ADs skipping to school - and that's only the parents

[RealityExistsInTheHumanMind]

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Link to previous thread bum tomatoes

One of us went skipping into school this morning and it might not have been the kids

I have now excavated the hall floor and vacuumed up the local woods from out of the carpet. Also cleaned up the frontage and garden.

We've got a one-way system around school. Broadly sensible but irritating as it pushes me the long way in and every minute matters at that time in the morning.
Got the phased starts which means far more hanging around in the playground. Normally on my "in the nick of time" routine, I'm much more effective at social distancing

Pleased to see that the masked y3 was sent back to hand his face rag back to his parents. Someone did have a toddler masked up too

I'm guessing that the y5s and 6s lost their residential last summer. A one form intake means they double up every other year. DS would be due to have his in y6 on the normal schedule. I don't know whether there would be a rejigging to give y6 (prev y5) the chance.

They do one trip at DD2 primary for y5 and y6 together.

Luickily we did do Y5 trip for her as many parents here were waiting till y6 rather than try and fund a trip both years for one child.

DD2 also lost a place of trip aboard - she'd had to work for for that one as it was part of some funded scheme - as well as the usual Y5/Y6 trip this year that we had paid for. She was disappointed but stoic.

BogRollBOGOF I think at both schools here there's a reluctance to book anything trip wise for this next academic year at all though that might change over the course of the year.

Probably worth asking to see what your school is thinking currently on trips.

OMG DS is home from school already!!

Actually, year 13 with free study periods this afternoon so my dramatic sentence doesn't count.

But shock horror! They had assembly for his year group! The canteen is open & selling hot food! He would've been home sooner but he stayed in the common room & chatted to friends! It sounds normal!

I asked if they stayed 2m apart in the common room. He rolled his eyes, said, "We were closer but chill out, we were talking, not making out!"

They've been told that although masks in communal areas are advisory the school won't be sanctioning anyone who isn't wearing one.

They weren’t even going abroad - they were going to be in the same bloody county we’re in ffs. Risky risky!

Sounds like your ds school has a sensible approach Orchid.
I have to wait until Monday for dd to go back to school, and then the 14th for little one to start in foundation.
Sports are back on here now too. First league football matches last Saturday and swimming is back on in a week.

@LadyOfTheImprovisedBath

BogRollBOGOF I think at both schools here there's a reluctance to book anything trip wise for this next academic year at all though that might change over the course of the year.

Probably worth asking to see what your school is thinking currently on trips.

I'm happy for DS to go on the normal cycle in y6 (2022) as it would be good after SATS. It's just a shame if the current y6s miss out.

Personal holidays are one thing but I'd be nervous booking a school residential in the holiday (as an organiser, not participant).Saying that, I think GG residentials can now be organised! We're in no rush. I suppose Guides/ Rangers and camping on a small scale would be OK. I wouldn't want to be doing Brownies indoors until social distancing and masks are history. I'd actually be fine doing Brownies indoors as normal now, it's all the gubbins that would go with it that would make me reluctant. Mindyou, if a Brownie was a super-spreading disease vector, there's a 50% chance that she's in one of my DSs' classes to contaminate us anyway

school have just told me that they aren't allowed to take ANYTHING from home with them. No PE Kit, no book bag. I've just posed the question about a set of spare clothes (which school initially told us they NEEDED to take in) because they're all 4 or very newly 5 year olds in a strange environment who have potentially been at home for 6 months - there are almost certainly going to be accidents.

It's like they've never met kids before!!

I really, really thought this was a sensible school. Its locally got a good rep and it never closes even though up by us the snow is dire when it comes etc. They had a case and only closed the bubble so i thought great - non dementory and sensible and now i am not so sure!

I know the feeling. Ours sent us a sort of procedure letter and closed by saying they had missed the children. And, I feel awful for thinking like this, but I wasn't sure I believed them.

@TrustTheGeneGenie that would tip me over the edge. I don't understand the logic of some of these rules. I'd be tempted to turn up with spare uniform in a bag & see what happens on the day.

Just drove past DS's school at chucking out time. I fear the head will be getting phone calls about hoardes of children in the street. But looking at them, they were all walking & moving along the pavements sensibly, & walking in small groups which were probably part of their group anyway. So not doing anything wrong & all behaving.

I played Spot The Year 7 (small child, massive blazer, over-sized rucksack).

@BogRollBOGOF
if a Brownie was a super-spreading disease vector...

Gives a whole new meaning to "Lend A Hand"!

the teacher has relented (we have an app we can communicate on i am sure they're regretting that already!) and said i can send him some clothes in a plastic bag if i feel he needs them. Well he likely wont, but if i dont send any he absolutely will and ill be getting a phone call at work asking me to go in no doubt. Ah yes, because that is somehow MUCH SAFER than the drawstring PE bag i was going to send with it all in.

His nursery have been amazing - and get this - we take his bag home every night and nobody has died yet!

I'm terrified over toileting accidents - DD2 has encopresis and is always on movicol and, while we'd got into a really good place with it - she still has the odd accident. In normal times we'd leave a set of spare clothes on her peg in the class and school would support her changing - but we can't anymore cos of covid... so if she does have an accident (and she's bloody blocked up a bit again at the moment) there's no support and it'll be ring muggins here or she'll just sit in it and get bullied.

She's had a good day at least - and the other one has had an "amazing day seeing her besties" apparently... the class appear to have managed to lose one of the pet giant snails and one tortoise has escaped while at the teacher's house over the summer too. The school head - who is always in 4 inch high heels but went into trainers over the keyworker period - lasted until about lunchtime before the trainers came back out.

Infant school (of the terrible signs last term) have been at the fucking laminator again - yet more warnings and signs have appeared.

I had two back today, they loved it. I got SO MUCH work done without them in the house!

And I'm off out to two different schools tomorrow with a colleague, its going to be so much fun. He's accidentally left an hour in between appointments at appropriate time for lunch so I might even get an hour in the pub talking bollocks with someone I've worked with for 15 years and have really quite missed during lockdown.

@wanderings In reference to what you said on the previous thread im guessing that sitting on a hot sweaty Tube in a mask is rapidly losing its appeal more and more.

Checking in.

Going bonkers today looking at everyone's back to school photos. We still aren't 100% our playgroup is open. The head of the playgroup wasn't 100% but she was sure it was a certain date and that she would be in contact soon. It feels like everyone in the world is getting some kind of provision now. I feel like we're still in lockdown. If playgroup is cancelled and society thinks I'm going to do this without the support of voluntary toddler and baby groups then they've got another thing coming.

Play group isn't statutory and I just think it's so vulnerable to closure. There's nothing to suggest it might but I feel like I can't trust them. I know I'm being slightly dramatic but I feel I can't depend on them.

Funny

Grandson back at school yesterday, apparently it went well. His mum is a teacher there, she's had a good week so far. I'm doing both ends of the school run tomorrow, got the baby all to myself tomorrow! Hopefully all will be well, the baby has only just started coming round mine and it's a bit of a sea-change for her but she's getting better every time. A whole day of squidginess!!

is the best I've got for a hug chocolatesweets.

It's so messy at toddler group level. You've got the guidence and whims of the venue, then any bodies over seeing plus how the volunteers feel about it.

Our community centre is saying max 20 people. We have about 27 brownies plus 6 leaders. GG says we can split into bubbles of 15 and share the leaders out to a bubble. Lets face it, a youth group is a different level of risk to something like the WI.

It pants. Parents and lets face it, mothers and infants need socialising and surely it's better done with some space in a community venue than piling into someone's house once the weather turns. There needs to be that means to meet parents at a similar stage as not everyone comes with that social set-up to do their own thing.

@justasking111

Funny

😁😁 There's only one sensible one on there

And she shares my name.

Although if I did have young kids I may have been more of a Trisha

Oh God the editors letter in the front of this months Woman and Home is all about how we need to shop to save the economy and the normalisation of masks. Complete with a column of pics of fashionable masks.

Mine aren't back till next week but good to hear its been mostly ok. As an Irishwoman the distancing teens thing reminds me of priests telling Irish teens to "leave room for the Holy Ghost" back in the mists of time .

@justasking111

Funny

I love this.

I'm sorry @chocolatesweets. Many years ago when I worked briefly with small children there was a lot of research done on the importance of early intervention & commumication, and from that sprung Sure Start.

I know a lot of Sure Start schemes got dropped (why???!!!) but this is why toddler groups are even more important. Not to mention for the MH of mothers.

Heard something on the radio about cancelled wrap-around care. A lot of clubs are coming up against resistance from venues that host the clubs, & I suspect it's similar for toddler groups. It's nuts. We need an Us For Them campaign for tinies.

@SomewhereEast
As an Irishwoman the distancing teens thing reminds me of priests telling Irish teens to "leave room for the Holy Ghost" back in the mists of time.
There was no sign of The Holy Ghost when I passed the Catholic secondary,* although a bunch of kids were being accompanied off site by a teacher with a clipboard. It was possibly a fire drill but it did look funny.
*(though some may blame my heatheness on that)

@99victoria

Hi all - checking in. Still managing to keep up with most of the reading!

Had a debacle with the GP yesterday. I hardly ever go to the GP but for the last week+ have had bad sore throat and tightness in my chest and the middle of my back. Coughing occasionally to clear what feels like an obstruction. Went for a covid test on Monday as I knew that would be the first thing the GP would suggest. Negative result as expected.

Rang GP Tuesday. Telephone appointment only - no problem. Wednesday afternoon some time between 2 & 5.30pm, couldn't give me a time. GP rang yesterday. Concerned about the chest tightness - could be a respiratory infection or asthma (not a previous sufferer), might need antibiotics or an inhaler. Thinks I should see someone. Will book me in the duty doctor. Cue silence on the line. She can't find who the duty doctor is or if there are any appointments available, sorry. She will refer me to the Hub. The receptionist will ring me with an appointment.

Receptionist rings. Apologises. Doctor at the Hub wants to ring and speak with me before she makes an appointment. 10 minutes later doctor from Hub rings. Seeks to reassure me that even though I am probably worried about my Covid result being one of the 1 in 3 false negatives, I'm probably ok. I reply, I don't think I've got Covid, I'm not worried. GP thinks someone should listen to my chest to check.

Asks lots of questions, decides it probably is a virus of some kind but I should be on my guard because it could still be Covid even though I've had a negative test and if I get worse I should contact them again because they're 'here for me' (yes, she really said that)

So that's that. Chest still very tight and wheezy, coughing up phlegm, feeling some fatigue so unable to run or weight train as I normally do.
What a waste of time and effort on everyone's part!

I think I see private health insurance in my future ....

Phone your gp back asap and tell them they are refusing to believe you need to be seen. That's ridiculous Your gp wouldn't refer you for no reason. Get it nipped in the but now.