First ministers briefing

[Trichford]

Is there one on today? If so what time will it be? Thanks

It looks like a continuing school fiasco at least ‘til Christmas doesn’t it? Just had yet another begging email from poor old Edinburgh and highland wildlife zoos as they can’t afford to feed animals and the English zoos are opening.

Oh dementedma that's awful for her. And for you

Your poor mum, @dementedma. That is awful

I’m also in Edinburgh and gobsmacked by the 4 days every three weeks. I am also a teacher so not sure what I do with my kids for two weeks out of three?! Yes, there might be hubs but no real Lear big goes on there so I would have to put in a full day at school and then come home and educate my own children from 6-9pm. That’ll work well

Where is the best place to complain here? The Council seems the obvious place, but they will say they are limited by the 2m rule. So the Scottish Government? John Swinney?

I've never really been very switched on about political campaigning and complaining.

Or do people think this just is the best we can do for now and we have to suck it up?

@Noworrieshere: school, director of education; your MSP; John Swinney. And join the group I linked to above.

@Noworrieshere that is appalling. Is that a secondary school?

@LoopyGremlin I’m in exactly the same position. No idea what I do on the 3 days a week that there is no school place. After last night’s EIS webinar I don’t even feel confident that there will be a hub place. This is only going to get worse if teachers can’t come in. Without staff the available days will be even fewer.

So sorry to hear about your poor mum dementedma, that is an absolute bloody disgrace.

I am so worried about the mental health of our country ( I include myself in that). The impact of missing major surgery, of missing chemotherapy, of missing work, of missing school, of missing people and just generally missing things.

@mondaywine Sorry to hear you are in a similar position. I can only hope that as my husband is also considered a key worker who cannot work from home then we might get a space. If not, my options are

1. quit my job- not great when more rather than less teachers are needed
2. employ a nanny
3. look into private school (goes against my principles)

It’s very worrying.

@dementedma

@noworrieshere There's a group called "us for them" on twitter and Facebook that's campaigning on this issue

Can someone link to the Edinburgh "4 days in 15" proposal please.

Posters who are teachers - are you being given any kind of info on who’s supposed to set and assess and give feedback on this ‘home learning’? Are teachers expected to do it on top of planning/delivering in-class learning?

Thank you for the kind messages. Today she asked me to go to the local paper shop to pay for her papers. It is about 1 min away by car( I had called in on my way back from shopping). Then she asked "Can I come with you if I stay in the car? Just to get out?". This woman has independently travelled to China,New Zealand, Africa, USA with a backpack and a vague "I'll be back in a few months, love. I'll send a postcard" and now a car ride to a shop two streets away is the highlight. Our elderly deserve better than this.

@GoldenOmber
The letter says children will be in all week from Mon-Thurs but that schools will be operating at 33% capacity which suggests children will be in every third week

Shall we start a new thread specifically for Education post August?

2 days a week for primary schools in Fife. Secondary even less I think.....building to 50%.

I'm writing to my MSP, John Swinney and Fife Education Director.

Awful awful awful.

@Timefor45 good idea. I tried to start one in Coronavirus but scotsnet is better place for it

I found the Us for them tv page - you have to search for Usforthem Scotland. Closed group so membership pending.

Agree that new thread re August education a good idea

That Edinburgh council plan is as clear as mud.

We’re in Fife and we’ve just been told that primary pupils will get two days a week and secondary pupils just one day a week to start with as no more than 20% of secondary pupils will be allowed in at once. I don’t understand a) how parents of primary pupils (Including teachers themselves) can combine that pattern with work and b) how exam pupils can possibly prepare for exams with just one fifth of the teaching time. How long until the 2021 exams are cancelled?

I've got 3 kids in 3 different schools, 1 in primary, 1 in secondary and one in a specialist music secondary. So there is zero chance of mine all being in on the same day. I honestly think I might as well resign now. I know this is a short term thing but the stress of this even till Christmas will be so hard, my employer's patience will understandably run out. I'm already under pressure be back in the office. I work 4 days a week and they are desperate for me to go in 2.

Also in edinburgh. I’ve heard some of the overcrowded schools Can only Manage 33%. I’m sure ours could do 50%. I hope they’ll let schools do their own thing - most oversubscribed schools are in “naice” areas and most undersubscribed have more vulnerable kids.