How will schools be able to go back in September? (Continued)

Soulsun · 17-08-2020 12:55PM

Was speaking to a secondary school teacher at the weekend who works in two large secondary schools in Dublin.

He doesn’t know how the schools are gona open, and if they do, he reckons they will be closing two weeks later due to Covid outbreaks.

Didn’t do me the world of confidence!

We have kitted the kids out for school and everything is in order, so here’s hoping.

khalessi · 17-08-2020 12:56PM

A while back we were told that the NCCA were working on the curriculum. It is just over a week to return why haven't they released what they have been working on?

wirelessdude01 · 17-08-2020 12:59PM

khalessi wrote: »

A while back we were told that the NCCA were working on the curriculum. It is just over a week to return whay havent they released what they have been working on?

Secondary are also waiting on promised subject specific guidance with regards to practical subjects.

Boggles · 17-08-2020 01:01PM

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Let this sink in for everyone.

20% of primary school children in Ireland are in classes of 30+, yes 30+.

The "plan" was a copy and paste from an early Finnish model.

Of course the severely restricted class size portion was removed and replaced with doozies like these.

- How to mechanically wipe a table with a cloth.

- Don't steal the cleaning products

- No such thing as aerosol transmission so if you don't have an isolation room you can leave the child in the class, and maybe pop on a mask on if you have one handy.

The last one sounds like a Nigella Lawson recipe and far less like the protocol you would expect when dealing with a suspected case of a deadly novel virus.

Sure if you have an egg handy, pop it in.

The Unbearables · 17-08-2020 01:02PM

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Let this sink in for everyone.

20% of primary school children in Ireland are in classes of 30+, yes 30+.

Open windows and doors in the depths of Winter. Sure be grand :rolleyes:

BattleCorp · 17-08-2020 01:02PM

khalessi wrote: »

A while back we were told that the NCCA were working on the curriculum. It is just over a week to return whay havent they released what they have been working on?

The government are lastminute.com.

It's probably like the face mask legislation for retail outlets. They only published the legislation on Sunday evening with the legislation kicking in the very next day. Not exactly giving retail outlets time to get their house in order.

wirelessdude01 · 17-08-2020 01:03PM

The Unbearables wrote: »

Open windows and doors in the depths of Winter. Sure be grand :rolleyes:

As said to Sarah McInerney this morning.

smellyoldboot · 17-08-2020 01:05PM

lulublue22 wrote: »

Nice deflection re need for clarification - if they received info from their school all good if they haven’t and they are concerned then email the principal which was my point.

Your attitude to SEN is extremely poor more so given that you are not resident in Ireland and are not affected by any decisions made re same. A temporary period ? quite a change in attitude when you were arguing that all schools needed to be open as this pandemic could go on for years. A year for a child who receives support is not temporary. However children who don’t need support ate not as affected in terms of educational attainment so perhaps we could do a half in half out system and maximise teaching and learning for ALL children as is their right.!
But no you espouse the selfish me me me my child my child attitude which in my opinion is extremely distasteful anyhow and even more so as you are not resident in Ireland and so will not affect your children regardless. The argument that you have family members here is irrelevant. It’s easy to be blase about children’s educational needs when it doesn’t affect you. We have a duty to all children and should be looking at ways which gives the best to both and not sacrificing one for the other. And no the current guidelines do not sacrifice the majority for the minority.

Good to know the Netherlands are managing so well - what are their class sizes like.

Isn't the Netherlands a current emerging disaster zone based on their growing infection rate/lack of control measures?

combat14 · 17-08-2020 01:06PM

just heard someone mention today that kids from multiple schools all share the same school buses is this correct does anyone know ... surely this will have to be rectified if that is the case....??!!

mirrorwall14 · 17-08-2020 01:08PM

combat14 wrote: »

just heard someone mention today that kids from multiple schools all share the same school buses is this correct does anyone know ... surely this will have to be rectified if that is the case....??!!

Not going to happen with this government. The school buses are magical places that can run at full capacity without any transmission.....

ShaShaBear · 17-08-2020 01:09PM

combat14 wrote: »

just heard someone mention today that kids from multiple schools all share the same school buses is this correct does anyone know ... surely this will have to be rectified if that is the case....??!!

I would presume so, absolutely. There are three primary schools here in town and one bus has always serviced the three of them?

khalessi · 17-08-2020 01:09PM

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

As said to Sarah McInerney this morning.

That Professor also recommended putting on coats and teaching the children outdoors like we did in the 60s.

Boggles · 17-08-2020 01:09PM

smellyoldboot wrote: »

Isn't the Netherlands a current emerging disaster zone based on their growing infection rate/lack of control measures?

Yes, a rather steep doubling effect.

If it doesn't calm down rapidly they will be exceeding a 1000 cases a day quite shortly.

wirelessdude01 · 17-08-2020 01:10PM

combat14 wrote: »

just heard someone mention today that kids from multiple schools all share the same school buses is this correct does anyone know ... surely this will have to be rectified if that is the case....??!!

In some cases you have both primary and secondary students on the same school buses. Know the school bus that serves our area at home picks up for three secondary schools.

dundalkfc10 · 17-08-2020 01:10PM

The schools **** show is whats going to be the final curtain for this Government.

FF/FG and the Greens have been a shambles since minute 1

The Unbearables · 17-08-2020 01:12PM

combat14 wrote: »

just heard someone mention today that kids from multiple schools all share the same school buses is this correct does anyone know ... surely this will have to be rectified if that is the case....??!!

That is accurate. The government is on holiday and have put their "plan" in place.

My neighbour drives a 17 seater transit minibus and he picks up and drops off at 4 different schools in south Dublin. He's been told nothing only the kids must wear masks and capacity is full at 17 seats. He's put up a screen between himself and the kids at his own expense.

Utter farce.

combat14 · 17-08-2020 01:16PM

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

Not going to happen with this government. The school buses are magical places that can run at full capacity without any transmission.....

sounds like the height of negligence .. we are being told to avoid crowds now and minimise contacts to 6 ..yet school buses will be packed with kids from multiple schools so potentially if one kid from school A is sick kids from schools B,C,D E and F can catch it and pass on to their respective schools....crazy stuff!

surely getting the school transport system sorted is a bare minimum necessity to minimise transmission of this virus from school to school and throughout the community

understand that most office workers are not going back yet and where offices are returning staff only doing so on a staggered basis of 15-25% staff for now

yet is ok to throw school kids from multiple schools into buses with no social distancing .. come on guys where is the plan in all of this? let's surely get the basics right first?

where is the minister for education who is responsible can she not see these basic things?

lulublue22 · 17-08-2020 01:18PM

smellyoldboot wrote: »

Isn't the Netherlands a current emerging disaster zone based on their growing infection rate/lack of control measures?

I’ve no idea I was responding to a poster who indicated schools , with similar class sizes to us ,in the Netherlands were up and running without issues. I took it at face value as poster lives there.

Lillyfae · 17-08-2020 01:24PM

smellyoldboot wrote: »

Isn't the Netherlands a current emerging disaster zone based on their growing infection rate/lack of control measures?

Wouldn't be because of the schools, which will be back this week/next week/ in 2 weeks. Same as anywhere else, there are spikes as people get lockdown fatigue certainly. But there's a clampdown going on at the moment to try to counteract this. Mandatory quarantine following travel to high risk areas and for suspected cases has been brought in, and also cooperation with contact tracing will be tightened up on.

I'm actually not the Prime Minister/ Minister for Health though so I don't take your reaching comment personally.

lulublue22 · 17-08-2020 01:29PM

khalessi wrote: »

That Professor also recommended putting on coats and teaching the children outdoors like we did in the 60s.

Sure today would be a grand day for teaching outside

Rain hoping off the windows here. Though all jokes aside if all windows and or doors are to be kept open for ventilation purposes teaching this winter will be fun :eek:

wirelessdude01 · 17-08-2020 01:31PM

lulublue22 wrote: »

Sure today would be a grand day for teaching outside Rain hoping off the windows here. Though all jokes aside if all windows and or doors are to be kept open for ventilation purposes teaching this winter will be fun :eek:

Think of the money savings though from not having to bother turning on the heat!!!

Quantum Erasure · 17-08-2020 01:35PM

alroley wrote: »

Schools are not even back yet and I've seen multiple posts on boards from parents with a sick child (with symptoms such as coughs!!) saying it's definitely not Covid and they don't need to do anything about it.

My own family member was ranting in a family group chat about how ridiculous it is that children shouldn't go to school with colds and coughs this year. She will absolutely send her children into school sick.

I think Claire Byrne should do another public service broadcast from her shed, telling us what to do if a child is sick, and go over the basics of self isolation again, especially since the covid app came out,

Blondini · 17-08-2020 01:37PM

combat14 wrote: »

just heard someone mention today that kids from multiple schools all share the same school buses is this correct does anyone know ... surely this will have to be rectified if that is the case....??!!

Worry not my people...

They will be travelling on enchanted buses to the magical and mystical world of pods and bubbles.

It is all good!

The Unbearables · 17-08-2020 01:39PM

combat14 wrote: »

sounds like the height of negligence .. we are being told to avoid crowds now and minimise contacts to 6 ..yet school buses will be packed with kids from multiple schools so potentially if one kid from school A is sick kids from schools B,C,D E and F can catch it and pass on to their respective schools....crazy stuff!

surely getting the school transport system sorted is a bare minimum necessity to minimise transmission of this virus from school to school and throughout the community

understand that most office workers are not going back yet and where offices are returning staff only doing so on a staggered basis of 15-25% staff for now

yet is ok to throw school kids from multiple schools into buses with no social distancing .. come on guys where is the plan in all of this? let's surely get the basics right first?

where is the minister for education who is responsible can she not see these basic things?

On holiday

downthemiddle · 17-08-2020 01:54PM

Lillyfae wrote: »

No excuse for this at all. Principals had absolutely nothing to be doing for three months of the last school year except come up with every scenario possible. So what if they were a waste of time. There would have at least been ideas to pick and choose from when the roadmap was announced.

As for SET - you'd swear special needs children were in the majority in schools the way some seem to be going on about it. Do all other children in the country have to suffer because a minority will get a lesser provision for a temporary period? Not to mention they've actually been at the top of the list to date seeing as July provision went ahead. And I don't believe that there's as much concern for these children as has been let on here anyway.

You should set up a consultancy agency advising schools on reopening. You clearly think you know more than those working on the ground.
Your attitude towards children with additional needs says everything.

Mrsmum · 17-08-2020 01:59PM

The Unbearables wrote: »

That is accurate. The government is on holiday and have put their "plan" in place.

My neighbour drives a 17 seater transit minibus and he picks up and drops off at 4 different schools in south Dublin. He's been told nothing only the kids must wear masks and capacity is full at 17 seats. He's put up a screen between himself and the kids at his own expense.

Utter farce.

I imagine many parents that are now working from home will be doing lots of school runs as opposed to their usual commutes to work. I would if I were in that situation. Which will help the children who have no choice but to be on the bus.

Stateofyou · 17-08-2020 02:01PM

lulublue22 wrote: »

How exactly do you know what I am doing or not doing ? I will stand over my assertion if you as a parent are concerned re the return to school then be proactive re same. An email to the principal re same is a fairly simple easy first step.
I wouldn’t advise setting fire to DE as well as being illegal they’re actually on holidays at the moment.
I will also add I’m a parent if I’m unhappy or unsure if what is happening in relation to my children and their education I seek information / clarification on the issue. I don’t sit back with a oh no school haven’t contacted me what will I do. We are in the middle of a global pandemic as an adult you surely have the where with all to inform yourself if you are unsure.
It will be easier for some schools to get up to speed than others. Rather than focusing on school A has done this aren't they great School B has not said a word - perhaps think about they haven’t given us any information are they are pulling out all the stops trying to get a workable solution so my child can get back to school.

Have you yourself any insights - perhaps how the Netherlands are managing their return to school ?

Sorry, but this is ridiculous. I doubt most of us are just sitting back here and doing nothing. For one, we're on this post trying to figure this out, aren't we? And I emailed the principal at our school. I outlined our specific concerns. I gave a few of my insights too. About 2 weeks later I received a very vague reply about how it's being worked on and all parents will be contacted by end of this week.

average_runner · 17-08-2020 02:04PM

Understand the fear but we got to realise this virus isn't going anywhere and be around for years to come.

So we got to try things, see if they work, if they don't work we try something else .

We can't hide forever and lockdown is not the permanent solution

SusanC10 · 17-08-2020 02:07PM

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

In some cases you have both primary and secondary students on the same school buses. Know the school bus that serves our area at home picks up for three secondary schools.

The Bus our daughter normally goes on serves a Primary and a Secondary at the same time in the mornings.
We have decided to drove both of our Kids to school for the foreseeable.

downthemiddle · 17-08-2020 02:07PM

average_runner wrote: »

Understand the fear but we got to realise this virus isn't going anywhere and be around for years to come.

So we got to try things, see if they work, if they don't work we try something else .

We can't hide forever and lockdown is not the permanent solution

I agree fully that we have to try things and see if they work. What we should not be trying is the approach least likely to succeed.

How will schools be able to go back in September? (Continued)

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