So when are we going back to school?

[RaraRachael]

I was under the impression that NS had announced that all schools in Scotland would start back on August 11th. I have had surveys from my local authority asking when we would like the week's holiday in lieu and if we want 1 or 2 in-service days before we start back in August.

Last night a colleague posted a piece showing all the start dates from the different authorities - some were 10th August, !1th, 12th up to the 18th and 19th.

I am totally confused

The short answer is "who cares". If you have a holiday booked, go on holiday. If you don't, go to school.
So much faffing... And why have another week's holiday. Shouldn't we try to cram as many school days as possible before the winter? Have the additional holidays (if you must have them) later on.

Our council dates already had the teachers starting back on 11th with inservice days 11th and 12th and kids going back on 13th. I don't know if it will stay that way though. Its a long way away so I imagine the finer details have still to be worked out. They have also given an idea that kids will be in 2 days a week but with different year groups in on different days and that there will be a lot of home learning

Arkadia nobody is having another week's holiday. We are being given the option to have the week deferred until next year. There will actually be more teaching days if we go back on August 11th .

which week is getting deferred? Were you not due back until later than the 11th?

We were due back on the 18th so would have lost a week's holiday. We have been given the option of finishing a week earlier in June this year or next year. Hope that makes sense.

My local authority has published term dates showing 11th and 12th as in service, 13th as the day we start back.

That's about a week earlier than it should have been.

And it better be full time too, the sharp decrease in numbers do not justify this silly blended learning, part time approach.

If we do the "blended teaching" suggestion, then who is going to provide the online education while we're in school teaching half the pupils? I had heard that Education Scotland were going to be providing this, but I won't hold my breath.

All schools must open for pupils on the 12th. Inservice day is 11th. If the LA want two inservice days then they have to have it on the 10th. Any missed summer holiday will be added elsewhere in the year, probably June 2021. If the 10th is taken as an inservice it’ll be added elsewhere too. Children will continue to have 190 contact days and staff 195 days. No authority are starting beyond this date. Some staff
may not be back if they have a holiday booked during the week of the 11th.
The return will certainly be part time to begin with. No one knows how long it will be. We are in from Monday setting up for this model. I have no idea how the online bit will work when I am working full time in school (children in for two days in rotating groups). I feel for secondary colleagues as timetabling is very tough in a normal school year.

Mondaywine your authority seems a lot better organised than mine. We were told we were allowed in as of last Wednesday. Now all of a sudden nobody is allowed in until further notice. We have no idea why. We always just have the Monday for in-service so no idea why we were given the option for 2 days. If that was the case the kids wouldn't start back until the Thursday if the half class Monday/Tuesday, closed for cleaning on Wednesday, half class Thursday/Friday scenario goes ahead.

Our council hasn't said anything definite yet.
@RaraRachael, I was under the impression that the total number of school days wasn't going to change. What is this "holiday in lieu" you talk about?

The closed Wednesday model isn’t the one that is being adopted everywhere. I have heard it talked about in the west but nowhere else. We have had two inservice days in August for a lot of years now. I would not want to return in August without two inservice days. I cannot begin to imagine how much guidance/ change will be announced over the summer and retiring for one day would feel chaotic

Some children won’t be in on the 12th but schools will be running their model from that date. We were supposed to be in from Monday as the hub was moving out but it’s now not leaving until the last day of term. This causes huge issues for preparation.

Holiday in lieu will depend on when you were due back in August. Our schools should not have opened to pupils until the 19th and will now open from the 12th. Also if schools take the 10th as an inservice that will need to come from somewhere else. This is the holiday time in lieu. It’s unlikely anywhere is taking it this term now as we are so close to summer and so much is needing done. That week will need to be paid back to the staff in later opening LAs at some point in the next academic year.

Our council is showing it as different year groups in 2 different days Monday to Thursday and then Friday is free.

Arkadia we were due back on 18th so if we go back on 11th we will lose a week's holiday. Therefore we were given the option of finishing a week early in June 2020 or 2021

Not that I have any DC in school, but the regular model for Edinburgh is half days on Friday so if doing 2 days for each group, then it will have to either be full days on Fridays with the Wednesday off or groups are in Mon/Tues and then Wed/Thurs with Fridays off.

Or they could just get all kids back to school...

The LA I work in are the same @WaxoOnFeckOff and my understanding is that the two days at the moment will be Mon/Tues or Wed/Thur. Friday still open for key worker and vulnerable children.
I really believe there is no way we will all be back in August. I’d love it but I don’t believe it.

I'm not in Edinburgh anymore but family with DC at school will be affected. in my current LA, DC were not due back until a week later, based on the evidence out my window and when out at shops etc, a lot of DC have probably already been mixing with their classmates, more so in the mid/late high school years. New s1s will probably not be mixing with new classmates, more so their p7 friends.

I am sure there will be loads of Dc not in this position but for obvious reasons they aren't quite as visible.

@mondaywine we're half day Friday here too, it seems like we'll we moving to mon/tue and thurs/fri and using the wed as a deep clean day.

We were meant to be back the 19th, no discussion so far of that extra week at school.

@TheCanyon I had presumed we’d do the same but not what the jungle drums are suggesting!

I would not want to return in August without two inservice days. I cannot begin to imagine how much guidance and change will be announced over the summer and retiring for one day would feel chaotic

We've been told that to use the two weeks we still have to get the school building/classrooms ready to go and do some planning for the return. We won't allowed in the building over the summer at all. Think I'm the same authority as the OP as I got the email yesterday too.

I really don't see the point of the 11th, why have one group in for one day? Better to start on the Monday and make a go of it.

I'm not sure how much planning needs to be done in the building as opposed to from home? You should still be wfh if at all possible. If an area picks Mon/Tues in, Wed/Thurs in for next group, that's going to be a fast clean on the Tuesday evening! I have heard a secondary say they could fit a third in rather than half, so how would three groups go in? Hmm.

Planning can be done from home, but we're still using hard copies so they had to be swapped over for the new teacher. Plus the physical organisation needs to all be in place, desks moved, all soft furnishings removed, all individual stationery packets made up, etc.

I see, thanks. Don't be moving the desks yourselves though! (Unless they are teeny infant ones I guess )

Our janny refuses to move desks

more likely to damage myself on my annual papering obstacle course

I am pissed off with the whole thing tbh. Its a shambles