How will schools be able to go back in September?

Downlinz wrote: »

If the public aren't complicit with the guidelines and the lockdown slows the spread less than hoped to a point where we're still getting hundreds of cases each week then it would be very difficult to see schools reopening until a vaccine arrives.

A vaccine needs to be developed, tested for long term side effects, gain full regularitry approval, get mass produced and then administered to hundreds of millions of people. We can't just skip a whole school year. Even if schooling is done from home, it is not practical for many families to have their children at home for so long. Something is going to have to give.

trapp wrote: »

Very difficult to know but September return far from certain.

The effects of these closures lasting long into next school year will be devastating for vulnerable children and the thousands of children living in our disadvantaged communities all across Dublin, Limerick etc.

Even in September they'll be nearly 6 months out of school.

And it's not just an education issue, far from it.

Many, many children rely on school for food and some sort of respite from chaotic, possibly violent, addiction ruined homes.

The professors and doctors running the public health at the moment are doing really well but they don't know what it's like on the ground in our most disadvantaged communities.

Schools will need to prepare staggered timetables, perhaps some of the pupils attend on a monday, others on a tuesday etc., staggered finishing times to allow for social distancing, social distancing in the classroom, one pupil per desk etc.

There are ways around it but work will need to be done to prepare.

I expect a January return for schools unfortunately.

I am a parent with two primary school going children There is no way I would send either of them back until I felt it was ok to do so. I have discussed this with other parents and they all feel the same. I think september is too soon. Personally I believe that the Leaving Cert wont go ahead and parents and students will just have to live with that. Their subjects will be graded and hopefully their grades will get an added bonus of being elevated by at least two grades to make up for what is an extraordinary time and to be fair to those students who may be under stress, not able to study for internet reasons, homelessness, living in a hotel room, parents who have addictive problems etc The teaching unions have not agreed to any of this either.

Yosef Stocky Backspace wrote: »

Physical distancing is not possible in a school unless the student population is cut to one quarter the normal number at most. So either physical distancing is out the window by September, or schools reopening in full won't happen. Many schools in the Dublin area have already been operating on a knife edge in terms of adequate teacher numbers for the past two years. Bring cocooning of the vulnerable, and isolation due the virus into the mix, and it would be difficult to see many of them being able to maintain adequate supervision let alone teaching.

Cleaning would also need to looked at seriously in schools. Schools are filthy. They are barely cleaned at all. The virus would spread like wildfire if it got in.

I totally agree. Schools are not set up for any sort of social distancing. Many classrooms are packed with over 30 students in areas with large demands. If anything schools will need more teachers because I cant not fathom how one teacher is going to go back into the classroom with approx 28+ kids who have been out of the classroom for 6 months with vast differences in what they have been doing.

Denmark reopening all early years education this coming week.. Up to age 11. Basis is that these children need to most support from working parents and parents can't really remote work if they are home schooling and caring for their little ones. They are setting up guidelines for social distance practice including outdoors education. An outdoors summer school for children could be a solution. It's very concerning that children, no matter their age, would be without education for 6 months. Teachers will have double the work in bringing a group of 30 to the same level next autumn. Forget the summer hols this year for all of us...Get our children back to some type of educatio
n...

rob316 wrote: »

I just hope they reopen the special schools even, its been so hard on my son. Routine abruptly ended, hes just all over the place. Very small numbers in those classes so its manageable but i doubt the unions would allow some members work while others didn't.

It's very difficult for students attending special schools, their whole routine has come crashing down & many don't understand what is going on and why they aren't in school. However, in many special schools, a large number of those students have underlying health conditions & I'm not sure they should be among the first to come back.

Inviere wrote: »

It's very difficult for students attending special schools, their whole routine has come crashing down & many don't understand what is going on and why they aren't in school. However, in many special schools, a large number of those students have underlying health conditions & I'm not sure they should be among the first to come back.

In many of the special classes I have worked in social distancing would be very hard to implement unless you have only one child per class.

KevinK wrote: »

In many of the special classes I have worked in social distancing would be very hard to implement unless you have only one child per class.

Very much so. Couple that with the types of challenging behaviour which can occur in some special schools, ie, spitting, etc...such schools would be extremely difficult to maintain safety in (for other students AND staff)

Despite the official figures, there is likely to be tens of thousands of people here who have/had it. By September, that is likely to be hundreds of thousands. The spread of the virus will have changed by then. The death rate will also have changed. You can't predict what will happen in September based on the current situation, things will be different then.

cart man wrote: »

Many with a young family share the same wishful thinking.
The reality is that they will be the last back. The younger kids would be the less disciplined at washing hands, using tissues etc, it would be a hot bed for transmission.

First back in Denmark and Austria. If they pick it up it's easier to trace

SnowyMuckish wrote: »

It’ll be interesting to see what impact it will have on Austria and Denmark. At least they’re trail blazing and we can learn from what happens there. If all but the LC is cancelled here, I can’t imagine they would open primary schools before September. Even if we are back, there are a lot of unanswered questions, how can children progress to the next class bracket without having completed the previous year? Even with the best will in the world, there will be those in disadvantaged situations who won’t have done any work in the time off. It’s going to be interesting.

My kids are un first class and third class. School has already told us their plans. Most of the year is completed by end of March. Anything they missed, they will do it in first month back.

Also the kids are doing their daily homework at home

They can aspire to open what they choose, that doesn't mean the populous will comply.

Large amounts of people and business brought in measures and shutdown before the governance got the finger out.

average_runner wrote: »

Most of the year is completed by end of March. Anything they missed, they will do it in first month back.

I am a primary teacher. I think most will cope and catch up.

However, there would be children in my class who would be very weak academically and would not be supported by their parents at home. I'd worry greatly about them moving on a year.

An already big gap between them and their peers could have really widened in 6 months, if they haven't been doing any of the basics (literacy and numeracy) in that time.

I would love it if schools were given the option to offer a minority of children the chance to repeat a year, subject to their parents agreement. Not that, that would be a perfect solution either but it's the vulnerable and weak children who will be impacted most by this.

I also think, where possible, a primary teacher should continue on with the class they had. Time will be of the essence and the "getting to know you stage" in September when you have a new class is not really the best use of time in my mind. We need to hit the ground running and children need teachers who already know where each child is at academically, emotionally and socially.