How will schools be able to go back in September?

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Let's see what the government announcement says. Meant to be resources/funding for this.

I highly doubt it. North Kildare Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service operated for months without a Psychologist. Speaks volumes.
A present, large schools get maybe 3 free psychological assessments a year. I can’t see things improving much.....

rovers_runner wrote: »

Ye are getting to go back to work in August lads, delighted for ye all

Some schools won't open until September 1st. I hope you are equally delighted for them.

Bobtheman wrote: »

Your idiotic optimism knows no bounds. Those of who have watched the departments " progress' don't have huge faith in its planning capability. They have not really consulted which is worrying. As for me as a teacher - I am willing to go to my job so long as the same norms that apply to your workplace or any workplace apply.
If you want evidence of the government s ineptitude just look at what happened with the LC.
Remember Leo's hook or by crook statement on the LC in May?
Remember any political manifesto you care to remember.
Don't worry we will probably go back to raising your kids shortly !

The problems the Government have are mainly down to the teacher unions being slow on the uptake to realise that the world has changed.

From day 1 the Government was planning for the possibility of calculated grades, but in order to bring the unions along, they had to examine all other possibilities first.

As regards reopening the schools, we have seen already the social distancing regulations are reduced for schools in other countries and hasn't caused a problem, it will be the same here.

robfowler78 wrote: »

I wonder what will be put in place for children in at risk groups. If kids are asked to stay home they would need more then parents homeschooling them. It will be hard to single some kids out also. I think parents should also have a say if at risk children are allowed return. Some risk groups might not be as high as others and vice versa.

That is something that will have to be given a lot of thought and consideration. It is an area where schools will have to be allowed used their discretion as they know the children best. How schools provide support for the most vulnerable will be one of the greatest challenges.

iamwhoiam wrote: »

A question for primary teachers . I was just wondering if anyone has prepared to deal with kids who may be extremely anxious or upset about the last few months ?
Although I see a big improvement in children since the are out playing etc some kids were incredibly anxious and effected by the Covid lockdown . I am wondering if there was any guidance from Principals about a way to handle the aftermath of a traumatic event in kids lives ?

I read somewhere that NEPS were preparing resources for schools to use. They have also been involved in the talks to reopen schools. It was also said that a big focus of the return to schools would be putting in place something to look after wellbeing- haven’t heard anything on this since.

In my own school, we discussed this at a staff meeting in June and the SET team have discussed it on a number of occasions. Where possible, children are returning to the teacher they just had, a teacher they had previously or a teacher with plenty of experience with that class level. We also made a point of including wellbeing activities and suggestions as part of remote learning.

Having said that, we aren’t psychologists or counsellors or therapists, plus we have up to 30 children to work with and support so are limited in the level of 1:1 support we can offer and in some instances, it will be up to parents to seek outside professional help through a GP if they feel their child is still badly affected.

grind gremlin wrote: »

I highly doubt it. North Kildare Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service operated for months without a Psychologist. Speaks volumes.
A present, large schools get maybe 3 free psychological assessments a year. I can’t see things improving much.....

I was thinking more if teachers of junior schools had any preparation in how they deal with it . It is the teachers who will notice a child struggling with anxiety or with questions about the lockdown . The children walked out on March 12 th and are bound to have questions and worries about the 6 months in between .

Murple wrote: »

I read somewhere that NEPS were preparing resources for schools to use. They have also been involved in the talks to reopen schools. It was also said that a big focus of the return to schools would be putting in place something to look after wellbeing- haven’t heard anything on this since.

In my own school, we discussed this at a staff meeting in June and the SET team have discussed it on a number of occasions. Where possible, children are returning to the teacher they just had, a teacher they had previously or a teacher with plenty of experience with that class level. We also made a point of including wellbeing activities and suggestions as part of remote learning.

Having said that, we aren’t psychologists or counsellors or therapists, plus we have up to 30 children to work with and support so are limited in the level of 1:1 support we can offer and in some instances, it will be up to parents to seek outside professional help through a GP if they feel their child is still badly affected.

Thank you for the reply . I agree that parents play a big role in this and I am sure most have tried to reassure and help the kids . Lets hope the combined effort will be enough to guide them through this

robfowler78 wrote: »

Yeah I hope there is an option for them as in they can return with all the other children (obviously depending on risk) if they want to. I don't think it should be a blanket decision yes or no. As was stated before it will need to be dealt with correctly and possibly in consultation with parents and schools individually.

The problem that is, masks don't work optimally unless 95% of people are wearing them.

Certain masks do, but a child or teacher wearing an FFP2 or 3 all day wouldn't be something I'd envy.

Could be masks for all at secondary level.

That wouldn't surprise me given our class numbers.

Also I wouldn't be too sure NPHET have seen this detailed plan either.

am_zarathustra wrote: »

Looking at Denmark or Germany is like saying a Nokia 3210 is the same as an iPhone 12 because they both make calls and send texts!

I do laugh when people compare ourselves to Germany throughout this pandemic.

They had more spare ICU capacity at their peak then the UK and Ireland had ICU capacity in total.

They were also taking in Italian Covid patients and processing our testing at their peak.

We ain't Germany.

iamwhoiam wrote: »

Thank you for the reply . I agree that parents play a big role in this and I am sure most have tried to reassure and help the kids . Lets hope the combined effort will be enough to guide them through this

Hopefully. I suspect some children will find it very hard to adjust to the busyness of school as well as the restricted space and need to share everything with so many others- space, time, attention etc.
There will also be a sizeable number who will be anxious about being in school again and near to others as they will be concerned about ‘catching something’.

robfowler78 wrote: »

I wouldn't be pushing for masks myself for children. But kids need school and homeschooling is not really a substitute based on what I seen at the beginning[HTML][/HTML] of the lockdown. There would need to be a lot more substance to it.

Given the size of classes in Ireland, both the number of students and the physical space, mask would be the most sensible solution if even most students are expected to return. Obvious exception for kids with asthma etc but they would be protected better at the others would be wearing them. We have to look at the issues comparable countries have faced. There are sensible arrangements that could help

Students in one room with teachers moving between rooms. This limits close contacts.

Screens for teacher. Based on the Israeli analysis, I'm the biggest risk to my students so I need to be 2m from them

Hand washing facilities .....this is a given in every pub or restaurant in the country but not in our schools

Staggered times (logistical and timetabling nightmare in secondary but could be done with imaginative planning)

Panel for subs, we had no subs multiple times last year. We were completely dependent on teachers doing more hours s and s as a digout, if 5 teachers are self isolating in my school we would not have the cover most days

Money to pay subs

Covered outdoor waiting area that would also be used for lunch etc.

And maybe controversially, pay any teacher willing to do it to teach more hours. Overtime essentially. I've taught up to 3/4 hours over my timetable on a voluntary basis to allow extra subjects to be offered or to split a class at LC into HL and OL. It is tough. A lot of prep had to be done at home and it was only possible as I had no outside commitments but it's doable for some teachers. It would help with splitting large Irish/Maths classes where you absolutely will not get a qualified sub

There are a thousand more things that will come up that will be situation, school and subject specific but these are obvious things that could already be in place with the powers that be in the department had ever talked to a teacher.

am_zarathustra wrote: »

Given the size of classes in Ireland, both the number of students and the physical space, mask would be the most sensible solution if even most students are expected to return. Obvious exception for kids with asthma etc but they would be protected better at the others would be wearing them. We have to look at the issues comparable countries have faced. There are sensible arrangements that could help

Could be wrong but I don't think face masks are recommended for children under 13. I not surs if that includes schools

iamwhoiam wrote: »

The one thing we noticed with my grandchild ( senior infants ) is that her concentration declined as the months went by . Others have noticed the same and I hope it will soon recover once back in a school environment

I’m hoping my own will too!!!

I’m really relieved to hear I’ll be back in my classroom in September and I’m looking forward to finally finding out what’s in store for schools next week.

A few hopes and wishes for the guidelines:

1. Arrangements for staggered break times (to reduce student interaction with children in other classes and among teachers in staff rooms also)

2. Cleaning protocols- my school wouldn’t be the cleanest normally and many other schools are the same. My classroom desks get washed when I do it. Many teachers don’t clean theirs so they are never cleaned (gross!) but this should not really be the teachers responsibility. Classroom floors get swept but not washed either so this also needs to change. I think if it’s laid out in black and white it will happen. Extra funding needed for this also. Would love to have a sink in my classroom so I can clean my desks properly daily but saving that I’d take a spray/disposable tissue etc like you see being used in restaurants. Also need protocols around cleaning of bannisters, door handles, toilets etc during the day.

3. Teachers, SNAs and all other staff should be required to wear masks or shields as appropriate. I’ll probably have to stick to a shield due to the nature of the SEN in my class this year. Face coverings should be considered in second level.

4. Classes will hopefully be back in full. But arrangements should be made to ensure this can happen long term. What kind of “pod” systems can realistically be put I place? We don’t want to have to shut down the whole building every time someone has a connection with a confirmed or suspected case. Max that should have to stay home is one class if there is a case.

5. Laid out expectations as to what should happen if we had to close again either temporarily or for months again. Let’s learn from the madness of this March. Personally I plan on setting up home/school communication platforms as soon as we reopen so that it is ready should we need use it. Will also use it in class so my students are familiar and we aren’t all learning from scratch again. I’m guessing that there’s a high chance individual schools or classrooms may have to close for weeks at a time. We need to be prepared.

6. How will group work, station teaching, special education etc work. How will SNAs interact? This is particularly huge in younger classes. In our school management of infants using toilets is a huge concern.

7. How to manage shared spaces - PE halls/equipment, computer suites etc. Use of shared devices - iPads, chrome books, laptops etc.

8. One of the bigger issues-arrival and dismissal! Are we staggering arrival and finishing times or what? Can hardly expect 100s of children to arrive and leave at the same time without interacting.

Oh and let’s not forget the huge issues around buses and transport!!! No easy solution there. Hopefully will be some suggestions and guidelines here too.