How will schools be able to go back in September?

downthemiddle · 23-07-2020 08:02PM

khalessi wrote: »

Doesn't seem a lot considering what has to be done but hey ho, we are good at making silk from a pigs ear.

It’s not a lot considering half was coming anyway despite Covid. In reality it’s 37.5 million but that headline wouldn’t look as good.

khalessi · 23-07-2020 08:08PM

downthemiddle wrote: »

It’s not a lot considering half was coming anyway despite Covid. In reality it’s 37.5 million but that headline wouldn’t look as good.

Yeah was thinking that and 9000 a school not a lot. I have spent almost that much trying to do up my house and I am doing most of the work myself, chipping cement off concrete floors, laying tiles, painting, new boiler, carpet, olumbing and electricity issues to sort, sorting out the garden, so I'm a little bit under the 9000 euro amount and thats one tiny house.

Schools will have fun.

They are funny though the government, 360 million on cycleways which is fine, and a smidgin on schools, they soooo dislike investing in education.

mirrorwall14 · 23-07-2020 08:19PM

Both as a parent and a teacher WTAF. 7 billion of an announcement, tax breaks for holidays, extended help to buy schemes, VAT cuts. Grants from 4K-25k for businesses, walking, cycling, greenways you name it but 73 million for schools. There’s what, a million kids involved? That’s it. What are our countries priorities? The government are all over the media about this pet project and that and the schools are crying out for support and guidance but no, the government in their wisdom went with tax breaks for holidays... holidays during the school year too

jlm29 · 23-07-2020 08:47PM

Zahir Bitter Cellist wrote: »

Others had asked here including myself, just clarifying for anyone who's interested in the practical things as parents.

At least one, or maybe two people posted earlier in the thread that they have received word from Their kids schools that there will be no uniform in September. I think that’s what got people here speculating that it would be across the board. I read on the FB page of a TD (today) that he had asked about this in the Dáil and the response was that there was no plan to implement this as a blanket rule, but that schools could address it individually as they saw fit.

jlm29 · 23-07-2020 08:48PM

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

Both as a parent and a teacher WTAF. 7 billion of an announcement, tax breaks for holidays, extended help to buy schemes, VAT cuts. Grants from 4K-25k for businesses, walking, cycling, greenways you name it but 73 million for schools. There’s what, a million kids involved? That’s it. What are our countries priorities? The government are all over the media about this pet project and that and the schools are crying out for support and guidance but no, the government in their wisdom went with tax breaks for holidays... holidays during the school year too

It’s so wrong.

ldy4mxonucwsq6 · 23-07-2020 08:51PM

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

There’s what, a million kids involved? That’s it. What are our countries priorities?

Our country does not prioritise kids, if anything this whole fiasco has shown exactly how high up (or low down in this case) on the list children are as a priority.

Eye opening I'm sure for anyone who didn't know that before, and its not even over yet.

Children have been treated as pariahs from the minute this started, disgraceful and I'm ashamed of how much they've been let down.

People don't need holidays, again policy makers and politicians out of touch as always.

Jambalaya · 23-07-2020 08:51PM

Boggles wrote: »

Roughly 9 grand per primary school.

Link says €22,100 for a 300 pupil primary school and €70,000 for a 600 pupil secondary school (It's on a capitation basis).

SixtaWalthers · 23-07-2020 08:53PM

Second wave of COVID-19 is being expected in this winter then how we can allow our kids to go to school in September? Haven't we seen new waves of this virus in China and in the cities where schools were open and they closed them again. I think its time to use wits.

Murple · 23-07-2020 08:54PM

Jambalaya wrote: »

Link says €22,100 for a 300 pupil primary school and €70,000 for a 600 pupil secondary school (It's on a capitation basis).

Big difference as per usual with provision for primary and secondary.

Boggles · 23-07-2020 09:00PM

Jambalaya wrote: »

Link says €22,100 for a 300 pupil primary school and €70,000 for a 600 pupil secondary school (It's on a capitation basis).

For instance, a 60 pupil school which received €6,610 in 2019 will receive €13,220 in 2020, a 300 pupil school which received €11,050 in 2019 will receive €22,100 in 2020.

It's a top up for existing maintenance which won't pause itself because of Covid.

Boggles · 23-07-2020 09:01PM

khalessi wrote: »

Yeah was thinking that and 9000 a school not a lot. I have spent almost that much trying to do up my house and I am doing most of the work myself, chipping cement off concrete floors, laying tiles, painting, new boiler, carpet, olumbing and electricity issues to sort, sorting out the garden, so I'm a little bit under the 9000 euro amount and thats one tiny house.

Schools will have fun.

They are funny though the government, 360 million on cycleways which is fine, and a smidgin on schools, they soooo dislike investing in education.

Well, to put it in context a small shop or business can avail of a reopening grant of up to 25,000.

But as Leo proudly boasted today

Mr Varadkar also said he had "every confidence" that teachers will rise to the challenge and make sure schools are open at the beginning of the new school year.

So chin up.

Murple · 23-07-2020 09:06PM

SixtaWalthers wrote: »

Second wave of COVID-19 is being expected in this winter then how we can allow our kids to go to school in September? Haven't we seen new waves of this virus in China and in the cities where schools were open and they closed them again. I think its time to use wits.

I think it's important that, as long as numbers stay low and stable, that schools do reopen in September. If there is a bad second wave, we may need to shut the country down at least for a while, though I think widespread uptake of the flu vaccine could help keep it to a minimum. Shutting down in March was best time in a bad situation as teachers knew their classes well, the bulk of the work had been done and when teaching remotely, teachers and students knew each other. It would be a diffferent matter in September with JI and First Years in new schools and many children starting with a new teacher as well. We need to get the children back to set them up with things again as this will lessen the effects of both the closure from March and any potential closure during the winter.

However, I do think we need to really consider only taking in half classes for the first few weeks to see how things go. If there's no spike, increase numbers.
Its easy for Leo to say it will reflect badly on us as he makes his speech from a spacious conference centre with huge high ceilings and with nobody within way more than two metres of him. It will reflect even worse on us if we reopen schools, cram children and young people into small classrooms with no SD and have a situation like Israel, Melbourne or the underreported Swedish experience.

khalessi · 23-07-2020 09:08PM

Boggles wrote: »

Well, to put it in context a small shop or business can avail of a reopening grant of up to 25,000.

But as Leo proudly boasted today

So chin up.

Chin up and wallets out

jlm29 · 23-07-2020 09:26PM

SixtaWalthers wrote: »

Second wave of COVID-19 is being expected in this winter then how we can allow our kids to go to school in September? Haven't we seen new waves of this virus in China and in the cities where schools were open and they closed them again. I think its time to use wits.

Second wave is expected in winter. Who knows when though really. I don’t see how the DoE could shut all schools In August/September to wait a second wave, that might not come until January. Just looking at the lists of cases per county, Leitrim has had 83. Carlow 179, Waterford 166. They’re three of the lowest, but there’s others with small numbers (I know that one would need to take into consideration the population numbers of those counties, but I haven’t time for that!). It’s really really hard to see How anyone could apply a blanket closure to all schools given the varying numbers per county.

iamwhoiam · 23-07-2020 09:53PM

Prime Time now on schools

Rimmy · 23-07-2020 09:57PM

Are they going to put thermal cameras into each classroom? That's what a lot of companies are doing now.

khalessi · 23-07-2020 09:59PM

Rimmy wrote: »

Are they going to put thermal cameras into each classroom? That's what a lot of companies are doing now.

Don't know if that could work in schools with PE, children cycling to school etc and would be too expensive.

alentejo · 23-07-2020 10:07PM

Thermal cameras would be the biggest waist of money

Murple · 23-07-2020 10:08PM

Can imagine the results from a thermal camera in the average Irish classroom in the height of winter!

wirelessdude01 · 23-07-2020 10:09PM

Rimmy wrote: »

Are they going to put thermal cameras into each classroom? That's what a lot of companies are doing now.

Are they hell going to do that. That would require money.

munster87 · 23-07-2020 10:10PM

alentejo wrote: »

Thermal cameras would be the biggest waist of money

Yes, biggest waist, fat chance of it happening.

khalessi · 23-07-2020 10:11PM

I wonder if the soap is a separate budget

BonsaiKitten · 23-07-2020 10:13PM

Rimmy wrote: »

Are they going to put thermal cameras into each classroom? That's what a lot of companies are doing now.

You'd be better off putting in more sinks and hand sanitising stations imo. On my corridor in school we've a communal bathroom with 3 sinks. That and an individual sink in each classroom cover 150+ kids.

combat14 · 23-07-2020 10:40PM

interesting to see that we are told this evening by acting CMO that schools return for sept absolutely on track while at the same time stating he couldn't say the same for pubs returning on 10 aug....

have to.take it all with a pinch of salt at this stage...

Alex86Eire · 23-07-2020 10:40PM

BonsaiKitten wrote: »

You'd be better off putting in more sinks and hand sanitising stations imo. On my corridor in school we've a communal bathroom with 3 sinks. That and an individual sink in each classroom cover 150+ kids.

Agreed.
Apparently our school has put in new sinks in the student bathroom. The ratio of students to sinks (excluding sinks in the 3 labs) is now about 140 students :1 sink.
It'll be interesting

Hopefully we'll be well stocked with sanitising stations. I'd be happy out then.

wirelessdude01 · 23-07-2020 10:47PM

combat14 wrote: »

interesting to see that we are told this evening by acting CMO that schools return for sept absolutely on track while at the same time stating he couldn't say the same for pubs returning on 10 aug....

have to.take it all with a pinch of salt at this stage...

Even if it isn't safe the schools will be physically open in some form. This is a political football now to be tossed around.

pwurple · 23-07-2020 11:02PM

Can someone explain to me how the July Provision kids are in school every single day full time at the moment, and the other children can't go back in September? What's the difference?

byhookorbycrook · 23-07-2020 11:06PM

pwurple wrote: »

Can someone explain to me how the July Provision kids are in school every single day full time at the moment, and the other children can't go back in September? What's the difference?

Numbers .

Icyseanfitz · 23-07-2020 11:07PM

pwurple wrote: »

Can someone explain to me how the July Provision kids are in school every single day full time at the moment, and the other children can't go back in September? What's the difference?

I can only guess but I'd assume the teacher to student ratio is tiny in July provision compared to normal classrooms of 30+ kids in a cramped room

mirrorwall14 · 23-07-2020 11:11PM

Ratio is 1:12 asfaik. Same as creche afterschool services

How will schools be able to go back in September?

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