The Isle of Wight Council is on track to open schools for all students in September — and is trying to calm parents’ worries about sending their children back.
Following the government’s announcement that pupils in all year groups will return to school full-time from the beginning of the Autumn term, the Isle of Wight Council has been working with schools to help prepare for a safe reopening.
Speaking at a meeting of the Isle of Wight Council’s policy and scrutiny committee for children’s services education, skills and service, Brian Pope, assistant education director, thanked school staff for all the hard work they had been doing
He spoke about some of the issues being addressed but ‘barring any change in the data or different advice’ thought the Island was in position to open schools in September.
He said:
“There are tensions, particularly in secondary schools, over the size of the bubbles and the size of the potential lockdown.
“I wouldn’t say bubbling in primary schools is easy but it is easier because you have potentially got one class, one teacher and one learning support assistant and that is your bubble, or across the year group.
“With secondary, the children might be taught by eight different subject specialists and you need flexibility to enable those teachers to teach across those different classes.
Article continues below this advertisement “The size of the bubble is important to get the flexibility but equally you don’t want it too large because the bigger the bubble, the bigger the size of the lockdown.”
A measure some schools are taking to be able to follow the government advice for schools is by ordering alternative square furniture, as pupils will all have to face forward and not working in groups facing each other.
However, Cllr Paul Fuller, representative for Cowes West and Gurnard, expressed concerns from parents about letting their children return to school in September. He said:
“I had one parent come to me and say they needed to feel confident they were sending their children back and the education given to them over lockdown wasn’t going to embarrass them.
“We need to make sure the tools are there for families to hold their heads up high when they walk through the school gates in September.”
Mr Pope said the Department for Education and public health would be running a national campaign to ensure good parental confidence about sending their children back — but no one would be judged.He said:
“I think the best way is for schools to try and talk through those worries and get rid of those fears.
“What we have found is when parents have expressed those worries and got their children to school, those worries largely faded away.
“No one will be judging parents on their teaching skills throughout lockdown.”
Many Island schools have now broken up for the summer holidays, but preparation will continue to make sure schools are safe for children to return by following guidance from the Department for Education.
The schools have had plenty of time to get ready for the new term in September. Distancing measures and one way systems etc etc. They must return to continue their education and for their well-being. They’ll be fine.
What an arrogant, misleading, dangerous statement to make.
Only your name is correct ‘Opinions Matter’, for YOU don’t know that “They will be fine”
Tell that to some family as the little white coffin is strewn with flowers, SHOULD the worst happen.
Until a vaccine is found, then NO-ONE knows whether or not anyone ‘will be fine’.
It is a game of chance, albeit lower with children, but the risk of death or serious life changing complications is still there.
A hard choice for parents who love their children, DON’T make it sound simple.
The balance of having a dim child, or mentally affected child, has to be weighed against having the risk of a empty bed, or a child on disability for their entire life UNTIL a vaccine is found.
To me the risk is NOT worth the other risks. But I would not tell others that their children are ‘fine’ or ‘doomed’ WE JUST DON’T KNOW.
No, they will be fine. Stop getting in a mass hysteria over a bit of flu. There is no ‘risk of death’ for kids for crying out loud. You are probably one of those people who would give their kids a ‘vaccine’.
Can someone tell me why all fuss not going too school when parents are more than hsppy too go sit on crowded beaches?hypocrites id say.more spaces in school than on beach .kids can wear masks in school where ness surely.seems daft considering the places kids are going into now
Hypocrites are those who know full well that adults have to be ultra careful, can’t mix with other families in Pubs, etc, YET, will happily send their children into a class with a multitude of different families offspring.
You KNOW that children always bring home the coughs, the colds, the illnesses, and schools spread such more than anywhere else.
Seems to me that some parents are fed up with having their children at home now, and use ‘education and social interaction’, as the excuse to offload them, so they can get ‘their’ life back, and just trust to luck their children’s health.
The risk is still there, as they are not ‘testing’ then of course the numbers are static, BUT that is because they don’t want a holiday destination Isle having alarming cv data, in case it frightens away the ‘wallets’ and ‘purses’.