Home Ed because of severe asthma and concerned about covid-19

[breathingok]

We are going to de register to do this but can’t find guidance on if it’s ok for the reason we are so worried about covid-19
Dd has severe asthma and some MH issues and we feel at least for the next academic year we need to have her home educated

1. to keep her safe from covid
2. to focus on MH

Her consultant said the benefits of school outweigh the risks but we don’t agree - but will it be seen as going against medical advice even though we have parental choice ?

Is anyone else for whatever reason choosing to home educate now for similar reason ?

You don’t have to give a reason to home educate. Your child your choice. You’ve got to do what you feel is best, but it may be a longer term situation than you realise are you willing to shield all this time?

We have shielded from the beg but I’m aware shielding is ending in August
Our plan was to de register and home educate but other members of family will have to resume work and school so there will be a risk but we feel by doing this we are minimising it as much as possible

I thought we would have to give reasons to de register and qualify our decision that is reassuring if not

You don’t need a reason assuming your child is in mainstream education , you just write them a letter telling them you are de registering .

No you don't need a reason to home educate, it's completely your choice.

It's your choice, you've spoken to the consultant and they have given you their opinion but you have the final say. FWIW I'd be doing the same as you OP.

You don't need to give a reason at all - it's your decision. However I personally would listen to her consultant on this. Asthma is not actually a particularly high risk condition for coronavirus, even though it feels like it would be.

As others have said I don't think you have to give a reason why you're home schooling, she's your child! Only you know if you can give her the right level of education etc at home.

Did your consultant say why they thought it was a bad idea?

enlightenedowl what's so terrible about being home schooled and allowing time to focus on your childs mental wellbeing?

@MotherPiglet

enlightenedowl what's so terrible about being home schooled and allowing time to focus on your childs mental wellbeing?

Home schooling is fine, home schooling to keep safe from covid is ridiculous

Have a look at Education Otherwise for more info and a sample de-reg letter.

@EnlightenedOwl Oh do piss off

@breathingok as her parent you can make the decision. Ignore ‘EnlightenedOwl’. You just write to school informing them you are deregistering. How old is she?

I don’t think it’s ridiculous at all

You don’t need to give a reason, just inform the school. However, your place at that school will disappear and you’d have to reapply. If you want to be able to go back in the future would it be better to talk to the head and see if there is flexibility? They may agree to sending work home or similar.

@EnlightenedOwl

Awful thing to do. Projecting your irrational neurotic behaviour onto your child

What the actual??

How is protecting your DC from a fairly unknown disease awful?

I think the fact most in the UK think it's all ok because Boris says so is beyond fucking awful.

You wouldn't cope in Aus where in Melbourne we're locked down again for 6 weeks because of (really low compared to the UK) numbers.

The ongoing complications of Covid 19 are just beginning to be noted. Immunity is apparently short lived so you could go through having the disease. And then get it again.

So hide forever? Never going out, never sending kids to school. What an awful thing to do to your children

You don't need a reason and I think home Ed is a great thing. I would be concerned though if your plans are for her not to see anyone for the next year, no home education groups, no group activities etc. I can't imagine that'll be great for her mental health.

@NerrSnerr

You don't need a reason and I think home Ed is a great thing. I would be concerned though if your plans are for her not to see anyone for the next year, no home education groups, no group activities etc. I can't imagine that'll be great for her mental health.

Well if the reason is fear of covid, that will be the plan. This should be a safeguarding issue

You don’t say how old your child is?

My main concern would be that you may risk making the mental health issues worse by withdrawing her from what she knows and risk making her scared of the outside world. Obviously only you know your child though.

My son is 10 and has been shielding for the same reasons, he also has major MH problems. He is going into year 6 in September and we have plans in place with schools to keep him as safe as possible. We are already making steps to getting him back out and into some sort of normality for the new world because the longer he was in the worse his mental health was getting.

I am certainly not anti home Ed, it is very much on the cards for us for secondary education BUT for home Ed shouldn’t be something done in islolation it should still involve meeting up with other families and groups because otherwise you risk creating more problems. Home Ed should be a social thing if it’s going to create a rounded individual

How old is the child, what does she want?

I’d listen to the consultant. It’ll probably be worse for her in the long term keeping her off.
You can’t hide in a bubble your whole life.

Yeah, the consultant clearly got his/her medical degree in a Christmas cracker. They know nothing.

Home educate if you want by all means but I don’t think you should keep shielding. I say that as someone who is in the clinically extremely vulnerable group myself. It’s no way for any child (or anyone) to live long term. We have all become so scared of dying we have forgotten how to live.

@Bagelsandbrie

Home educate if you want by all means but I don’t think you should keep shielding. I say that as someone who is in the clinically extremely vulnerable group myself. It’s no way for any child (or anyone) to live long term. We have all become so scared of dying we have forgotten how to live.

This is so true