Education leaders on the Isle of Wight are preparing for what happens when COVID-19 cases come to a local school – and say it is a case of not if, but when.
As children and young people head back to school across the Island this week, some for the first time since March, plans are being put in place in case a local lockdown of school bubbles happens.
One of the measures implemented to ensure children can go back to school safely is numbering the number of pupils in a ‘bubble’, to hopefully stop the spread of the virus going further than it needs to.
This is as well as other Department for Education (DfE) guidelines passed down to schools — washing hands regularly, coughing and sneezing into elbows, creating one-way systems and staggered start and finish times as well as lunchtimes and breaks.
While these precautions are in place to help aid social distancing and other methods of the stopping COVID-19, the Isle of Wight Council has been preparing schools in the event of a positive case confirmed in a bubble.
Speaking at a meeting of the policy and scrutiny committee for children’s service’s education and skills, Brian Pope, assistant education director, said the returning of schools this week had been very similar to the normal pattern of opening and that most schools were reporting high attendance figures.
Looking forward, however, Mr Pope said he was in daily contact with Public Health, analysing any new cases and issuing advice to headteachers with the council’s school improvement team speaking to every school. He said:
“We are preparing schools, over the next few weeks to switch to remote learning, if and when, and it is probably more when than if, we have a local case in a school. And then we have to take action.
Article continues below this advertisement “That bubble of students is likely to be told to self-isolate for two weeks and we cannot leave those children without work. We have made sure we are ready to switch to remote learning if and when a bubble goes home.”
At primary school level, there are 3 action plans in place, for the long-term, which ensures the whole of the national curriculum is covers; the medium-term which covers half a term; and assessment-led short term plans which are done on an almost daily basis.
Lessons have been produced for the first 48 hours of a lockdown, age-appropriate for students, and new packs will be done on a monthly basis, from objectives in the national curriculum.
However, for secondary schools, Mr Pope said it was more difficult as GCSEs are very much about covering content which is less assessment lead. But guidance is being issued to headteachers to deal with remote learning.
A new scheme announced by the DfE will ensure every household with a student has access to a laptop if a local lockdown happens. If a student doesn’t have access to a laptop, the DfE will get one to the student in two days.
The focus is also on ensuring the children’s mental health and wellbeing is okay, with £23,000 funding from the DfE for mental health training.
‘More when than if’ is a rather irresponsible statement considering there are a lot of nervous parents sending their kids back to school at the moment. Mr Pope is basically saying you will be sending your child into an environment where they stand a good chance of catching a potentially life threatening virus. Maybe he should think before he speaks in the future. It’s all about timing Mr Pope.
Keep them home until a vaccine is found which should be soon. A few more months when you consider the ‘hours’ of real, quality education lost, which is minimal hours of actually ‘learning’ is not worth the risk to them, and their families which will catch such imo.
The clear future is learning from home.
Most learning could be home based now, provided the parents do care for their children. And tbh, those who don’t, normally have the most disruptive children, who ruin decent children’s educational progress, and rarely are high achievers themselves, and drag others down with them.
Whilst the social intercourse of schooling is much discussed, as we see in real life, many children are bullied, and find school socially damaging, so it is not all ‘one way’.
With jobs now disappearing and many more able to work from home, then perhaps having ONE parent work, whilst the other brings up their children as used to be the case for many families will become the future ‘new normal’
An additional bonus will be less cars on the roads, less school spending, as only classes which need special equipment will need to be utilised and perhaps only children who are really wanted will be produced IF parents know they are having to spend most of their time with them every day, all day.
Whilst howls of protest of ‘needing’ extra money from two working will erupt, much is spent on luxury items, which are not essential, and if other people can manage on the dole to bring up a family, then one working parent ought to manage easily.
What a bizarre view. What world do you live on? Firstly “Most learning could be home based now, provided the parents do care for their children.” OK so what about the parents who work or have caring responsibilities? How are they going to teach their children everyday?
Which brings us onto another comment you made “having ONE parent work, whilst the other brings up their children as used to be the case for many families will become the future ‘new normal’.” What about all of the one parent families out there? We aren’t earthworms, we don’t have the ability to split in two.
What you mean the children that don’t catch carry or spread this? Do some research, look at the figures on the ons website, then come back and continue this debate. If you had done that, then I’m sure your debate would be some what different! Remember, your can’t argue against facts!
You can inject your child with harmful substances but I’m not! Bad case of the flu. Your body has the means fight it off if you eat the right foods and not crap!
Why would you do that to your child?
with you all the way with that, it’s the T-cells that are the important part of this. Who would want to vaccinate their children with an untested RNA vaccine where the Government is ‘consulting’ (we know that means riding roughshod over any objections ) to change the rules on licensed medicines to a) issue a temporary licence to the RNA vaccine negating full and proper testing and b) Give absolute protection to the Vaccine Manufacturers from LIABILITY from any DEATHS and/or HARM the RNA vaccine causes. c) To authorise medically untrained people to administer the vaccine, d) Use the Army.Link below
gov(dot)uk/government/consultations/distributing-vaccines-and-treatments-for-covid-19-and-flu/consultation-document-changes-to-human-medicine-regulations-to-support-the-rollout-of-covid-19-vaccines
Consultation document: changes to Human Medicine Regulations to support the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinesPublished 28th August 2020
I picked up my 8 year old granddaughter from school on Friday and a lot of the mums were stood around chatting and not social distancing! Not everyone I might add but a lot were too busy chattering too worry about it !
Theresa, I see the same, and students tell me that social distancing at a Carisbrooke School is not happening, they have to share ONE Toilet block with both genders, not very nice for young menstruating girls with boys being as they sometimes are, for the staff have taken the other, gender block.
Why the teachers could not just use one cubicle leaving the students w.c still segregated is unclear.
I fear many children will bring home CV to their loved ones, and if the worst then occurs, they will be forever damaged by guilt, yet through no fault of their own.
So as you will soon see, coughs, colds, and ‘normal’ Winter illness will sweep through schools despite the ‘new measures’ and, therefor, so will the ultra contagious CV.
Think very carefully, as HMG and its needs may well be very, very different from a families in this worrying time.
You obviously watch the bbc!
Ppfftt shame on them chattering, selfish swines
Tell me someone,as kids are passers on of covi seems…why dont they wear masks?like rest if us.
I saw a t.v. clip wear a class of at least 25 werr all sat round class close up …maybe for filming dunno but still.1 could have..take home….gets too nan ?obv parents chatting at gates not distancing me thknks why all fuss sending ya kids bsck too school then .
Hypocrites
Unless NAN, is in a sealed room and not seen anyone for 6 months, do you not think NAN has been exposed to the virus? Why has the death rate off a cliff.? Because all that would have died through this have! So what about the infection rate, it’s the death rate we should care about! People,THINK!
Why on earth would you want your child to wear a mask is beyond me! I see so many parents shopping at Tesco and their kids wearing a mask! Get a bloody grip the mask does nothing, your making your child breath in carbon monoxide. Which is probably more harmful to them!
Child abuse in opinion. But hey can’t have an opinion nowadays!
youtube(dot)com/watch?v=58QBK4TVgnY&feature=youtu.be
stay at home, save lives, the bogeyman is coming
Better still anybody out there that troll Mr Justice and Mrs Brown go to YouTube and type in Urgent message to Australia. Watch and listen then make your minds up about what is happening there and what’s to come. No I’m not a convert but a person that listens to both sides of the debate.
I know exactly what’s coming. Go to youtube and watch the latest news report by – user = UKColumn News.
Those that think giving up your liberty temporarily expecting for it to return haven’t learned the lesson from History.
My original reply was to Kas
The video on YouTube concerning a pregnant woman in Melbourne Victoria Australia shows how far the government is prepared to go. I just hope that the doubters here sit up and take notice. Keep up your informative posts Jon. Wasn’t trying to undermined you by the way. We need more people like yourself on line .
Months ok I was telling people about what was coming, China’s social credit system, agenda 21 and how we all are going to lose or freedom, but people just wouldn’t listen. I even told them that they will lose the pets etc, nothing! Just calling me conspiracy fool. Well, the I told you so, will be coming thick and fast soon. You know and I know, but mask wearing sheeple, not a bloody clue!
Unbelievable. The stupidity and ignorance of most of the comments here has risen to stupendous heights.
Depends on what you consider what the stupid and ignorant posts are. Have you taken a bit of time out to go online and look for any information regarding how we the public are being played by the government. Try the YouTube videos mentioned then post another comment regarding your views. If you still consider that people like Mr Justice and Mrs Brown are still nuts then that’s fine, You’re entitled to your opinion. I’m afraid in life different people have different views. Just because you believe in something you cant say anybody that disagrees is wrong. The same thing in reverse.
Well said YIGAF! Happy to hear you done your own research.