Should we be preparing to home school long(er) term?

[StillCounting123]

So, I've been reading online about different European countries schools returning gradually and in reduced numbers.

Been reading with interest threads on here about English schools potentially returning this term to finish off.

FWIW, I am in Northern Ireland, and our government has tentatively said our schools (which usually finish end of June) won't return until September.

I've seen threads on MN about people not wanting to send their kids to school at any point until a vaccine is available. This is not a thread about that. But I am wondering if perhaps the government of the different areas of UK should encourage or 'let' parents home school longer term. Maybe SAHM who just feel it'd be easier to keep kids at home? Or parents who are fearful? What role do employers have in this, for working parents who want to keep their kids at home longer?

Or even, what about small group co-eds in the community, where handfuls of kids come together for subjects maybe not so easily taught at home, like science or language? These have never seemed to be a thing in UK, but I think USA homeschooling communities have them as standard even prior to Covid.

Basically: should we all be mentally preparing ourselves and also our kids, for this being a longer term prospect? I've been telling my kids "September" for going back to school, but maybe I'm doing wrong by this?

I really hope not.im pulling my hair our trying to work and teach my kids. I suck at it according to my DD.

God I really hope not 😢😢

I’d quite like a part time arrangement. School a couple of days a week so I can go in to the office (ok FINE the canteen ) and then homeschool/ work from home the rest of the week.

I don't think we should be preparing for this.

I will support my children in their learning as long as I need to, but it's the teachers who are providing the work. I just make sure they complete it. Which is difficult at times as it conflicts with my paid employment. But we muddle through.

When schools open again, they will go back.

I definitely couldn't home school them.

I think we might beed to be aware it may not be full time schooling in september

I think it would be safest if schools go back in September. Hopefully there will be some more treatments found by then.
Prepare for the longer term by looking at BBC Bitesize,Hamilton Trust, Classroom Secrets, Twinkle type lesson plans that are all done for you.

I think the problem with letting parents just decide is that some parents will just not bother to take their child into school or to home educate. A child of a fearful parent might need the normality of school more than the child of a parent who is less fearful.

I am working at home (I generally always work at home) so from a safety perspective it wouldn't be an issue to keep them at home but they need to socialise as much as a child of a parent whose employers are less sympathetic. They are in important exam years and one in particular would be very concerned about missing work. They would need to know that everyone else was doing the same work and they weren't missing out because my job means that they can work at home. I think it would be less of an issue if they were younger but certainly for secondary school it should be based on the needs of the child not the parent.

I would be more sympathetic to having part time schooling and part time working at home, but I am not sure how this will be staffed if say Mrs X teaches 10J Geography, how could she divide herself between two or three socially distanced classrooms? Or teach a third on three different days whilst still setting work for the two thirds who don't come in on a Monday? And what if my dc gets to go in on a Mon and a Wed but isn't timetabled for physics on any of those days, do they then not have a physics lesson. My dc are working well at home (at the moment) but they need to know that they are not disadvantaged in not going into school.

Wilma I like the idea of a part time arrangement... Not sure how that's going to work in reality though, and for different age groups. Good idea though, certainly!

I suppose I am wondering: if it isn't going to be back to normal 9am-3pm schooling in September, at what point do we as parents need to sort out what we're doing regards work, regards education, regards life? And on top of that, how soon in advance should we tell our kids that what they thought is actually not going to happen.

My 2nd DC is pretty much counting down the days on her calendar until she can chum around the playground with her friends, and it breaks my heart that I might have to burst her bubble about it.