Drowning in a sea full of tiers

[Cismyfatarse]

Next thread. DD's birthday so can someone link.

I don't envy teachers either.

Reading other parts of MN some schools in England seem to have a crazy number of kids in.

@Lockdownbear depending on the numbers going forward this may well become a suggestion. I just don't think that home learning, however much effort we or the kids put in, is a substitute for the real thing. I think they are being really disadvantaged. Definitely more so than last years candidates.

@Lockdownbear

I don't envy teachers either.

Reading other parts of MN some schools in England seem to have a crazy number of kids in.

I think there are parents who muddled through last time who have just hit the "not again" wall. And I think people aren't as scared of them/their kids getting the virus now

Kurt - good to see you think that could work. I know HS is no substitute and that the reason kids go to school. I'm glad BBC are stepping in with stuff getting broadcast on telly but 2 hrs for High schools kids is no where near enough but it's better than nothing. They've proved the worth of the licence fee.

However my 10 yo self did wonder once upon a time, why school wasn't done like the Open Uni guy on the telly. Remember him who'd been recorded a decade or so earlier in flairs and beard - 🤪

Stat - truthfully I cried when 1st Feb was confirmed. I could see it coming, I doubt they will be back much before Easter, but I cried.

My son is going to nursery on a key worker place (private nursery) they are allowed 50% capacity but currently at 35% so have put out a post that if parents are wfh and struggling with the stress then they can apply for a place and they will assess it under the circumstances and criteria. I think they are quite rare in their approach but were also the hub last time so very good at covid processes. Currently by sons group is 1:1 ratio!

I know we are lucky though!

My friends who are teachers are already pulling their hair out trying to sort laptops out for some of the kids I mean what 5 year old has their own sodding laptop!

Scottish - you are so lucky. I wish my DSs nursery would do the same. But I guess its going to come down to LA guidance and insurance.

5yos are lucky to have a tablet never mind a laptop.

@Lockdownbear

Scottish - you are so lucky. I wish my DSs nursery would do the same. But I guess its going to come down to LA guidance and insurance.

Yes I know we are feeling a bit guilty like others as my friends are already struggling my LA also allows for 1 key worker in private settings. I know it's best for my son though and that they have every procedure in place and he spends most of the day outside (they even eat outside)

The guidance given here is two keyworkers and they must be working outwith the home.

So a GP taking calls in the house doesn't count. I really don't know how they expect parents to cope.

My ILs won't help. My mums already pitching in with care for another relative. I'm loathed to increase her risk but I know it would do her MH the world of good. Arr!

How are teachers, schools and the SQA managing online learning and assessments for those who have SEN?

I'm just thinking of my friend's DD who is doing her Highers and is hearing impaired, dyslexic and dyspraxic. I know she is struggling with online learning, especially without captions and transcripts.

Just curious to hear what is being done / should be done?

What happens if a GP makes a mistake as a result of not being able to concentrate properly on a phone consultation because they have to look after DCs ?
I do think unfortunately that most of us have to muddle along as best we can wfh with DCs - appreciate as DS14 this is a lot easier for me than it is for those with younger DCs - but it does seem that the risk of a misdiagnosis or delay justifies wfh GPs getting a school or nursery place.

Although stories about numbers of DCs in school in England have shocked me. There seems little point in "closing" schools if over 2/3 of pupils are still there and is unlikely to reduce transmissions.

Rookie, I know there's a huge difference between having a 9yo in the house and having an under 5.
Even stupid things like going to the loo, drinks, changing the telly channel, general stimulation.

I do think England have got it right to allow nurseries to remain open.

Definitely tough stuck at home with two under 5s. I have two older DC and they are a breeze in comparison. 10 and 13yo can get on with stuff independently. They leave you to pee in peace 😂

@Lockdownbear I agree I think nurseries are different and there is very little evidence of covid being spread by this age range.

It just feels like yet again England is doing some half arsed, half hearted thing that feels punitive for those impacted e.g. the apparently small number of DPs that can't send their DCs to school, but is very unlikely to make much of a difference.

I'm no fan of lockdowns gawd knows, but at this stage with the sudden doubling of numbers it feels like we need to try it for a bit. But what's the point if in England schools are pretty much open also garden centres and a few other random places ?

The garden centres crack me up, really who's buying plants when the gardens full of snowmen!

I know most are independent and were hit hard last year. But help them sort click n collect, telephone orders, anything to help them stay afloat but they should be closed.

In fairness there are still lots of jobs I do in my garden over the winter. Yes it doesn’t entail planting out flowering plants but so far this December/January I’ve been busy pruning my black currants and gooseberries, sowing seeds, netting brassicas, planting bare root trees, hedges and shrubs and it’s best time to fell any trees. All these can require some trip to the garden centre for gloves, equipment and even supplies of compost. I totally understand not everyone has the luxury of a garden but growing your own requires always thinking ahead and planting or preparing the ground to hopefully produce a bountiful harvest.

That's where click n collect or even a telephone order would come into play. It's not like people need to wander around as a day out. People will go just to get out the house.

But @Jodri garden centres seem well equipped for click and collect or phone and collect and a keen gardener presumably knows what they need to buy.

Most garden centres are a cornucopia of non garden related tat and in better times I enjoy a wander round looking at most definitely non essentials.

But I still remember my shock when at the end of May they decided to open them. As I was off that week off I went for something to do - we'd pretty definitely had covid in March so I felt pretty safe - only to find three of them queued round the block with very elderly people waiting to get in.

I know I'm being ageist here but at that point in Scotland outdoor play areas were still chained shut.

Garden centres are designed to appeal to older clientele and are a place of mooching.

@Lockdownbear

Do you think they'd allow provision for the kids to sit prelims in school now, socially distancing the kids out?

No chance. Schools are closed except to keyworkers and there's no way the Scot Gov would roll back on that. No WAY.

DD is in S4 and in her Nat 5 year. She is struggling. She is at a good, high-performing school and to be fair the teachers have pulled out all the stops through autumn. She's definitely had more tests and done more "past paper" style assessments than her older brother did at the same stage. However, her maths teacher told me that they were planning on running 8 formal tests through the year, with second 4 tests being a full exam format. They have done 2 tests so far, if schools are off any longer than the middle of Feb they're going to really struggle to cram it all in. I'm sure other subjects are the same.

If the kids are in school there is really no way of gathering evidence for the SQA and we're back to teacher opinion again - and we all saw the stooshie that caused last year.

Yes at most garden centres folk go for a wander round and a window shop. The actual gardening aisles are normally deserted which makes my life easier when I need to go there.

My local one has a big pet and aquarium section so I wonder if that’s another reason they were allowed to stay open.

Could be the pet side of it, pet care is classed as essential.

There’s no evidence of spread in garden centres.

@RaspberryCoulis
We are in a far worse position than last year. At least when I was predicting grades I pretty much had the courses finished and had prelims and assignments to guide me. This year I have very little. Assessments sat in November are nowhere near as good as assessments sat in February. I was fairly confident in my predicted grades last year but I absolutely couldn’t give accurate and fair predictions based on limited work so far

WouldbeGood - where is covid spreading?