Years 2 - 5?? When would we find out?

[thirtywon]

Three weeks notice was given for the 1st June. Presumably the same notice period is required for additional primary year groups. When therefore do you think they'll be back?

I dont think they will to be honest. Most schools seem to be only just coping with the pupils they have in.

September seems the very earliest.

It feels like they are rather hoping the public forgot...

Yesterday there was an announcement (under the radar) that this was 'under review'.

I mentioned it in SLT earlier (I'd prefer to be in school than stuck at home), and it was given very short shrift. With added face pulling.

Loads of schools don't have space.
If they leave it to individual schools, then that's unequal provision across the country.

I'm going to try, try TRY to make the most of it. Ie, no commute, can collect my child from school every day, can have coffee and lunch with my partner, might be able to sneak some exercise in during the day. Then just wait for the call I guess.

If more year groups come back, it would have to be with classes going back up to usual capacity - no more bubbles of 15.

So then it all depends if we think government would go that far in the next 4 weeks.

Who knows.

Given many schools aren’t back at all yet except for key workers, I think it’s probably unlikely any other year groups will go back.

I'm sure he said all primary kids to have a month. Well state schools finish around 20th, I'm in private and we finish on 9th. So max we'd get is 2 weeks

They definitely have had it put to them that schools don't have space. It's almost as if they didn't realise!

Our school only has keyworker and vulnerable kids in and is at capacity. They don't think they will have reception, y1 or y6 back let alone the others

Our kw group is doubling next week. So that's one more teacher out of the 'waiting for people to get ill' list.

He did indeed say that years 2 to 5 would get a month back in school, but it’s not going to happen.

We're also full simply on key worker children. @pfrench are you not expected in with other classes?

I know a few primaries that are using all their available staff/space just for YR/1/6- and one that is only opening Y6 + YR/1 on alternate weeks due to staff numbers and space.

I think the opening to wider year groups will be quietly shelved, to be honest.

My DD HT has taken the rather odd (to me) decision to get all the school back in with morning or afternoon session classes of 15 (some won't be full) and a KW bubble as well.
As they currently have an EYFS bubble, a KS1 bubble and a KS2 bubble for KW children (DH is KW) I have no idea where they are planning to put them all. We don't have to deal with it yet though as our LEA was one of the ones who said "we are not ready yet".

Hmm now Wales are all going back I think it'll be 29th for us too.

There is no way my school will all be back in unless all social distancing is scrapped. We are nearly full just with key worker children.

I think it could be 29th also. I really hope not. If government give three weeks notice again, we will find out pretty soon.

We don’t have the staff or space to have all children back. It will be a nightmare to organise a rota for this and parents won’t be happy with siblings attending different days etc. It won’t help with childcare that’s for sure.

@pfrench are you not expected in with other classes?

No, not yet. I'm at home setting online work for years 3 and 4 and SEND children. Which means shit loads of videos!

There are 3 teachers left over - one is doing work for year 5 and 6 and EAL, the other is doing work for year 2 and SEND, the other is currently doing stuff for year 5 too.

As soon as there is any sickness, we'll be in won't we.

Also, my school has now made the decision not to have any BAME staff in this side of the summer holidays. Which means all of our LSAs are at home. Makes things much tighter on teachers too. We have no chance of getting anyone else back in. Year 2 teacher is shielding and BAME, year 3 and 4 teachers are BAME apart from me. We don't have the staff to offer any sort of extended provision unless it's one day a week or something and I somehow offer something for 120 kids in my phase. Jesus, I hope that doesn't happen!

Wow how did that go down?

I dont understand how teachers even of year 2,3,4,5 are not in work teaching key worker or vulnerable children. Who is teaching these children in your schools? In mine it's the year 3,4 and 5 teachers. Year 2 teacher in teaching a year 1 bubble. How have some schools got teachers spare and others are struggling?

@Russell19 It depends how many teachers and TAs are in the shielding group. If a quarter or third of your staff are shielding there’s not enough to go around.

I understand what Russell is meaning. In my school all staff are in a bubble even without years 2 3 4 5 and 6. Any less staff and we couldn't do these bubbles.

There’s no capacity for this. We are at full stretch with the years we do have in, plus keyworkers’ children, plus teachers teaching the other year groups remotely.

We have 2 keyworker bubbles (and I was thinking that was low) so that's 2 teachers with support from 2 TAs, 4 EYFS bubbles that's 2 teachers and 2 TAs, 3 year 1 bubbles that's another 3 teachers and then 2 year 6 bubbles being taught by 1 teacher and the Head teacher. We have only 2 teachers shielding and there's nobody else spare. How on earth are other schools doing it?!

If more year groups come back, it would have to be with classes going back up to usual capacity - no more bubbles of 15.

This. I don’t think it will be happening.