Webchat with Vicky Ford MP, Minister for Children, Friday 15 May at 2.15pm

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello

We're pleased to announce a webchat about COVID-19 and schools with Vicky Ford, Conservative MP for Chelmsford and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families, at 2.15pm on Friday May 15.

As lots of you will already know, the government has recently announced plans to start sending Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 children, as well as nursery children, back to school and nursery settings from June 1. We know lots of you have questions about this, and about policy and plans for schools and schoolchildren in the COVID era more broadly. Vicky will be coming along to give us the government’s response to your concerns and questions.

Vicky was elected MP for Chelmsford in 2017, and has been Minister for Children since February 2020. Before joining Parliament she was an MEP for the East of England constituency in the European Parliament. In a previous life she worked in finance.

Please join us here on Friday at 2.15pm. If you can’t join us on the day, please post up your question in advance.

As always, please remember our guidelines - one question per user, follow-ups only if there’s time and most questions have been answered, and please keep it civil. Also if one topic is dominating a thread, mods might request that people don't continue to post what's effectively the same question or point. (We may suspend the accounts of anyone who continues after we've posted to ask people to stop, so please take note.) Rest assured we will ALWAYS let the guest know that it's an area of concern to multiple users and will encourage them to engage with those questions.

Many thanks,
MNHQ

I'd really like to know what or who is the key objective / main priority for the dfe and the government in returning children to schools.

As this helps us to understand the point of what teachers are aiming for. I don't feel this is clear for us.

Is it to maintain routine and touch base for younger ones?

Is it for "child care?" (Which is not necessarily a bad thing, we'd just appreciate honesty.)

Is it with safeguarding at it heart, in terms of making sure all vulnerable children, some of whom may not have been previously identified in R and y1, can be checked on and so all need to be in?

Transition? (Obviously first schools and y4 are missing this.)

Because it's harder to home educate and wfh with younger children?

Because younger children are less affected over all statistically?

Reading?

If we knew what the biggest priority was we'd have a greater understanding of the thinking behind all the plans.

Hi I'm a NNEB Nursery Practitioner in a private Day Nursery. Current guidance in childcare settings, providers will be asked to welcome back all children below statutory school age from the week commencing 1 June.Settings are to provide places for priority groups then to prioritize- 3 and 4 year olds followed by younger age groups. The 0-2 yr olds' are classed as a vulnerable group, should these children return to the setting also on this date and if so how should they be grouped . In the setting we have large rooms with small top opening windows how many children should be in each room as we normally have over 30 toddlers at any one time?

Hi, teacher here, who on earth is putting together the DFE updates?

I'm so confused with what is being sent. Reading is now a high priority, but we can't really send books home can we? We will be sending possible infection between houses as I've not got a clue about how we can sanitise paper books &
We don't have enough to keep each book out of circulation for days until they are safe.
I just don't think the information coming out is clear and reassuring, it's causes more anxiety, stress and in some cases anger.

Are teaching staff and school leaders being consulted, because it does not appear to be the case.
Many thanks for your time.

My child is 13 and is asd with a plan, school have refused to take him because he doesn’t understand social distancing. His plan clearly states. All of thi. Are school allowed to refuse?
His anxiety is through the roof and we are left with no support fro school or from his Sw except for the odd phone call.
The most vulnerable kids are being let down. Reopen schools ASAP please or my son is going to have a breakdown.

Understandably, much is said in the re-opening guidance for primary schools about the effect of lockdown on children's education and mental health- particularly of disadvantaged children. I am very fortunate in that my children are very happy at home and learning fairly effectively, although they do of course miss their friends. What would be the benefits of sending my children back to school- where they could become anxious by the new procedures and behaviour policy, and lack of social contact with friends beyond their 'bubble'?

I teach with an SEN base and we have children who are most definitely not able to socially distance. We have many children who have SEMH needs and have handling plans which need to be auctioned on a regular basis, sometimes by several staff. We also have children who regularly spit purposely into staff and childrens faces - how do we keep staff and children safe with no social distancing or PPE???
The same also applys within our nursery/reception classes. These children are not able to socially distance nor should they be subjected to this anyway - this would massively impact upon their emotional well being when they are most probably suffering from attachment and trauma issues anyway.

As a parent myself I will not be sending my own children to school so why should I as a teacher put myself and my family at risk when their is no evidence to say that opening schools is safe?

What will happen if the governing body of a school decide that it will not reopen? Will the government be able to force them to open?

I am worried about the emotional damage to nursery and reception children returning on 1 June in a group of 15 with few toys/soft items (cant be cleaned daily) different staff who they don't know (nursery of 52 spilt into 4 groups in 4 rooms with some with known staff others just other teachers from different year groups) and lack of comfort being able to be given by staff due to attempts needing to be in place for social distancing. What a traumatic experience they will have

Hello, thank you very much for all your questions. I look forward to answering as many of them as possible - bear with me though please as I haven't done this before!

@Mrshhh

Hello How can we be sure children and staff will be safe What science evidence has led to the decision to open schools and where can we read that guidance Thanks

We have had a number of questions on this important topic, so I want to reply to them here.

We know that attending schools, nursery and pre school is really vital for children, especially younger children as it helps them develop the vital social skills, communication skills and the building blocks of education that set them up for life. But safety is of course vital too.

As a result of the huge efforts everyone has made to adhere to strict social distancing measures, the transmission rate of coronavirus has decreased. We therefore anticipate, with further progress, that we may be able, from the week commencing 1 June 2020, to welcome back more children to early years, school and further education settings. We will only do this provided that the five key tests set by government justify the changes at the time, including that the rate of infection is decreasing. As a result, we are asking schools, colleges and childcare providers to plan on this basis, ahead of confirmation that these tests are met. The confirmation will depend on science advice at that time.

The latest scientific advice to government is that:
• there is high scientific confidence that children of all ages have less severe symptoms than adults if they contract coronavirus and there is moderately high scientific confidence that younger children are less likely to become unwell if infected with coronavirus
• limiting the numbers of children going back to school and college initially then gradually increasing numbers, guided by scientific advice, reduces risk of increasing the rate of transmission
• schools and other settings can make changes to how they are organised and put measures in place to reduce risks

The full guidance can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers/reopening-schools-and-other-educational-settings-from-1-june#how-will-risks-to-children-teachers-and-families-be-managed

On the basis of that scientific evidence, we are planning to gradually return pupils and limit the numbers that can go back in order to reduce the risk of transmission. We’ve also issued guidance to schools, colleges and early years providers on the measures they should put in place to reduce risk of transmission in settings further. These measures include children staying within smaller groups wherever possible and limiting contact between different groups. We have also set out a range of additional protective measures settings can take including frequent cleaning, encouraging good hand and respiratory hygiene, reducing ‘pinch points’ (such as parents dropping children off at the start and end of day), and using outdoor space.

The Government is developing a new test and trace programme. Its goal is for anyone who needs a test to access one. The programme will bring together an app, expanded web and phone-based contact tracing, and swab testing for those with potential coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms. This programme will play an important role in helping to minimise the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the future.

How are you going to support children with SEND into going back to school? I'm particularly thinking about those on the SEN register but without an EHCP. It's not going to be easy getting them back when they have not had to manage the anxiety of being in the school environment in what feels like a largely unsupported educational setting for so long

How is this true when the DfE chief scientific advisor has himself said that he has not been consulted on this?

Are 11+ & grammar exams still going ahead for year 6 students

I am not childminder, I'm say about a primary school

In response to your answer about how you are intending to keep children and staff safe - do you really think that is enough?
Guidance to the nation is to stay 2m apart; teachers don't need to.
Guidance to the nation is to where masks in close quarters like public transport; teachers don't need them.
Guidance to the nation is to only meet people 1:1; teachers it's 1:15.
You're basically saying go in medium groups (let's face it 15 isn't small) try your best to avoid each other and hope for the best. That's not you keeping children and teachers safe!

What about the risks to the adults who are working with the children, their families and the families of the children themselves? Children may well be less likely to become unwell but the adults are not and the children carry it to them.

@HangryChip

Full time working parents with Year 1 and preschooler. The formative years are critical to schooling and frankly mine are suffering benign neglect with stressed parents who have had to take paycuts. It is not sustainable until a cure is found, and would take an immense toll on jobs especially of mothers. However our local school appears to be fighting reopening because it is "not safe".

My question is: Is there recognition distancing measures are not pragmatic especially with younger years and average class sizes of 30, particularly with current facilities and staff numbers? What practical guidance and support is the government providing to schools and in enduring steps are being taken to to reopen? Thank you.

It is still important to reduce contact between people as much as possible, and we can achieve that and reduce transmission risk by ensuring children, young people and staff where possible, only mix in a small, consistent group and that small group (or "bubble") stays away from other people and groups. Public Health England (PHE) is clear that if early years settings, schools and colleges do this, and crucially if they are also applying regular hand cleaning, hygiene and cleaning measures and handling potential cases of the virus as per the advice, then the risk of transmission will be lowered. I'd also like to repeat again that the opening of schools on 1 June is dependent on the science advice at the time, and therefore depends on the five tests being met..

Will you release the scientific advice as the unions have been asking for this and the government has not done this

On the basis of that scientific evidence, we are planning to gradually return pupils and limit the numbers that can go back in order to reduce the risk of transmission

Please explain what is gradual about the ambition for all primary pupils to be back just 3 weeks later than the initial return of yr / 1 & 6 so they can all have a month of schooling before the summer?

As an SEN and EYS teacher I would love to know how to reduce contact between the children and ourselves as well as the children them selves....impossible!

I'd like to ask if they are thinking at all about legally changing the ratios for the time being, I'm a QTS working in a nursery setting and I cannot believe that in primary the guidance says 15 children and in my case working with younger ones it will be up to 13 as ratios haven't been changed and working in small groups is only a suggestion, considering these children will not be sitting at a desk but playing freely most of the time.
Also if I may, why do we keep looking at Denmark for example when their situation is very different, why not look at countries with similar data? For example the Spanish association for paediatrics has put out a statement saying that children aged 0 to 6 will not go back to settings until the pandemic is controlled and if they must for whatever reason they do have strict guidelines such as, groups of maximum 5 children. There is certainly not enough studies and data to say children aren't superspreaders as schools were first to close so they didn't even have the "chance" to spread the virus much.

@insancerre

I work in a nursery with children aged from 1 to 4, how can I care for them and practice social distancing?

I want to respond to a number of questions on social distancing here. I completely understand that social distancing within childcare settings with very young children will be harder to maintain. We know that, unlike older children and adults, early years and primary age children cannot be expected to remain 2 metres apart from each other and staff. In deciding to bring more children back to early years and schools, we are taking this into account.
It is still important to reduce contact between people as much as possible, and we can achieve that and reduce transmission risk by ensuring children, young people and staff where possible, only mix in a small, consistent group and that this small group or "bubble" stays away from other people and groups. We are also asking schools and Early Years providers to limit contact between parents, for example ensuring only one parent drops their child at the setting, that parents do not enter the setting unless there is a specific need (for example if the child is in a wheelchair) and to stagger pick up and drop off times. There have been some very good examples of this working in other countries.
The safety of children and people working in childcare settings is our top priority.
We are issuing specific guidance on PPE and implementing safety measures in education and childcare settings. We will also be publishing more detailed operational guidance to support settings as they plan for re-opening.

Hi

I work in a nursery with children aged 6months to 4 years. Please can you tell me how we stop the spread of virus by children putting things in their mouths when viruses can live on surfaces.

Also with a toddler ratio being 1 adult to 4 children how do we social distance adults?
Can I confirm that staff still need to social distance from each other as adults are know to carry it and if so could a Rota system be recommended in nurseries where only have the staff you require that day rather than the who Nursery staff team attending at once?

How come a teacher can teach 15 pupils in the so-called 'small bubble group' but only see 1 other person outdoors? Children can't see their family but they can socialise with other children and adults at school?