The Sixth Republic - Will we or won’t we? That is the question! #solidarity

[StaffAssociationRepresentative]

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Sansa luckily for them I don’t teach yr 11.

My children’s school are splitting classes into morning or afternoon so they get their own classroom and teachers. 45 break in between for cleaning. Sitting at desks and teacher at front. I’m not sending mine back yet but the same teacher to a bubble at primary is that allowed in the guidance?

1974 Health and Safety at Work Act

@SansaSnark The Scottish guidance states to avoid mixing groups 'where practicable' and consider teachers moving between secondary groups rather than the students moving, again 'where practicable'.

Thanks mrshp.

The guidance is vague enough to both allow schools not to open or to allow them to open as unsafely as they like. IE it all depends on your head which will be good news for some and terrifying for others

We asked parents what they wanted - part time had a much higher response, so that's the way it's going. Alternate weeks rather than part time days.

I haven't heard from my own child's school yet.

In the Scottish guide it says everyone back on August 11th and implies this might be earlier than normal for some? When do Scottish schools normally go back?

As expected keyworker provision needs to be provided over the summer. This combined with lots of preparation for the new blended learning, I can see the summer isn't going to be very relaxing this year. If only I was a mumsnet teacher and doing fuck all now :(

Then again, England will probably say everyone back in September and it won't be a problem.

@fuckweasel That to me is quite problematic- I think we all accept that social distancing won't happen perfectly in schools, even secondary schools, and in a confined space, you can still catch the virus even if social distancing.

If you have, say, child a comes into school with the virus, passes it on to teacher a, they then teach child b, who mixes with group c, that's suddenly maybe 45+ people (and their households) exposed instead of 15.

I know that even in England, teachers are allowed to move between bubbles, although I think students aren't, but most schools seem to be going for an approach where teachers and students are all in one bubble together. If even a few students are mixing between groups as well, then IMO it partially defeats the point of smaller class sizes etc.

Another 338 deaths. I don’t see how those numbers are low enough personally

I'm not in Scotland. From June 1st, our YR, 1 and 6 KW children will be in their year group bubbles. This is completely fine to start with as YR, 1 and 6 will be full time- no mixing required. However, if all the year groups come back and a rota is started, the KW children will still be in their year group bubbles, but they will be there every week- not on the rota. So will the teacher which is completely unavoidable. If the teacher is going to cross-contaminate the groups- why not also a few children (who apparently don't transmit well anyway).

Anyhow, I see you are not interested in any model other than right now or back to normal, which is fine. We have enough on our plates with right now.

@TheHoneyBadger I'm sure they're lucky to have you in any year!

Scotland always go back mid August.

@reefedsail Anyhow, I see you are not interested in any model other than right now or back to normal, which is fine. We have enough on our plates with right now.

If that was directed at me, I think that's really unfair. I'm definitely not interested in back to normal- I don't think that should be happening before a vaccine.

Personally, I don't think teachers should be mixing between bubbles either, but I can see that will be unavoidable in a lot of settings.

However, for each person mixing between bubbles, surely you can see that the risk of infecting more people increases. If child a comes into school with the virus, they could infect child b but not their teacher. If child b then mixes with another bubble, they could infect child c, whereas the teacher, who is not ill, won't.

It also potentially has implications around viral load, which may affect the severity with which people get ill.

There's no conclusive evidence that children don't transmit is as well as others, and some evidence that they do.

Ultimately, if the school can't have every child back without mixing bubbles of children, then they shouldn't have every child back.

It's always mid-August but different authorities vary by a few days. We were supposed to be back a few days later than the 11th this year for training days. The students will start a week earlier than they should have done according to our term dates.

We don't all go back on the same date in August though. This is a change that would mean in many areas staff lose a week's holiday (actual holiday, not the one people think we're having now!) and work a week unpaid. Going in in June, with children not there, seems a great mixing of adults (over 100 in many schools) and pretty pointless unless it's done on some kind of rota. My dc would also then need to go into school to be minded. I'm more worried about sitting in school doing work I could do at home than the holiday part tbh.

Yeah, this seems like madness to me:

Going in in June, with children not there, seems a great mixing of adults (over 100 in many schools) and pretty pointless unless it's done on some kind of rota. My dc would also then need to go into school to be minded.

Are you in secondary expecting all pupils back for the end of July? My MPs update said 'all pupils'

It says something about holidays being rearranged for those going back early? And yes, if all we're doing is preparing resources for the new blended learning I don't see why we can't do that at home

@Grasspigeons I think your MP has got that wrong? My school is definitely working under the assumption it is Y10/12 only.

AFIAK, there's no mention of years 7-9 in the DfE guidance.

Well, I am expected in the week after next, she grumps miserably.

With apologies to primary staff who probably think I am just whining.

If it's just staff in and there is a case will they need to close for deep cleaning of shared areas?

Some schools in Scotland were supposed to be going back later. Every few years there's a 7 week rather than a 6 week holiday - well at least there is in my authority. It won't be happening this year where I am.

Fife has a six week holiday this year ending on the 18th, it's not just the magic 7 year one that is affected.
Piggy I still think what they are asking you to do is nonsense. I suspect after a few days of you all in they will wise up and send you home.

Fife has a six week holiday this year ending on the 18th, it's not just the magic 7 year one that is affected

Yeah, each authority does its own thing with regards to holidays - until now that is.

Piggy, have you spoken to your union rep? If the school one won't do anything, the regional one might. Ours are pretty good at intervening if the school reps aren't listened to?

If it's just staff in and there is a case will they need to close for deep cleaning of shared areas?

I think so, and anyone who's had contact with that member of staff will need to be off for 14 days/get tested- not 100% sure on this but I can't see why it would be different.

IMO, they shouldn't be making you all come in if there's no students, it's just stupid and risky.