Primary Schools

Reduce class sizes by half and have the kids in half the week, continued throughout the summer holidays. For parents who cannot work from home, spaces should be prioritised.

Why the contribution is important

To be able to get back to work, schools must reopen but social distancing must apply. Most grandparents can no longer look after kids, so a fair way must be looked at. Kids have already lost 7 weeks schooling, why not run school through the summer holidays. Teachers could pick up their due holidays later in the year or take the pay in lieu

by Stacyk on May 08, 2020 at 12:15PM

Current Rating

Average rating: 2.9
Based on: 12 votes

Comments

  • Posted by harviej May 08, 2020 at 12:20

    Teachers are working hard from home, providing online work for pupils and having virtual staff meetings. They will need their summer holiday

  • Posted by CM46KEL May 08, 2020 at 12:21

    Teachers don’t get paid for summer holidays so the costs involved in paying teachers would have to be considered.

  • Posted by LMD2020 May 08, 2020 at 13:08

    Pupils are also working hard from home, during a very stressful time. The summer holidays are down time for children, especially younger kids that they will need after the stresses of weeks of homeschool and full lockdown. Allowing kids back into school for 2.5 days a week from 9-3, with no child care options is likely to have a limited impact on a lot of people's ability to 'go to work. Teachers are also contractually entitled to holidays.

  • Posted by iambob29 May 08, 2020 at 13:11

    Primary school kids will not keep their distance - it's absolutely impossible to keep kids away from each other.

  • Posted by golightly May 08, 2020 at 13:38

    Allow all infant and primary kids back to school, there's been no deaths in children. And the teachers need to decide if they have symptoms to self isolate at home. And the teachers' can stay 6ft apart in staff rooms etc. Allow the kids to get back to normal.

  • Posted by Dodley May 08, 2020 at 13:57

    Good ideas here. Getting teachers into work during the holidays will certainly ease the strain elsewhere. Prioritising children of essential workers and volunteers could boost the support for NHS staff particularly.

  • Posted by Stevendufc May 08, 2020 at 14:16

    In my experience (5 year old son) teachers are not working 'hard' from home.
    A handful (and getting fewer with each passing week) of tasks on Seesaw each day and that's it.

    Teachers' holiday allowance is obscene as it, and giving up some annual leave in a crisis such as this would be great for the children. We're all in it together after all.

  • Posted by Jennimcl May 08, 2020 at 15:12

    I think when the school reopen reduced class sizes and rotating per week but with increased school days. Since grandparents won’t be able to help with childcare and parents need to get back to work.

  • Posted by AWhite92 May 08, 2020 at 15:34

    Play, physical activity and sport will be helpful to reintegrate pupils back into schools and to see peers for the first time in a long time. Some children from shielding households may have had very little activity and exercise is crucial to support them mentally and physically. Active Schools coordinators in many school hubs for key worker children are successfully running activities applying social distancing rules, could this be incorporated into the school day alongside encouragement of parents to consider walking, cycling or scooting to school.

  • Posted by Tmy May 08, 2020 at 15:37

    I’m interested to hear how teachers would ‘pick up their holidays’. We are working everyday just now, learning new approaches with distance learning, providing learning opportunities, reaching out to pupils with no or little engagement and much more. I’m amazed at the number of people on social media who think teachers are not working just now. I agree that we need to reopen schools, but only when safe to do so. There are so many factors to take into account. Building size, class size, school role, staff numbers, hand washing facilities, break & lunch management, restricting parents from playground, teachers who are shielding. Also we are educators, not childcare facilities, this is a separate argument which should be tackled elsewhere.

  • Posted by Portert May 08, 2020 at 17:00

    Teachers are working extremely hard from home engaging with children and families daily, report writing, preparing policies etc and some juggling watching/ home schooling their own children. They don’t get paid over the summer holidays it’s pro rata and both them and the children are entitled to down time.
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