Moving on from current lockdown

I'm looking at 2 factors. One is socially out in the community and the other is school.
I believe that there needs to be the release to family bubble groups before any other relaxing of lockdown. People I have spoken to do not miss the shops, they miss their family. Many rely on family to look after children whilst they go to work so surely before we open up to the workforce we need to allow families to meet again. How can we say that going to work with complete strangers and having customers out and about in contact with strangers is the safest option to test the infection control we have already managed to sustain? Surely a small increase to allow families to meet with one another but keeping other restrictions would be best as the first port of call.

Next is the issues with school. When this started I contacted the first minister but never got a reply (not that it actually matters but would just like to know she read my email). I'm a teacher in a mainstream primary school but teach children who have ASN in a separate building. I currently have 10 children all with varying needs within a school of approximately 420 children. I cannot see how the environment could be made conducive to a good education model for pupils with the suggestions of social distancing and rotas for children in place. The children are accessing academic work within a safe environment at the moment and can recieve care and comfort from family whenever they need it. I as a teacher cannot provide this emotional support in a school environment w
That has these restrictions in place. The health and well being of the children cannot be met in these circumstances and I think it would be wise to work on the family integration first with tracking and tracing the effects of this on the virus. I have a child who is due to start P1 in August. He has missed his transition and that cannot be helped. Children on the cusp of transition are at the highest risk of anxiety and stress as they look at what the future holds. I would prefer that school remain closed until other factors are looked at and we know that we have truly passed the peak and have reduced the likelihood of a 2nd wave happening. If this is the case in August, September or even October then so be it. The workforce could gradually return if support was provided by family in terms of childcare which is why is so important that the family bubble is the first to be trialled. Advising that perhaps the social distancing should still apply to those over 70 and with chronic illness.
It may be worth looking at a phased return for children to support transition. If this means spending a term in their previous stage to allow that continuity to be achieved with a teacher they know and trust then they may be better placed to move on when the time is right. The focus must be taken away from getting children back ASAP and look at how to reinforce what we have already achieved whilst testing the restrictions gradually. I hope thses suggestions make sense but I am happy to elaborate and discuss if anyone wishes to contact me.

Why the contribution is important

I think my ideas are important as the current discussions seem to neglect the thought that if people are allowed to go back to work and therefore public allowed to shop in more places then why wouldn't they want to visit family? It could see a surge in flouting the rules of it is done incorrectly. Family first would allow a much more gradual increase of contact in the safest way possible. I also believe it would help with family stress and strain as well as mental health issues just being able to be with family at this difficult time.

In terms of why my school suggestion is important it echoes the above. Health and wellbeing is paramount in our young people and we want the children to feel safe. How do I, as a teacher, provide that with social distancing in place and children who will find it difficult to follow the procedures to minimise contact. I have a classroom, it's a community and what would be proposed is alien to these children and yet another change to learn and get used to after having spent 6 weeks getting to grips with distance learning. Yes that may mean that distance learning will have to change to address the academics and those who can't or won't engage but that is a small proportion of the school population and can be addressed in their own right. If I am expected to teach in the building full time with a rota of children each day or each week, what do I do with my child on the days he is not in school??? This is the biggest test in controlling the virus until we can get a vaccinations or identify antibodies and those who can no longer contract it. I do not want another spike in deaths or illness and end up back to square one. We have come this far so please dont rush to start releasing people back to society as it was prematurely. I wholeheartedly support the extension of 3 more weeks of lockdown although I would like to see access to family members relaxed within this.

by HMcEwan on May 09, 2020 at 11:10AM

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Comments

  • Posted by Shannonxo May 09, 2020 at 11:27

    Yes, 110% agree. I posted a similar thing about how I don't see any logic in re opening anything or re integrating anything before we are allowed to socialize with our family again. It's the number one most important thing and it should come first before anything. No one cares about pubs or shops re opening. People miss their families. I know I do and that's coming from a young person. I'm 22 and sure, I love a night out but right now my family are the single most important thing in the world
  • Posted by Bournefabee May 09, 2020 at 11:47

    My kids are teenagers and my husband (alongside many in my family) is a teacher so we're affected by school shutdowns either way.
    My kids are doing great with online learning. They are desperate to see their friends too. If the schools reopen you will not be able to make them social distance. They know not to, but they will get the bus to school and hang out and have lunch with friends regardless of what the school puts in place or what parents say. I also don't believe it will be possible to clean schools in the turnaround time you'd need judgibg by how dirty they normally are.
    School reopening should only be prioritised for those families of key workers, those struggling with childcare and social issues and those who will run out of money if they don't get back to work soon. I know teachers who spend their time delivering food parcels and phoning vulnerable kids to check they are ok. Those kids need to be the priority.
    A return to school in August would be absolutely fine for the majority of us who are coping even if its not very pleasant to be at home all day. Academic achievement is important but we don't need to run to the usual academic schedules to make it happen. Universities and colleges should be more proactive in moving the entrance requirement goalposts to compensate for the chaos caused by no exams. It will give teachers and the SQA more time to resolve the issue. And it would ease mental distress in older teens.
  • Posted by harviej May 09, 2020 at 12:08

    Agree. The most important thing everyone wants is to see their families.
    If schools go back, my son and daughter in law are both teachers and I collect their three children from school.
    If schools return and grandparents are still locked up, who will care for my grandchildren after school?
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