Why on earth are so few parents signing the petition to reopen schools?

At my primary school we will be fully open to all year groups from Monday.

We are able to do this as only 20% of our children are coming back.

Many parents do not want their children back yet.

And l can’t find anything at all about the curriculum being vastly reduced. That would be madness.

It would destroy the engineering, design, drama and music professions. And all the universities who offer courses in this.

Design is one of the UK’s biggest exports.

My son is supposed to attend a special school I'm happy for him to go back but they won't allow it! He's received no education at all since March and it's having a negative effect on his mental health 😩.
His younger sibling could go back but I couldn't send her due to drop off pick ups only being allowed one person and I would have her brother in tow! It's all a mess and his school don't seem to care at all 🤬

@cerveebee

I too live in an entirely selective county with a Y5 child who is due to sit 11+ in Sep (although now looks likely to be November) and am well aware that prep schools are back (one at the end of my road). This is because primaries are allowed to open (they weren't open to non-key worker children until guidance changed) and the private schools don't have the same limitations with space/class sizes/staffing so can welcome most children bqck. So they are opening in line with govt guidance. I am aware that some local schools are getting some pupils outside priority groups back but my children can't return until .

My eldest is at private secondary and won't be returning until September as she's not in Y10 & 12 which are the only year groups highlighted by DfE. Which is absolutely fair as otherwise it puts her at even more of an advantage.

It's the disadvantaged pupils in state primaries who will suffer in the 11+ - the private tuition industry is continuing to operate here as ever. But they always do in normal times - the system just doesn't work. But that's for another thread!

One of my neighbours has a Y7 daughter weekly boarding who has been able to attend school as a pp mentioned up thread - not sure how that works, though!

I just have everything crossed that they all go back in September. Ideally simultaneously!

GCSEs started getting scrapped just before CV. Due to budget cuts schools were already reducing options and teachers.

And with social distancing how can schools run a full curriculum? There’s at least 11 different subjects. School here there would be around 1600 students doing them from September.

Mine have had to scrap most of them and offering obviously the core subjects then they have another subject to chose from a very diluted list.

Other schools are already doing this now so they can plan for September. If things change by September then more subjects can be offered.

All the info about exams and GCSEs are in the gov site and of course the exam sites. When the exam boards were open for their consultation, one of the suggestions they were looking at was changing the curriculum. They make their announcement end of the month/beginning of next month.

I’m in with mine twice before summer for a bit. Non ebacc subject....... no redundancies or lost jobs..... in fact not enough staff

tinseltitsandlittlegits that is quite shocking.
I have to ask, have you spelt out to school the reason why your younger child can't attend?
I know at my school ,staff would be offering solutions,, like coming out to the street to meet you to hand over younger child.

There’s teachers also posting on the forum that since the schools closed they’ve been made redundant.

And dilution of gcse options is also impacted by the lack of teachers needed for all the bubbles.

Some are giving pupils a reduced list now. Others are giving the full options and will offer what they can from the popular choices.

If they wait for the next announced to start planning for September it will mean another holiday school staff will loose.

Many schools started planning for closure don’t forget the same week back from February half term. Many had already closed before government issued the order.

I use the weekly contact with school to ask about all these things, as well as read their in-depth newsletters with all the links to gov and lea. Every week it’s 8 pages at the moment. Normally 4 at the most. They are planning for various scenarios including a total overhaul of the curriculum.

It’s crazy that nothing can go forward until the exam board make a decision and they aren’t allowed before the end of June. This should have been altered for this year to give schools time to plan well anything.