UK schools could, and should, begin to reopen as soon as practicable after the initial wave of cases has passed through

[Otherrooms]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52180783

What do you make of this?

Schools could go back even whilst social distancing rules are still in place?

Have these people ever been in a school? School corridors/classrooms anyone?!

Schools may be low risk to the children but what about the adults? One of the reasons schools were closing was that they just couldn't staff them. That needs to be addressed first and foremost.

On any of the threads on here about a schools it's always 'September at the earliest, anyone who thinks earlier is on fantasy island blah blah blah' from, as always, people who don't know what they are talking about.

I can't see how one could justify schools being open at the moment at a time where police are moving on people for sunbathing in the park, but I think once the shielded group's 12 weeks are over etc they could start to open again, so after Summer half term? It would be good anyway for the kids to come back and have some normality before the summer.

I don’t understand why the year 10s and year 12s couldn’t go back sooner than September. You would have enough space in the schools to do some attempt at social distancing and as only 2 year groups in there could be some attempt at catch up. I don’t think schools will be closed until September. Even 4 weeks back would be good to get the flow back for students.

those people are still working in supermarkets,

Not in the supermarket where I work. Everyone in the flu vaccine group was offered 12 weeks off, full pay.

The health and safety at work act still applies. How can the employer compel a staff member to risk death or serious illness whilst at work?

As someone who teaches secondary in one country and has primary kids in school in another, I can it being a nightmare if they go for staggered re-starts too.

I think lots of parents will keep their kids off regardless. Particularly that we've now had an under-ten die. In the community I teach in, the majority have stay at home mums and it will be viewed as an unacceptable risk to send them to school.

I don't envy those making these decisions, there are pros and cons to each way. I can see why returning at the start of flu season would be a bad idea and why returning too soon would also be bad.

I am sure there are some teachers and students that need shielding in the same way some health workers, bus drivers, cleaners, supermarket workers, prison and probation staff, food production line staff and delivery drivers have needed shielding. Similar decisions and options will need to be looked at.

Tiny cramped class with classes with up to 34 students in them. Not only would I feel unsafe, but they are all not risking me and each other, but then taking it home with them.

How can we possibly have social distancing? I have to queue at a distance to get into the supermarket and then talk to the cashier through a plastic screen - rightly so. But it would be just fine to cram me into a room with over 30 people..........?

It would cause an explosion in cases

Children touch each other ALL the time. They touch walls/handrails everything.

Not to mention the buses to get there, them all walking in groups to school.

They are super spreaders. Within a few days of opening a school of a 1000 pupils an entire community would be infected in London.

It's giving me the willies just thinking about it.

At a push with the current social distancing rules I think my classroom could hold 8 people tops. To keep the rules students would have to attend every 4th lesson maybe?

If the self isolation rules were still in place ie 14 day isolation if anyone in your house develops symptoms, then staffing schools would be a problem anyway wouldn't it, especially coming up to cold and flu season? How many people get a cough during the winter?

Once the government open schools, they are ending social distancing. The two are incompatible. Once schools are open, the will never be able to have one walk a day/shop for essentials only/don’t meet friends.

I am a teacher in Iceland. Our schools are still open but we have a lot of measures to ensure social distancing still happens.

How many children are there in your average class in Iceland?

Staffing the schools when you’ve told anyone pregnant/pre existing health condition to stay at home, will also be interesting...

I don’t think this has been thought through. Certainly not by anyone who has been in a school recently!

Medical Needs tuition takes at least several weeks, often half a term to sort out, is understaffed and has a high threshold for acceptance.

There are two threads on this as you said OP!

I am quite sure when the government suddenly shrunk its vulnerable list, it was with a view to getting as many people as possible back to work.

The vulnerable.list is still in place, it's just they've added a shielded.list with even stricter restrictions.

That post about Iceland is very interesting : my school currently has 7 students in and apparently there is no social distancing going on!

The primary school across the road form me houses about 30 kids daily and I can see absolutely no attempts made to keep them apart at playtimes- last seen playing tig.

But the vulnerable will be treated with much more abandon than the shielded, mark my words.

If we go back before summer, and only y12 and 10 go back, that’s hard for sixth forms who at that point only have y12 students anyway - I’d be on a 90% timetable (which in itself is fine) and we are expected to top the tine up with extensive planning for next year. Again fine but my own children are Y1 and Y4 - if their school is closed what happens to them? Their father lives abroad.

But the vulnerable will be treated with much more abandon than the shielded, mark my words.

Maybe they'll try. If be interested to hear a legal view though from the perspective of Health and Safety At work Act and employer liability.

Also, as regards staffing levels if self isolation with exposure to a symptomatic person continues.

Another thing about the Iceland post is that clearly still is not teaching so lots of parents will be a bit disappointed ! You cannot assist students with learning effectively without reducing the proximity between yourself and the child.

Agree with a pp who said open schools and social distancing are incompatible. There is no way people will stick to not going to the park or meeting up with friends when they're sending their children to mass gatherings every day.The idea that after the 12 weeks are up for the shielded/vulnerable being when things start opening again is a good shout. But who knows. I wish we did know, I feel like the uncertainty is making it that much harder.

Schools did the right thing for their staff

The schools didn’t choose, but if they did wtf is wrong with doing so? I’m a teacher, I’m shitting myself about going back to work. I’m in an older age group, but that has been overlooked in all the figures.

The government closed the schools not the head teachers. There is no way you can social distance in a school.

And the bright spark outbreak who suggested splitting classes up. How can that happen in secondary when everyone teaches specialisms? Say l taught food tech, and l wax the only food tech teacher. How would they split the class? No one can just step in and take it. You have to have a food hygiene certificate. Same for all the practical stuff like DT and Science. You have to have HandS certificates

@Appuskidu I work in a private school so the maximum in our school is about 22 meaning in the new system we have a maximum of 11 in any class and they are always in a room designed to hold double that. State schools with bigger classes have also adopted this. Staff who are vulnerable (and there are a lot in our school) are working with the older children online even if they usually work with the younger ones. Everyone is doing something. I’m sure it’s not perfect but it currently feels like a good compromise between protecting mental and physical health both for children and for staff.

It’s also worth saying that if there is a single case of Covid detected in a school, it is immediately shut down for 14 days and deep cleaned before the children return. A lot of schools have essentially turned themselves into two or three schools with barriers between each part and no staff allowed into other parts which means only a few classes would have to be out for that time rather than everyone.

hear my DH ahs already had an email form his heart consultant saying that is schools returned he'd be expected to go back. He is 'extremely vulnerable' but not shielded. Originally, the teaching unions said that spouses/ family members of the vulnerable would be expected to work , although they have now stepped back a bit from that. It's the usual ' the government expect schools to make their own decisions' guff.

@Whynotnowbaby do you know how it’s working in state schools? Do they have 30+ class sizes?