Return to school

Quizqueen - what a horrible post. I don't know when you used to be a teacher, but I assume you know that since 1989, the curriculum has been dominated by the National Curriculum, not by teachers.

There are rotas to be in school for key workers' children and vulnerable children (since March 20th, throughout Easter holidays including bank holiday weekend), live lessons are being zoomed (so some staff are on full timetables from home, using their home resources), online lessons are bring provided, likewise support and work to be completed, some teachers have delivered or posted paper copies to those with IT issues (at their own expense and using own printer), are doing usual marking, usual meetings, they're checking up on those not working, phoning home. Some have even delivered food! Various teachers on social media have been sharing their resources for free to facilitate parents who are home-schooling their children.

I retired a couple of years ago, and frankly I couldn't manage adapting all my resources to accommodate distance learning. As for 'snowflake, lefty teachers' - really?

Quizqueen - what a horrible post. I don't know when you used to be a teacher, but I assume you know that since 1989, the curriculum has been dominated by the National Curriculum, not by teachers.

There are rotas to be in school for key workers' children and vulnerable children (since March 20th, throughout Easter holidays including bank holiday weekend), live lessons are being zoomed (so some staff are on full timetables from home, using their home resources), online lessons are bring provided, likewise support and work to be completed, some teachers have delivered or posted paper copies to those with IT problems (at their own expense and using own printer), they have offered IT support, are doing usual marking, usual meetings, they're checking up on those not working, phoning home. Some have even delivered food... and so on. Various teachers on social media have been sharing their resources for free to facilitate home-schooling.

I retired a couple of years ago, and frankly I couldn't manage adapting all my resources to accommodate distance learning. As for 'snowflake, lefty teachers' - too much Daily Mail

Quizqueen, how rude!
You don’t appear to know what has been going on in schools since lockdown was announced. Teachers have been occupied at home, planning lessons, organising resources and contacting pupils and parents.
Those same teachers have also been in school Albeit on a rota, all through the lockdown as pointed out by other posters. They have been in constant Socially distanced contact with children of key workers many of whom work for the NHS. These workers come home to their children, who then come into school potentially bringing the virus with them.
Would you have been volunteering to help out?

I suspect that Quzqueen is a Farage fan and an avid reader of the Daily Express. (or possibly the Daily Mail).

Unfortunately there are a lot of people who lap up the poisonous rubbish put out by the billionaire tax exile proprietors of these rags which is why we have ended up with this hideously incompetent brexi government.

My son in law is a teacher.He has worked throughout lockdown sometimes at home and on a rota at school.He has also along with his colleagues visited the most vulnerable pupils at their homes to check on their wellbeing.

Anyone can claim to be an ‘ex-teacher’ but those in the profession know they don’t devise the curriculum - teachers try to implement what is decided by government ministers, (most of whom have very little idea of how children learn).

Just realised that Chardy has made the same point.

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

A bit of a generalisation!!

Up to now, after not being open long, a school in France has had to close it's gates again when a pupil tested positive for the coronavirus. This was as soon as they went back. Of course this is going to happen !
My twin GGC won't be going back until September, they're nearly 14 and have school work brought to them regularly by the headmaster who calls them his " favourite family ".

Not just that Madgran but as several have pointed out ... inaccurate.

One thing which has come to puzzle me is how will they social distance in the toilets. School toilets are usually small and have little space between the cubicles and hand basins, so do children only go on their own? Does the toilet need sanitising afterwards? It will be a complete nightmare.

trisher the guidance makes it clear that (at least) with the little ones there is no expectation of social distancing. I don’t know what the arrangements are for cleaning and sanitising. Whilst I accept that all schools are physically very different, I would have expected a list of criteria from the centre as to minimum standards - including cleaning intervals, lunch arrangements and so on.

EllanVannin Another town in France has had to close all its schools again after a number of people were infected.

suziewoozie have expected a list of criteria from the centre as to minimum standards - including cleaning intervals, lunch arrangements and so on
I think that's the problem there hasn't been anything but very basic stuff. I know that there is such a wide variety of school buildings that it would be difficult but the government could have said that the school staff and parents must be happy with the standards in schools before the school was allowed to open.

Yes trisher Of course the discussions should have started weeks ago.

Our local primary school has been working on this since lockdown, using a range of scenarios. Some slight adaptations to protocol will be needed to meet guidelines but they are well prepared. They have also produced a truly lovely video within school to tell all the pupils how much they have missed them and how much they are looking forward to welcoming them back, whenever that may be. A really important message for the children to hear I feel.

Granny what a lovely idea

The school I used to teach in has an assembly on line every Monday morning a bedtime story read by one of the teachers 2/3 times a week. There are also videos of all the teachers chatting to their classes and saying how they are looking forward to seeing them all again soon. Excellent. ???

That’s such a lovely idea. I’ve been very impressed by the attention my 5 and 6 yr old grandkids have received from their teachers.

In addition to the daily online work that’s been sent to them to support their parents in home schooling they have both received a few pre arranged phone calls from their teachers, as have all their classmates.

A nice chat with mum and dad to see how they were doing. And the kids were delighted to chat to their teachers who they are missing terribly in addition to their little friends.

At that young age their teachers are more than “just” teachers.

I can think of many occasions when my own 2 were little and had a slip of the tongue and called me by their teachers names.

It makes me so sad to think they will be expected to be physically distant from each other when they return to school.

Where are these wonderful schools? My DGS (year one) has only been given a guide as to what he is expected to learn this term with a few work sheets. Very little contact from his teacher with his parents and none with him. An only child, he’s not good at mixing and doesn’t want to go back to school.

Those are really lovely ideas too Sunlover On a slightly different tack, our children school has a Friday morning Achievement Assembly promoting positive behaviours and which family are invited to. My son in law does a homeschooling version which is hilarious, We are invited to attend on Zoom. Awards are in similar categories to school, so attendance (100% so far) sporting achievements, lunchtime award, Teachers award and there's usually one for the dog "always being ready for exercise" was the last one. He is brought through to receive his certificate personally.

Granulaine that’s brilliant

The NEw Statesman has a good article on the logistics of reoening schools.
www.newstatesman.com/politics/education/2020/05/reopening-schools-question-logistics-not-risks-teachers

Thanks for sharing Elegran, that's a really interesting piece.

I was talking to someone who works in an office but has been home working. Some people in her building have gone back but she hasn't yet. She had to go into the office for essential work and said that altough only about 200 people are working there she couldn't see how more would be allowed back (there should be 3000) because social distancing just wouldn't work with more people. And that's in a huge building with several floors, how on earth can a school do it?

My daughter's school (secondary) has been planning their return to having children in school (or rather more children - they have already had the children of key workers)

The logistics are horrendous, as described in the NS piece, and that is only for what is expected to be a limited restart. This is a well-organised school with excellent teachers and support staff in a fairly "civilised" catchment area, and they are finding it very difficult. How a school in an area with multiple problems is managing, heaven knows.