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.

Actually I'll respond in a measured, calm manner because we teachers are good at that.

Let me address your points one by one.

In this thread I have repeatedly said I want to go back. Teachers refusing to return full time is pure conjecture, a non debate which I will not engage in for the entertainment of internet strangers who are trying to provoke. Personally I will follow the instructions of my employer, complying with the risk assessments and this will have been ratified by a number of bodies such as COSLA. If my trade union has concerns then the road to industrial action is long and has many stages of balloting. Again I am not being drawn into pointless speculation on what those concerns may be for your entertainment.

If wanting to know what the plans are is an indication of resistance then we disagree on the meaning of resistance. I would venture that it makes me compliant as I want to follow the instructions and explain them to pupils who may be worried.

Washing clothes at 60 . My NHS (hospital) Dr friend travels in an ancient pair of trousers and blouse which she keeps for the purpose. Changes into scrubs on arrival to her work and has a pillow case style bag which she then sticks it all in to wash at 60 (not sure where the bold came from) Supermarkets- uniform, postal workers - uniform, pharmacy staff - uniform, police, prison officers- see where this is going? Even my waitress DDs told to buy Primark or similar T-shirt's and leggings to return to work so they wouldn't be sad when they are ruined. And offered some cash if they needed it. And I am NOT looking for money for clothes- just clarity on whether dress codes are temporarily relaxed. Same way as parents are looking for confirmation on ties and blazers. I don't see any wrath directed their way. But this about the teachers and their hand beaded silk.

How long will it take me to wipe down 30 desks - I don't know that's why I put the question forward. Watching the restaurant staff where I ate on Sunday they cleaned down table legs , chairs too. Is that the protocol? Who is looking after 30 pupils in the corridor while I do that keeping in mind my duty of care and desire to follow instructions?

I never said anything about moving desks , my question was about room set up as side by side is thought to reduce droplet spread compared to face to face. I'll have followed that instruction in my nonresistant manner. The desks in my room are full sized they need to accommodate strapping 18 year olds - just so you know.

Have I missed anything?

Really? You are concerned?

I personally, am delighted at how much teachers are thinking about what they shod do because it is motivated by the care they have for their pupils and ambitions they have for their success.

Trying to protect themselves from infection so they don't end up isolating and causing others to isolate so that further interruption to education can be avoided is a sign of commitment.

We clearly have different values.

Thank you for your measured response.

I can assure you none of my posts are to seek “ entertainment “

I am just a very concerned parent

I am more concerned about my kids not returning to school than anything else at the moment

Genuine question - are any schools / education authorities / unions etc reviewing the situation just now , or will they be once the 30 July systems is issued ? As that is still almost 2 weeks before schools return - so can these issues / questions not be ironed out before then ?
Guidelines produced / guidance produced

Ready to follow when back at school

I understand teachers are on holiday but admin / managerial depts within local authorities and schools are not.

Hear hear Lidflix, but you may as well piss into the wind to be honest.
I wonder if the same people who say we should go back in with zero concerns for our own or our pupil safety will have a different tune if children start to get sick (why didn't you say something? Why didn't you tell them it wasn't safe?)

30 July statement

Would you really want the new arrangements to be sorted out without the staff who will have to implement them - headteachers, teachers, unions (vast majority of) are all on holiday just now. We worked flat out at the end of term to prepare for the blended learning plans. The government chose to throw a curveball at the very end, they didn't need to, could have made the changes from a couple of weeks into term for instance. Remember many authorities are already going back a week earlier from the summer break. I've never seen my normally hard working headteacher look so stressed.
We didn't create this shit storm.

@mistressiggi,
For the umpteenth time I repeat, don't contain here, complain to the SNP. Parents have spammed their inbox until the exploded. Teachers should do the same if you feel strongly about it. The mess is wholly theirs.

What makes you think I am not?

Will clarify as I don't want that to come across wrong.

The questions I have posted here represent some of the many that have been submitted to various sectors of SG. We have been asked what we are worried about and we have responded.

Arkadia I am not coming on here to "complain", I am responding to complaints being made about my profession. If posters didn't attack, I wouldn't defend.

Complaints are not being made against your profession

Ideas are being bandied around of how to get kids and teachers back to school and it just seems like a lot of pushback

The pushbacks and questions need to be dealt with before 11 August in order to get our kids back to school

I think if this doesn’t happen then the complaints against the teaching profession will come thick and fast

A relative is a relatively senior manager in the education department of a local authority. And yes, she's worked her socks off before and since lockdown, dealing with supporting the schools, getting vouchers organised and distributed for those that were on FSMs, supporting the hubs, preparing contingency plans for blended learning and supporting the schools for going back full-time.

(BTW: she doesn't work in Edinburgh and has commented that they were taking the piss with the amount of "in-school" time it was initially planning for blended learning ).

So quips about hand beaded silk, your comparison of cleaning down an
adult's workspace to 30 children's desks and your remark that teachers will be the only part of the UK workforce resisting going back to work were not complaints.

How did I manage to misinterpret your neutral observations? I shall work through my Tonal Markers hint sheet and Identification of Tone PowerPoint until I understand why none of that could be possibly be misconstrued as complaining.

"Decision expected on 30 July - preparations include surveillance, outbreak management protocols, testing for staff and pupils"

Not sure what this means. What kind of surveillance? Will young kids be swabbed regularly? or will it be temperature checks?

Perhaps the tone was not neutral but then neither is yours

Best solution all round for working parents - teachers included is full time schooling

Let’s just hope the list of issues and concerns can be addressed timely and everyone’s kids can be back at school

Surely it should be a joint aspiration for teachers and parents alike ?

Prettybird maybe she could share her expertise with the council in Edinburgh then? Most schools could fit 1/3 in at a time with 3m SD. This is a city with small buildings and little land. Hiring additional space (and staff to be in it) would be the only way to get 50% or more in. I think that might have been the way to go, but schools couldn't do that themselves it needed to be funded higher up.
Loadsablusher you are absolutely complaining about the profession, a six year old would have the reading comprehension to see that.

The problem with the joint aspiration to be back in seems to be that staff want to be back in with precautions taken to keep them safe, and parents (not all) having accepted the idea that their own dc are not at risk just want children back in at any price, and have no reason to support the increased safety provisions for staff.
This is obviously short sighted imo as we don't know how children (and their families) may be affected, and if the staff are sick that will impact the children and schools may close again.
So the shared aspiration should be to get schools opened to pupils in the safest way possible.

I have never said I am neutral. I hope I am not when explaining why concerns are not resistance. Measured was my aim. Posters (such as Sockyarn this morning) have observed about anger being incorrectly directed at teachers due to parental confusion and anger.

Stop denying you are complaining and wondering why people object to your complaints.

@mistressiggi,
The problem is that we do know the damage that will be done if schools don't reopen. I am not talking about the children as such, but to society as a whole, starting with a lot of unemployment, especially for women.

Employment will be affected by primary schools being shut, not so much by secondaries surely. The reasons for reopening secondaries should be education driven not employment driven as most children don't need to be at home with a parent by 12+

considering my DD (12) burnt her lunch yesterday and a few months ago broke her elbow falling down the stairs, I'd argue very strongly against it being safe to be at home along for a prolonged period. I am normally out of the house for 10 hrs each day including commute. My DD is not mature enough to be left alone, Some 12yos maybe, others no. I'm guessing your own children are not at that age yet, or maybe it was too long ago to remember.

My 4 at 12 would all have been fine. But I know that young people are individuals. My adorable DNephew well I think my Dsis would have left his wee sister alone before him.

The hub connected to where I teach had 1 secondary age pupil , despite a large number of potential families being identified as entitled to use it. The one my DF managed had none at all. That's anecdotal I know but shows that not parents of secondary age pupils are as driven by the child care aspect of education as others.

A different friend would much prefer a soft start for her anxious DC who is moving to high school and terrified.

My Dsis would love a soft start for her DC as they have chronic asthma and she'd just like to see how it pans out gradually - she's working from home (online at 5 etc to facilitate work and childcare) so has not found WFH easy. Her DC are worried about ending up getting sent home and embarrassed as a dry asthma cough is already attracting fearful looks.

I want my DD in as she is S6 and likely need some crash Highers after results are out.

Some parents are 100% in every day from day, some are not. And some believe that rushing back is harmful too.

My motivation as a parent is educationally driven just as a my friend with the anxious new S1's motivation to want her DC to have a soft start is driven by a health and well-being factor.

Not sure what point I am making other than no matter what happens not everyone will be satisfied or in agreement.

I don't think I would have been happy to leave a 12 year old at home all day every day either. Some children will only be 11. Fair enough for before or after school or for some days during the holidays and mine were reasonably sensible and unlikely to turn my house into a crack den.

I'm guessing your own children are not at that age yet, or maybe it was too long ago to remember
As it happens, I am the proud owner/slave of a 12 year old! I was replying to a post saying that the schools not going back would damage jobs. I can agree that S1, even S2 that could be the case but I would be surprised if parents were resigning from jobs to stay home with their 14 year olds. Of course it is far from ideal but needing to make schools COVID safe does not mean causing mass unemployment among secondary school parents.

Our hub had one small group of secondary pupils in it, loads of primary ones (as you would expect).