School “bubbles”

Elliane I can’t speak for all schools but
TA’s were not furloughed in our local Primary schools. They were on a rota together with teachers to support children of Key workers and those with SEND.
Caretakers were occupied doing maintenance e.g. at my local school painting all the woodwork outside the building, stripping and polishing floors etc. oh and fitting holders for all the sanitising equipment and cleaners were in every day school was open.
Grounds staff-are usually local authority and on contract through them. Savings through furlough for them did not benefit the schools.
Resources-there were some savings in terms of photocopying. Also there might be 1 term’s worth of books per pupil -except where the schools sent out exercise books for the children to do the work set each week on the internet.
Unfortunately those savings were not passed on to teachers working from home to provide lessons and resources, using their own internet provision, computers electricity and heating.
Some catering staff were in to provide food for those children mentioned above.
Providing and refilling sanitisers (around 70 at my local school), in at least 2 areas per classroom plus entrances and exits and toilets together with the fittings, along with wipes for computers and sprays for tables, chairs and other surfaces after each lesson was and continues to be a huge expense.

I’m not sure what you mean about transport. It saved one daughter over £400 in bus fares but how does that help the school?
The bubbles-are for the safety of children AND staff. Schools are doing their best. If the parents go off and socialise outside school there is nothing the school can do but the staff watch anxiously to see what might happen because of that behaviour.

The money is only being ‘wasted‘ because people need assurance that schools are safe. Nobody can stop the idiots who then flock to parks, etc.

"why has this money been wasted"...........because the unions kicked up a stink

My DIL is a teacher and said the most senior groups of teens have been the least inclined to observe distancing. Repeatedly coming to her desk to hand her work books etc.

Marking work books is now a 4 day process. Pupil has to place book in a box. Teacher mustn’t touch it for 2 days. Then after marking place in box and pupil mustn’t retrieve it for 2 days!

My friend’s seven year old daughter suffers with chronic asthma. She has needed to be hospitalised several time’s. Her mother is understandably nervous about the return to school, and for her the school precautions are very necessary. There must be many others like her, as well as staff.

Chewbacca is right, little money was saved. Catering and cleaning are often outsourced to a company which is nothing to do with the school's finances. I haven't heard of admin staff and TAs being furloughed, but that doesn't mean they weren't. They are only paid in term time so we are looking at 15 weeks not 6 months.
Regarding paper and photocopying, many poorer pupils had to have work sent home by post as the promise of every pupil with a laptop didn't seem very well organised - too few sent or they didn't arrive until June/July. So postage was up and little saved on photocopying.

I think the schools can only do their best the same as hairdressers, restaurants etc. Te children are not required to distance in their bubbles anyway and I'm not sure thousands have been spent, its more a case of turning all the desks to face front, washing hands every two minutes and queues for the toilets. Outside school, off school premises parents are supposed to use their common sense.

If anyone is to be criticised, it’s surely the parents who aren’t socially distancing after school. It’s accepted that young children can’t do this spontaneously, although personally, I think if the playgrounds were that busy, I wouldn’t take my child there immediately after school. But adults can distance....and I think many aren't, hence the increase in numbers. Can you imagine the noise that would be made, if children were just going back to school without the staff making any effort to distance anyone....

Schools have a duty of care and have to follow their particular Government's guidelines for keeping their pupils and staff safe and attempt to stop any infection spreading.

What parents choose to do outside school is not the schools' responsibility.
They may look on in despair but will know they have done their best.

Taking these one at a time:

Non teaching staff furloughed (especially TAs) - administrative work still needed to be carried out, whether their was pupil occupancy or not. Most schools did have some pupils, those of key workers and those children who, for various reasons, were deemed to be better off in school than at home with their parents. TA's were assisting with the pupils in school whilst the qualified teacher was holding Zoom lessons and setting and marking work for pupils to do from home.
Caretakers and grounds staff - School premises still need to be maintained, grass cut, boilers maintained, playground equipment maintained. In addition, work was already underway, in accordance with government guidelines that were changing daily, as to preparation for pupils returning i.e. removing all books, crayons, soft furnishings, pictures on walls, moving desks to safe distances. Deep clean of the whole school.
Resources- paper, photocopying, laminating. - These weren't being used except for the pupils of key workers and children who could not stay at home.
Catering and food costs - no food had been provided on school premises since lockdown. All children had to take a packed lunch. Frozen, tinned and dried foods have not been wasted; they can still be used in the future.
Transport - No idea what this refers to. School bus? Not used.

greengrrengrass I understand your points. When lockdown was lifted in May a number of parents did socialise, many in bubbles. My daughter, with two grandchildren worked at school for key workers children, not all parents home schooling remained isolated.
I think we may have to agree to differ as I don’t believe pubs and restaurants took precedence, many parents have used both of these too.

Jaxjacky

Yes totally agree that people need social interaction after isolation.

But that goes for parents too. What I was saying is, many of us have been in the social isolation of home schooling for six months.

That means that even the normal greetings that would occur at the school gate have been missing.

Yes, sure it is important for kids, but for parents having had to do home schooling it is also important.

Home schooling can be very isolating. Schools have colleagues, it experts, counsellors, dinner ladies, admin strutures, safeguarding strucutre, whereas if you are doing all that on your own, all those jobs, together with paid work, it becomes very important to stop in the park, say hello and a chat, if not a moan.

The point about pubs and restaurants is, why should that take precedence over the future and wellbeing of our kids and parents. I suggest it shouldn't.

And yes, I know jobs are important but the job of a parent has to be the most imporant one you will ever do.

I don't understand what savings would have been made.
Some of the following *growstuff.
Non teaching staff furloughed (especially TAs)
Caretakers and grounds staff
Resources- paper, photocopying, laminating
Catering and food costs
Transport
I'm not saying a huge amount in the bigger picture, but more than enough to buy the sanitisers and signage needed.

Ellianne

I agree Chardy and if anything, there were savings made by not having the kids in school.

I don't understand what savings would have been made.

Thanks chewbacca.

Anyway it looks like schools are damned if they do damned if they don’t !
Plus they have to follow government guidelines.

Absolutely this. The school can only be responsible for the children in their care during school hours. They can have no responsibility or jurisdiction as to what children do outside of school hours. That's the parent's responsibility, surely.

Que?
I'm confused, what was the actual question? With a question mark?

I’m assuming that the main purpose of the ‘bubbles’ within schools, is that it removes the need for the whole student population/staff, to isolate should one child test positive.

For example, if little Fred in year 3 receives a positive test, then only the (relatively) few people from that bubble need to miss school. The previous set up would have meant it almost impossible to know exactly who had been Fred’s ‘close contacts’ and so would potentially mean the whole of the juniors had to be absent.

I agree I asked a question!!

What savings were being made?

I agree Chardy and if anything, there were savings made by not having the kids in school.

I think you’ll find that we were being paid because we were working.
Did I say that you weren't Sarah? I was referring to the comment about the additional costs and expense which did not stretch to employing further staff.
In my school being flexible enough to prioritise and to go above and beyond when a crisis looms is what is important.

Not sure why you think thousands of pounds have been spent, Hebdenali

Ellianne -school staff were being paid over the past six months anyway-

I think you’ll find that we were being paid because we were working. In my school whilst on Lockdown we covered the key workers arrangements on a rota basis, working through both the Easter and May holidays. When not in school we were preparing, delivering lessons and supporting our pupils as we were able. It wasn’t a period of paid furlough for us. We opened as soon as we were allowed to to deliver face to face for those pupils in the specified age groups and whose parents allowed them to return. As to your point about the cost of signage/sanitisers etc schools budgets are extremely tight and the money these things cost will have to be found from other budget areas.

If you have more teachers to make more classes they would need more classrooms!
Anyway it looks like schools are damned if they do damned if they don’t !
Plus they have to follow government guidelines

Hebdenali
This is what I'm hearing from my daughter and her friends ( all with school age children) it's pointless. Children are going to do what they've always done.