Teachers get it handy!

[JimStynes]

Wonder if they've made a call on plasticine yet.

PVA glue is the big call for me.

[JimStynes]

Mackers they returned when they were told. And nothing off the back of it. But the union here don't want back. Interesting statement they made most was about teachers entitled to holidays
Tommy where have you been? Lockdown is well over

What is your ideal plan Smurfy? Bring the children back now?

[Estimator]

Two questions: How did the other countries that have returned to schools successfully do it?
In any of these countries is there any evidence whatsoever that teachers have picked up the virus from schoolchildren?

Posted this about a school in Holland. I could be wrong, but I don't think they ever initiated a full lockdown, but schools etc were closed.

And as much as Smurf would want to believe it, it wasn't a full and immediate return to normal.

The executive headteacher of the British School in the Netherlands explains how the school geared up to manage the return of its senior school cohort this week


Headteachers' instincts are to keep schools running. Snow days, burst boilers, winter flu – we have contingencies and can make adaptations but we're always open for learning.

Coronavirus, however, brought a new perspective to decision-making around school closure and has, without doubt, presented my biggest set of challenges in 15 years of headship.

Nearly three months on, our two senior schools have just reopened with the majority of our 1,200 students back in classrooms on alternate days, starting on 3 June.

How did we get here? Here are some key takeaways from this time:

The logistics
The new normal, already a cliché, is also a misnomer – since practice in all schools is governed by context.

We have reconsidered every element of a student's day, from the moment they pass through the school gate to their final footsteps out, ensuring that distancing is maintained at all times.


In a busy secondary school, with so many students usually moving between corridors and classrooms, this meant completely reshaping the school day, timetable, and flow.

Most learning spaces can accommodate up to 11 students, around half of our average class size and so we have created two populations based on surname to be in school alternate days.


Lesson duration has been reduced, settings and groupings changed and lunchtime modified. We've also staggered arrival and departure times for key stage 3 and KS4/5 with school now ending at 2.30pm to allow students to use public transport out of peak hours.

Industrial quantities of yellow signage and stripy tape adorn our building to reinforce one-way movement and painted distancing lines and directional arrows are de rigeur outside.

This is also true for areas that might not be so obvious – for instance, making taped pens available so students can't park their bikes too close to each other.

We've also had to mark out queuing areas outside of toilets and in a block of four urinals, taping up the middle two so that distancing can be maintained.

Decision making
Executive and senior leadership teams have had to be at their most optimistic and innovative to embrace the strategic and logistical challenges.

Clear, assured messaging to all parties has been essential. With five campuses (two secondary and three primary), a coherent and consistent approach in decision making has been critical.

Valuable lessons to inform future decisions were learned through the experiences of primary schools opening in May as well.

Keeping pace with changing government protocols has been a challenge, as was throttling up when the green light for opening secondary school sites was lit just three weeks ago.

We've had very short time frames in which to make big decisions impacting on thousands of people: school transport; year groups to return; internal assessments.

Nothing has been straightforward and we have steered away from absolutes on issues such as masks, for example.

Flexibility is an important tool in keeping anxieties in check.


This link details the what has happened in a few more countries:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/10/back-to-school-what-lessons-can-uk-learn-from-rest-of-europe

[Smurfy123]

My plan would be to get all the kids back in September every last one of them. 50% return on week 1 then 50% return on week 2 then maybe 75% return week 3 and then every single child in on week 4 which would be the middle of September. Don't forget this is 10 weeks away and kids will have been off for 6 months. 6 months!! Hardly rushing things back
There was 1 case in Northern Ireland yesterday ffs. What is the problem?
If the kids are not back the parents can't work this goes hand in hand.

[Milltown Row2]

My plan would be to get all the kids back in September every last one of them. 50% return on week 1 then 50% return on week 2 then maybe 75% return week 3 and then every single child in on week 4 which would be the middle of September. Don't forget this is 10 weeks away and kids will have been off for 6 months. 6 months!! Hardly rushing things back
There was 1 case in Northern Ireland yesterday ffs. What is the problem?
If the kids are not back the parents can't work this goes hand in hand.

Child minders are available soon so back to work as normal should apply, unless you are looking at schools as just free babysitters

[Kidder81]

My plan would be to get all the kids back in September every last one of them. 50% return on week 1 then 50% return on week 2 then maybe 75% return week 3 and then every single child in on week 4 which would be the middle of September. Don't forget this is 10 weeks away and kids will have been off for 6 months. 6 months!! Hardly rushing things back
There was 1 case in Northern Ireland yesterday ffs. What is the problem?
If the kids are not back the parents can't work this goes hand in hand.

Child minders are available soon so back to work as normal should apply, unless you are looking at schools as just free babysitters

At reduced capacity. Doubt they will be able to satisfy the demand

[mackers]

This can't be rocket science lads.  Other countries have succeeded as per Estimator's reply.  It's not as if Ireland (north and south) are the first to stick their neck out on this.  Learn from other countries and apply it locally.  The social distancing bringing brought back to 1 metre in the north has to help.

Yes there's a risk in going back but the "new normal" is about managing risk together.  There's a lot of negative talk around this (more so that any other return to work).  The teachers' unions need to approach this in a more positive manner.  The teaching sector appears to be heavily unionised which is creating negativity.

I caught the tail end of an interview with a doctor on a programme yesterday where he said that the child is twice as likely to be struck by lightning as they are to contract the virus.  I have yet to see any evidence of children spreading the disease in schools.  So what would appear to be one of the lowest risk workplaces is one where we have the most negative publicity.

[trailer]

This can't be rocket science lads.  Other countries have succeeded as per Estimator's reply.  It's not as if Ireland (north and south) are the first to stick their neck out on this.  Learn from other countries and apply it locally.  The social distancing bringing brought back to 1 metre in the north has to help.

Yes there's a risk in going back but the "new normal" is about managing risk together.  There's a lot of negative talk around this (more so that any other return to work).  The teachers' unions need to approach this in a more positive manner.  The teaching sector appears to be heavily unionised which is creating negativity.

I caught the tail end of an interview with a doctor on a programme yesterday where he said that the child is twice as likely to be struck by lightning as they are to contract the virus.  I have yet to see any evidence of children spreading the disease in schools.  So what would appear to be one of the lowest risk workplaces is one where we have the most negative publicity.

Exactly. Certainly the unions are causing a problem.
But we're all in this together.....

[trailer]

It'll be interesting to see if teachers stay away from the pubs when they reopen. If they stay away from GAA as it starts back up. It'll really be interesting to see the choices they make outside of the classroom and their rational for it.

[Milltown Row2]

It'll be interesting to see if teachers stay away from the pubs when they reopen. If they stay away from GAA as it starts back up. It'll really be interesting to see the choices they make outside of the classroom and their rational for it.

They will follow the science surely?

The teachers are on holiday from next month, so they'll be first into the pubs the lucky gits!

[mackers]

Can trailers or mackers explain what the teachers/teaching unions are doing to bring such negativity towards them?
There seems to be an opinion that teachers are refusing to go back to school. Where are you seeing that? I've yet to hear that from any and I be in contact with a right few.

There are 2 issues here, that I know of;

1.Teachers & Principals are saying that their school cannot be at full teaching capacity and maintain 1m social distancing. Not that they don't want to, just that they simply don't have the space.That is not saying that they won't be going back. All teachers will be in school all day, every day. They are saying that all pupils cannot be in the school at once and they have been & continue to work on plans to accommodate their pupils as best possible. Do you think they are lying about this and why do you think they would?

2. Some teachers & teaching unions are voicing concerns about the early return. They are wondering whether they are being paid extra for working a week longer than they are contracted to or whether the days will be made up elsewhere. Some have booked and paid for holidays in this time and are concerned that they will lose their money. Perhaps you don't feel that these are legitimate concerns but I would imagine they would be in every other line of work. Just to note, there were schools returning on the 21st August even before Covid-19.


Is there something else I'm missing?

Get on and do it and stop bleating on about it in the press. We had one union leader come out and lambast the Northern Executive yesterday after what apparently was a positive meeting.  I found myself agreeing with Arlene Foster during The View which is a first. Megaphone diplomacy. Sit down and engage and work with a positive frame of mind.  I don't doubt that the majority of teachers want to get on with it.

No one has answered my question from earlier this morning.  Which was a genuine one. Is there any evidence of Covid 19 spreading in a school environment?  There have been quite a few countries where the schools have returned and there have been no issues that I'm aware of.

[mackers]

How are their concerns any different to the countries where children have returned to school safely already?

[mackers]

I'm not advocating taking holidays off teachers.  That's wrong.  I'm only talking about the return to work protocols.  Estimator's answer does not reflect what that eejit of a union leader came out and said yesterday.

[Smurfy123]

Mackers is talking a lot of sense. And I agree that the holidays should not change
How about the Union come out yesterday saying it's great news that it is now 1 metre and that it gives us a real chance of getting the kids back in September. And that they will work with the minister over the next 10 weeks to make it possible. And for this to happen we will need a massive buy in from everyone none more so than the parents. That's what principals should have been saying yesterday. Another principal on this morning now giving off about travel to and from school for crying out loud. It's not going to be perfect far from it but parents may have to now leave and colllect children from school if they are not comfortable wee Johhny sitting on a bus. We are in difficult times everything will be that wee bit harder but let's be positive

[Smurfy123]

What issues? Yes the one around the transport to school. Wasn't even mentioned yesterday inthe unions statement. Crazy oversight
What issues arise after yesterday?
Weir is basically telling all its very safe to get back and that 1 metre is fine but Jesus if it works out at 0.8 in between kids to fit the full class let's het it done.
You have to think of the well-being of kids.