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 ?

@SockYarn

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

It's a medical degree, it's not an education one.

I think the deregistration process depends on where you are in the country (I've read Scotland's i different to England and so on) and what type of school and a few other factors, but generally, you don't need a reason.

About a decade ago, I had a ped. tell me school would be better for my oldest's language issues. I disagreed based on the experience he'd had in playgroup regressing him and my knowledge of the local schools. She reported me, I ended up being doorstepped and registered. Annoying at the time, but being registered has only been positive for me and the professional disagreement has never been an issue with any of HE professionals we've dealt with over the years.

I would not home educate out of fear, it doesn't get through the hard times very well, but if it's something that is going well for you, you feel up for the responsibility, and there are other benefits you are getting out of it, then I think it could be a great idea especially if there isn't a concern about exams in the next couple of years (more consideration of how to deal with covering that material would be needed them).

@EnlightenedOwl

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

Hide forever? Why would you think this is forever?

They'll find a vaccine soon enough.

I hope those who've already caught Covid have no long term effects. As a parent, I think it's awful not to do everything you can to protect your child.

But realistically for a child the impact of being isolated for a year or more is a much bigger risk than the virus.

I think if the consultant doesn’t believe that medically there is a concern about retuning to school then the parents need to try to endure their concerns don’t create much bigger issues.

As a parent, I think it's awful not to do everything you can to protect your child.

You need to protect your child's mental health as well as physical health. If a parent decides school is too risky then that's fair enough but to isolate your child from other children by not doing anything with others may be really harmful. There may not ever be a vaccine.