to think they are doing this all wrong

[antipodalpizza]

The education secretary also said students in Years 10 and 12 who were studying for their GCSEs and A-levels "stand to lose more by staying away from school".

I have two year 10s. They need to get back to school and work for whatever the exams will be next year when it's safe to do so. Why is the education secretary messing around with sending the youngest children back when they are not the ones with most to lose?

[IndigoHexagon]

Economics. Year 10 kids don’t need their parents to stay at home, they can go to work without having to worry about childcare.

[LaurieFairyCake]

Yes, they can study at home while parents can go to work

[TheoriginalLEM]

My dd Is in yr 10 and is managing well at home. Communicating with her friends online and via zoom. She has to go to school by bus, it's always overcrowded. She wont be going back yet.

[CostaCosta]

I agree. I have a 5 year old who I can teach quite easily at home.

[indemMUND]

At base level, older kids can entertain themselves so don't need childcare. Younger children require childcare so their parents can work. I might be going on old research but kids under 10 are less likely to contract the virus due to not having developed the lung receptors it clings to. It's not been proven that young children are spreaders. I'm aware of the Kawasaki side of it. According to their science, the younger ones are least at risk. It's keeping the older ones safe. Surely risk is better averted than exams? There will be some kind of provision for them.

[LellyMcKelly]

It’s an economic decision. There is absolutely no need for little kids to be at school. The government want their parents at work. They should be concentrating on those following GCSE / A level syllabi, but they don’t need childcare so their parents can go into work anyway.

[BillywilliamV]

Healthy Year 10's are extremely unlikely to affected badly by the virus, they are extremely likely to be affected badly by 6 months sitting in isolation. They need to be in school!

[indemMUND]

DD is year 3. I'm bloody glad she's not in the first line sent back in. Also glad that you can refuse without being fined. I took her out a week before lockdown because I knew it was coming. I'd rather she was safe at home (lung receptors aside) than encouraged in. I have uncontrolled asthma and walked 4 miles a day 5 days a week on school runs. Back when the world was normal. Bugger the lot of it, we're staying safe at home.

[indemMUND]

Everyone is likely to be affected badly by 6 months in isolation. This is unprecedented, They might be unlikely to be affected by the virus but do you think the teachers are invincible? The schools can't guarantee the staff members in primary OR secondary schools. DD's primary, in light of the recent news, has already admitted that under the new rules they won't be able to take on all of the kids in the year groups allowed back in.