for all and especially for those with sensory issues, rigidity and other needs.

It's not exactly as if one situation is infinitely preferable to all others. Children are suffering in all three scenarios.

I do worry that we have got to a place where a school simply being open is deemed good enough.

There is a lot of work to do for schools generally, covid has exposed many issues but also covered up many others.

@MarshaBradyo

Dangling it was in response to this in another post.

Many students actually reported a break from bullying during lockdowns.

They did !

Ah, OK.

I mean, I'm sure no one wants to rehash the close schools or not arguments again..

I didn't think you'll find a teacher or school staff member who doesn't agree that ON BALANCE school open is the best scenario.

It's just a little frustrating that some parents and, seemingly, no politicians (including the so called Children's Commissioners) will acknowledge that some children are really, really badly served by schools and the school system and not for lack of trying by those that work in it.

Many of my students did better work in lockdown and made better progress than in class because of no distraction and no peer pressure to dick about and waste their own and others' learning time.

They did !

Still not a reason for closure.