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Child Item

How will schools be able to go back in September?

shoppergal

Just wondering if anyone can give any insight into how schools could safely re-open in September?

Everyone I'm talking to is saying they won't be back until September but in my head I'm wondering how they'll re-open even in September? The virus will still be there with a vaccine still months away at that stage.

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starbaby2003

khalessi wrote: »

Ditto. I have masks and will wear them especially if thats the total plan? FFS

Actually I think I would refuse to teach if no ppe

Do you share the same concerns for bus drivers, shop workers etc
I think teachers should be given the choice but those who chose not to work should have to claim the covid payment.

wirelessdude01

R11 wrote: »

How would break times work??Do we demand social distancing? How do we tell that to infants who love nothing more than playing with their friends?Do we wipe every surface/book/paint brush/crayon/PE equipment/toilet seat etc after use? Difficult logistically???Its impossible to adhere to the health guidelines. I honestly would love to be back at work but we can't let schools be used as guinea pigs and risk infection rates rocketting up. Yes,creative thinking is required but public health should be priority.

The trying to enforce social distancing whenever and in whatever format we go back is what frightens me. Kids and ourselves are social creatures so can't see them keeping apart.

R11

scooby77 wrote: »

Haven't access to full article, but would guess he's thinking aloud/kite flying. However it does indicate they're aiming for some sort of reopening this year.
With one day a week (for children obviously-staff be in 5) one could keep children apart, in effect dividing each class by 5. Difficult logistically, but we'd manage it...needs must.(Primary)
Educationally would be better than nothing.
However it wouldn't be of huge benefit to working parents (I referenced childcare aspect in an earlier post).
Alternative thinking is required though, and it's good that they're putting options on the table.
As teachers ( and principals) we should be constructive in analysis, and suggesting our own ideas ( I've suggested regional opening here, and elsewhere, previously)

How would break times work??Do we demand social distancing? How do we tell that to infants who love nothing more than playing with their friends?Do we wipe every surface/book/paint brush/crayon/PE equipment/toilet seat etc after use? Difficult logistically???Its impossible to adhere to the health guidelines. I honestly would love to be back at work but we can't let schools be used as guinea pigs and risk infection rates rocketting up. Yes,creative thinking is required but public health should be priority.

scooby77

Haven't access to full article, but would guess he's thinking aloud/kite flying. However it does indicate they're aiming for some sort of reopening this year.
With one day a week (for children obviously-staff be in 5) one could keep children apart, in effect dividing each class by 5. Difficult logistically, but we'd manage it...needs must.(Primary)
Educationally would be better than nothing.
However it wouldn't be of huge benefit to working parents (I referenced childcare aspect in an earlier post).
Alternative thinking is required though, and it's good that they're putting options on the table.
As teachers ( and principals) we should be constructive in analysis, and suggesting our own ideas ( I've suggested regional opening here, and elsewhere, previously)

khalessi

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Will we hell. It'll be left up to individual schools to fend for themselves. I would want a full face guard for my class.

Ditto. I have masks and will wear them especially if thats the total plan? FFS

Actually I think I would refuse to teach if no ppe

wirelessdude01

khalessi wrote: »

Will teachers be given ppe?

Will we hell. It'll be left up to individual schools to fend for themselves. I would want a full face guard for my class.

khalessi

They have coopted hotels for hospitals.

Can they also use other buildings for schools to decrease size of classrooms?

Even this could problemtic in areas where there are a high number of schools as there wont be enough public buildings?

R11

gnf_ireland wrote: »

Maybe they are proposing 1 day a week for students but 3-4 days a week for teachers. Split the classes into 3 or 4 groups and bring in a group each day - so numbers are down from ~30 to 8 per class per day.

But then we teach the same thing 4 days a week and make very little progress. Plus both my kids are in primary also and my childminder will not be taking kids until there's a vaccine or anti viral medication.... So how do I look after my kids on the days they're not in and both of us are working??

khalessi

For the leaving certs I saw they left social distancing, planning to a local level - nightmare.

I really hope they have thought about this and it isnt just some half assed plan. Think about co opting other public buildings.

Like I said earlier, even if they open one day a week how do they split classes? If they bring groups in everday, will they be split enough, a max of 6 students, a teacher and an sna (still too many in one room)? Will teachers be teaching and planning for the split group while teaching and planning for group they are teaching?

There are just over 1 million children in primary and secondary school

Will teachers be given ppe?

kenmc

Unless creches\afterschools also open up at the same time as primary schools, most parents won't be able to resume "normal" work anyway, since they'll need to collect the kids at 1or2pm after school finishes and bring them home.
And if afterschools do open up at the same time then that compounds the problem further as now you have kids from different schools mixing too, so any infection now goes from one class or school to several, including the after-school.

kala85

Makes no sense.

They won't run the leaving cert in June with just a smaller number of students but yet want schools to reopen?

khalessi

gnf_ireland wrote: »

Maybe they are proposing 1 day a week for students but 3-4 days a week for teachers. Split the classes into 3 or 4 groups and bring in a group each day - so numbers are down from ~30 to 8 per class per day.

I am sure that would work with social distancing rules and much easier manage in the classroom. Mixed grade classes could balance it based on the numbers per class

They would definitely need to be split. We have 120 children approx in each year group so would need to be split into groups of 6 max for social distancing otherwise a mockery.

Also if they split them and use other teachers to teach them, do they still plan for their previous year group?

gnf_ireland

R11 wrote: »

Headline in today's independent says schools may open one day a week.
"In an interview with the Sunday Independent, Mr Harris said reopening schools for one day a week was just one of the measures being considered by the Government as part of a number of plans to ease the Covid-19 restrictions."
How will this be done? All pupils back one day a week? What happens at yard times? I'm a primary teacher, there's no way that kids will keep their distance at break times...

Maybe they are proposing 1 day a week for students but 3-4 days a week for teachers. Split the classes into 3 or 4 groups and bring in a group each day - so numbers are down from ~30 to 8 per class per day.

I am sure that would work with social distancing rules and much easier manage in the classroom. Mixed grade classes could balance it based on the numbers per class

khalessi

R11 wrote: »

Headline in today's independent says schools may open one day a week.
"In an interview with the Sunday Independent, Mr Harris said reopening schools for one day a week was just one of the measures being considered by the Government as part of a number of plans to ease the Covid-19 restrictions."
How will this be done? All pupils back one day a week? What happens at yard times? I'm a primary teacher, there's no way that kids will keep their distance at break times...

Totally agree, total madness if whole school comes back. The actual planning of this will no doubt be left to the schools,in my case over 900 kids on one day, not good

This was my worry, a half assed plan but hopefully in early planning stages

R11

6 wrote: »

Can't see how they will put 30-40 kids into a classroom if the virus is still in the community. Same for crèches

Yes, fully agree, just doesn't make sense...

[Deleted User]

Can't see how they will put 30-40 kids into a classroom if the virus is still in the community. Same for crèches

R11

Headline in today's independent says schools may open one day a week.
"In an interview with the Sunday Independent, Mr Harris said reopening schools for one day a week was just one of the measures being considered by the Government as part of a number of plans to ease the Covid-19 restrictions."
How will this be done? All pupils back one day a week? What happens at yard times? I'm a primary teacher, there's no way that kids will keep their distance at break times...

r93kaey5p2izun

LilyShame wrote: »

I don't think working parents will instantly return to a work building or location straight away...they would work from home while the under 12 education and care has some type of face to face reinstatement. The difference is the parent would produce some outputs for their employers or their own business, rather than struggling to get things done, and not very well, or at all. Children when at home have to be the priority. So WFH is a very loose description!

If it's safe for tens of thousands of teachers, and hundreds of thousands of children, to return to school, then why wouldn't it be safe for parents to return to work in most cases? At that stage hundreds of thousands of households will have a child mixing daily with multiple people, so is there much point in them continuing to WFH at that stage? If it's ok for all of these people to be sent back to a situation where effective social distancing is nearly impossible, then why would WFH still be needed for the parents?

Murple

So basically put all children and those adults that work in schools at heightened risk in situations where social distancing and recommended hand hygiene practices are near impossible while the parents continue to work from home?

LilyShame

I don't think working parents will instantly return to a work building or location straight away...they would work from home while the under 12 education and care has some type of face to face reinstatement. The difference is the parent would produce some outputs for their employers or their own business, rather than struggling to get things done, and not very well, or at all. Children when at home have to be the priority. So WFH is a very loose description!

khalessi

Ray Donovan wrote: »

What would teachers think of actually being in a small room with 30 other people for 5.5 hours of the day? Teachers aren't guinea pigs either.

First, it would be medically and morally iressponsible to put 30+ children with a teacher and in somecases an SNA in a class. There have been suggestions to use them to test the R0 levels once its below 1, here in various threads and to use them to spread at a controlled level Covid to acheive herd immunity, shocking!

Second, I would feel uncomfortable worrying about my health, the children's health, their families health and my family's health about what we could all be bringing home.

Third, what about children with underlying conditions which prior to Covid19 were a concern but not a major one but now might mean they stay at home.

It has been suggested to bring in junior to second in the morning and third to sixth in the afternoon or alernate days with them. Classes of 30+ children would need to be split into 3 or more smaller groups and the schools would have to deep cleaned everyday and not just a mop dragged across the floor but proper cleaning which cleaners would not have experience of.

People go, look at Denmark, but they have smaller classes to begin with and the classes on tv today looked to have only about 8 children in the class group spread around the class. I cant even imagine that being done here due to space issues and just lack of thought by DoEd

So many issues to be sorted before even thinking about getting them back into school.

wirelessdude01

Sierra Oscar wrote: »

In was reported in multiple papers last Saturday and Sunday.

If that is the case then why are bother with all the work that has so far occured with the redeployment of SNAs?

o1s1n

eastie17 wrote: »

What if we all just stopped talking about it, stopped testing for it in hospitals and the media stopped reporting on it, like in China, then it all just goes away?

Along with your grandparents if you have any

jrosen

If schools stay closed until September I think there will be a lot of parents already back to work albeit in a limited capacity.
I would think based on feedback from friends that any company that can start to have people back on site will. I would imagine productivity is down for many businesses.

Ray Donovan

What would teachers think of actually being in a small room with 30 other people for 5.5 hours of the day? Teachers aren't guinea pigs either.

Sierra Oscar

Sober Crappy Chemis wrote: »

Where is it being mentioned that primary schools might reopen in May? Can't find any source?

In was reported in multiple papers last Saturday and Sunday.

Sober Crappy Chemis

Where is it being mentioned that primary schools might reopen in May? Can't find any source?

iguana

Charles Babbage wrote: »

Handwashing at schools (and other public buildings) should be at the door and not the Jacks. Handwashing and temperature check or you can't come in.

I think that the vast majority of children who get CV never have a temperature. A mild cough and loose stool tend to be the main presentation in children. The same symptoms that young children have on a constant on and off basis throughout the winter. If children have to be out of school for week or two every time they have a slight cough or a runny poo they'd miss anywhere from a third to two thirds of the year.

r93kaey5p2izun

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

Well, that depends on whether the regulations allow for that or not. It's very likely that schools will open while other business stay shut.

My company is actually technically designated as an essential service - so we could stay open - but they've chosen to close all office globally in any case. But they've said that once the general prohibition on office working is lifted, they’ll appraise whether it's appropriate to allow people back into each office on a case by case basis. Even if they do, they've said they'll put some kind of social distancing measures in place - one proposal is to split the office into two groups, with each being given designated alternating days that they can come in, and people obviously spread out in the office.

I don't think there's just going to be a flood back to normality once things begin to ease. One of the problems is actually going to be convincing people that they can go back to doing some things, because obviously they want to protect themselves. From talking to some people on my team, I know they are not planning on going back into the office at all until they are sure that the risk is significantly mitigated against.

You only have to look at the comments here. Posters totally unconcerned for actual education, but chomping at the bit for schools to reopen so "we can get back to work". Once schools open most people will expect to be back to normal. They aren't going to pack their kids off to school and then sit at home all day. Even the fact they'll have to be out and about dropping and collecting will massively increase the movement of people. Schools opening means most households are on the move.

Charles Babbage wrote: »

Handwashing at schools (and other public buildings) should be at the door and not the Jacks. Handwashing and temperature check or you can't come in.

Imagine the logistics of trying to implement this in a sector that in many cases couldn't provide soap right up until closure due to a pandemic! And let's say a child's temperature is high so they can't be admitted - unless the parent is standing waiting for them then you can't send them home until parent arrives. So then, parents will have to wait to check child is admitted - a whole lot more congregation. And given many parents are already notorious for sending in sick kids dosed with Calpol and then doing a runner and ignoring phone calls that the child is sick, I'm sceptical this won't happen for coronavirus.

Charles Babbage

Handwashing at schools (and other public buildings) should be at the door and not the Jacks. Handwashing and temperature check or you can't come in.