When are we going back to school 2

[RaraRachael]

New thread as the last one was getting full. Feel free to discuss, moan, speculate on anything to do with Scottish schools and what may/not be happening.

I'm fortunate that the school I start a new job in does lots of outdoor learning. So waterproof boots/waterproof coat, layers, wellies and waterproof trousers were stuff I have already purchased for when I did supply in the school.

I have no idea how my role will be. Usually in nursery, you are down at the children's level involved with them. I don't think wearing a mask will help as children do rely on looking at your face. I'm just worried that my job will become stand offish and not have that close contact with the children that they and I are used to.

I realise it's an ever changing situation but I feel woefully unprepared for returning to work as I just don't know what it will be like. I know day 1 is a health and safety morning before I meet with my team. Day 2 is blended learning incase it needs put into place at anytime if we need to close the school.

I want to be back full time and it is my LA's plan at this moment in time. However JS doesn't fill me with confidence and when he returned with tv cameras to his old school, the school kept my dd away due to how vocal she was at him having no idea about education. I actually think she would have given him a right grilling. I want to be able to relax and enjoy my last couple of weeks off before we enter the chamber of the unknown. As realistically until nearer the 10th of August we have no idea how things are going to work as everything could change at a moments notice.

@LovelyWeekAway

I love the idea of outdoor classrooms but sadly our Scottish weather just wouldn’t make this a realistic option.

Looking out of my window currently to rain and wind , and this is July.

We have some at our school and indeed it's not used much, except the kids playing in it at break times

The uncertainty isn't nice at all is it?

I'm wondering how dropping a few subjects leads to having three times as many spaces available for children and teachers available for all subjects. Do you want the fashion teacher taking french classes? The RMPS teacher taking Maths? Individual teachers might be able to handle that, but you couldn't have it as a general rule.

Before WFH, there was no social distancing or any room to do it. We don't know what to expect on our return. We are only being directed to SG guidance but very little information from our own managers.

Customer facing staff are the ones being phased back first. No perspex screens. No PPE. No gloves. Not enough toilets for staff as it is. Maybe some hand sanitiser if they are lucky. Pre pandemic there were lots of desks crammed in small (often windowless) offices so no social distancing. No idea how it will work going forward. Lots of speculation and rumours but little from our actual managers.

Yes I am WFH atm but not permanently. I am expected back when (if) schools go back but I don't know what to expect. There's been little to no information on what a return to work will look like. My point is that schools and teachers are getting more information (and publicity) than others in the public sector are.

Please read my posts properly instead of deliberately misquoting and twisting my words.

@Lidlfix

Are parents not concerned by posts that imply some parents would ignore symptoms as their kids get every cold going and have missed enough school as it is?

I'm a parent and that appalls me.

But let's keep it to those pesky teachers who are (not one of us has said it on this thread but hey don't let the truth get in the way) refusing to go back to work.

It's guaranteed to happen, look at the kids with very obvious noro etc symptoms sent in without a care in the world.

I'm deferring my return to work until next year, my youngest two always pick up every cough going, so I doubt they'll be at school much in the next year.

Maybe parents want that information? And that's why it's out more for schools.

I am not responding to any more comments you make about teachers.

TheCanyon hopefully much robust systems will be in place. I am quite happy to have my temperature scanned, be tested regularly etc . But there is only so much we can do if people are prepared to dismiss symptoms or self diagnose as just a cold.During a particular persistent Noro outbreak at my DD's school her classmate missed three weeks as her DF was undergoing aggressive chemo. The weeks were treated as authorised absence.

"More information may come though but definitely no PPE so don't think another public sector organisation gets it better than teachers do."

"Yes I am WFH atm"

In that respect, you already do have it better than teachers who have worked in schools during lock down haven't you?

"My point is that schools and teachers are getting more information (and publicity) than others in the public sector are"

I would rather have had less notice due to a well thought out protocol resulting in safer working conditions more consistent with protections offered to other workers such as yourself (because until they say otherwise the general guidance for all employers applies to you). When the government dilutes or removed bed that protection for your workplace I'll concede you "don't have it better"

Not school related but related to the going into work with symptoms thing. My employer decided that anyone taking a foreign holiday and catching CV would not be entitled to sick pay since the overarching government guidance is that travel should be essential even though it is allowed. So what behaviour is that encouraging? Obviously at the moment the vast majority of staff are at home anyway, so if mild symptoms could just work anyway, but if you ended up in hospital etc, no pay. It was challenged in numerous ways, one being that cigarette packets give a warning but we don't stop sick pay if someone gets lung cancer.

Mine are out in all weathers but time will tell how my youngest gets on in his outdoor nursery. He had a cough for about 5 months straight last winter - hoping the fresh air helps!

*That was in response to a pp. Hit reply but it's obviously not worked.

Can you challenge that as a change to your terms and conditions Wax? What if your holiday was booked and you risked losing thousands if you cancelled, I take it there would be no compensation. How did your employer respond to the valid challenges people made?

My DH's employer (public sector) policy was any quarantine requirement would be deducted from leave or unpaid which seemed fair and gave choice.

Yes @walksen.

Also, I would really hope that the government hasn't changed plans due to the publicity of the UsForThem FB group. I'm sure, like me, JS' u- turn took most by surprise.
Germany/ Denmark/ Norway all had part time schooling initially. I would have expected that the rest of the week was home learning for older children and outdoor sports clubs for younger children and I thought that was the plan but that seems to have had no mention recently. Perhaps due to the low instances of Covid in the community, it was felt that it's not needed however the Motherwell outbreak shows it's still there and how easily it can spread.
So ironic it's a call centre working on behalf of Public Health England.. you'd think they'd have robust Covid measures in place!

You hear more from usforthem and similar groups than you do from EIS etc.

No idea lidl, didn't affect me personally as I had a lovely lock down summer holiday 😢. They have a history for stupid comms and they never come back when they back down either. I'm just hanging on until I get the munchkins through uni and then I'll get a job that I don't have to think about when I'm not there.

They are a foreign company that expects complete compliance from employees which doesn't really work in the UK where we are all gobby shites! 😁This seems to produce a lot of confusion on their part and resentment on ours.

Awh that must have been rubbish! DH had to take a portion of his holidays during phase 1. Me working from home and him being on holiday but nothing open/nowhere to go can best be described as fraught.

My friend works for a huge multi national and says the UK contingent always cause a bit of a stir with their ,he would probably say, forthrightness .

Lidl, DH is NHS and couldn't move his hols, our ambition became as low as a drive and lunch out but even that was unachievable. Highlight was a picnic up dumyat on a cloudy day whilst illegally parked. Always next year.

@YonBonnieBanks

it was a PP who said other public sectors get PPE and I was pointing out that we don't.

We'll presumably they get PPE they has been recommended through an assessment

You proclaimed that you didn't get any in a way that implied this was a failing

I ask again, what PPE do you think you need?

No idea about fashion courses as I teach in primary but RME is a really important part of the curriculum. Knowledge about other religions and cultures is vital when we think about tolerance.Ignorance is a huge part of racism and xenophobia. These are often linked to a lack of knowledge about Islam etc. We live in Scotland. Ignorance about the believes of Christian groups has caused problems here for centuries. RME in secondary has a vital role in the teaching of critical thinking and is important in developing skills for any future humanities students. A curriculum of literacy and numeracy only is a very poor one.

Yes let's go back to the 3Rs, that will really helps boost the economy when young adults who can only read and write are looking for jobs. No other areas of knowledge required!

I've not replied for a while, and probably name changed too.

I don't now what went wrong at Seitel but it clearly shows that properly considered procedures need to be in place where large groups of people are in the same building. I don't think teachers are at all unreasonable in asking for safety measures to be properly thought through and planned.

And for asking for serious consideration to be given to any and all ways (blended learning for older pupils, s1-4 staying in their classrooms, staggered lunch and break times, whatever) of reducing any potential transmission. Every little helps and all that.

It's tough that there are only 2 in-service days before kids go back. That doesn't seem enough time for teachers to find out about the plans and to become comfortable with them, alongside their usual planning, to me. But as a parent I am desperate to get my kids back to school, for their mental health every bit as much as mine.

Mondaywine you sum that up really well, all true.
I believe unions asked for a week of inset when we return and were refused.

I worked at a Sitel building once and it was utterly utterly filthy. Mice, faeces smeared around the walls and doors in the bathroom...

I'm an atheist as are rest of family, never had an issue with rme for examples given. Religious observence is different and really is for the home and not school imo but rme definitely has a place.

Have JS on now. Full time with ‘appropriate mitigation’.

Staff to remain 2m away from children at all times