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Covid

Schools won't be reoping on 1 June, and if they do, I won't be sending my child

321 replies

effingterrified · 13/05/2020 12:22

Unions will be doing what they exist to do and protecting the health of their members.

Until Boris can provide teachers with a safe workplace ie PPE for all staff, adequate social distancing, etc, unions will be telling members not to go in.

And if they do open, I won't be sending my child in as they wouldn't learn anything in the last few weeks under these conditions, and the health risks not only to the children, but to the teachers and parents, are not worth it.

Plus my child relies on a school bus to get to school and there is zero way of socially distancing on one of them. Or of running 3 school buses, say, per route, at an affordable cost.

Also, my dc is happy as Larry off school, and learning as much or more. Let's face it, how many kids object to longer school holidays? I know there are some eg vulnerable kids, but they can already attend at present.

Fed up of threads pretending all parents can't wait for schools to reopen. Not among the ones I know.

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Concerned7777 · 13/05/2020 12:30

Good for you that's your decision and choice to make but dont make others feel bad for feeling the opposite to you.
All our circumstances are different and what is right for 1 family isn't right for another.

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Redolent · 13/05/2020 12:33


Also, my dc is happy as Larry off school, and learning as much or more. Let's face it, how many kids object to longer school holidays? I know there are some eg vulnerable kids, but they can already attend at present.”


This is the point at which I stopped taking your post seriously. Smugness abounds. Just over 5% of vulnerable children are currently attending school and many more are struggling.

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cadburyegg · 13/05/2020 12:34

Good for you Hmm

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P1nkHeartLovesCake · 13/05/2020 12:36

That’s nice 🙄

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DahliaDay · 13/05/2020 12:36

Hadn’t thought I’d school transport being an issue

Also, school kitchens. Are they distancing correctly whilst working there?

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Eeyoresstickhouse · 13/05/2020 12:36

Bravo to you! I will be sending my child in as her mental health is being affected. She is an only child and lonely. We are trying to work from home, and look after her wellbeing and it is bloody hard. She is getting sadder by the day, more tantrums and more emotional outbursts. When I said to her she may be able to go back to nursery her eyes lit up.

I personally have risk assessed the toss up between her mental health and the risk of the virus.

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ABucketOfShells · 13/05/2020 12:36

Ditto. All over mumsnet people seemingly can’t wait to send their children back. Yet all over my personal social media everyone has said they’re not going!
Schools can’t even contain a nit outbreak, not alone a new and largely unknown deadly virus.

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ComtesseDeSpair · 13/05/2020 12:39

I can’t imagine anyone’s going to force you, school isn’t mandatory, only an education is. But many people will need schools to reopen and will send their children so they can return to work, and they shouldn’t be vilified for that decision. And whilst your child might be happy as Larry, even discounting those children who are vulnerable due to abuse or neglect who are currently suffering the effects of being literally locked in with the person perpetrating that, there will be hundreds of thousands more whose parents are unable to educate them at home because they don’t have the skills themselves. Some 8 million people in the UK are functionally illiterate, and many of them will be parents: what kind of education do you think those parents will be providing?

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DominaShantotto · 13/05/2020 12:40

Since you know what is going to be happening and have it all sussed do you know this weeks lottery numbers?

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GrimmsFairytales · 13/05/2020 12:43

But many people will need schools to reopen and will send their children so they can return to work, and they shouldn’t be vilified for that decision.

I agree that no one should be vilified for their decision. However, i'm not sure schools going back, will be that helpful with regards to allowing people to go back to work. Our school is looking at offering part time schooling for a few days a week, and will not be able to offer before and after school care.

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effingterrified · 13/05/2020 12:43

Eeyoresstickhouse - I do have sympathy for your dc.

But seriously, is your child being lonely or stir crazy enough of an excuse to potentially kill her friend's parent/s?

Personally, I wouldn't want that on my conscience, even if you've already had the virus or aren't worried about you or other relatives catching it.

Ending the virus needs to be a collective effort, and yes, that means some temporary inconvenience for everyone, including children.

Needless to say, the 60,000 people who have died so far have not done so temporarily. I think it's worth putting up with a bit of temporary discomfort so that we can avoid another 60,000 dying.

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Sockwomble · 13/05/2020 12:43

"I know there are some eg vulnerable kids, but they can already attend at present."

Many cannot because most special schools are shut. It's far from happy as Larry in some homes with no support.

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Shutityoujamtart · 13/05/2020 12:44

It was on TV this morning that the WHO reports that there are no reported cases of any child under 10 passing the virus on?
I’ll send mine in, what’s the difference between June or September? What great thing do people think is going to happen in this few weeks?

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DahliaDay · 13/05/2020 12:46

No reported cases because the schools have been CLOSED

kids haven’t been mixing

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Waxonwaxoff0 · 13/05/2020 12:46

Good for you. I'll be sending mine back as soon as possible for various reasons.

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effingterrified · 13/05/2020 12:46

DominaShantotto - no, I don't know next week's lottery numbers, on account of the fact that unlike what the unions have said, they haven't been published in multiple newspapers. Hmm

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justanotherneighinparadise · 13/05/2020 12:46

I still ponder what will be so different come September? Or are we keeping the kids off indefinitely?

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ivfgottostaypositive · 13/05/2020 12:47

That's nice

You are one of the following

STAHP
Furloughed on 80% with minimal financial impact (you earnt less than 30%)
Your job is safe

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mollycoddle77 · 13/05/2020 12:48

What 60000? Something like 30000 have died in the UK so far.

So how long are teachers staying at home for if schools can't be made "safe", a year or two until there is a vaccine? Do they also expect to be paid until then, whilst sitting at home? Does there come a point, do you think, where going back to work and doing the best you can under the circumstances is really the only way forward?

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BeltaneBride · 13/05/2020 12:48

Well the 'scared under the duvet' people not sending thief children back will do is all a favour -fewer children in the classroom will catch up faster on missed learning, and it'll be the whingey ones absent / all good!

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effingterrified · 13/05/2020 12:49

Sockwomble - hence my specific comment on vulnerable children, who I agree do fall into a different category and should be treated differently.

But mainstream schools and non-vulnerable kids - I can't see any justification for opening schools when infection numbers are still so high and there is zero tracking and tracing in place.

That will just lead to a second wave and make all the efforts of lockdown so far basically pointless.

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PicsInRed · 13/05/2020 12:50

That's your choice.

Crack on but self fund.

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BillywilliamV · 13/05/2020 12:50

You know what, I have absolutely weighed up the risk to my child's mental health against the odds of her being responsible for the death of one of her friend's relatives and the balance absolutely comes down on me sending my child back to school.

Its called Risk Assessment!

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effingterrified · 13/05/2020 12:50

mollycoddle, no according to the excess death figures, the only reliable ones, there have been around 59,000 deaths so far.

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mollycoddle77 · 13/05/2020 12:51

Do you have a link to that information?

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