Place yer bets

[shouldistop]

When do you think schools and nurseries will actually re-open?

Oh god may? I hope you’re wrong 😫

Don't know about selling it . Maybe too late now? Or would it be preferable to zero time in school if not a KW DC or vulnerable pupil?

My S6 DD just asked if I thought she'd ever be back at school .

But under blended learning social distancing can happen, mixing minimised, pupils at least have some interaction to support engagement out of school.

I think there are a lot of benefits for blended learning (in primary, certainly, not sure how it would work in secondary).

• far more room for distancing
• less children mixing, so hopefully fewer self isolation periods
• more time for cleaning
• small groups naturally means a lot more individual attention, you could really tailor lessons to needs.

I’d be much happier with blended learning than them being off completely. Then I wouldn’t feel so guilty if we don’t manage much at home when I’m working.

I still have the same question- I hope it is clarified by the announcement tomorrow. Or if someone here can explain for me.

Why are the key workers (specifically clinical staff) children any ‘safer’ to be in the room with teachers who can’t be around my DC (with home-based parents) for example? See, I get it, those key workers can’t go into work if their child is off school, but I genuinely don’t understand why their mixing will mean the teacher or childcare worker running a ‘hub set up’ is somehow immune from catching anything they may have from their parents?

Interesting then that desk-based NHS managers (who don’t have to go onto NHS premises to work) also qualify as key workers🤔 it’s ok for their children to mix with the children of clinical staff too, apparently. This would include children of teachers too? Have these parents been tested for immunity levels or received the vaccine already?

The mind boggles. I know it makes me sound like an alarmist member of UsForThem, but I’m really not, I just want to question this arrangement, given plenty of people are quick to condemn my DC and friends to be ‘not safe’ for teachers in a classroom setting despite zero cases in their primary school since last August .

Surely the only reason is because if none of those people can work then we’re in the shit big style? I think that’s the reason most (all?) schools will only accept children from 2 keyworker parent households. They’re not less of a risk in themselves but the reduced numbers of people in the building is.

Our school’s plan for blended learning was to be in half days, every day.

So I’d hope they’d default to that if it must happen

No one is saying teachers looking after keyworkers and vulnerable children are immune? Of course there's risk but put simply instead of our school having 10 bubbles of 30 mixing, we had one bubble of 20 last time.
And an NHS worker ( or any other worker ) working from home doesn't qualify for a space.

@WouldBeGood I don't think half days would be acceptable as there needs to be a break for total cleaning between bubbles

I genuinely don’t understand why their mixing will mean the teacher or childcare worker running a ‘hub set up’ is somehow immune from catching anything they may have from their parents?

No one is saying that...

It is safer because there are far fewer children and less mixing. It makes it easier to keep your distance.

@ikswobel that was the plan. Can’t remember precise details, but that was it!

The school is very calm and non panicky and only close contacts to isolate, not whole classes. It’s been great. Despite being in filthy Covidshire there hadn’t been a problem.

It’s also very academic focussed so I think will do their best.

Blended learning is the worst of all worlds. You’re having to teach everything twice while finding the time to provide learning and support for pupils who are doing their home based learning. Online teaching sucks but at least it’s doing one job at one time. You also then have children going between multiple settings for the time that they’re not in school but they need to be somewhere for their parents work schedules - so a mix of key worker hubs, out of school clubs or childminders, or unvaccinated elderly grandparents. It makes no sense from a “reduction of contacts” perspective.

Online is shit for keyworker kids who would be in a hub being minded and not getting full access (if any) to their own educations until they go home. But at least teachers aren’t having to do two jobs simultaneously and childcare is less fractious.

But it’s better for children to be with their peers as much as possible. DS was really really depressed not seeing anyone but me for months. It’s not normal.

@DollyMixtureLulus

I genuinely don’t understand why their mixing will mean the teacher or childcare worker running a ‘hub set up’ is somehow immune from catching anything they may have from their parents?

No one is saying that...

It is safer because there are far fewer children and less mixing. It makes it easier to keep your distance.

Oh so the children won’t be socially interacting with each other at playtime🤔🙈 Even in small numbers?

That’s ok then?

@WouldBeGood

But it’s better for children to be with their peers as much as possible. DS was really really depressed not seeing anyone but me for months. It’s not normal.

Absolutely. The difference in my DC once they were allowed to play with their friends again (even before schools reopened to all in August) was immediate and it made me so sad for them that they’d had to miss out on that for so long.

@Outsidemum1

No one is saying teachers looking after keyworkers and vulnerable children are immune? Of course there's risk but put simply instead of our school having 10 bubbles of 30 mixing, we had one bubble of 20 last time. And an NHS worker ( or any other worker ) working from home doesn't qualify for a space.

They do in my council area. I know a few who wfh who’s kids are still going to nursery. And not NHS workers.

Oh so the children won’t be socially interacting with each other at playtime? Even in small numbers?

Some hubs were very strict on distancing, we were not. It still means that far fewer children are mixing.

Earlier in the year it happened with the hubs too- (e.g. one set of parents kids in hubs they worked at home and had long lunches in the sunshine together. I know because I bumped into them regularly as I walked my DC for daily exercise which couldn’t include a playground, as they were closed because children shouldn’t have been mixing...)

That’s probably where my grievance is, so I probably have to accept that some people will always abuse the system.

If playgrounds are closed again in tomorrow’s announcement, so children can’t mix with their peers if they’re off school until at least Feb, then I really will join UsForThem

The problem with both parents needing to be key workers is that, in my case I’d need to stop my job (CP social worker) to care for my kids because my non-key worker husband is by far the highest earner, he took a drop in earning to take unpaid leave so I could work at least part of the week. We can’t afford to do that again so it’s my job that will go. Most of my colleagues are in a similar position so many social work and health departments will suffer.

@WouldBeGood yes that was what was changed at the last minute in August. It's been fab in most places but I can see we might revert to the blended plans schools made in June if this variant really is as bad as they think

@Jellycatspyjamas social work counts as key worker now if that's any help

The hub in our council covered multiple schools. That meant far more inter community mixing than if the DC were all at their normal school. The big difference is that most teachers were not in school. It isn't about limiting child to child interaction but adult to child and adult to adult interaction.

Posted too soon.

Blended learning cuts down on child to child mixing in school but if anything it is likely to increase adult to adult and adult to child interaction in school and out.

@WouldBeGood

But it’s better for children to be with their peers as much as possible. DS was really really depressed not seeing anyone but me for months. It’s not normal.

This.

My Daughter is S6. She’s in the shielding category so literally didn’t leave the house for months. She got royally screwed over in the exam results carnage, lost any chance at her dream course (medicine) and ended up on a psychiatric ward and is now on antidepressants.

Oh. @Sexnotgender that’s awful 💐

This is widespread too from what I see at work.