First ministers briefing

[Trichford]

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

still haven't heard anything from my local authority about their plans.

Sturgeon is probably wanting the furlough extension to keep both parents and teachers happy when education is a devolved matter.

A group of local mums are compiling a list of tv and youtube learning to help each other home school, although its all primary and nothing for secondary :(

So you've got Glasgow Science centre facebook live daily sessions, edinburgh zoo, joe wicks, myleene klass, Oti from strictly come dancing, and Artie from the Singing Kettle doing his songs at home

I've just sang along to "a pizza hut, a pizza hut...." and I'm 40 lol

(artie is here: www.youtube.com/channel/UCjbJOamkQGDO2SfD8V6c94Q)

I can’t remember if it was on this thread I posted it but I am just really quite angry that any headroom to allow greater transmission isn’t being allocated to schooling rather than pubs etc. Ok, it’ll cost us as a society but so will the long term impact of just not bothering to educate the next generation! The more I think about it the angrier I get. What about the attainment gap, mental health, our international competitiveness ...? What about all that...?

@museumum The letter did sound like schools with more capacity would be able to offer more than 33% class time. Fingers crossed the primary my kids attend is one of them. I’ve got friends with kids at Towerbank though and can only imagine their time in school will be limited given their roll and the fact that every available space has already been commandeered for classroom space. The school in which I teach is undercapacity so I’m hopeful that my students will get more than one week in three!

I am just really quite angry that any headroom to allow greater transmission isn’t being allocated to schooling rather than pubs etc

Me too, but then not everyone is a parent. I was talking to my boss today and she had no idea that schools were not going back full time in August. So if you're not a parent I suppose you don't really care how many days kids are in school. Bigger picture and all that shit....

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/scotsnet/3934381-So-when-are-we-going-back-to-school?pg=1

Shall we move discussion about schools over here? I think it's good to have something specifically for Scotland

I agree, lets have a separate school thread

Although education will still be mentioned in the briefings

@museumum are there any under subscribed schools in Edinburgh? The school I work at is one of the most deprived in the city and we've been informed of the 33% model today. No mention of higher capacity

@midnightstar66 The letter states that when and where conditions allow, capacity will be increased to 50%. I know my school is not undersubscribed as such but was built for more pupils than we currently have so there are a few spare classrooms.

Have teachers had any different info from parents so far?

Sorry, ignoring my own suggestion to move the school chat elsewhere. I'll post on the other thread

@midnightstar66 well tynecastle for example is well under capacity (though obv only staffed for the roll they have).

The way In which other teachers and myself have been addressed by some posters, not all others Have been understanding and supportive, in this thread would not exactly attract me to discuss what teachers are aware of.

That said I would be happy to contribute to a thread where we share our worries . If that was a thread started in the recognition that teachers are not policy makers or politicians but educational professionals. If that transpires as a teacher and worried parent I would be happy to chip in.

@midnightstar66. Quite a few Edinburgh secondaries have capacity.

@Lidlfix, I am very sympathetic to the plight the teachers find themselves in. They are indeed not policy makers and they have to do as they are told.
I am less sympathetic to the teachers that try to defend the situation or, even worse, state that it is a good situation or, at the very least, the best one can hope for.

Defending ourselves and the situation we have, like everyone else, been plunged into is natural. Some of the posts on this thread have been offensive and accusatory.

Most of wish we knew what the situation we are going to be in August is I in real terms . I haven't seen many teachers trying to defend the unknown.

We worry about our pupils, their families and ourselves. Pretty much the same as all of society. We defend the right to be concerned about all the same issues .

@LoopyGremlin sorry I was thinking only about primaries (rather selfishly I suppose) as that's what applies to me both for dc, work and friends dc.

@Lidlfix apologies if I have seemed pissed off with teachers, my frustration and anger is directed purely at the politicians.

I know that my daughter's teachers are all working very hard in a unique and challenging environment. I'm sure that applies to the overwhelming majority of teachers.

@midnightstar66 There are some primaries sitting with more than 20% capacity too. I just didn’t put the screenshots on as there were more of them! They can be found here though. Hopefully these schools might be able of offer more than 33%. They of course tend to be in the less “desirable” schools and some parents might complain that it isn’t fair. www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/file/22447/primary-school-roll-projections

That's why I was asking a question, I honestly thought it was a city wide issue I obviously only know about the ones locally and even the more deprived schools are full or very nearly and will struggle - ours due to lay out. DC's school comes under the 'naice' bracket and has 'classrooms' in hallways. More worry from the parents of DC's school though for what on earth this means for work when it seems no 2 weeks will look the same. It's been suggested (but not confirmed) that my dc will get a key worker place - how that might look with a possible key worker bubble with mixed year groups is worrying too - will it be more childcare than learning like at the hubs. I suppose just wait and see - things will probably change several times. Will direct any more discussion to the education thread.

On a different note, does anyone think NS will do bubbles, like in England?

That's still with SD though, isn't it?

Trump, your name is on that screenshot, you might want to edit.

I always find her press conferences far more informative than the WM ones and she uses much clearer language - and I like the way Jason Leach comes across (even though I had cause to dislike him for blocking a work-related project).