How will schools be able to go back in September?

Murple wrote: »

How did the children manage at yardtimes?

As far as I remember ( its many moons ago!) we put small rolled up rainjackets in the bags in a Superquinn plastic bag ! It mustnt have been winter at the time
The headlice were multiplying on the kids fur collars all hanging together so the decision was made to take them home and back at pick up time

lulublue22 wrote: »

I know you are very concerned re the return to school due to one of your children being recently diagnosed. As far as I’m aware the gov have only mentioned at very high risk to be catered for at local level. Which in reality means the school will try and accommodate those children as best they can from SET allocation. The difficulty for most parents is that the at very high risk group is quite a narrow definition. If you google HSE at risk you should find an explanation of the different categories. Though it was difficult personally to ascertain if my own child fell into the at risk or high risk group so wishy washy was the guidance. Once you’ve spoken to the gp / consultant I would contact the principal at outline your concerns. Principals in general are very supportive and are well aware of peoples concerns.

ETA maybe the above didn’t actually address your question - they could but they haven’t so far so I’m not sure why they would now. The gov seem (as far as I can tell from the guidelines ) to be working off the premise that children aren’t substantial transmitters of the disease nor affected by it to any great extent.

The department in truth didn't make any provision for high risk children. Schools will try and accommodate these children from existing SET allocation. However most schools were already extremely overstretched trying to cater for children with a diagnosis affecting learning or behaviour. Many of these children will require even more additional help when schools return. In addition to that SET provision will change hugely. In class support is likely to be impossible in most classrooms so withdrawal with be the primary means of giving support. As many SET rooms are very small, if in existence at all, withdrawal groups will be very small. Bottom line- supporting all those who were previously entitled to support will be difficult if not impossible.
Add to that , SET have been added to the list as subs in a school. If a teacher is out and a sub can't be found, the SET is to be used as classes can't be split anymore as they would have been in the past. All this means that supporting remote learning could be very hit and miss.
If the department were serious and honest in their intention to support students at high risk, they would have expanded home tuition so that these children could have a tutor come to their house- not risk free but a massive reduction in risk compared to bring in a school building with hundreds of others.

combat14 wrote: »

interesting to see in a lot of retail stores they ask customers to leave items they touch but dont buy to be left on a separate shelf to be thoroughly sanitised before redisplay again

will this be part of the plan for items touched by the masses in schools

what additional resources will be allocated for cleaning toilets in buildings with hundreds to thousands of people in third level

the toilets are always a massive source of regular complaint in schools/colleges even in a good year and could be a breeding ground for C19......

What was suggested in th guidelines was for the likes of Aistear was that all the pieces used by the children be washed after use

Shared Equipment
Toys
All toys should be cleaned on a regular basis for example weekly. This will remove dust and dirt that can harbour germs.
Toys that are visibly dirty or contaminated with blood or bodily fluids should be taken out of use immediately for cleaning or disposal.
When purchasing toys choose ones that are easy to clean and disinfect (when necessary).
If cloth or soft toys are used they should be machine washable.
Jigsaws, puzzles and toys that young pupils to those with special educational needs may be inclined to put into their mouths should be capable of being washed and disinfected.
All play equipment should be checked for signs of damage for example breaks or cracks. If they cannot be repaired or cleaned they should be discarded.
Clean toys and equipment should be stored in a clean container or clean cupboard. The manufacturer’s instructions should always be followed.
At this time soft modelling materials and play dough where used should be for individual use only.
Cleaning Procedure for Toys
• Wash the toy in warm soapy water, using a brush to get into crevices.
• Rinse the toy in clean water.
• Thoroughly dry the toy.
• Some hard plastic toys may be suitable for cleaning in the dishwasher.
• Toys that cannot be immersed in water that is electronic or wind up should be wiped with a damp cloth and dried.
• In some situations toys/equipment may need to be disinfected following cleaning for example: toys/equipment that pupils place in their mouths. Toys/equipment that have been soiled with blood or body fluids or toys where a case of COVID-19 has been identified.
• If disinfection is required: A chlorine releasing disinfectant should be used diluted to a concentration of 1,000ppm available chlorine. The item should be rinsed and dried thoroughly.
Art – Where possible pupils should be encouraged to have their own individual art and equipment supplies.



COnsidering the amount of resources primary calsses use during the day we could do with a cleaner just to clean these and a lot are shared between classes.

Mind you it should say after each use in light of the fact it is a pandemic not weekly

Murple wrote: »

By the time you factor in the additional expense of buying disinfectants, sanitiser, cloths, cleaning supplies for every classroom,gloves and aprons for cleaners etc. and add in washing every desk every day by the cleaners, the grants won't go far. I think some imagine it will provide for an onsite cleaning staff all day. In reality, it may pay for an hour or two extra per day to allow for everything to be wiped down at the end of the school day.
And before you say surely cleaning supplies were always available in the classroom, if they were they were supplied by the teacher. In my school, we asked again and again a few years ago for cleaning supplies to keep desks etc clean. Each room was eventually supplied with one bottle of spray clearer and 5 cloths. That was it for the year and evermore.

Kids in my room always wanted the weekly job of being sent around the classes to acquire some cleaning spray once the ones I had bought had ran out. Then the cheek of the document warning up not to be removing cleaning products from school. The innocence of it all is hilarious in its lack of awareness of what actually happens on the ground.

German studies indicate long-term Covid-19 health issues

Patients tested around 10 weeks after recovery had lingering heart problems


https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/german-studies-indicate-long-term-covid-19-health-issues-1.4318036?mode=amp

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Kids in my room always wanted the weekly job of being sent around the classes to acquire some cleaning spray once the ones I had bought had ran out. Then the cheek of the document warning up not to be removing cleaning products from school. The innocence of it all is hilarious in its lack of awareness of what actually happens on the ground.

I had a few issues with the guidelines but that by the way no taking cleaning supplies home had me in some temper. The absolute cheek. Any cleaning supplies in my classroom has been provided by me from home. At this stage my OH has enough sense not to ask what am I doing with disinfect and bin bags under my arm. Honestly I thought it was very bad form.

iamwhoiam wrote: »

Would any teacher think that asking for volunteers to clean desks etc daily would be a good idea ? I would definitely have no problem giving 30-45 minutes to scrub desks in a junior school . I would even bring my own spray and cloths if it helped keeping everyone a little safer ?

Great idea but the idea of additional well meaning volunteers in the school building doesn't sit well. Insurance springs to mind as well. Also vetting would need to be completed. I know people are well intentioned but those intentions and enthusiasm would disappear after a few days/weeks of cleaning up the mess that their kids leave behind and make.

iamwhoiam wrote: »

Yes , I guess the visitors would be an issue of course

I know we are trying to limit visitors to the school next year. Any that have to be onsite we are trying to put in strategies to limit their access to the school population. If that makes sense.