Return to school

When are Eaton and Harrow back? Asking for a friend!

Daisymae
If reception children go back in September it will be fairly simple to look at the level they are at and to adapt the Year 1 curriculum to their needs. After all all children develop at different rates and there is always differentiation in teaching. It's not a massive undertaking.

So, is this the time to put up the school starting age?

Are nurseries re-opening?

Teachers are professionals they will assess and plan accordingly.

My daughter is the manager of a under 5s playgroup with a age range of 2 to 5 years, and they have been instructed to open after the whitsun hoildays or loose out on the Government funding they receive for each child place they offer. They simply cannot afford to do this, they still have their overheads to pay and with no fees being paid by parents since lockdown began, they are getting very close to having to close down for good which would be such a loss to the community as they are one of the main providers of quality childcare and S.E.N.D placements in the area, having won national awards during the last few months upto Lockdown.
Itis impossible to self distance from children who need physical care such as feeding and Nappy changing, first aid and a hug when they take a tumble which little ones often do, no matter how careful the staff are, and to carry out the checks required by social services on some children who are classed as vunerable due to their home circumstances. No way an you expect a child of this age to abide by the rules of self distancing, they simply do not understand.

Children have gone back to school in some European countries. They are allowed to play in clearly defined areas, alone or in small groups, can't play ball and have one way systems. It doesn't look natural

NfkDumpling, Reception is optional. Children don't have to start school until the term in which they are five.

www.upstart.scot/research-connects-too-early-school-start-to-long%C2%ADterm-damage-to-mental-health/

The term after their 5th birthday.

Perhaps its time to rethink our education system and maybe move to something more like Germany.

My DIL and DS are not going to send their children to school and I admire their decision. There is way too much uncertainty around
I texted an Italian friend (medical background) saying the governments were wanting to get children back to school and she just said “they are mad”.

None of my family are sending the children back to school. It's a huge risk with this childhood illness that stems from CV which is being called Kawasaki disease.

Although children in Germany don't start school until they're older, the vast majority will have attended a pre-school (Vorschule), where they will have done the same kind of activities as they do in UK reception.

Pupils in the first year of primary school in Germany have to demonstrate a degree of "school competence". There isn't a fixed definition, but children in the first year will have much more formal learning than in the first years of a UK primary school. German children only spend four years in primary school, so the emphasis is on the 3Rs and, crucially, they tend to sit at desks rather than in groups. Therefore, it's easier for them to be kept at a safe distance. I suspect Danish primary schools are similar to German ones.

I agree with you trisher. Summer born children don't even have to go to school until the beginning of Year 1. They can skip reception completely, if the parents think it's best for them.

Ooops! Just seen Hetty has already written that.

JuliaM That must be an extremely difficult situation for your daughter. Presumably the staff will also need to come into contact with parents.

Six cases have been found in Wuhan and the Chinese are now testing eleven million people over the next few days. This thing isn’t going away any time soon. Economically we can’t wait until it disappears completely, if it ever does.

Surely it depends on each child and their parents situation? Many parents are in the position that they have to go back to work. Financially they need to. Without grandparents to help, what are they to do? The government is paying out money hand over fist and that can’t go on either as JuliaM’s DD is finding.

I think the notion is that little ones will have to be arranged in small “family” groups, so mixing will be only within that bubble. Similar to what is maybe proposed as the next step on opening up only not blood relatives obviously. The problem is the ability to physically divide the building to keep the groups apart.

At least teachers have a union to look after their interests. I am deeply saddened that the 12,000 + elderly and vulnerable who have died so fat in our Care Home had no such advocates.

Far

Nfk I take that point, but if things are rushed then the economic impact will be even worse. Parents are going to have to organise child care over the summer holiday period anyway.

For the sake of these six weeks between June 1st and then wouldn’t it simply be wiser to err on the side of caution and see how things stand come September?

I agree Furret the CQC has been sadly lacking in its duty of care.

I’ll be sad if my grandson in Year 6 has to leave his junior school without saying goodbye to his teachers and friends. They are unsure so far what will happen.

Grandma70s your grandson could still meet up with his friends outside of school.

If it were up to me (sadly it's not) all children would just repeat this year.

There would be enough time for a gradual return to school with less pressure on teachers and pupils to catch up. We've been through quite enough!

The only 'downside' would be that they'd finish a year older. I can't see that it would be a problem.