Should the schools reopen?

Using alternative accommodation seems like a sensible solution but there are so many problems associated with it. The initial one is security (as Maybee70 suggests). Schools are like high security areas, they have security fencing and strict access arrangements for visitors during school hours. Arranging for this would be expensive and could be difficult. Children need access to outdoor space for recreation and exercise, and, with the transmission of the coronavirus being less likely in the open air, the need for outdoor space becomes more necessary, running around in an indoor space for exercise if there was no access to space outside would just make the chances of the virus spreading greater. Many schools are teaching outside where possible in order to minimise risk. Would there be enough suitable premises available?

Staffing. If half the children are to be in alternative accommodation then it stands to reason that twice as many staff will be needed to teach and supervise them. All very well suggesting that retired teachers are asked to return to work to increase teacher numbers, but they are in the high risk group; what would be put in place to protect them?

Then there's CRB checking. The system would be completely overwhelmed with the numbers of extra staff required, and CRB checks already take some time to come through. So there would need to be a plan in place now for extra staff to be recruited and checked ready for possible opening in September.

And the extra equipment? Tables, chairs, stationery, teaching materials such as work books, equipment etc. Dare I say interactive whiteboards and access to the internet, absolutely common in all schools now. How would Secondary Science and Technology work in a church hall or community centre?

Funding. Is the government prepared to fund the alternative arrangements and the extra staff required? It should, but would it?

Very nice that private schools have implemented Zoom lessons during lockdown. So have many state schools, but private pupils have the laptops and access to the internet which many state school pupils don't have. What happened to the laptops for disadvantaged children promised by the government a couple of months ago. And what good is a laptop if they can't connect to the internet? Perhaps the Labour proposal of free broadband for all doesn't look so unrealistic now?

I am absolutely aware of the problems for vulnerable and disadvantaged children and of the fact that all our state educated children are losing practically a year of their education, but ad hoc solutions may not help to solve them.

Lucca and Galaxy make good points. Sorry Lizbethann55 but buildings could be found for the many schools that will need the space. However, this would involve much more than putting in the furniture.

Private schools could cope better. Look at how they are funded !

There may be enough other buildings. Time will be needed to set these places up,
There may be enough retired (willing to go back to work) or newly qualified unemployed teachers (thankful for a salary).

However, the main question is how is all this funded? I speak from experience with this but schools budgets are extremely tight. There is no way there would be sufficient funding within the budget for extra salaries for all concerned. Not just teaching staff but cleaners, caretakers never mind the equipment needed for these other buildings.

What about toilets? Lunches? Playgrounds? Whose going to sanitise these buildings prior to being set up? The gov paid for the Nightingale Hospitals to be set up. Where did the extra salaries come from for the shipped in staff? Is the Gov going to pay for the local leisure centre to be set up as a classroom along with all the extra salaries?

There's been no mention in gov statements that money will be available for this. Regions school budgets are increasing in September from between 3.02% - 5.03%. This was announced last year ! That was an essential increase and would not cover any of the above.

Lucca. I like you did some teaching after I retired. I waited 2 months for the CRB check to come through.

It's not just private schools: there are a few state schools that are doing Zoom lessons. I have one GD doing such. There will be many families where there is only one laptop. There will be some with no laptops.

Apologies for a long comment but I am really incensed at the lack of forethought with the guidelines issued by Gov.

It is quite obvious that there was no overall plan for schools, hence the disgraceful muddle. This is what comes of Boris Johnson's style of government......everything done on the hoof, no planning, no consultation , last minute ideas leading to to everything being too late.
Johnson has missed the bus in every major department .There's a great cartoon in the Times today illustrating this beautifully .

Apologies for badly typed post.

Lizbethann. Drafting people in is a nice idea, but something would need to change..... I was called out of retirement a few years ago to teach a level for a few months in the school I hadworked in for 20+ Years and oh the form filling online training crb checks I had to go through!

Yes I would agree with that Lucca, and would also say that my experience wont even be the same as some of the other families in my school. I am very fortunate in that I have 2 laptops, for many children whatever the school may provide remotely they wont have the same access as others.

Galaxy sorry crossed posts.
What I mean is that return to school will be easier in private schools.

Private schools have smaller class sizes. I would say also private school attendees will all have access to computers for zoom classes.
State schools are different,

My children are in state school and both are receiving lessons via zoom.

The government needed a plan to ensure continuing education. Just closing schools for 6 months because it all seems too difficult is not good enough. Private schools are ensuring that pupils are getting contact via zoom, there are options. Some children will never make up for lost time but someone in government needs to be fighting to mitigate the damage. However my fear is that there's a lack of leadership and will the top of government, people are out of their depth.

Your wish for honesty from this government I find very amusing. Do they know what it is?

Not “amusing” . Please don’t patronise me.

Our village hall is being used as a classroom. I do worry about security in such places, though.

Thanks Hetty: brilliant article.

Just a passing thought. Space is obviously an issue. So why not have classes in buildings other than schools? Church halls, social clubs, gyms, function rooms etc etc. A sort of educational equivalent of the Nightingale hospitals. There are lots of newly qualified teachers or retired teachers who could be drafted in to work for the time being. They brought in final year medics and retired medics to help in the hospitals, so why not schools? Of course it is not ideal. Nothing in this madness is, but it would be something. And surely some education is better than no education. If they can build Nightingale hospitals in such a short period of time, I am sure they could put some tables, chairs and blackboards in some unused halls.

www.theneweuropean.co.uk/top-stories/uk-population-being-fooled-by-government-1-6684939

MawB, I thought all along that it was all about childcare and getting parents back to work.

The economic outlook is grim so we can't stay locked down much longer.

There was never any real discussion about government plans, though. It seemed obvious that schools just wouldn't have the space or staff to implement them. Now, there's only a few weeks until the summer holidays.

Your wish for honesty from this government I find very amusing. Do they know what it is?

As I see it the notion of education has been conflated with the notion of childcare.
Of course it would make sense to have part time schooling for all although I would prefer to see a “two days on” then deep clean followed by “another two days” followed by another deep clean at the weekend rather than a split day, simply as a matter of hygiene and the risk of infection from surfaces etc.
However this would not solve the childcare problem for working parents - that is what I mean by conflated.
Is it for the children’s sake? ✔️
Or is it to enable parents to go back to work to restart the economy❓
If childcare is the major issue let’s not pretend it’s all to do with nurturing our children’s intellects - it is expedient.
I wish the government could at least be honest about this and if it is the latter, then they have to allow a modicum of family based childcare at the discretion of the family - by which I mean grandparents,

UK Gov needs a maths lesson:

The government announced that to keep children and teachers safe there should be no more than 15 pupils per class - so in effect, every class of 30 would have to be spread over two classrooms. Average primary class sizer is 27.

This might work for the phased return of the first few year groups. But the government is also aiming, if the safety advice permits, for all primary year groups to be back in school for a month before the end of term.

The complication is that if each class is occupying two or more classrooms, how could all the year groups be back full time at the same time? There wouldn't be enough classrooms or teachers + assistants.

So now no return for all primary age until September. Department for Education says it will need to issue new guidance to sort it out.

I'm sure parents would love the suggestion from Mr Chalke, founder of the Oasis academy trust which runs 35 primary schools, who supports reopening schools, says the pressure on space from class sizes of 15 will mean that schools are likely to need rota systems, such as different classes having morning and afternoon shifts.

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.