Primary schools January

[Todayisgood2]

Should we realistically prepare for at least tier 4 primary schools to be not open as usual in January?
Special needs teacher in SEN school with 2 children in mainstream primary.....

Did your own DC attend school as keyworkers in the last school closure?

I think we're going to be quietly forgotten about in all the talk about secondaries, rotas, testing, online learning etc. We're needed to look after the littlies whilst parents work from home (or in the field if key workers.)

Can't decide how I feel. Furious that primaries aren't even being considered by anyone, school just seems to mean secondary at the moment. Not begrudging secondary staff any mitigations because God knows you need them, just pissed off primaries are completely brushed aside. It's as if staff working there are totally worthless and expendable. Secondary is more critical at present but gvt should spare primaries at least half a thought ffs.

Concerned about my health and that of my family, colleagues and the children I teach.

Desperately wanting it all to just be done with already.

Hoping that primaries stay open so don't have to do remote teaching (YR and Y2 children of my own) as my Y3/4s will really struggle with that (half are SEN, some still securing initial letter sounds)

Worried they'll stay open but children keep having to SI so teaching in school AND remotely

Angry at how we are all being thrown under the bus whilst gvt gaslight parents with the constant "schools are safe" rhetoric.

Positively murderous towards Gav and Jenny Harries etc who have NO idea what it is really like (or do but are lying through their teeth anyway)

Fearful, nervous, anxious and stressed about what we'll walk back into

Frustrated gvt won't just admit we're collateral damage - we all feel it, so stop pissing about pretending otherwise. It's insulting. I don't want claps for teachers but at least an iota of recognition that it's not a safe environment for us to be in on a daily basis but we're doing it anyway would be welcome - a modicum of consideration and stopping teacher bashing would be so lovely.

So far we've not had positives in school - elder sibling or parent awaiting tests as close contacts or symptomatic, so two or three had to self isolate, but no children ill themselves. Our luck must be due to run out 😕

I feel the same as you. We are just left to get on with it, left unprotected and without even the most basic safety measures of secondaries. Yet the curve is now rising fast and catching up. And the data for year 6 has always been on a par with secondary anyway. Unsurprisingly. Most of my year 6 class are taller than me!

I would happily strike. My gp is shocked at how little is done to protect staff. Literally nothing!

We've already shut my year 6 class twice. It hasn't stopped them mixing outside of school or buggering off to visit people, having sleepovers, or sending kids into school ill. I have been lucky both times that i've avoided it but I feel my luck can't hold, particularly when my school is insisting I run interventions as normal, mark everything as normal, even have staff meetings as normal!

@lancrelady80 feel exactly the same. Mine are reception and year2. I'm just not keen on any of it and being completely ignored isn't helpful. I had a pupil test positive then a TA so already isolated twice....

@likefishneedsabike yes they had to go in as I was doing 2 or 3 days a weeks with key worker/vulnerable . Honestly I feel less inclined to send them and less happy about even doing key worker group in school. Dh is working from home so we kept them off at first but it got very stressful.

I really really hope we go to online learning. We did it very successfully last time. Home is the only place I feel safe for myself and my own children.

I'm the same as you SEN teacher in an SEN school and 2 x kids in mainstream.

I feel on edge and can't relax as we've just no idea what's going to happen.

I am happy to go into school this said I don't mind that, and am happy to send mine in as key worker kids . (I'm CEV and religiously not shielding ) but I can't relax just not knowing anything

I’m so sick of the newa.. it’s changing everyday. If we will be at home I want to start pre recording lessons but don’t want to waste my time either just incase we go back!

*news! :)

I feel very sad that early years, primaries and SEN are being left to it with no PPE at least.

However, I personally can’t keep up with online learning with a two year old at home. If it got to the school closure stage we’d have to keep her at home for moral reasons (usual childcare is ILs who are in their 70s) or pay £1200 a month for FT nursery and not pay our mortgage.

Surely there is some way of making things safer and keeping schools open. Of course this would take funding, which let’s be fair the current government do not like providing public services with...

I'd like a rota system, halve my class size. I could teach English and Maths to half at a time. I have too many in my small class and it's just not safe. I would like our staff meetings to be remote and the staff room to shut, not that I use it anyway but all in invincible younger teachers still are. I'd like the office to actually send snotty coughing kids back home instead of back to class. I'd like siblings of isolating kids to not be in school and i'd like the secondary to inform us of any older siblings that are isolating. I'd like to feel my academy trust gave a shiny shit about us.

I need to find another laptop from somewhere. I take mine to school and both my secondary kids will be off while i'm at work arguing over the remaining laptop. Or rather, arguing over who doesn't use it. They will do bugger all without me there and i'll get a phone call from their school by day 2, I expect. If they stay shut for longer than a week i'll send them in as keyworker kids but i'm fully expecting my class to be massively infectious on return if the village facebook page is anything to go by so i'll keep them off the first week. Thanks, parents of my class. So glad you are all "making memories " and getting together before sending your kids back to me.

I'm almost in exactly the same situation as you OP, one in nursery though.

There's a number of our pupils we'd have to stay open for, as I'm sure you do, but that was well managed last time and would work.

I'm mentally preparing for it. I was classed as CV last time so my kids stayed with me.

I'm honestly not sure what would happen this time.

Rotas and slightly shorter days so staff could set online work worked well for us last June. Cut number people in school to roughly 1/3 as not all wanted to be in. KW and vulnerable could be accommodated.

Schools 'may need to close to control new variant' www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55437283

So primaries back on 11th?

@dippyegg32

So primaries back on 11th?

Nope-primaries back on the 4th.

I feel very fortunate that my part time job share school is very covid aware after reading some of these posts. No staffroom, stay in bubbles, face shields in class and masks in corridors, meetings on Teams only. It still won't be enough, but at least it's something. I'd prefer to do a rota system too - half my class in the morning and half in the afternoon. We're not doing much other than maths, reading, phonics and writing anyway.
I make up my money doing supply and while I've been very lucky that all the schools have had strict covid measures in place, I'm now worried that this part of my income will dry up in light of what's happening. 😢