Are you sending your children back to school in January?

[RosieLemonade]

I assumed people would be pleased the schools are remaining open (probably because that’s how I feel) but the two people I’ve spoken to about it this morning are disgusted. Both are SAHM so don’t need their children in.

Look at recent history. You know they won’t make an annoncement about schools until the day before they are due back, don’t you?

If schools are open, my two, 7 and 5, will go to school

Of course. I'd end up having to abandon my degree and on the streets with my 5 year old.

Yes. She needs her education.

S/he needs her education.
Let's take this as a general statement.
Don't you think that:

• (E)CV need their health/well being and to be safe?
• businesses need to be running?
• NHS need to be not swamped?

and many other needs I can't be just about kids needing education. They need parents who are alive and well, who have jobs sos they can provide for them and they need wider society and institutions (NHS being the most important). Gov has prioritized education on 2 false premises

• schools are safe
• kids don't really get it.

Both have been proven very wrong!

1. Parents and schools should have -from the start- created a unified front about schools: proper measures to allow case rate not to soar

Instead they are divided. And divided they fall. The best interest of kids would be to have schools open -in a SAFE WAY-

Masks
Rotas
blended learning
full online if/when needed for eg secondary pupils
Enough notification of plans from goc
funding
proper testing
proper framework from gov where decisions are based on facts and HTs have the power to decide what is best - but also a mechanism to override if HT is an ass.

Yes, DS is 16 and in 6th form and is really missing the structure and being with friends.

However he's had three periods of self isolation since September after being flagged as a close contact, so I'm not convinced the sixth formers are taking their social distancing all that seriously

Would love to but school don't want her as she's year 10.
She will be going back into school as soon as they will accept her!

If school is open, DS (6) will be there. I wish I knew for sure whether it will be open (one way or the other). It makes a big difference to me, workwise.

[quote PastMyBestBeforeDate]@moremoormore 'Vulnerable people need to continue to shield until they have the vaccine'
And what if the teacher is vulnerable? Or the child? Or immediate family member? How does that work?[/quote]

Then the teacher doesn't teach.

The child doesn't go to school.

Etc etc.

Yes! Low cases where I am, would be stupid to close the primary school

Yes without hesitation. We are lucky as we are low risk. Ds1 is 14 and desperately needs the social side of school - he is an introvert and I see the damage staying at home does to him and his education. Ds2 is 10 and an extrovert who loves school, his teacher and his friends - home schooling him really wrecked our relationship and he was so unhappy.
That said I am concerned about teachers - they seem to be 'thrown under a bus in terms of the protection they have. If only I reconcile this side of the issue then it would be win win!! - prioritise teachers and school staff in vaccine programme?

Yes.
As a tiny prep school they managed to open 4 days a week in the summer with bubbles of less than 15 to facilitate distancing so I’d be happier if they went back to that. It meant packed lunches but can live with that too.
If they close I am hoping he can go in under Key worker provision on my working days. We are both key workers now although last lockdown my profession was closed. We are open now though. I teach at a University face to face and there’s no way that should continue if primary schools close!
He’s an only child and being at home all the time was really bad for him.

Yes, I will send them in if they dont have covid symptoms or been in contact with anyone that has. This could go on for years

*Then the teacher doesn't teach.

The child doesn't go to school.

Etc etc.*

Teacher gets sacked.
Parents get fined etc etc.

I only have 2 left at school, one is in year 11 so will definitely be going back and the other is in primary so fingers crossed will be going back as they needs to socialise with peers or gets quite down no matter what we do.

I just wish they'd vaccinate school staff as a priority for their sake of them being shut in with hundreds of kids everyday and to keep their families safe.

YES!!!

i’m debating not sending my 6 and 13 year olds back. cases are rife in both schools and both boys have already had a couple of periods of isolation because of close contacts. schools closing doesn’t affect my job though and i was a teacher before i had my kids so i don’t mind home schooling.

@Sirzy

Ds is due a test on 15th January which was listed as urgent last March. I am seriously weighing up keeping him home for that first two weeks to avoid the chances of it ending up needing to be cancelled due to isolation

Yeah, I'm those circumstances I'd do that too.

Ours aren’t back until 18th of January at the earliest 😫

Toddler will be going back to nursery the second it’s open as we’re both working full time and trying to do that with a nearly 2 year old is virtually impossible.

Teenager... I don’t know. She’s on the ECV list and whilst cases are very low where we are it’s difficult to know what to do for the best. Her mental health has been absolutely trashed this year as she was shielding and got totally screwed in the exams fiasco. But her physical health could be at risk if she gets Covid. No idea what to do 😔

Eldest is remote until 11th

Youngest will return as days school opens

Ds will be staying home, on the advice of his Dr. I don't think school are happy, as they didn't respond to my email at the end of last term, and we have been walking a tightrope with school anyway.
I won't be going back to work.
His older sisters are secondary, do should be back in on the 11th, but I am worried now they are bringing in the lateral flow testing rather than self isolation, that they could pick it up.
I long for some certainty, and I wish we had a more decisive government who would pull their fucking finger out

Yes mine will be in at every single possible second. Not a single case in either school my children attend.
Teachers should be given the vaccine as a priority then we need to let them get back to teaching our children.

Currently having this argument with DH
He thinks we should keep Y4 DS off for a couple of weeks to see what happens.
I almost agree but I just think its not good for DS's mental health and there's no evidence yet that this new strain is more contagious amongst younger childre.
DH is adamant though.

No way. We are in South Wales though in an area quite badly affected and it’s a big primary with multiple cases so far. Mine will be off till the hospitals are in a better position again and then I’ll send them back once I know that if one of us gets very poorly that adequate help is available.

@catgirl1976

Currently having this argument with DH He thinks we should keep Y4 DS off for a couple of weeks to see what happens. I almost agree but I just think its not good for DS's mental health and there's no evidence yet that this new strain is more contagious amongst younger childre. DH is adamant though.

Please look at the heat maps on the gov dashboard. They very clearly show that cases are soaring in kids

coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/cases?areaType=nation&areaName=England

Only England has heat maps