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Original poster

Do you think they might move the school term?

49 replies

DoubleAction · 22/03/2020 15:53

If this thing is under control within 16 weeks or so do you think they might try and get kids back in school before September?

OP posts:
WhyNotMe40 · 22/03/2020 15:55

I doubt it

Aragog · 22/03/2020 16:02

Unlikely. It would cause too many issues.

KittenVsBox · 22/03/2020 16:04

No.
If life is back to normal by August, people will be having holidays. School attendance then will mess up yet more stuff for everyone and the teacher will need a break to work out how to cram 4 terms teaching - a quarter of which they dont normally do - into 3 terms.

123rd · 22/03/2020 16:08

But the teachers won't have had a break if we carry in like this will they? Setting work / rota in school...
If we get to Aug and the kids could go back but wouldn't be fair on teachers. I'm saying that as a mum of two ... who
Need routine and thrive in school. I'm
Not a teacher

Original poster
DoubleAction · 22/03/2020 16:14

I dont think much work will be set after this week 123rd. That's not what we're being asked to do. It's what we planned for but not what the DfE asked of us in the event. Work that was already prepared will be used but not after that.

Most teachers will have had some break. Many schools are working a rota and those who haven't soon will IMO. I don't think there will be as many children in school as some schools are expecting. Schools who are having everyone in will work something out tomorrow, would be my guess.

OP posts:
Aragog · 22/03/2020 16:38

I dont think much work will be set after this week 123rd.

The schools I know of, inc my own, are still putting out home learning tasks and activities. No one has told us we should be.

The children in school are being supervised and it is mainly childcare, but they will be doing some learning activities whilst there - most likely similar to what the home learning tasks are to an extent.

Our teaching staff who are in will be getting an Easter break. All who can be are in this week whilst they monitor how many children will be in (the estimate is 50-70 out of a possible 270 normally) then it is a rota thereafter, ensuring all get 2 weeks off as part of that.

ValancyRedfern · 22/03/2020 17:15

Why do you think work won't be set after this week op? I am planning work to take my students up to the end of July. I'll be getting them to email me work and marking it, as well as home educating my daughter and looking after key workers' children at school. Year 10 and 12 in particular need to complete a large chunk of work before the summer or they simply won't be ready for their GCSEs/A levels next year. I do not envisage this being any kind of break!

Onceateacher · 22/03/2020 17:22

We are making work for as long as we are off, and as long as we are well enough to do so.

Rainbowunicat · 22/03/2020 17:25

I work in a special school, we're not closing at all so we won't have had a break.

itwasalovelydreamwhileitlasted · 22/03/2020 17:27

I would like to say yes and then any annual leave/holidays booked will have to be honoured with no fines in place

BUT I can see the vast majority of teachers refusing to give up the summer holiday whether they have continued to provide childcare for key workers or not

Problem is by summer it won't be the key workers that need childcare - the rest of us willl all be out of work if childcare doesn't resume by them

TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince · 22/03/2020 17:31

I think measure will have to be put in place for years 10 and 12. They can’t distance learn for long.

Mine’s a practical subject. They don’t have the equipment to do it.

itwasalovelydreamwhileitlasted · 22/03/2020 17:35

@TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince
What age group is year 10/11? (Sorry my school didn't call year groups this way!)

I'd say those who can legally stay home on their own whilst parents can go back to work will be the last to go back

Redlocks30 · 22/03/2020 17:35

Most teachers will have had some break. Many schools are working a rota

What break is that?

We are on a rota and when not providing 8-6 childcare, we are at home, teaching online, setting work and marking it for our class.

CalleighDoodle · 22/03/2020 17:47

Problem is by summer it won't be the key workers that need childcare - the rest of us willl all be out of work if childcare doesn't resume by them.

If everything is back to normal in July, then your normal childcare provision will be back up and running. So schools wont need to be open.

Sittinonthefloor · 22/03/2020 17:54

My school is teaching online, following our normal timetable, with marking etc. + a rota + our own kids at home. We won’t have had a break, it’s going to be harder not easier!

Aragog · 22/03/2020 18:34

Update to my above post.

Not all staff are in tomorrow now. Management have made a rota. Everyone gets two weeks off over the next fortnight.

There are some people asked to go in on each day (if they are able) and others working from home. Trying to limit the number of staff in each day and the contact.

Aragog · 22/03/2020 18:37

However, those not in will most likely will still end up working at home for part of the Easter break

Original poster
DoubleAction · 22/03/2020 19:02

I know Special Schools are currently planning to be fully open but having seen the weekend email traffic, I don't think parents are planning to send them so all schools will be on a skeleton staff by the end of the week.

OP posts:
user1471468296 · 22/03/2020 22:16

Completely different for teachers in secondaries to those of us in small primaries with 3 teachers... Expecting to be working one day in 3 (and yes we are joining up with another school).

maddy68 · 22/03/2020 22:19

No. It'll be September start all being well

Cathpot · 22/03/2020 22:29

I find out the details tomorrow as we only closed on Friday so the Head told parents we would finalise plans Monday, plan lessons Tuesday start sending work Wednesday . I expect to be setting and marking work in term time, to keep the pupils moving along the timeline so that whenever we go back they will be in the right section of the curriculum. It’s my year 10s that are worrying me, it was going to be tight to finish the syllabus before all this. I think I will be on a rota to help in school (100 pupils due in) , and I’ve got two teenagers at home who I need to keep in a routine.

Aragog · 23/03/2020 15:53

i discovered today that although we had between 50 and 70 pupils potentially likely to head in, in fact only 11 out of 270 were in school today.

Massive relief around that parents have been heeding the warnings and concerns.

It will fluctuate each day with shifts and working patterns, but so far it is looking much better.

MintyMabel · 23/03/2020 16:20

If everything is back to normal in July, then your normal childcare provision will be back up and running. So schools wont need to be open

I doubt this. Our usual summer plan is to work from home more, spend time with family members and a few organised clubs. It will be difficult for those clubs to organise themselves in time for the holidays because of short notice. Family members are elderly and I would say still at some risk once things calm down. As I’ll have been working from home for months, I suspect my boss won’t be too happy if I spend another 7 weeks doing so.

Theduchessstill · 23/03/2020 16:26

The problem is the huge inequality that this is going to cause.

I'm a teacher and as far as I'm aware as long as this goes on I'll be going in weekly (or thereabouts) on a rota and on the other days setting work, communicating with students and parents, trying to hold my department together and, in a few weeks time, marking work as well (we've said no work will be marked initially, aside from A level). As HoD of a core subject I'm going to have a lot to do when it comes to administrative element of awarding grades as well.

Despite the amount of work I have I fully expect to continue through the holidays for as long as this goes on, including going in to care for children of key workers. However, should things go back to normal during the summer (unlikely anyway isn't it?) I wouldn't support simply starting the new year early. It would cause too much difficulty in terms of some people wanting to go away if it's possible, and people having UK holidays booked that they'll be able to take.

We need to ensure that when we do back it's carefully managed and teachers have the time and support to work with the pupils and give them the attention they need. Whatever we do, there are going to be huge numbers of pupils who spend the next few weeks/months doing next to nothing,and getting them back to speed is going to be a mammoth task.

Theduchessstill · 23/03/2020 16:30

Our usual summer plan is to work from home more, spend time with family members and a few organised clubs. It will be difficult for those clubs to organise themselves in time for the holidays because of short notice.

I'm sorry, but once this crisis is over the idea that teachers should be providing childcare needs to be put to bed. We are doing so now for unavoidable reasons and everyone I know is happy to be doing so. But it can't then turn into, "Now we need summer childcare so you'll have to do that as well." As I said, supporting children back into school, especially for those of us in challenging areas, is going to be probably the most difficult task of our careers. We can't do it in a muddled, rushed way just because people haven't got childcare.