Schools closed until March/April? (part 4) **Mod warning in OP 22/01**

wirelessdude01

CruelSummer wrote: »

Any word in schools reopening? Cannot understand why they’d drag this closure on beyond mid term. Especially for Primary Level.

You heard the exact same information as we all do via the media.

km79

CruelSummer wrote: »

Any word in schools reopening? Cannot understand why they’d drag this closure on beyond mid term. Especially for Primary Level.

Because of the highly contagious strain of the virus which has caused a worldwide pandemic for the last 12 months ?
Things are beginning to settle down a bit now. The worst thing everyone can do is think it’s all grand again like what happened in December .

I do think we should have some more info by now though to be fair . I do also think primary will be staggered back fairly quickly after mid term

hesaidshesaid

km79 wrote: »

Because of the highly contagious strain of the virus which has caused a worldwide pandemic for the last 12 months ?
Things are beginning to settle down a bit now. The worst thing everyone can do is think it’s all grand again like what happened in December .

I do think we should have some more info by now though to be fair . I do also think primary will be staggered back fairly quickly after mid term

Special classes in primary - Feb 22nd - has been confirmed
Mainstream primary special ed kids on School Support Plus - March 1st ?
More? All? of primary - March 8th?

What do people think? If you'd asked me before Christmas, I'd never have envisaged being shut for this long. Really ready for it to be over!

jimmytwotimes 2013

hesaidshesaid wrote: »

Special classes in primary - Feb 22nd - has been confirmed
Mainstream primary special ed kids on School Support Plus - March 1st ?
More? All? of primary - March 8th?

What do people think? If you'd asked me before Christmas, I'd never have envisaged being shut for this long. Really ready for it to be over!

Yeah, hard believe we will do to midterm online.

Wasn't expecting this but varients have them spooked so who knows what'll happen in March.

wirelessdude01

hesaidshesaid wrote: »

Special classes in primary - Feb 22nd - has been confirmed
Mainstream primary special ed kids on School Support Plus - March 1st ?
More? All? of primary - March 8th?

What do people think? If you'd asked me before Christmas, I'd never have envisaged being shut for this long. Really ready for it to be over!

The fact that they are introducing this July provision type thing makes me wonder what the plan is for mainstream primary?

km79

hesaidshesaid wrote: »

Special classes in primary - Feb 22nd - has been confirmed
Mainstream primary special ed kids on School Support Plus - March 1st ?
More? All? of primary - March 8th?

What do people think? If you'd asked me before Christmas, I'd never have envisaged being shut for this long. Really ready for it to be over!

I believe that the hope is all primary will be back on March 8th .
They probably see that as a priority for two reasons
1. Not as contagious in the younger kids (I know I know )
2. Childcare to allow other sectors to reopen

Van.Bosch

km79 wrote: »

I believe that the hope is all primary will be back on March 8th .
They probably see that as a priority for two reasons
1. Not as contagious in the younger kids (I know I know )
2. Childcare to allow other sectors to reopen

Is there no chance of primary going back earlier does anyone think?

wirelessdude01

Van.Bosch wrote: »

Is there no chance of primary going back earlier does anyone think?

Maybe a week earlier. Highly doubt it. They aren't even bringing AEN students back on the 22nd. The July provision type thing is for them and to run up until the Easter holidays. This makes me wonder what the plan is for full primary.

km79

Van.Bosch wrote: »

Is there no chance of primary going back earlier does anyone think?

Certainly not all classes in one go
Tbh I think it may well be staggered / rotating weeks for all levels bar leaving certs until Easter

BonsaiKitten

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

The fact that they are introducing this July provision type thing makes me wonder what the plan is for mainstream primary?

Tbh I feel that they know this July provision thing is unworkable for many. It's just in there to generate positive headlines.

khalessi

BonsaiKitten wrote: »

Tbh I feel that they know this July provision thing is unworkable for many. It's just in there to generate positive headlines.

Also I think that if there is low uptake due to pandemic, they can say, oh they wanted a plan we gave them plan but school staff refused to participate.

dirkmeister

khalessi wrote: »

Also I think that if there is low uptake due to pandemic, they can say, oh they wanted a plan we gave them plan but school staff refused to participate.

It needs to be called out for the absolute nonsense that it is.

Asking people to go into houses where you don’t have the first clue whether they’ve been following restrictions or not, when you aren’t even allowed to stand in your friend’s gardens is just daft.

A pure publicity stunt from the Government.

BonsaiKitten

dirkmeister wrote: »

It needs to be called out for the absolute nonsense that it is.

Asking people to go into houses where you don’t have the first clue whether they’ve been following restrictions or not, when you aren’t even allowed to stand in your friend’s gardens is just daft.

A pure publicity stunt from the Government.

And to be held outside school hours too. I'm sure the children with additional needs will only be delighted to have extra schooling at the weekends.

I don't touch July provision anyway due to how they routinely screw people out of pay but I'd be avoiding this like the plague!

am_zarathustra

BonsaiKitten wrote: »

And to be held outside school hours too. I'm sure the children with additional needs will only be delighted to have extra schooling at the weekends.

I don't touch July provision anyway due to how they routinely screw people out of pay but I'd be avoiding this like the plague!

God, if it's run like July provision just assume that somehow they are not going to pay you correctly and, if they do, it'll be in 6 months and mess up your tax

Icyseanfitz

am_zarathustra wrote: »

God, if it's run like July provision just assume that somehow they are not going to pay you correctly and, if they do, it'll be in 6 months and mess up your tax

they will probably come up with a brilliant idea to redeploy all SNAs as "temporary" july provision educators :rolleyes: or they might just try to put us all working in hospitals again

wirelessdude01

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

they will probably come up with a brilliant idea to redeploy all SNAs as "temporary" july provision educators :rolleyes: or they might just try to put us all working in hospitals again

The pay for SNAs for this rubbish is scandalously low. When you take tax out of it it really isn't worth anyone's time.

mohawk

BonsaiKitten wrote: »

And to be held outside school hours too. I'm sure the children with additional needs will only be delighted to have extra schooling at the weekends.

I don't touch July provision anyway due to how they routinely screw people out of pay but I'd be avoiding this like the plague!

Principal contacted me about this as my child is eligible for it. My child needs a break at weekend and in the evenings. July provision was great last year but now he gets option of more work on top of what he is doing.

Icyseanfitz

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

The pay for SNAs for this rubbish is scandalously low. When you take tax out of it it really isn't worth anyone's time.

Yeah its useless, much like the rate for the likes of after school supervision etc.

Locotastic

Van.Bosch wrote: »

Is there no chance of primary going back earlier does anyone think?

I certainly hope so, was thinking after midterm but the silence is deafening. Nobody really knows what to expect.

Loafing Oaf

Colm O'Rourke on the radio there strongly advocating a written Leaving Cert, saying predictive grades would be prett6y much unworkable.

am_zarathustra

Loafing Oaf wrote: »

Colm O'Rourke on the radio there strongly advocating a written Leaving Cert, saying predictive grades would be prett6y much unworkable.

God I agree, my students want an exam, I want an exam. It's a totally workable situation with sufficient alterations to the papers and the exams.

Our education system is not set up for CA, it could be (and I'd agree to a point that it should be) but it isn't. Predicted grades, if they happen this year, will be far less accurate than last year and random students will loose out. Last year I would have been very comfortable with my rankings and grades, this year absolutely not. And I'm an experienced LC correcter, Lord knows how an NQT, after taking over a class this year would cope with this situation

If they think the court cases are bad this year, wait and see when parents gave been tracking and the evidence is at best sketchy

Str8outtaWuhan

Loafing Oaf wrote: »

Colm O'Rourke on the radio there strongly advocating a written Leaving Cert, saying predictive grades would be prett6y much unworkable.

Skin in the game, his school's profile would probably suffer from PG more so than your bog standard school.

Icyseanfitz

I think whether lc goes CA or exams, this years students are going to be at a huge disadvantage, there's no easy answer to it.

am_zarathustra

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

I think whether lc goes CA or exams, this years students are going to be at a huge disadvantage, there's no easy answer to it.

Proportionately more student from this year's cohort will go to third level than any cohort in the history of the state. It's been a crappy year for them, they are suffering emotionally and the media is making it very difficult for then to escape but they are still statistically more likely to end up in college than students who sat a full LC two years ago! This is true regardless of CA or a LC or a mix of both

appledrop

We are now up to 12.5% positivity rate in creches.

Up from 10% from last 2 weeks.

From Aug-Dec creches average was only 5%.

No way school will remain at 3% positivity when they reopen unless we get numbers down 1st.

Wombatman

am_zarathustra wrote: »

God I agree, my students want an exam, I want an exam. It's a totally workable situation with sufficient alterations to the papers and the exams.

But there will be exams. What are your worried about?

Dr. Em

appledrop wrote: »

We are now up to 12.5% positivity rate in creches.

Up from 10% from last 2 weeks.

From Aug-Dec creches average was only 5%.

No way school will remain at 3% positivity when they reopen unless we get numbers down 1st.

That is significantly above the 5.9% national positivity rate in the last 7 days. In the article it said that the creche data was collected two weeks ago, but it is still high. When the schools do return, they need to mass-test a few sample schools to get more accurate data rather than saying all schools are safe.

Ray Donovan

Same article states that primary school reopening is in the pipeline for March 1st.

appledrop

Dr. Em wrote: »

That is significantly above the 5.9% national positivity rate in the last 7 days. In the article it said that the creche data was collected two weeks ago, but it is still high. When the schools do return, they need to mass-test a few sample schools to get more accurate data rather than saying all schools are safe.

I agree 100% with you about mass testing a few sample schools.Those of us working in schools know the close contact tracking in schools was a joke in most schools.

Children in class of 28 being told they didn't need to be tested because 1 metre away but in same class all day. A joke that wouldn't be tolerated in any other setting.

Millem

appledrop wrote: »

I agree 100% with you about mass testing a few sample schools.Those of us working in schools know the close contact tracking in schools was a joke in most schools.

Children in class of 28 being told they didn't need to be tested because 1 metre away but in same class all day. A joke that wouldn't be tolerated in any other setting.

I hear you, my own niece didn’t need to be tested because she sits at another table or “bubble”! She is in 1st class. Absolute nonsense and they can play with entire class in the yard and move freely around the room!