AIBU No going back to school I’m furious.

Indeed Ginny very few lazy teachers. But then there’s a section of society who play the ‘let’s knock teachers’ game with gusto.

Just a few points I'd like to make. An academy school near here has spent a lot of money making preparations to get the children back. I'm told by neighbour who works there and was very sceptical before going there last week that they've made many changes. She was very reassured about going back to work. However, they are a company and not all schools have that kind of money.

We have no way of knowing what the situation is in the homes the children are coming from. What's been happening there? Is someone in the family being shielded and may the children take home Covid -19? The whole of life is reflected in any school.

Many children are cared for by grandparents and may become carriers to older family members. Some families have grandparents living with them, other grandparents may be the main carers of GC.

We have no way of knowing the levels cleanliness and rigid washing of hands and wiping of shopping and surfaces in the homes the children come from. Will the children have been drilled at home about regular washing of hands etc?

The children have not been on holiday all this time. They will need to have free time socialising and playing out when the virus is at last retreating. Families will finally be able to get out together without so much fear and maybe a little holiday away somewhere if they're lucky. Don't be wishing the holiday period to be taken for classes right through till Christmas. As someone mentioned up thread, teaching has been going on in many schools either in school for the vulnerable and children of key workers or online. Many teachers have been teaching classes online whilst caring for their own young children at home. Very few lazy teachers in my considerable experience.

CanadianGran If my school was under an attack I would do my best to protect the children. I would like to think that I wouldn’t think twice about my life. Schools are up and running as half classes are alternating on different days and teachers say because of the small classes, the work load is surprisingly being done. However, thought must be given to the health of teachers as we know very few children suffer from this virus.

Mokryna - on the flip side of your issue there are many parents working part time jobs with no sick benefit. If they don't go to work they do not get paid and the family sometimes has to choose between rent and food.

There is a concerted effort now to have mandatory sick pay for Canadians. I'm not sure how that could work but I know it would come at a cost (taxes).

As for teachers planning for back to school, I imagine the logistics are very challenging. At our local school district return to school is optional for the rest of this school year. The schools reached out to parents to get approximate numbers returning, and they have been able to implement a plan. My GS is in kindergarten and will return twice a week for 2 hours.

urmstongran “. April 15 .... Keir Starmer wrote in the independent. Schools should reopen.”

So ? What has that to do with your comment about the unions?

Starmer and, for that matter, most people involved in education think that schools should re-open - but not unless a safe environment for staff and pupils can be provided.

I can only speak for myself. I love my job but before the schools closed here 13 March, I took over a class only to find a little boy with a raging temperature. My thought was, had the parent dosed him up before dropping him off. I don’t put it passed some people, through experience. They want to be free to work. To some, because they are fit and young it is only flu. Teachers, well they are there to teach, they are not people with families. This is an air born illness no one knows.

April 15 .... Keir Starmer wrote in the independent. Schools should reopen.

12rg12ja, why be 'furious' when the whole point of the reluctance to open schools (for all) is concern for public safety? There is nothing more important in the middle of a deadly pandemic, surely?

In your opinion, I think.
Duh!
Yes, it is my opinion.
?
That’s what comments are, surely?

What’s IYO Furret?
I’m guessing in your ... (what?)

No, sadly.
The school have said trainers are fine, now, too.
One pair of trousers were out of stock. Due in stock in July. So.. all a bit of a waste.

The sole raison d’être of the teaching unions is “to bash the government” of course. Nothing to do with monitoring the well-being of their members. I despair.

Can you get a refund on that school uniform, MissAdventure?

Urn IYO

Maybe this wonderful, world beating track and trace should be utilised in schools first?
Monitor the children and staff, and take our lead from them?

P.s. our daughter is a teacher. Key Stage One Lead. Happy to be in. Their son 7y old goes in full time next week into his school as the child of a key worker.

P.p.s. I think Boris should DROP the 2m distance malarkey. It’s not happening in Europe and they’ve not reported new cases in schools. It IS a stick for the unions to bash the government. In my humble.

Schools should open. Those parents who don’t want their children to go in could be allowed to stay home till September. But I’d lay a £1 to a penny that peer pressure would have them back in within a week or two!

Can you imagine ‘aw mam, all me mates are in. They’re saying I’m a mummy’s boy being kept at home like this. And they’ve got stuff going on that I don’t get to join in’.

??

This has made me so cross. Posters claiming it is some left wing conspiracy to stop children getting an education. Oddly enough teachers teach because they WANT to educate.
It is quite clear that some posters have no idea of the difficulties involved. Just “Get the kids back in school and never mind the risk “
“So what if some staff die, they’re probably all lefties anyway.”

Exactly Wibby! As I'm below pension age, I could in theory still be teaching, but I would be extremely reluctant to risk my health.

One of the primary schools my son attended only had four classrooms with no computer room or library. The hall/dining wasn't much bigger than a normal classroom. Even with only three year groups, the school would have problems splitting the children into six bubbles.

Sarahmob It makes me cross too. Today at PMQs, Johnson tried to blame the unions (and bizarrely the Labour Party) for schools not re-opening. I suspect he was relying on parents blaming teachers, but I don't think most parents are that daft. Even the BBC (Norman Somebody?) came up with more ideas, which could have been put in place months ago.

A risk no matter how small is still a risk! its not a mild illness it can kill !

I think teachers have really taken the brunt of all this.
I take my hat off to them (and I don't even wear a hat)

growstuff I completely agree with your post @ 18.09
My best friend is a teacher in a small primary school. They've spent the last week deep cleaning every area of the school, removing every soft surface that cannot be sanitized, rugs, pictures on walls, books, crayons, pens and pencils. They have one communal hall that they've been able to split into 2 very small class rooms which, at most, would allow 6 pupils in each space to taught. They'd just got it completed when the government decided on Monday that schools in this area would not, afterall, be returning. If they do split shifts for classes, it would mean that all areas would have to be deep cleaned at the end of every shift ready for the next shift of children to go in.

Who would be able to do that twice a day, every day?

Well said growstuff.

Weeks to get everything ready? Gov UK was updated on 4 June with guidelines for primary schools. www.gov.uk/government/publications/preparing-for-the-wider-opening-of-schools-from-1-june/planning-guide-for-primary-schools

Imagine you are a governor or head of a primary and you have to implement all the guidelines knowing you will have no extra funding to do so.

Ellianne's school is extremely fortunate. I've worked in 6 schools and a governor of two, Some rural - two inner city schools. The rural ones library was bookshelves in the corridors. Most schools don't have a computer suite as they have banks of laptops.

The NAHT (that represents most primary headteachers) was never approached.

So Ellainne please take the time to understand why many schools have found it difficult to get their act together. The link is not too lengthy.

Even if the schools have "shifts", are you expecting the teachers to sanitize all the surfaces, equipment, door handles etc between shifts?