How will schools be able to go back in September?

kandr10 · 15-05-2020 12:16PM

munsterlegend wrote: »

I accept that but these are exceptional times. People don’t get paid 350 a week normally to sit at home. I am sure some sort of arrangement could be cobbled together if the will was there. It’s unlikely but the rest of Europe are getting schools back.

For permanent teachers that could be worked out but a large proportion are temporary or subs and aren’t paid for holidays. Provision would have to made for them. The budget would need to be there for the wages of those teachers, as well as for sanitisers, potentially ppe, etc.

SusanC10 · 15-05-2020 12:29PM

Thanks to Khalessi, BonsaiKitten and Wirelessdude for your thoughts.

kandr10 · 15-05-2020 12:31PM

Could this help with sd in schools?

kandr10 · 15-05-2020 12:32PM

Could this help with sd in schools? Supposedly a cafe in Germany using these hats ðŸ€£

khalessi · 15-05-2020 12:35PM

kandr10 wrote: »

Could this help with sd in schools? Supposedly a cafe in Germany using these hats ��

IF they are the pool noodles the kids would be belting each other the minute the teacher leaves the room. They already use rulers as swords lol. They would also spend the day shaking their heads to make em move lol

RGARDINR · 15-05-2020 12:52PM

Is it silly for say junior and senior kids if the parents want to have them repeat the year as say ends up being October when kids go back it is a fair chunk at that age that they have missed. I know kids be starting school in those years but maybe an option for those 2 years.

BonsaiKitten · 15-05-2020 12:54PM

But then what do you do with the incoming Junior Infants? You would end up with potential huge class sizes. Very unfair on kids coming into school for the first time.

I will also point out that they were in school until March, they've done most of the year. It would be better to move them all up, do more focus on the core subjects and cut back on the curriculum fluff (and initiatives like Friendship Week, Science week that suck up a lot of time).

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 15-05-2020 01:04PM

BonsaiKitten wrote: »

But then what do you do with the incoming Junior Infants? You would end up with potential huge class sizes. Very unfair on kids coming into school for the first time.

I will also point out that they were in school until March, they've done most of the year. It would be better to move them all up, do more focus on the core subjects and cut back on the curriculum fluff (and initiatives like Friendship Week, Science week that suck up a lot of time).

Deepnds on what you mean by "curriculum fluff" - I'd argue that science shou ld be part of core.

BonsaiKitten · 15-05-2020 01:07PM

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

Deepnds on what you mean by "curriculum fluff" - I'd argue that science shou ld be part of core.

RE can go (or be massively reduced) for starters. It's mainly those extra initiatives that suck up the time, I would minimise all of that for next year.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 15-05-2020 01:13PM

BonsaiKitten wrote: »

RE can go (or be massively reduced) for starters. It's mainly those extra initiatives that suck up the time, I would minimise all of that for next year.

Try getting that one past the Catholic board!

(Although persaonly, I'd totally agree with you!)

BonsaiKitten · 15-05-2020 01:55PM

Ah sure I know, it'd be the battle of a century!

I'm also wondering what will happen with kids who have extreme behavioural issues. Thinking particularly of those who spit and bite...can they be allowed back into schools? Surely it poses a massive risk?

kandr10 · 15-05-2020 01:57PM

khalessi wrote: »

IF they are the pool noodles the kids would be belting each other the minute the teacher leaves the room. They already use rulers as swords lol. They would also spend the day shaking their heads to make em move lol

Lol was a joke! My crying face emoji didn’t show up

mirrorwall14 · 15-05-2020 02:19PM

I'm secondary, not primary but I think we are looking at some fairly substantial differences to established norm for any level of social distancing.

Some info, we are a school well north of over 600 students spread across two buildings with narrow stairwells and narrow corridors. We haven't enough room in the building for our classes. For example almost all rooms including labs and woodwork rooms etc are in use for every single period and PE often has 2-3 groups scheduled for the same hall. The logistics in organising ANY level of social distancing are enormous. Most rooms could only accomodate 5-6 students at 2m social distancing=

I can see (at the bare minimum) students needing to be scheduled to base classrooms to avoid mixing. This will have an impact on practical subjects in particular. We will need to implement a one way system in both buildings because several corridors/stairs aren't wide enough to even allow students 1m between them never mind 2m. This will massively slow down movement around the school and has a knock on affect on tuition time. I'd anticipate things like needing to run Junior and Senior timetables out of sync and potentially confined to different buildings so that at least we aren't mixing the whole school regularly. We will absolutely need staggered start times and end times as that many students plus over 50 staff and all the parents outside..... Currently, all lockers are mixed year groups, all students could be beside another year group. This will have to be changed. All students take lunch in the canteen area. It is absolutely wedged at breaktime. We don't have the cleaning facilities to open more classrooms for lunch, it has been tried but its very very difficult to police effectively and the floors are carpeted. This will absolutely have to change.

I'm looking at the school show having to be cancelled and taken out of the timetable for the year, how do you teach 75+ students dances with 2m in between? Or singing? It will at lesat have to be postponed.

This sort of the thing is going to require a lot of planning. But having seen the fiasco of the LC cancellation (we are STILL awaiting documentation explaining how we calculate the grades and apparently its expected to be wednesday next now) I have absolutely no faith that the Dept of Education will give us any assisstance or even the time and funds we need to implement whatever they come up with.

KerryConnor · 15-05-2020 02:33PM

I'm a primary teacher (which in no way means that I know any more than anyone else about this) but I'm hoping that schools will go back as normal in September. In Perth the number of new infections is so low that primary schools are open as normal - no social distancing just hygiene measures. It seems Ireland is going for a similar strategy, ie suppression of virus while ramping up testing and mandatory quarantines. If the number of infections in the community is low enough perhaps social distancing won't be needed in schools.
Also there are positive signs that under 14s don't spread the virus as readily as other age groups. Perhaps this is just blind optimism for a normal start to September but fingers crossed.

SusanC10 · 15-05-2020 02:51PM

I would much prefer a normal start in September rather than a badly thought out rushed finish in June.

KerryConnor · 15-05-2020 03:09PM

I think it's confusing at the moment as the government isn't clearly telling us their strategy. Perhaps there's a reason for this. But it looks like they want to follow Asia/Oz/NZ and suppress it. I am so glad as I would truly hate to live in a country that was letting it loose.
But it means many are very frustrated that schools aren't going back in June as they don't see the point in waiting. I'm assuming a June start would jeopordize the whole strategy for the sake a few chaotic strange days for the kids?

SusanC10 wrote: »

I would much prefer a normal start in September rather than a badly thought out rushed finish in June.

RGARDINR · 15-05-2020 03:15PM

BonsaiKitten wrote: »

But then what do you do with the incoming Junior Infants? You would end up with potential huge class sizes. Very unfair on kids coming into school for the first time.

I will also point out that they were in school until March, they've done most of the year. It would be better to move them all up, do more focus on the core subjects and cut back on the curriculum fluff (and initiatives like Friendship Week, Science week that suck up a lot of time).

No I understand but maybe if some kids that were not as good or teachers/parents think might be good for child to stay back and do the year with new kids moving into Junior/senior class. Just might help those kids out a lot. Might only be a few per class if even that.

BonsaiKitten · 15-05-2020 03:17PM

RGARDINR wrote: »

No I understand but maybe if some kids that were not as good or teachers/parents think might be good for child to stay back and do the year with new kids moving into Junior/senior class. Just might help those kids out a lot. Might only be a few per class if even that.

Ah yes I get you. I'd be reluctant to hold back most kids - it's better for them socially to move up unless they were just too young starting school - but sometimes kids do stay back a year at primary. Doesn't tend to be done lightly though.

RGARDINR · 15-05-2020 03:22PM

BonsaiKitten wrote: »

Ah yes I get you. I'd be reluctant to hold back most kids - it's better for them socially to move up unless they were just too young starting school - but sometimes kids do stay back a year at primary. Doesn't tend to be done lightly though.

Totally agree and if it tends that a child is kept back it might be one per class but if they done it in the schools might be five or six per class might hugely benefit from it this time round. Just then I suppose easier to explain to the child look cos you didn't get to finish your class over the covid that some kids have to stay in junior/senior kids that bit longer. They will just nod and go ok. As there that long out now and haven't seen their friends from school I don't think would make a huge difference to them but doing that year again would make a huge difference to that child.

kandr10 · 15-05-2020 03:43PM

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

I'm secondary, not primary but I think we are looking at some fairly substantial differences to established norm for any level of social distancing.

Some info, we are a school well north of over 600 students spread across two buildings with narrow stairwells and narrow corridors. We haven't enough room in the building for our classes. For example almost all rooms including labs and woodwork rooms etc are in use for every single period and PE often has 2-3 groups scheduled for the same hall. The logistics in organising ANY level of social distancing are enormous. Most rooms could only accomodate 5-6 students at 2m social distancing=

I can see (at the bare minimum) students needing to be scheduled to base classrooms to avoid mixing. This will have an impact on practical subjects in particular. We will need to implement a one way system in both buildings because several corridors/stairs aren't wide enough to even allow students 1m between them never mind 2m. This will massively slow down movement around the school and has a knock on affect on tuition time. I'd anticipate things like needing to run Junior and Senior timetables out of sync and potentially confined to different buildings so that at least we aren't mixing the whole school regularly. We will absolutely need staggered start times and end times as that many students plus over 50 staff and all the parents outside..... Currently, all lockers are mixed year groups, all students could be beside another year group. This will have to be changed. All students take lunch in the canteen area. It is absolutely wedged at breaktime. We don't have the cleaning facilities to open more classrooms for lunch, it has been tried but its very very difficult to police effectively and the floors are carpeted. This will absolutely have to change.

I'm looking at the school show having to be cancelled and taken out of the timetable for the year, how do you teach 75+ students dances with 2m in between? Or singing? It will at lesat have to be postponed.

This sort of the thing is going to require a lot of planning. But having seen the fiasco of the LC cancellation (we are STILL awaiting documentation explaining how we calculate the grades and apparently its expected to be wednesday next now) I have absolutely no faith that the Dept of Education will give us any assisstance or even the time and funds we need to implement whatever they come up with.

There’s some very interesting insights there. Whatever problems would exist in a primary setting have to be x100 worse in secondary. Very clear guidance will need to be issued.

Murple · 15-05-2020 03:54PM

RGARDINR wrote: »

No I understand but maybe if some kids that were not as good or teachers/parents think might be good for child to stay back and do the year with new kids moving into Junior/senior class. Just might help those kids out a lot. Might only be a few per class if even that.

But at this stage, places have been allocated. A school could have 28-30 incoming Junior infants. If say 4 want to stay back in JI, you’re left with a very big JI class of 32-34 which is not going to be good for any child in it. I think it should only be even considered if it was being considered before the closures ever happened and would have been done even if the school had been open every day of the school year.

GeorgeBailey · 15-05-2020 04:27PM

SusanC10 wrote: »

I would much prefer a normal start in September rather than a badly thought out rushed finish in June.

Surely we can see our way clear to a badly thought out rushed start in September

wirelessdude01 · 15-05-2020 04:41PM

RGARDINR wrote: »

No I understand but maybe if some kids that were not as good or teachers/parents think might be good for child to stay back and do the year with new kids moving into Junior/senior class. Just might help those kids out a lot. Might only be a few per class if even that.

It is very hard to get departmental approval for a child to repeat a year in primary.

sideswipe · 15-05-2020 05:00PM

Why the talk of september? why not bring schools back at phase 5, end of july onwards- enough time missed.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 15-05-2020 05:22PM

sideswipe wrote: »

Why the talk of september? why not bring schools back at phase 5, end of july onwards- enough time missed.

This was asked before: are we talking going straight from lockdown in to the next school year without the kids getting a summer?

alroley · 15-05-2020 05:26PM

sideswipe wrote: »

Why the talk of september? why not bring schools back at phase 5, end of july onwards- enough time missed.

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

History Queen · 15-05-2020 05:29PM

alroley wrote: »

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Because it is unsafe at the end of july to have 6th year students in school

Coneygree · 15-05-2020 05:47PM

Heading back into school Monday morning, looking forward to being back in my classroom although it will be a little bit eerie.

iamwhoiam · 15-05-2020 05:52PM

Coneygree wrote: »

Heading back into school Monday morning, looking forward to being back in my classroom although it will be a little bit eerie.

I go for a walk around my estate most days . I had to stop going one way as it brought me past the primary school . Without fail it upset me to see it locked up and so still and quiet . It is usually a hive of happy children and chatty parents
I will never forget going to pick up my granddaughter at 1:45 on the 12 th of March and a hushed shocked stillness was so eerie .
Good Luck being back and lets hope its day one of a slow positive outcome

brendanwalsh · 15-05-2020 05:54PM

Can’t see schools opening in September. If they couldn’t arrange exams in July and August for only 6th form , there’s no way they’ll be able to have full school in September. Fully expect masks to be a compulsory thing also for re-opening of schools.

How will schools be able to go back in September?

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