Should the schools reopen?

I think the schools should go back in phases, so that teachers can cope.There is no magic about leaving it until September.
My DGS ( at a special school) has been at home for two and a half months so far, not even one day a week in school.His parents are desperate for him to return.
Our children are losing out so much and in so many ways.
Disturbed behaviour is common now in many of our friends DGC.

Children of key workers and specially vulnerable children have been attending school as noted.

Universal school attendance is hygienic ONLY if separation standards , hand washing and so forth can be done.

The crux is comparative values of school education and lowering the reproduction rate of virus.

Compatibility is more probable if the scientists can recommend child friendly masks and coveralls to be donned at school and left there, plus physical separation between the pupils.

This is feasible. During the war school children were accustomed to gas mask practice and took for granted all other air raid precautions. Also teachers are adept at turning a procedure into a game.

No Alexa they haven’t, it was government policy that children of all key workers could continue at school and those with special needs.However it was very much up to the schools themselves, and all our DGC have received no schooling at all, and they fit that criteria.

Wales has proposed the same trisher.
The problem is logistics - getting to and from school.
How will that be achieved when parents do not want children to go on public transport, the schools do not advise children using public transport and I would think a high proportion of them live more than the 5 miles from school which is allowed for travel?

Urmstongran Your grandson's mother would have been working all the time schools were physically closed

yes growstuff but only 2 days a week in the actual building, with 3 - 4 children of key workers - the rest of my daughter’s week was on line. From tomorrow, it’s all hands on deck.

Surprised ! I'm not. If only BJ etc had talked at length to teaching unions and listened to teachers before making such an impossible decision to open schools to all children under their new guidelines.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-52969679?fbclid=IwAR2hkAywKe25TkEFB4GC5c_1AgC6_HNCG08WNJuKYOPAwaumc6OJ4tiiEyo

EDITED POST:

Surprised ! I'm not. If only BJ etc had talked at length to teaching unions and listened to teachers before making such an impossible decision to open schools to all primary children, before the end of term, under their new guidelines.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-52969679?fbclid=IwAR2hkAywKe25TkEFB4GC5c_1AgC6_HNCG08WNJuKYOPAwaumc6OJ4tiiEyo

We ghave to start somewhere and September seems a long way off the children are getting used to being at home which I think as a nursery nurse is worrying as I can see this in my own grandchildren apart from the lack of schooling I feel,it’s made my grandchildren very nervous especially when venturing out. There will be repercussions over this In The future mark may words. I think it’s time we moved on with sensible Measures,

So she did continue to work full-time Urmstongran. Online teaching is still work. She would also have had paperwork to do.

Bad consequences would be the death of school staff with health conditions and any family members children infect, even if the children themselves don't get infected.

How would the wise ones of GN overcome this slight problem? I'm sure Gavin Williamson would like to know.

My oldest grandchild is seven years old and has been receiving lessons via Zoom every day since closure. The children do primary subjects in the morning, and the rest of the subjects in the afternoon. I think they begin the day with Joe Wicks PE. I looked at his school books at the weekend and as an ex teacher, I thought the curriculum has been well covered. I believe his parents photograph his work and email it to his teacher.

My six year old twin grandchildren attended their school for three days a week, as their parents are both key workers. The little one aged two started nursery in a hurry, as we are no longer allowed to do childcare. The twins are now attending school all week as they are Year 1.

All the children are happy and seem to be progressing. The children at school haven’t contracted Covid19. I think social distancing with children, although necessary, will ultimately affect their development socially. This worries me when it’s a whole generation of children.

Unfortunately Covid-19 is going to be around for many many months, it will be months if not years before there is a credible vaccine.

I would be interested to know how many infections/cross infections happened in schools before lockdown. (One of my GC had a teacher with confirmed Covid and no other cases were reported on the schools contact page)

GG13
News item since children returned on 1st.
thelincolnite.co.uk/2020/06/ten-lincolnshire-schools-report-covid-19-infections-since-reopening/

Thank you for that WOODMOUSE49 It doesn't state whether the infection was due to schools opening or in the community. We have a local Council website to report any infections and our contacts.

It would be nice to think that the government had a joined up strategy for this (or for any other Covid related issue) but they haven't. They choose instead to take politically motivated decisions (all schools will open) when anyone could have told them it was physically impossible to do this. There was some Tory minister on TV talking about asking retired teachers to return to schools to solve staffing issues, as if he hadn'theard of the elderly risks. If only they could put together a real plan of action and stop pretendng it will be easy. It won't but with a bit of lateral thinking, looking at outdoor education, using other buildings and facing the problems it could be done. Of course it will cost money and that's another sticking point.

A real plan of action and lateral thinking. Well said.

The rate of infection is going down laboriously slowly and is likely to take a big hit when the effects of the recent demonstrations hit home. I think they could well cause a spike. Even another lockdown.

I doubt the infection rate, even if it continues at the present rate, will be low enough for the teachers to accept even by September, it's only three months away. What happens then? So far no one has come up with any alternative suggestions.

Why no mention of secondary schools? My Year 10 GS is supposed to be returning for one day a week from next Monday.

Could more children 11-18 start going back on a part time basis? They are well aware of social distancing, and surely would be another step towards a more ‘normal’ way of life.

Calendargirl I think the big problem with secondary schools is that the pupils do not remain in one group but are in different groups depending on the subject, they also need to use different areas for certain subjects like science. It's not something that is easily dealt with.

Yes it's to do with remaining in bubbles, so primary children can remain with the same adult therefore limiting risk of infection. If secondary school pupils are moving between subjects it raises exposure risk for pupils and teachers.

It’s such a huge problem, I’m not sure anyone knows how to tackle it. Too many children, too few teachers and TAs, and too few classrooms. Schools were never built for every child to be in a class of ten. I’m just glad I’m no longer teaching. I heard today that the government are appealing for retired teachers to go back; that’s not something I would ever consider.

I do realise that growstuff

My comment was more in keeping with the whole ‘going back into school and putting teachers/pupils at risk by being together’ rather than whether or not she had been busy these last 10 weeks.

I can suggest two possible methods of maintaining a maximum of education opportunities, whilst enabling maximum safety.

The first is a quick look back to WWII, whole schools were evacuated to the country. A Rota for school attendance was put into place. The local children had their schooling in the morning, the evacuees in the afternoons.

Perhaps something similar could be put into place?

Or looking back into history though more modern. In my last year at primary school, for around 5 -6 months schools, had to close due to general strikes. I had to go in twice a week on a Rota basis to collect work, and give in my last bundle of work. I still managed to pass my 11+ & we didn't have the internet, and.....the libraries were closed as they are now.

Surely we could use those and other things from history could be used to inform us in getting schools safely back.

Finally, there are an army of grandparents and parents too, who could be used to support teaching staff. Use us!

Lizbethanne55, I appreciate that you don't want to make your post political, but I am afraid that it can't be anything else
The Government has yet again, today, changed the guidelines re primary schools
The guidance is changing daily it seems. It smacks of ineptitude
This is a very frightening situation that we find ourselves in and we find ourselves to be top of the leader board of deaths
No, we shouldn't subject our children to the lottery of chance

As BlueBelle said this virus is going to be around for a long time and we need to learn how to live with this. Each school is different and should make its own safeguards within a general framework. I'm not sure why the long summer holiday is still taking place, surely it's a good time to start a phased return.