As Darren said in his last post, it looks like schools will be the focus today
Originally Posted by: DEW
Yup, most of the papers are leading on the issue today and - as you'd expect - their view depends on the paper's political leanings.
As I mentioned in the last thread, Unison at least have been very active in drumming up support for their "it's too dangerous" stance. I'm torn on the issue - the signs are my school is taking things seriously (we have PPE, courtesy of our site team ordering in supplies), but there's no way we can get even a smidgen of normality to the school: many of our classrooms are old 50s rooms, which are tiny... no more than 9 pupils per room with proper distancing. And if that's the case, the teachers covering those classes won't be able to deal with the majority of pupils who are stuck at home.
At the moment, all teachers are expected to be online during their classes, with pupils joining via Google Classroom. Thus any questions etc can be answered pretty much instantly... but that simply can't happen if the teacher for year 8 history has been drafted in to supervise a third of a year 10 maths class, for example.
It's a logistical nightmare for us, too, as we have several hundred children a day bussed in from the Isle where I live (the island's only secondary school is atrocious, always has been, so most parents send their children to the mainland). Cramped buses are not a good way to travel at the moment!
There are some plans going on in the background, but the Trust's policy at the moment is largely based on waiting for more info from the government.
I've a feeling that the desperation in gov't to be seen to be doing something is going to lead to a messy situation, where those lucky enough to come into school will then have an advantage over their peers at home...