The government is about to tell us that schools are safe

Sara1954

It seems to me that at least 50% of pupils are in school anyway. I don’t know if that’s across the country, but it’s certainly the case where we live.
So I’m not sure it will make an enormous amount of difference if they are all back, I think the children who remain at home are being seriously disadvantaged, and the teachers are struggling to teach a class of children, while trying to teach their online pupils.

It makes a huge amount of difference because it means that there is space for pupils to socially distance.

There is no need for the pupils at home to have online lessons 100% of the time, so the teachers could alternate and work a rota system.

The obsession with having all pupils in an unsafe environment is dangerous.

Next, the government will be telling us that shopping is safe, followed by eating out, pubs, entertainment, holidays etc. Will we be stupid enough to believe them?

And after that they will tell us that living in safe. And we all know that isn't true. Living has a 100% mortality rate.

Sara1954

It seems to me that at least 50% of pupils are in school anyway. I don’t know if that’s across the country, but it’s certainly the case where we live.
So I’m not sure it will make an enormous amount of difference if they are all back, I think the children who remain at home are being seriously disadvantaged, and the teachers are struggling to teach a class of children, while trying to teach their online pupils.

I think you have a good point there. At my local primary school, half of school age pupils are attending and all of those in nursery classes. So the school, as a whole, is more than half full already.

Urmstongran

Labour agrees with the return on 8 March. What will he think of pressure by the teaching unions?

That's why I posted somewhere (can't remember which thread) that Keir Starmer has taken leave of his senses.

Labour is relying on feedback from focus groups of former Labour turned Conservative voters.

Labour agrees with the return on 8 March. What will he think of pressure by the teaching unions?

Franbern

As prophecied, no notice whatsoever has been taken of the advice by all the teaching unions, neither has anything been mentioned about prioritising all educational staff for receiving the vaccinations.
Nor....has anything at all been mentioned as to how year 11 and Year 13 students are to achieve their grades. With so much stress for this age group,this is making it so much more difficult for them.

Schools do know how grades will be calculated. They will be based on teacher assessments. Schools can decide for themselves how they calculate the grades, but are being sent "mini exams" which they can use to inform their judgments. The exam boards won't require any evidence from schools. Pupils will be able to challenge the grades, but only if they have evidence. Last year, schools weren't willing to budge on their assessments.

The only proviso is that grades must be awarded in line with a school's past performance, which is what caused the anomalies last year. It will favour pupils who go to high-performing schools and schools with small exam groups, which are usually private schools. It will disadvantage pupils at large colleges and improving schools/colleges.

I have mentioned on GN before that teachers, amongst others, should be vaccinated early on. I am not saying that older people don't matter; I am one myself, but it makes sense to me that by giving teachers the vaccine they would have a degree of protection and schools could get back, gradually, to some sort of normality. I appreciate we can't just fling open the doors and off we go but students of all ages need to get back to the whole package that school provides.

As prophecied, no notice whatsoever has been taken of the advice by all the teaching unions, neither has anything been mentioned about prioritising all educational staff for receiving the vaccinations.
Nor....has anything at all been mentioned as to how year 11 and Year 13 students are to achieve their grades. With so much stress for this age group,this is making it so much more difficult for them.

Starmer has taken leave of his senses!

labourlist.org/2021/02/sunday-shows-starmer-backs-full-reopening-of-schools-on-march-8th/

One of my g.daughters (year 13) has received all her offers from the uni's to which she applied. Will now complete her UCAS form showing first choice and insurance choice)l.

So, she knows what she needs to achieve with her A level results, however neither she nor her school have any idea as to how these will be examined. and made. These last few months of A levels are stressful enough for these youngsters, without this added worry.

I agree with you trisher. I know more about secondary schools and you're right. Years 11 and 13 have had a really bad deal, which has been especially traumatic for Year 13, as they apply for higher education places or employment. Most of their GCSE and A level courses have been disrupted.

Schools were originally told that they would have to test all pupils and spent their Christmas holidays making arrangements - then that was cancelled. They still don't know how many pupils will be returning and how many will need to be tested or who is going to do the testing.

Whatever they are told to do needs to be sustainable to give some consistency, which having all pupils back wouldn't be.

Apparently Chris Whitty has advised that pupils shouldn't all return on 8 March. I wonder if the BBC will call him "left wing" too. If he's overruled, I hope he's brave enough to resign and speak out.

'Left Wing Union - what a load of rubbish. Just means that the government is already getting its ducks in a row for the problems that are going to be caused by them NOT following the advice of these professionals.

These are the Unions involved --Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), GMB, National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), NASUWT, National Education Union (NEU), National Governance Association (NGA), Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA), Unison, and Unite.

It is interesting that the radio reported this mornng that "left wing Unions" were opposing the opening. For very good reasons. It should be possible to stagger the starting dates. In secondary schools it would be good to get the exam years in just so that they get encouragement and guidance on the work they will be submitting. Then they could be sent home and other groups admitted. it is usual for those years to have study time and be out of school at exam time anyway.
Primary schools could start with Year 6 and early years and gradually build up.
All I can see from opening completely is schools having to shut or send children home when infections develop.

In Scotland primaries one, two and three are returning next week. In secondary schools only the pupils who have a practical element to their course will be in school and that will be seniors only who have exams. All teachers are being offered tests twice weekly.

The phased return is a good idea in many respects, and I agree that starting with the little children might be the way forward.
I would also like to see explored the possibility of relating the return to different areas in England, rather like the tier system. I'm guessing that might be unpalatable and seen as unfair. But a region like Devon say is sitting here twiddling its thumbs with so few cases it seems rather silly to hold those young children back. And ironically if these kids did go back they would be the ones with plenty of open space to ensure fresh ventilation. A bit of a postcode lottery like.

As has been pointed out Nursery School Staff are far more hands on than Primary or Secondary Schools but these have remained open for all children not just key workers children.

Two of my GC have not missed a day of nursery since last June.

It is unfeasible for schools to remain closed to children whose parents are not key workers. We are becoming dangerously close to having a swathe of children with mental health and anxiety issues due to their isolation, along with a lack of in school education.

Hands on

True, and nursery staff are very hands in

It's not just teachers. It is all school staff. Pupils are just as close to teaching assistants as teachers, if not closer, in primaries.

What do the government know really?

But I agree that vaccinating teachers should be a priority

'The government is about to tell us that schools are safe' - again!

I think a cautious return of primary aged children is reasonable (although I think teachers should be vaccinated as a priority) but it's still too early for secondary schools.

Next, the government will be telling us that shopping is safe, followed by eating out, pubs, entertainment, holidays etc. Will we be stupid enough to believe them?

It seems to me that at least 50% of pupils are in school anyway. I don’t know if that’s across the country, but it’s certainly the case where we live.
So I’m not sure it will make an enormous amount of difference if they are all back, I think the children who remain at home are being seriously disadvantaged, and the teachers are struggling to teach a class of children, while trying to teach their online pupils.

Why can’t they wait until after Easter by which time the r rate will hopefully be lower than it has been since the start of the pandemic? I can just see lockdown number 4 looming. Chris Whitty needs to be more assertive. Does this government never learn from it’s mistakes. And teachers must be vaccinated.

In Wales only infants are returning initially, the plan is to monitor closely and take a staged approach to other age groups, primary age children will be next, but only if all goes well in the first couple of weeks with infants and there isn’t a surge.