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.

DD is very anxious this morning.

Wondering what the 'rules' will be, wondering if she'll be in the same class as her bestie, wondering if lunch times will be shorter, wondering what she'll be allowed to take to school in her bag, wondering if there'll be another school closure in a few weeks, wondering how she will be able to stay safe and remember what to do.

I myself am getting increasingly worried that this will be full time return only for a few weeks, given all these clusters that are happening (latest is near us).

What time is JS up today, anybody know?

It's pretty much confirmed that the Scottish Gov is advocating a full reopening for schools. The details will be down to individual schools / councils and so will be highly unlikely to be communicated today or any time soon.

Isn't there meant to be an update on schools today though? I thought there was.

Really? My stomach is churning waiting for some details. If they draw this out any longer we'll be trying to read guidelines with a class of 30 sitting In front of us. Even being told if I can wear a face covering, should I choose, without consequence. About what observing social distancing "when possible" means would be a start.

There will need to be government guidelines for schools and councils to follow though, they can't all invent their own (in zero time)

I thought there wasn't anything official being announced until tomorrow?

Dunno, maybe I made it up! NS is talking now about ending shielding next week, we're staying in Phase 3 not moving to Phase 4 - oh hang on, school's up now.

LA's can phase pupils in during first week, but everyone back full time from the 18th.

still a possibility that there could be a national or local return to blended learning if cases rise

eg if Inverclyde cases kept going up

Ns says distancing should be adhered to where possible without compromising full time schooling
Eh?? Head teachers everywhere must be tearing their hair out

Yeah I thought that was a bit of a cop out too.

So how am I expected to socially distance from pupils in a P3 class?

Will it now be up to individual councils to set their own guidelines? Mine is useless in general, so I'm not very hopeful about what will be happening.

@RaraRachael I heard it as no social distancing required in primary schools. In secondary schools social distancing where possible but not if it disrupts the return to education. So if you can’t run a class and make sure that pupils social distance then you don’t attempt the social distancing and prioritise the teaching? Suspect that just means that there will be no social distancing in Secondary Schools, where I am all of the high schools are at or over capacity.

That means - it would be safer to distance but since most of our schools will not be able to do this due to number and building size, don't bother about it

In order to do SD, we could only take 1/3 of pupils in. So since we will have full numbers there isn't a hope in hell of distancing at secondary.

There will still be SD in primary though among the staff, which will have a bigger impact than you might imagine. Not as big as if staff are off sick though)

Even being told if I can wear a face covering, should I choose, without consequence.

That seems to be a yes.

www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-preparing-start-new-school-term-august-2020/

My understanding was that staff need to distance from each other and from pupils although pupils don't need to distance from each other IYSWIM - maybe I misunderstood

My understanding was that staff need to distance from each other and from pupils although pupils don't need to distance from each other IYSWIM - maybe I misunderstood

That's what I took from the guidelines above because it talks about masks if teachers are spending 15 minutes or more in close proximity to primary children. I think secondary pupils are meant to distance from each other and teachers though.

That's right Rara.
I can think of a couple of very under-subscribed schools were SD might be possible for the students. For everyone else it simply won't happen. They can't even be 1m apart. Maybe we can stop them hugging/snogging each other? Who knows.

so its basically get back to school and sort it all out yourselves

FFS

Some schools will have masks, some won't. Some schools will have SD and some won't. Some schools will lockdown and others will just impose masks.

It reminds me of the differences in the quality of blended learning. Now the standard of safety is going to be different from school to school as well.

And we still don't know the individual timetables. Will it be staggered starts? Shorter lunch times? different lunch times? Will any subjects be dropped?

So many questions still unanswered!

Just read all 49 pages . Basically what Brit said but not as succinct. BUT if I want to wear a mask the usforthemdementalists can rage as much as they like as article 81 protects the right of any child, young person or adult to wear one.

Yes I spotted that too Lidfix. That may be their next campaign!
There are lots of suggestions re changing timetables etc, but nothing that actually has to happen.

Reading through the glee I don't think many of them have read the 49 pages... I doubt we've heard the last of them.

Feel for all the heidies out there trying to actually make a policy out of the "when possible" in that document.