If your children went back this week...

[Itisbetter]

Are they sitting next to each other in class? Ds came home today and told me they are all sitting facing forward in class but right next to each other as they did pre-Covid. Is that what’s happening in all schools? I thought they were going to be spaced out.

It’s not as easy as just moving a class into the hall. If it’s used for lunch time then you can’t also use it for lessons before or after lunch. Halls also have a habit of being Wi-fi black spots and might not be set up for teacher tech like projectors. They’re also draughty and obviously lack storage space. Plus after going to all that trouble, you’ve then taken a big space out of use (because tables and chairs aren’t quick to move) and freed up just one classroom out of maybe 100. The cost/benefit/time ratio just isn’t really worth it.

@Itisbetter many schools, especially Primary Schools don't have spare classrooms. The school hall will be used for PE. And even if schools have spare classrooms they don't have spare staff, so can't just split classes up.

I was really focusing on secondary school as primary schools in our area are much smaller.
Our secondary has a fair number of larger spaces (eg hall, sports hall, theatre etc). Since larger gatherings (eg assembly) aren’t happening I would have thought that space could be utilised.

My dcs have 240 per year group and that is their bubble. There wasn't any extra funding given to schools for extra teachers or classrooms and before covid there weren't empty classrooms or halls so no social distancing. They are doing staggered starts/breaks/finishes. No self service cafeteria now so they either bring packed lunch or can order a packed lunch to be delivered to a pick up point a week in advance. Bring packed lunch is preferred so might are doing that or buying a Tesco meal deal on the way to school. I don't know what they are doing about detention/isolation. I don't think there are clubs/fixtures. Not sure

Ours still have assembly in their bubbles

I think schools will have had a massive headache trying to plan things to be as safe as they can with the resources they have, so if they aren't doing certain things there will be a good reason why they couldn't

If you want people to ask the questions and be informed how does that help?

Surely the time to think about it was when the proposals were first published. That was the time to inform yourself.

I don't have school age DC but it was obvious to me that schools would not be able to magic up twice as much classroom space and/ or teachers.

So many offices are down to 20% former capacity once social distancing measures are put in place. How could classrooms have ever been so different?

This is one experiment which it will be next to impossible to 'spin' the results. Either there will be minimal cases or the schools will need to close again pretty quickly.

We will see which way it goes.

This is one experiment which it will be next to impossible to 'spin' the results
I have a feeling they will have a jolly good try at blaming teachers/unions/kids/possibly parents if schools do need to close.

The only way social distancing was ever going to be possible was by planning to have the kids in school alternate weeks, so that the teachers teach the lessons twice, half a class at a time. Note that they would not be able to "deliver" anything to the other half at home, although they could be set work to get on with independently.

There's a bit of footage around of Boris Johnson speaking to a nicely-spaced-out group of children in a classroom; the camera turns at the end so in the unedited version you get to see the rest of the class crammed together in the other half of the room.

My DS is year 9. He is being taught with the same 30 kids (set by ability) in the same classroom for almost all lessons. They wear masks when indoors if not in their classroom. Staggered start finish and lunchtimes so only with his year group. Hand San when they come into or out of the classroom. They have built extra toilets over the summer to ensure separate facilities per year group. They have the windows and doors open all the time - have been told to buy vests for winter months. In the class he is sat alongside another child with others Infront and behind - same seating plan for all lessons.

I feel school have done all they possibly can. However more than half the kids get buses which are packed full with no one enforcing masks or seating in year groups

Surely the time to think about it was when the proposals were first published. That was the time to inform yourself.. I would recommend people continue to think throughout. How exactly would I inform myself as to what is happening NOW, several weeks ago? .

Of course they’re sat next to each other. School buildings didn’t suddenly double in square footage over lockdown. Hence class or year group bubbles.

DD’s school just put Perspex around reception. It cost 5k! Can you imagine the cost to schools who are already underfunded if they used it between each seat!

@Itisbetter

That sounds sensible *@Wheresthebiffer2*. Ours have to gel going in or out of classrooms. I’m slightly amazed that teachers think parents know what their classrooms are like. I looked round parts of the school 5 years ago, empty of an evening, parents evenings are in the hall, sports on the pitch, I’m afraid I have no idea what your classrooms are like. I can’t guess how they are set out or how cramped they feel full of children or if the windows open.

I’m really interested in what schools are doing today. Discussions of how gormless I might be if I thought x or y are odd. If you want people to ask the questions and be informed how does that help?

And yet you know your children are sitting shoulder to shoulder.

If it makes you feel better, I've cleaned my classroom 6 times today, between groups. It means lesson starts are hectic and delayed and eats into my only break (I now have duty every day because breaks are staggered to avoid bubbles mixing). I am totally knackered. Schools are doing their best.

Iwould recommend people continue to think throughout. How exactly would I inform myself as to what is happening NOW, several weeks ago?
Schools reopening fully has been in the news for months. The conflict between school leaders/teachers and the government has been in the news for months.
Teachers and school unions (not just teacher unions) have been in the press raising precisely the concerns that many parents are raising now, except the government and the media decided to spin it as 'workshy teachers and evil unions want to ruin you children's education'.

I'd not expect anyone to know the details in advance, but a tiny bit of common sense said that schools weren't going to double the number of classrooms and double the number of staff to have class sizes. It was never going to happen.

Which class out of the 50-odd going on at any one time would you put in the hall?

If you use the sports hall, where would you teach PE?

Ours are sitting side by side facing forward, there’s no space to spread out any more. Side by side is safer than face to face.

news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-education-secretary-to-set-out-detailed-guidance-for-all-schools-to-return-full-time-from-september-12019302

It was leaked in June and formally announced in early July that there'd be no social distancing in schools from September.

@SaltyAndFresh. This is NOT a teacher bashing thread. I too have been cleaning on top of my usual work, I have been working extended hours since March, and supporting family through some fairly rocky times. I’m asking what schools are doing atm. I’m interested in today’s experience and also in people’s attitudes to what their schools are doing.

I think your questions about who goes in the hall etc are specific to individual schools. I personally wouldn’t have all the children in school all the time. As far as PE goes I think outside is a better idea than panting and steaming in a hall together. I’m sorry you’re finding it hard but no one has criticised your work or teachers on this thread.

What would you do, if you were calling the shots?

@ShakerCan DH was quoted £60k for perspex screens for their office to put between desks. They decided it would be better to limit the number of people in the office to 5 and have the remaining 25 WFH

What would you do, if you were calling the shots?
Done a proper consultation with school leaders about what would be needed to facilitate blended learning, then spend months ensuring that the most disadvantaged students had the required technology or access to school to do the work.
I'd have a rota system in schools where students are only on site for certain days and I'd also aim to keep teachers within one or two year groups (secondary here). For example, Teacher A teaches Year 7/8. Year 7/8 are in Monday/Tuesday. Teacher A delivers their lesson to students, probably the same lesson to each class in the year, and then facilitates online or paper based home study for the rest of the week.
School busses should have mandatory face coverings, as should everywhere in school that's indoors.
By rotating the students then class sizes could be reduced.
I'd also want a functioning test and trace system ran by reputable companies who are experts in their fields.

That would be the start of my 'back of an envelope plan'.

Our school have new perspex screens where chairs have to face each other.

I'd also want a functioning test and trace system ran by reputable companies who are experts in their fields. yup. Though I think it’s less that anyone is disreputable and more that rebuilding the wheel when you are in a hurry isn’t a great plan.

Children wear masks on the school coaches here.

I too would go for a part the blended model, but we've been ripped to shreds on here for suggesting such.

Time