I work in an independent school - so the small class sizes for YR and Y1 are helpful. Y6 is a bit bigger and they are going to be split.
My poor Head is being lovely and amazing about it - she has been dragged from pillar to post and from what my teacher has told me, the parents are completely split down the middle - half want to come back ASAP, half are terrified. And I think for the staff it’s the same.
My Head has chosen therefore to follow the governments stance for the 1st of June and has told staff from those year groups to be prepared to be back in school full time from the 1st (assuming nothing changes, if it does then back to square one). She is unfurloughing a TA per returning class (including me) and is keeping remaining teachers on the rota for the key work children who will remain separate.
The plan is literally remain in classrooms, playtimes will be one class at a time, so not necessarily lunch play so to speak, they’ll be 2 or 3 outdoor play slots per class per day. Arrival time is now across a whole hour (something like half 8 till half 9) and likewise there’s now a one hour window for pick up to avoid the parent crowds - so essentially an hour has been cut from either end of the day. We will run as close to a normal timetable as possible.
Parents have the choice to return their children to school and won’t be penalised - to be honest, I’m not crazily nervous because I was surrounded by these children when we were building to the peek before closure, I was getting on the train with other people going to work and school kids. I am anxious yes but I’m not going to panic. I realise it’s easier said when you live alone like me though so have no one at risk of passing it to at home.
I don’t know what to think. There’s no way younger children will like us in masks - some of mine will probably find them upsetting......they’re never going to social distance.