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

We had a FB post from the head teacher today saying that end of term reports and class/teacher assignments for next year were posted today. No further info. If they missed last posting it'll be Saturday at the earliest when we get that, most likely Monday.

@nextslideplease, well Stirling, Falkirk and Clackmannanshire do.
Makes no sense, really. Ok, it does look as JS told everybody to go back one week early on a whim, but still... 2 weeks in October at this moment in time seems rather stupid.

we're not going back a week early in North Lanarkshire - ends up only 1 day early as there's only 1 inservice day instead of 2. We only get 1 week in October but some areas get 2 weeks already

I might feel more comfortable going on holiday in October compared to August. Depends how things go obviously.

DD was supposed to get an end of year report (pre covid it was in the timetable) but I don't know if thats been shelved due to lockdown or we will still get one by email or post.

The school sent an end of term email today thanking everyone for their hard work and saying they have an above average rate of online learning which I find really hard to believe as its one of the lowest performing schools in the league tables (although does have one of the highest number of positive destinations). Very many of the pupils are from deprived parts of the LA with no internet, free school meals, low income families etc.

Stoorie, whilst pondering the why there was another consultation for 2 week October break I said it wasn't long since the last one. It was the school year 2010/11 . Stirling voted overwhelmingly then for 2 weeks but hadn't consulted fully with all parents so it couldn't be implemented. The consultation exercise this year was the same result but carried out much better.

Personally I am relieved that we are having the 2 week October break this year. Going from 11th August to 23 Dec on one week off would be awful for the kids and teachers alike. No September weekend no November inservice in Stirling this year.

I completed 2 sets of reports during school closures. They were pushed back a couple of weeks to allow us to concentrate on estimates but after that we had to crack on .

@CaptainMerica

Yep, Aberdeenshire. Haven't been forwarded that one yet but have been told to expect more emails today/monday.

We are currently working on the premise he's going 2 days a week and if it's more yay, if not we'll deal with it. At least it's every week.

We finally got our letter today. It was a nice letter actually. It said they are planning for full time, and it will still be full time if 1m distancing in place. 2 days per week if 2m, and they let us know which days. Can't ask for more than that really.

Our letter arrived today. Zero information about timetable, just new class and teacher.

I am sure there is a lot of head banging going on in council offices :D

From an infection control POV wouldn’t consecutive days be better? Or is alternative better to reduce the viral load? Or for some other reason? Trying to predict what they’ll choose.

And then cleaning would need to be when to be optimal? Weekend gives you two days for it to become minimal anyway so ideally Sun afternoon to remove any traces from surfaces etc , and then what, Wed? I wish they’d open the windows for a good airing but I suspect they won’t due to health and safety.

I don't see it happening because of the unions and the lack of time schools are being given to change back to full time. furthermore, we still have the 2m rule in place, and even with 1m, some schools will find it difficult.

So we might hear excuses that its still not safe, have our health as the no1 priority, going to push back full time learning til october...oh here's an extra week holiday in october to make you forgive us.

We've finally had communication from our school. They're hoping for full time but planning for 'blended.' Due to the layout of the building with 2m distancing they can fit 8 children in each classroom. With the blended approach and 2 days in school, they'll split the groups again, they'll get morning in the classroom with a teacher and afternoon in another space with a TA or vice versa. So that's around 5 hours with a teacher per week. How is this good enough? Praying for levels to stay low and get back full time.

It's not an extra week in October though it's the rescheduling of a lost week. I hope they don't try to sell it like that.

I have received nothing from where I teach or where my DD attends. Presumably because they have deemed it pointless. I have no idea what model I will return to so can't prepare anything. But I really need to step away from work so it's probably better for me.

I don't think anyone knows what is going to happen, but I know a couple of people in life sciences and nhs who have been told to prepare for a possible second peak. It makes sense to give that extra weeks school holiday in October, the start of flu season, if they are working to the possibility we'll be back in lockdown with remote learning around then.

It has always been clear restrictions will change depending on the virus's path. School leaders who didn't implement scalable plans for either eventually have let themselves, and the pupils down. The virus and restrictions are going to develop and change for the foreseeable future, especially over flu season and well into next year, and at this stage schools should be prepared for change and shouldn't be recoiling in horror when asked to.

From the experiences I have had School leaders have prepared for 33%, 50% at 2 metres distancing and then 100% with no decision on distancing. Just because they haven't shared it doesn't mean it hasn't been done.

Yes it frustrates me as a parent and a teacher but (reluctantly) I understand their motivation for waiting.

We always have 2 weeks in October, and are getting the extra week added to next summer, I think. Which is a pain, as there is no way I can cover an extra week of holidays next year, unless I'm allowed to carry the annual leave over. I'd rather they had this coming week off (a week to go here).

I wonder if it will be full time Aug to Oct, then blended through to Xmas. No point speculating, I guess. I think schools in Scotland are in quite a good position now to handle whatever the future brings as best they can.

Our parents were given information on who their child's teacher will be but nothing about what August might look like as they simply don't know. I imagine there is some sort of part-time/blended plan which hopefully won't be needed. Seemingly schools won't know what will be happening until the end of June.

As I've already lost a week's holidays, I won't be going in before the in-service days to sort stuff out, and neither will any of my colleagues that I've spoken to so far.

But you'll get the weeks holiday back somewhere else in the year, it's not 'lost.'

Thousands of nhs workers have lost holidays, weeks worth of leave cancelled and they won't get to take it elsewhere in the year. It just simply won't be possible to have that many staff on leave at once. At least as a teacher you are guaranteed the time off elsewhere, please remember other public sector works are not so fortunate and don't have 6 weeks off right now. In fact where most holiday requests over school holidays have been cancelled, you are still getting your break.

I know its England but apparently they are all going back full time in September in "bubbles" of 30.

Is that not a normal class size (or near enough?). How is that a bubble?

and apparently there will be a "different approach" to social distancing in schools. What could that mean? Could it mean social distancing in pubs and shops but not at all in schools?

Sounds like back to normal to me, although disguised as safe?

@nextslideplease yes 30 would be normal class size. Maybe they mean no assemblies, staggered lunch/breaks and all that?

There was an interesting interview with Prof Sridhar on the BBC yesterday. She was saying that the cases of Covid19 in July will determine school opening in August. Really hope most people don't go crazy with the reopening...

BBC News - Coronavirus: July 'crucial' for suppressing virus in Scotland
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-53211921

Just read this on the Us For Them group, kind of blows the "it's not safe" argument right out of the water:

Glasgow City Council responded to the FOI request we made:
How many children are currently attending the learning hubs set up to look after keyworker children in Glasgow?
Numbers have varied day to day with key worker shift pattern needs: with the highest number of children in the hubs at 1,144.
How many staff are caring for them?
Again numbers vary due to numbers of young people anticipated daily with the highest number of staff in hubs at 439.
How many cases of Covid19 have been reported in those children/staff during that time?
Zero reported positive cases from within hubs.

The 1144 children will be spread over several hub schools in very small bubble groups. It's nothing like normal school at all. From what I've been told in Edinburgh they have 5 children per adult and I think 5 hubs. I imagine in Glasgow they'll be more hubs as it's bigger.

Even so. These are the children who are supposed to be most likely to be in contact with Covid19 via their parents who are nurses, doctors, carers, bus drivers, supermarket workers - other people in contact with the public all day.

And not one single solitary case.

Exactly @SockYarn. I just don't get why people are so loathe to believe it.