How will schools be able to go back in September?

History Queen · 17-05-2020 08:43PM

Jim Root wrote: »

Could we not just move the school calendar forward to the start of August/late July? Why are summer holidays still needed?

According to the Dept of Education healthadvice would not allow the LC to sit on 29th July so apparently it's not safe. Also, the kids (I know how people feel about the teachers so I won't say it) are at least entitled to a break.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 17-05-2020 08:46PM

Jim Root wrote: »

Could we not just move the school calendar forward to the start of August/late July? Why are summer holidays still needed?

Eh... because kids need a summer and a holiday...?

khalessi · 17-05-2020 08:49PM

Jim Root wrote: »

Could we not just move the school calendar forward to the start of August/late July? Why are summer holidays still needed?

Well cant speak for every school but I know the children are working very hard of every parent I am talking to, and are exhausted by the weekend, so they are due and will need the break.

What primary have undertaken in last two months is amazing. I have 11 and 12 year old kids downloading editing uploading work, copying and pasting and all sorts of other stuff that as adults we take for granted. They have been thrown in the deep end and are amazing. While it will stand to them in the long run I know they are exhausted by it. I tell them every day how amazing they are to have undertaken this unforeseen challenge and run with it. We have it runing from 3rd to 6th now and wow the kids are great!

We also talk about keeping things as normal as possible for them so I think personally messing with their holidays would be detreimental.

Oh ueah forgot to add most schools are back in AUgust anyhow these days

khalessi · 17-05-2020 08:49PM

double post for some reason

sideswipe · 17-05-2020 08:51PM

Jim Root wrote: »

Could we not just move the school calendar forward to the start of August/late July? Why are summer holidays still needed?

I've said this before the school year should be finished early in terms of teachers not needing to teach online etc. Let the kids enjoy the weather and then get back a bit early. It might make sense to go back 2 weeks earlier and then have 2 weeks instead on one at mid-term in October to act as a fire break before heading into flu season.

the corpo · 17-05-2020 08:53PM

Can only speak for the teachers in our own school, but they've been brilliant, and demonstrated a lot of care and concern the children, and it's been bloody tough for all, but I think everyone is doing the best they can.

Also, teachers on here, you should duck out of this thread, can't be doing you any good!

Jim Root · 17-05-2020 08:57PM

Fair enough folks, I just feel sorry for my young lad, he is dying to go back to school. September seems so far away to him. Lockdown has been a sort of holiday for him as it is.

khalessi · 17-05-2020 09:02PM

Jim Root wrote: »

Fair enough folks, I just feel sorry for my young lad, he is dying to go back to school. September seems so far away to him. Lockdown has been a sort of holiday for him as it is.

Being honest my kids are the same. They miss their sports and their friends. They even miss the teachers. The lockdown schoolwise for mine has not been as school orientated as I would like.

My kids have had a lot to deal with re school covid and other isssues, so my concern are school basics English Maths and Irish and SESE after that as long as they are happy, I am happy. So it's cycling, lego, random science experiments,reading, baking and singing and drawing all led by them once the basics are covered. The rest they will catch up with.

downthemiddle · 18-05-2020 09:41AM

https://www.wired.com/story/most-kids-only-get-mildly-sick-from-covid-19-but-not-all/

A more in depth study and the results are nowhere near as positive.

SusanC10 · 18-05-2020 09:47AM

Jim Root wrote: »

Could we not just move the school calendar forward to the start of August/late July? Why are summer holidays still needed?

Personally and perhaps selfishly, I hope not. We have not seen my Mum since Feb mid-Term and given that she lives 3.5 hours drive from us, according to the Plan, we cannot visit her until July 20th at the earliest all going to plan. We intend to go for 2 weeks end July/early August if possible.

khalessi · 18-05-2020 10:00AM

downthemiddle wrote: »

https://www.wired.com/story/most-kids-only-get-mildly-sick-from-covid-19-but-not-all/

A more in depth study and the results are nowhere near as positive.

It is an interesting read and the increased risk to babies and toddlers is curious but also puts another thing to be taken into account in regards to reopening of
the schools because a lot of children have much younger siblings.

seamus · 18-05-2020 10:33AM

Just like it was far too reactionary to cancel the leaving cert, it's too reactionary to right now try and decide exactly how schools are going to function in September.

For most of Europe, we're two months into this crisis. Think about how much has changed in that two months in terms of knowledge and behaviours.

We have 3.5 months until schools go back. Things will change, advice will change, more data will be gathered.

That said, if we are eyeing up a return, we should be pre-planning some of the more obvious measures. For example, at my kids' school, the rush hour is insane. Both the volume of people on the way in, and the crowds of parents/grandparents at the door after. They're going to have to do something like staggering the start and end times of classes to minimise the amount of people gathering at the gates. That will also massively ease traffic.

I see the ASTI talking about stuff like splitting classes in half and doing half-days for each "side", but administratively that sounds like a disaster. Imagine having two (or three) kids in the one school, one kid doing the morning, the other doing an afternoon.

Given that we expect to be almost completely back at that stage; no limit on travel, workplaces back, weddings permitted, etc; it doesn't make sense to be planning a return to schools where children are being massively separated from eachother. The main protections, IMO, should be focussed on breaking up the big mixing points - at the gates, in the playground, school shows, masses, etc.
It makes no sense to say that kids will need to be 2m from eachother in a room of ten kids, when their parents will be allowed go to a restaurant that evening.

kandr10 · 18-05-2020 10:34AM

downthemiddle wrote: »

https://www.wired.com/story/most-kids-only-get-mildly-sick-from-covid-19-but-not-all/

A more in depth study and the results are nowhere near as positive.

There’s a lot of sketchy detail there. The first study was of only 20 kids. That surely couldn’t be statistically significant!
The second study mentioned was based on figures from China of children confirmed by test or presumed to have had covid based on symptoms and exposure. I don’t think you can reasonably draw conclusions from presumed cases (though I do accept some analysis after this has all passed will probably involve assumptions, I don’t think they should form part of risk assessment).
It seems you can find a study to back up either side of the argument, which for me, just serves to show we know nothing!

Lillyfae · 18-05-2020 10:37AM

seamus wrote: »

I see the ASTI talking about stuff like splitting classes in half and doing half-days for each "side", but administratively that sounds like a disaster. Imagine having two (or three) kids in the one school, one kid doing the morning, the other doing an afternoon.

That's the best plan, or 2/3 days one week and 2/3 days the next. Very easy, for family groups ensure that the children are going in the same time/day. No need to make it sound more difficult than it actually is.

seamus · 18-05-2020 10:48AM

Lillyfae wrote: »

That's the best plan, or 2/3 days one week and 2/3 days the next. Very easy, for family groups ensure that the children are going in the same time/day. No need to make it sound more difficult than it actually is.

It is though. Think about how many different families you have in a school. In order to accommodate all of those families and ensure they have a consistent day/time, you'll need to move kids around all over the place.

How disruptive is that going to be for lots of kids; moved into classes where they may not know anyone else.

You also still have competing priorities with parents whose work hours and creche arrangements are predicated on a 5-day week where kids go to school until ~2 o'clock.

Now you're talking about a rotating 2/3 day arrangement, or kids starting school at 1pm and going till 4 or 5. The effects of such a massive change in arragements extend far beyond the school gates, disrupting the rest of the economy.

And that's OK if it's necessary. But right now, even in the heart of the crisis, we can't say that it is. So by September it's very unlikely that such widespread disruption will be necessary.

r93kaey5p2izun · 18-05-2020 11:54AM

seamus wrote:

It makes no sense to say that kids will need to be 2m from eachother in a room of ten kids, when their parents will be allowed go to a restaurant that evening.

But the restaurant, and the weddings, workplaces etc will also have social distancing. They have said repeatedly that the 2m thing is here to stay for the foreseeable until there's a vaccine or effective treatment.

E36Ross · 18-05-2020 12:00PM

To those saying go back, how do ye propose school transport to work?

Grand saying separate out in classrooms, but when you've 20 or 30 kids on a bus you can't really seperate them.

ldy4mxonucwsq6 · 18-05-2020 12:00PM

Today the HSE has said cloth face coverings are not suitable for children under the age of 13.

So looks like masks won't play a part in the return to schools for primary anyway.

seamus · 18-05-2020 12:02PM

Yosef Stocky Backspace wrote: »

But the restaurant, and the weddings, workplaces etc will also have social distancing. They have said repeatedly that the 2m thing is here to stay for the foreseeable until there's a vaccine or effective treatment.

Sure, but the mix will be a lot more. Children will be in the same class, with the same kids and the same teacher all year.

Patrons in a restaurant will be in a room with <x> other randomers, along with the serving and cooking staff who they will all interact with, directly or indirectly.

And the next night it's a load of other randomers mixing with the same wait staff. And the night after that, and after that. And the patrons from day one, are in another restaurant on day 5 mixing with staff and patrons there.

It makes no sense for that to be permitted while enforcing considerably stricter separation controls in a lower-risk environment like a classroom.

khalessi · 18-05-2020 12:04PM

seamus wrote: »

Sure, but the mix will be a lot more. Children will be in the same class, with the same kids and the same teacher all year.

Patrons in a restaurant will be in a room with <x> other randomers, along with the serving and cooking staff who they will all interact with, directly or indirectly.

And the next night it's a load of other randomers mixing with the same wait staff.

It makes no sense for that to be permitted while enforcing considerably stricter separation controls in a lower-risk environment like a classroom.

Makes more sense for social distancing in school if that is the case as it is one way to prevent spread of infection.

Also schools always do things different to what is done in school.

We will also be following the guidelines at the time

Hurrache · 18-05-2020 12:07PM

seamus wrote: »

How disruptive is that going to be for lots of kids; moved into classes where they may not know anyone else.

It'll be a walk in the park given what they've been dealing with now. It's unlikely a kid will end up in a class with someone they don't know if they split it. It's won't be that difficult a task to match siblings to the same shift. Simplest first step it to get two groups, one with sibling, one with none, and work from there.

What they've done in the likes of France is horrible though, sticking them in their own squares, psychologically it has to be damaging for kids at a young age without the understanding behind it.

khalessi · 18-05-2020 12:11PM

In secondary sure they are in different class groups all the time and in primary it will be a novelty as lots of them have friends in different classes.

r93kaey5p2izun · 18-05-2020 12:27PM

seamus wrote: »

Sure, but the mix will be a lot more. Children will be in the same class, with the same kids and the same teacher all year.

Given the level of mixing the children and their contacts will be doing outside school, this is not really that relevant. At that stage everyone's circle of contacts will be pretty wide, so every effort to reduce the spread in school must be taken. If parents are in a risky restaurant situation, even allowing for distancing, then that seems even more reason to limit contacts in school.

Also, post primary are with a different group and different teacher every 40 minutes. That's huge number of contact circles mixing in one place.

Dickie10 · 18-05-2020 12:36PM

if social distancing became optional once we get cases down to 20-40 /day wouldnt it solve an awful lot of this debate?

Hearty80 · 18-05-2020 12:37PM

Jesus christ am I actually reading this ****e, schools should be open today. What the hell are they closed for?? Is there ONE teacher or child who got the bloody virus at school before they closed. Not even one I'd say or else it would be all over the news. It's a joke at this stage. People have lost there minds, schools are open all over the world.

Musefan · 18-05-2020 12:41PM

Hearty80 wrote: »

Jesus christ am I actually reading this ****e, schools should be open today. What the hell are they closed for?? Is there ONE teacher or child who got the bloody virus at school before they closed. Not even one I'd say or else it would be all over the news. It's a joke at this stage. People have lost there minds, schools are open all over the world.

Wasn't one of the first cases a school child, which caused the closure of the school?

jimmytwotimes 2013 · 18-05-2020 12:41PM

Dickie10 wrote: »

if social distancing became optional once we get cases down to 20-40 /day wouldnt it solve an awful lot of this debate?

Isn't social distancing the new reality until we get a vaccine?

Hurrache · 18-05-2020 12:43PM

Hearty80 wrote: »

Jesus christ am I actually reading this ****e, schools should be open today. What the hell are they closed for??

Coronavirus. When you become grounded in reality you may see it on the news.

Hearty80 wrote: »

schools are open all over the world.

I'm sure there are, and there's schools closed all over the world too. Some places don't even have them so their problem is solved.

jimmytwotimes 2013 · 18-05-2020 12:43PM

Musefan wrote: »

Wasn't one of the first cases a school child, which caused the closure of the school?

One of Mary Lou's kids got it at school and she got it as a result.

ldy4mxonucwsq6 · 18-05-2020 12:45PM

Hearty80 wrote: »

Jesus christ am I actually reading this ****e, schools should be open today. What the hell are they closed for?? Is there ONE teacher or child who got the bloody virus at school before they closed. Not even one I'd say or else it would be all over the news. It's a joke at this stage. People have lost there minds, schools are open all over the world.

Couldn't agree with you more. They should never have been closed for this length of time either.

All the talk of social distancing and reopening with half days here and there is ridiculous too. Shops open, businesses open and still children will be the last on a list of priorities.

Banning them from shops and proposing making them stand on little allocated squares, labelling them as superspreaders. Yeah that's going to effect them worse than any virus ever will.

How will schools be able to go back in September?

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