Are schools returning ON or FROM 11th?

[JamMakingWannaBe]

Is the guidance for schools to return ON or FROM 11th?

We were due back on 19th and have a UK holiday booked for the week before.

Council's publish their school term dates years in advance and our childminder gives us her year planner too. ON 11th will bugger up a lot of plans. Teachers will also have made summer holidays plans and shouldn't miss out on their holidays.

Does anyone know when we can expect further guidance - especially from our local Council/ school? I'd really prefer it to be ON 19th.

I'm sure I read yesterday that all areas are being aligned together to go back on the 11th?

But the first 2 days are usually in service days anyway.

It's worth directing your question to your local authority - if it had a different start date then it should have a clear position on this (perhaps not yet as it came as a bit of a surprise on Thurs) soon.

It is on. There’s won’t be two inservice days, probably just one on the 10th. All local authorities have been brought into alignment and will start on the same day across Scotland. Teachers/ local authorities who were due back later will have the leave added to the last week of this term or the last week of summer term 2021.

On at the moment. But this could mean loss of a week's holidays for a lot of local authorities.None of this has been put before SNCT yet. The unions view 11th August as aspirational. They will need to negotiate where the lost week is added back in. Personally I hope it's not at the start as this will impact on the time we have prepare for blended learning. And for the pupils' sake I hope it's not added to next year's summer as this is going to be a weird school year and very few (if any) will have had much of a holiday. So the chance to get a break before next summer will be beneficial.

I'd count on going to school before being able to go your holiday.

For sure. Lots of term time holidays coming to add to the complexity of blended learning.

Schools will return on 11 August, one week earlier than planned for most pupils

www.gov.scot/news/schools-to-re-open-in-august/

This is very annoying. Why change it? There’s enough upheaval as it is. I don’t see the benefit.

Apparently uniformity is desirable. Fine if you have a two week October break. Going from 11th August to 23rd December with one week of holiday will be brutal .

Uhhh. I'll wait for guidance from my LA.
I'd like to think they will stick to 19th but...

Me too but don't hold out much hope

Going from 11th August to 23rd December with one week of holiday will be brutal

I hadn’t thought of it like that

Someone mentioned no inservice days- I thought they were essential at the start of the year? I was assuming that there would be 2 as usual and the children would go back on the 13th

I expect 2 inservice. The picture will change so much over the summer that many final decisions will be left as late as possible.

If you have a commitment in the lost week the guidance says it should be honoured.

Our LA is starting back on the 11th rather than 19th. Holiday will be made up at some point.

We do get two weeks in October though.

It is all very early days, our school sent an email saying we would get emails over the summer holidays about how it was going to work.

Things like part time in school hours, transport, which years/when/how often, and even where they will be taught if in premises outside school is still all got to be worked out.

I would be okay with 11th return if our lost week was added to the October break for us. Neither teachers nor pupils would cope with 11/8 to 23/12 with one week holiday. No September weekend in my part if the world and inservice which used to take place in November ( so broke that long dark term up for pupils) have been moved.

Aberdeenshire council being non committal in the letter we got from the Director of Education a few days ago. Meant to be back on 18th.

Our council website has been updated. It shows Tuesday 11th and Wednesday 12th as in service days, children returning on Thursday 13th.

@JamMakingWannaBe in all honesty, who cares.
Even if you skip the first days of school it won't be the end of the world. And it is not like in England where they fine you.
If you have a holiday booked in, just go.
We are "lucky" because we were about to book (and coming back wee after the 11th) when all this started.

Exactly. Given that they are short-changing the kids by delivering 33% or 50% or whatever of their education for the foreseeable, they'd have a bloody cheek to pull you up on taking a holiday you'd already booked.

I'm wondering if the universal start time is because they intend to deliver some content centrally/nationally?

Not that affects me anymore as DC now in Uni, no idea yet what format that might take, I think they are both starting back late.

@SockYarn by "they" I assume you mean either virus particles or the central government, it's not a decision from anyone in education

Totally blaming the Scottish government for this fiasco.

@greathat,
the arrival of the virus was unpredictable, but the rest, i.e. the way it has been/is being handled, is TOTALLY the Scottish Government and the secretary of education (or whatever his title is)'s responsibility.
(unless be "central government" you meant NS and friends)