Foundation Stage 2 reopening 1st June

Many parents aren’t going to send their children back, but I think that the same problems will still be there in September, we have to get the children back into some kind of education and if that’s what it takes to keep everyone safe then we will all have to get used to it, possibly for a couple of years.
Children are adaptable and it will soon become a normal way of doing things, not ideal but better than being ill.

I don't see how the FS curriculum which is largely based on free movement and choice of activity can be reorganised.

Perhaps they should return to how most of us were taught with separate desks spaced apart and we had to sit at our desks until we were told we could move.

None of the wandering around or sitting in huddles chatting as happens now.

It won't be possible to provide proper education for the children under those circumstances. It will in effect be a form of baby sitting. It might be useful for a child to see their friends and maybe be there for an hour or so but spending a whole school day sitting in one spot will be torture for some. My 5 year old GS finds it hard to sit still for 10 mins. I'd like to see some sort of open air activities organised which parents could take their children to. I know some schools don't have outside space but if parks/football fields and even golf courses were to be used it might be possible to provide some social contact at safe distances outside.

JenniferEccles Good luck with that with 4 and 5 year olds.

Ooh yes! Let's go back in time! Shall we train them to climb chimneys? In no way should children enjoy learning, why they might start to think for themselves!

That's a fair point Oopsadaisy At what point WILL it be considered safe for children to return? The virus will still be here. The colder months will be approaching... there is always going to be a small level of risk.

I can't see my 5 year old GGD doing as she's told I've never come across such a wilful madam. If she doesn't want to do something----she won't. How many others must be like her, she certainly won't be the only one ? I wouldn't like to begin teaching a class of them.
The child is very much a people person and a friendly little bod. Oh dear.

Yes, on a local news programme, a viewer thought the returns should be delayed until September “ When it will be safer”.

But it won’t be much different in that social distancing will still be in place, and children can’t stay at home forever.

Sorry but this argument “they can’t stay home for ever” doesn’t always work. Suggesting that we wait until a lot of issues are sorted, eg testing tracing definitive answers about children passing virus on or not, working out a sensible plan if social distancing is still required does not mean anyone is suggesting children stay at home for ever but it’s possible putting it off until September might be more sensible. Sorry that is a rambling... today is not a good day.

My dd said she wouldn’t send Gdd (just 5, in reception) back in June if there were going to be very restrictive ‘bubbles’ etc.
But it seems not. Not a lot different from usual, except smaller groups and separate areas in their thankfully very large and lovely playground.

BTW in my first school year in the mid 50s we didn’t sit at desks - we were 4 to a table, and it was generally quite relaxed and play-based - and half a day only that first year.
I was over 5 1/2 when I started school, too, quite a bit older than many little ones now.
I think my school was probably fairly progressive, though.

Jennifer
I found a photo of me on the internet (old photos of my home town, I must be ancient to be included!).
It is of the Infants' class and we are either standing or sitting around tables, can't remember what we were doing but we weren't sitting at desks in rows at that age.
I can remember sitting at desks by the time we were about 7, but in pairs.

What a negative suggestion to helping nursery and reception children return safely to school Jennifer Eccles, that they should sit still until given permission to move. I don't remember early years being so unpleasant in the 1950s. I'm glad there isn't corporal punishment in school now, one of the other positive changes during our life time.

I'd just like to say that, despite sitting apart at desks when we were 7, I still managed to get nits so keeping children apart would be difficult.

Would all the rules and orders about social distancing be more damaging to little ones than losing a term's education in school at that age?

Maybe my memory is playing tricks on me but I definitely remember sitting at a desk for lengthy periods in the infants.
Perhaps I was 6 or 7 though.

There is a side issue to the school's problem emerging. Many parents now being recalled from furlough are finding there is no child care is available during their working hours.

Many employers seem to be taking a harsh line with the above problem, in that non-attendance by employees is being registered as straight forward absenteeism. Where work is short in such companies due to the crisis the foregoing makes employees caught up in a child care situation highly vulnerable to losing their jobs either through non-attendance or that factor being included in any redundancy criteria.

The trouble with the double desks in top infants was that they paired up boys and girls.
I wasn't keen on my desk partner and he used to copy from me. He also taught me to swear!

I’m sorry but I have to jump in here. We are doing our best with nursery children we have created bubble areas which will be safe and fun adjusted timetables and outdoor areas for learning we are returning next week and if it was next week or September you’d still have the same problems boris is right sending them back this isn’t a ordinary life for them and they will be social distancing themselves because they will have forgotten how to interact by September!

Thank youmgrandad1943 we are providing a service and if people haven’t got childcare they might be overpassed with someone else for their job. Terrifying times we didn’t ask for this but we are trying to get back to new normality!

The issue of child care isn't a side issue Grandad, it's central for working parents, primarily working mothers, as it always has been. I agree with you that many employers are less than understanding about the childcare issues.

Many of the young women who initially tried to work from home whilst caring for children, reluctantly furloughed. In the past week, they're being asked to return to work. The message many are getting is that if they can't return, there may not be a job for them in the near future.
Grandparents who provide a lot of child care may have health or age (or both) issues that mean they are no longer able to do their usual care of grandchildren.

Our local schools are working hard to get ready to safely resume teaching larger groups than is currently the case. Many private nurseries are desperate for children to return. No easy answers are there

Iam64 in regard to your post @13:56 today, I agree that the issue of working parents being recalled from furlough and not being able to obtain child care is becoming a very serious matter for many families.

Perhaps the opening paragraph in my above post should have read "a second main issue has emerged in the school's problem" rather than "There is a side issue to the school's problem emerging".

That stated, it certainly has become indisputable that employers perhaps concentrating on the survival of there companies at this time of unprecedented crisis are giving a very hard time to parents who state they are unable to attend their place of employment due to lack of child care.

As stated, it is now a major problem in many family households, unless it is declared by government that all who are recalled to work following furlough are essential workers and therefore their children can attend school, I cannot perceive a solution to the problem?

However, I would be the first to concede that the above would bring forward its own major problems.

One of my daughters recalled from furlough is a key worker. So is her husband. School say if they do open in June, their fie year old will be one of four from her year. She won’t be with others from her class, or with her teacher. She may not be in her own school. They would like her to be able Togo back to school but aren’t sure they can send her to such unfamiliar circumstances.

Grandad1943 I do hope that all employers would bear in mind their responsibilities regarding offering child-friendly working practices and hope that unions are offering advice to the parents of young children about negotiating hours, conditions and the place they work. Should employers fail to offer to negotiate and simply fire workers because of child care issues they may find themselves with legal actions against them.

trisher, in regard to your post @10:28 today, I could not agree more with your comments in regard the trade unions requirement to be offering full support to members with child care problems in the present crisis.

However, the various contracts of employment and absentee systems that employers use these days often make for a very variable and complex situation in many instances.

By example to the above, should an employer use what is known as the Bradford system for absenteeism then each period of absence incurs the employee with a set number of points regardless of the reason for the absence. Normally three of four periods of absence over a short period of time will result in the dismissal of the employee no matter what problems he/she may have.

Of course, the employee may stay off work indefinitely due to child care problems which would then only incur one fixed set of points. The problem then becomes that the situation allows the employer to undertake an employment compatibility review in regard to the employees indefinite non-attendance.

I have been advising a forum member in the "Other subjects" section of the forum, with the thread title of "uncertain times in job role". That problem is in regard to a health problem on returning from furlough, but the process could equally be used by an employer in regard to child care problems.

If you would take a look at that situation trigger, or any other forum member, I would be interested what you think in terms of its relationship to the child care problem now being faced by so many trying to return to work.

The above is only one scenario in what can be a very complex issue dependent on employer, contract, status and employee situation.