Return to school

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The haters live to criticize and pour scorn on anything and everything the elected govt does! They are to be pitied for their negativity and closed minds. Much like the British press.

It’s important to remember that GN has been taken over by this group who hunt in packs and post ten posts to every normal persons one post, making the same repetitive comments which seems to make them think they are somehow battering others into submission.

Totally wrong but let them keep going as it’s what lost them the last election- thinking they could bulldoze and bully others into submission..

Sussexborn You really don't know much about children at risk do you? Teachers spend so much time trying to keep these children in education. These families use every excuse not to send their child to school. If it isn't compulsory and they won't be fined they simply won't go and the idea that The parents who keep their children off school are most likely to be those who ensured their children did the school work provided by their school. is so wrong. Why do people imagine that children at risk will be clamouring to go back? Beause the government says so? They don't know what they are talking about either.
As for gangs and bullying on GN it's simply ridiculous.
Just because a lot of people happen to agree and know what they are talking about doesn't mean they always share the same views.
If they wanted to open schools properly here's how it should be done.
Take in year 6. Split the children into small groups of 5 or 6 trying to ensure each group contains some children with siblings in the school.
Wait a week. Tests to be available for all staff and children who show any symptoms.
If there are no symptoms introduce into each group 1 or 2 siblings. Social distancing will be necessary but not for the siblings so space will be better used and there will be some social interaction for siblings.
Wait a week. Test again if any symptoms. And if necessary close down any group with symptoms. If everyone is clear
Introduce more siblings.
The school may at this point have reached its capacity. But more families will be able to return to work as siblings will be in school. Unfortunately if staff or pupils or relatives show symptoms the whole undertaking will probably have to close down. But at least very young children will not have been introduced to something they will not understand or be able to cope with.

My GC have been in nursery since lockdown day 1. No they dont socially isolate and there are plenty of children under 5 as they merged with another to maintain numbers and retain staff. However the nursery has excellent hygiene policies with washing hands regularly a d wipe down being top of the list. No children have showed any signs of the virus and neither have the staff. A vaccine is at least 12 months away so schools have to manage the situation as best they can if that means stricter hygiene rules and a wipe down policy then so be it. I suggest you read the Gov uk website on the ACTUAL number of cases testing positive in your Local Authority ours was 206 as of yesterday and we live in a built up area with many care homes and schools. Children should not be prevented from their education because of scaremongering by the unions and the media.

How many people in total (adults and children) are in the nursery? What's the adult/child ratio?

The point is kissngate just one infected person could result in a couple of hundred being infected within two weeks, if the original infection isn't spotted quickly and measures taken extremely promptly.

The teaching unions are asking for reassurances that schools will take appropriate measures to clean the school and keep children and adults at a safe distance. They are also asking for effective testing and guidelines on closing the school if there should be any infection.

Teachers were railroaded into this without consultation. Some staff won't be able to work on the front line because they have pre-existing health conditions or are pregnant. They want reassurances that their jobs will be safe. I've seen examples of the pressure being put on staff to return, despite health conditions.

Teachers and their unions aren't being "bad guys", but they're miffed at being used as a political football.

I hope everybody cares so much about education, especially the most vulnerable, when this is all over!!

It appears supermarket staff, the police, delivery people, builders, manufacturing industries, people who work in the energy sector etc. who have worked throughout lockdown are immune to this virus but snowflake teachers who are, on the whole left wingers, who are happy to cause constant problems for the government, are not. Let's not pretend any of their actions- strikes, PC curriculi etc. are ever for the good of the children they are paid to teach. I say this as an ex teacher. Stop their wages if they won't return; the same with the transport workers.

What do you mean by local authority? In my local district council area of just under 80,000, the KCL Covid-19 tracker estimates that there are currently 539 people showing symptoms, which is an increase on two days ago. Many of those, of course, won't have been tested.

Didn't you post that before somewhere quizqueen?

How many of those people have excitable five year olds coming up to them and wanting to touch?

How many deaths is acceptable for children and school staff? Will you give them a clap then?

Primary schools could always do with a few extra pairs of hands , so it's encouraging to see that so many on GN would not hesitate to volunteer. I assume you've already signed up quizqueen to be one of those willing to sacrifice yourself for the greater good.

It is inevitable that if children go back to school on 1st June some staff and children will be infected, especially in the areas such as the North East and North West where the R number is still high.
It is difficult to keep children apart and they will be together with their teacher for several hours. And if one starts coughing..........

As a retired teacher I actually feel very very upset to see such horrible comments about teachers. What does snowflake teachers even mean ?
So unkind.
Most teachers would love to be back doing normal teaching interacting with young people rather than trying to teach mark look after them at a distance. So the reasons for objecting to forced return are concerns about SAFETY that’s all.

Most teachers haven't actually stopped working, anyway, either in school with the children already admitted, or online with their own classes - and that is even more hard work than teaching them in the classroom. Of course, if anyone wants to hit out at teachers because they had a hard time themselves at school, they don't need to use facts, as innuendos and accusations are much easier to find.

My neighbour teaches a foundation class and has been going in on a rota to look after the children of key workers. She says that, with the proscribed number of 15 children per classroom, the school can comfortably accommodate foundation class and year 6 but, there would not be room for any more years to come in. Some of the teachers are vulnerable and will not be able to go in either so, there would not be enough teachers.

Details of Scottish advice on what schoold need to consider when schools re-open - www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/health/coronavirus/scottish-government-issues-new-advice-schools-providing-care-children-during-covid-19-pandemic-2855926

Nicola Sturgeon said school pupils in Scotland won’t be returning to the classroom on a full-time basis before August.

Speaking at her daily briefing from the Scottish Government's HQ in Edinburgh on Friday, the First Minister said: “It is a reasonable thing for me to say right now - bearing in mind these decisions have not been taken in any final sense.

Whilst some have a choice if to send children back.

Some single mothers/fathers don't have this option.

Single parents who work have a choice of quitting their job(then would have to jump through hoops to receive any kind of help) or send their child/children to school.

Just an example.My dd has 2 boys age 5 and 14

The 5 year old has been in school all the time(apart from odd day when dd could manage a day off)

She has worked for the nhs for around 9 yrs now with a break when she had 5 yrs old.

She has two choices. A: to send 5 yr old to school and keep her job (he cant go childminders)

Or Abandon her job and keep 5 yr old at home until whenever.There for she would have to start the complicated task of hoop jumping benefits system.

The 14 yr old is not so much a problem. Its the younger one.

The 5 yr old has adapted to the C19 and can tell us all about it and what they have to do or not do at school the staff at school have been brilliant.

Some days its been quite sad as he has been the only child in school (but still has to have 2 members of staff in)

My dd felt awful having to send him but at the moment has no choice. Me grandma cannot have him, other gran wont! have him plus cant mix households.

Such a complicated mess.

I've had a keyworkers' child, 2yrs, all along.
I've now got another one back, 4yrs.
She could go to pre-school as well, but current advice says no more than one setting in addition to home.
I'm not prepared to take and collect her from pre-school.
As she needs longer hours than they offer, she's staying with me.

quizqueen how rude you are with your sweeping statement about ‘snowflake teachers’. As a teacher, I have been working from home, but also in school on a rota basis so that key workers children can be looked after. On June 1st if my school opens, I will be in school to teach the youngest children in the school who take every opportunity to hug, stroke and even on occasion lick their teacher. We will be taking every measure to ensure the safety of the children and the staff in our school and are willingly preparing to go back. Your comments are unhelpful, inaccurate and extremely misinformed. Enough said!

I'd be interested to know how many people have been infected at the schools that have accommodated key workers' children all along. I haven't seen mention of any. Has anyone else?

and then there's Eton ...

voxpoliticalonline.com/2020/05/16/if-eton-isnt-reopening-until-at-least-september-why-the-hurry-to-bring-back-state-schools/

Baggs, my DIL is a teacher, at most there have been five pupils per session
I don't think that any stats would be representative

Great discussion on BBC, the paediatrician they thought was going to say it was OK, instead agreed that what was necessary was proper tracing, tracking and testing and quarantining and working with all the people involved to make sure opening was done properly. All involved made very good points and what emerged was that it isn't such a simple matter and the risks, particularly to support staff, who might need PPE to perform some tasks, needed proper assessment.

In a school where there are 180 children just in Reception and year 1 and 90 in year 6, having the classes in will need more staff and spaces than they have. Even with 15 per room plus staff you need 18 classrooms and that doesn’t really allow socially distanced 2metres. The key workers children from whatever year group would still need to be in. So, 6 EYFS teachers, 6 year 1 teachers and 6 year 6 teachers plus some for the other key worker children.
Providing 1/2 day schooling causes problems for working parents and inequality between morning and afternoon, though that could be sorted by shortening the morning for the necessary extra cleaning.
Two days in, two days out still causes problems for parents.
There have been as many as 60 assorted children of key workers in per day since lockdown started, and staff, teachers TAs and cleaners have all been kept very busy with making it safe. The children who have been in are all used to social distancing already but will that work when their friends arrive?
Who knows what the best answer will be?

French woman on TV talking about how they are doing it. Children are only in 2 days per week . Have to have their temperature taken every morning by parents and then again during the day, if they have a temperature they are isolated until parents take them home. Not a way of getting parents back to work then. Could it be the French looked more at what is best for the child than our lot have?

Something I haven’t heard mentioned is the fact that at the moment a large number of grandparents deliver and collect their grandchildren from school because both parents are working. A lot of these grandparents, ourselves included, are over 70 and more at risk from the virus so will be advised not to do this. What provision is being made for these children? Before and after school club places are limited and staff to pupil ratio will make it very difficult for social distancing to be enforced. Also how can parents return to work if their Year 6 child can go to school but their Year 3 child can’t. No school will have enough classrooms or teachers to accommodate smaller classes if the whole school returns. As for children having to do their own First Aid or clean themselves up after a “toilet” accident well I worked for nearly 30 years in a Primary School and that is pie in the sky thinking! As for teachers being “snowflakes” anyone who thinks that should try teaching for a week and see if they still think that!