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

Of course Swinney has lied through his teeth. He very clearly said that part-time school was likely for the whole of next academic year. We all heard him. It was broadcast on the main TV news bulletins and reported on news websites. He cannot now stand there and say that he always planned part-time school as a contingency. We are not that stupid.

Prof Sridhar said about 2 weeks ago that when numbers were under 20 for new daily infections that she could see no justification for not opening schools normally, in full. Especially given what we now know about children not spreading it in the same way, 50% of cases in care homes etc. Cases are now 18 new per day on a 7 day average, down from 23 last week and 113 a month ago.

Schools were absolutely not looking at part-time school as a contingency either. We have had communication from both primary and secondary giving part-time arrangements, (40% of time for primary, 33% for secondary) and it was in a "this is what is happening" way.

The Facebook group was so successful as it showed the huge groundswell of public opinion. I know quite a few people in the group and none are the sort of people who would ever go on a political demo or email their MSP about anything. But this issue engaged them - the MSPs were finding their email boxes bulging with correspondence from people they hadn't heard from before, not the usual constituents who email three times a week about everything and anything.

We're not going away and we're keeping the pressure up. Swinney and Sturgeon have proved they cannot be trusted to tell the truth on the schools issue and are likely to u-turn again.

I don’t get what the Education Recovery Group have actually been doing? Swinney and the COSLA head of education he was leading it with and the EIS head who’s also on it all seem to have been at different meetings.

And if they have been assuming schools would go back f/t at SOME point, whether that’s August or January, why haven’t they been working on the conditions in place for that? Why is EIS throwing out suggestions like masks and Perspex screens as possible ideas, why isn’t it “oh good, now we’re moving to full-time we will of course be implementing all the infection control ideas for f/t school we’ve all discussed and agreed on”? It’s a bit odd.

That’s an excellent point @GoldenOmber. Despite full time learning obviously NOT being plan A until this week, it was surely on the cards at some point. So there should have been a plan written and agreed and ready to implement.

But then none of those meetings will have been minited so we will never know what was or wasn't said/agreed/actioned will we?

Actually there are ‘minutes’ if you can call them that, found here . It’s more of a paragraph really, the list of attendees literally takes up more space, and it’s ‘lacking in detail’ you might say. What is clear though is that they were planning to implement blended learning in August. It’s not immediately clear that they were planning anything else, but then the minutes are so short most detail has presumably been omitted.

on bbc live feed:

"John Swinney has said the final decision on the re-opening of Scotland's schools will be taken by the end of July."

So its not guaranteed.

I told you guys not to trust the bastard. He might U Turn again!

I told you guys not to trust the bastard. He might U Turn again!

I think he will. Certainly the only plan we have been given for ds is 2 days a week and we were only given said plan yesterday. It does technically suit us assuming everything is open, at least for ds's first term but how are we meant to plan for anything? It's an nightmare for all the working mums because most husband/partners work abroad/offshore. They have no idea what their childcare needs will look like.

Ds's closest friend isn't in his bubble. He gets fixed on things so don't want to tell him part time if it's not going to be or vice versa. It's a big enough transition without us being able to answer any of his questions.

But that’s not even remotely unexpected @nextslideplease given that’s the earliest planned date for stage 4? Nothing new as far as I’m concerned.

I honestly think they’ve tried to keep fear levels high by making us think more people have the virus than actually do and now there has been a backlash they are having to be more honest about it.

I agree with Fizzfan. Unless there is a significant resurgence in infection levels over the next month or so, I think full time schooling will be confirmed. There’d be no justifiable reason not to, and the science advisors would almost certainly agree. They’ve been exaggerating the danger for weeks now but when faced with economic and political realities have been forced to be honest, as Fizz says. Those realities aren’t going to disappear over the summer.

I think the "we've not decided yet" is more deflection and trying to back up the "blended learning was always the contingency " story.

Thanks for pointing to the minutes you I thought it might be another case of no one having a pencil.

To be honest, those ‘minutes’ don’t allow any level of scrutiny of decisions. It’s almost as though someone knew things might be contentious and didn’t want things being examined too closely but also knew they technically had to have minutes, so threw together the vaguest overview possible. Seriously, they have to be seen to be believed. Anyone who’s ever been in a minuted meeting will raise an eyebrow!

@Y0uCann0tBeSer10us those minutes are shocking! I can just imagine the response if I tried to give an equivalent to a client as a record of a meeting...

Those are the minutes I opened with a heavy heart expecting pages and pages..but weirdly really nothing in them!

Anyone who’s ever been in a minuted meeting will raise an eyebrow

I chair a local charity committee, minutes that shoddy would never get signed off. It's unacceptable. I know doing it via zoom has presented a few challenges but the two secretaries of the two committees I sit on/chair are doing a much better job.

It must be deliberately vague, I reckon.

@Dinosauratemydaffodils did you say you are Aberdeenshire? We got this letter from the director of education this morning, which clarifies nothing.

I think the summary is that they haven't got their head round the last plan yet, never mind started thinking about the new plan. And don't get over excited, because it might not happen... That's what I took away from that, anyway.

Still nothing from the school.

So, Falkirk, Clackmannanshire and Stirling have agreed to make up for the extra week in August adding one in October.
So, why are we starting early again? And wasn't there a better place to add the missing holiday?
I despair at times...

As far as I know Falkirk had already planned to have 2 weeks in October after a parent consultation. Stirling consulted for 2 weeks in October a couple of years ago and it wasnt implemented. I would rather they just finish a week early next June

[quote CaptainMerica]@Dinosauratemydaffodils did you say you are Aberdeenshire? We got this letter from the director of education this morning, which clarifies nothing.

I think the summary is that they haven't got their head round the last plan yet, never mind started thinking about the new plan. And don't get over excited, because it might not happen... That's what I took away from that, anyway.

Still nothing from the school.[/quote]
Well yeah. It reads as "We intend to reopen to all on the 12th but it might not happen, so don't say we didn't warn you if it doesn't".

As much as I'm keen for children to get back to their education properly, I really do feel for teachers who have basically been told in the last week/second last week of term that they should also now be planning for a normal timetable and that they'll find out during the holidays whether they need to be humphing furniture around or not.

@StoorieHoose, yes there has been a consultation, but I am not sure of what the outcome was. In any case it wasn't supposed to be implemented till 2022.
This time it has been explicitly said that it was to make up for the missed holidays. Nothing to do with the consultation.

Yeah, the least they should have done is start the kids back a week later (normal start date here) to give staff a week to get straight after the summer. It's not fair on them at all.

Ah ok @Arkadia. Thanks for the clarification

so some schools are doing two weeks October holidays?

I haven't heard from our LA about that yet.

I'd be surprised to hear anything from schools anytime soon. Since no one was consulted before JS's announcement there is no guidance so nothing can be planned. Schools don't know if full time means absolutely normal or what other considerations might need to be put in place like drop off&pickup/cleaning/lunches/transport. Some councils have banned schools releasing any information. Don't rage at schools, they literally know as much as you.