If school's don't return on March 8th what will you do?

[cottonwoolbrain]

I am goign to be completely honest. I can't handle this anymore. I'm not sure what I'll do. I'm in tears every day now and the rest of the time just feel completely and utterly numb as if I'm doing everything on autopilot. Keep shoutinbg at the children - rate its going they'll get Stockholm Syndrome being coooped up with me as I am

DS (8) needs almost constant supervision to get him to do any work at all or even to sit in his chair. HIs school have great distance learning but I'm exhausted trying to get him to do it even with online classes. DD is 15. She's great at doing the work but is understandly stressed and lonely and worried about next years GCSEs and I feel like I'm getting the brunt of it.

I work part time and its the sort of job that requires high concentration levels. I can't just stop to answer questions about everything under the sun (including the flipping sun).

I'm breaking. Half term starts tomorrow. Hopefully a week of not home schooling will help and then I''ll be counting the days until March 8th but I'm so desperately worried they won't go back and I'm not sure what I'll do or how I'll cope.

DP helps as much as he can but most of its falling on me.

Sorry don't knwo what I'm saying except that i dont thknk I can hold out much longer and its messing up my children so badly.

I'd be disappointed but I think if they wait til after easter there'll be more chance of them making it through til the end of July without another lockdown. Short term pain, long term gain.

^ lollipoprainbow

Aibu to think there should be a little recognition for the keyworkers/vulnerable children who are in school every day ? Our headteacher keeps praising the homeschooling kids and they have been given a special treat in their learning packs for reaching half term! Nothing for our kids though !! It's hard for us and our kids too, my dd misses her friends desperately and the whole proper class and learning. ^

Yup. Absolutely right. There should be a little recognition for the poor children in school everyday 🎻 There you go. It’s drawn to scale by the way.

Doctor I agree and perhaps... No lock down again until.. Just maybe if we get some awful surprises over deepest winter.. But perhaps not if we can all be vaccinated...

Same. We are entitled to a KW place but I know it won't suit DS, he struggles without routine and I would rather he struggle at home than "taint" school with it.

It's definitely pushing me to the limit though. 😢

I’m very lucky that my husband hasn’t had to work for last two weeks, as juggling two children (2,5) has been a lot for me. I’m resentful that people are sending kids to school without real justification sometimes. Kids need to go back for their benefit and mine.

@Retszol

^ lollipoprainbow

Aibu to think there should be a little recognition for the keyworkers/vulnerable children who are in school every day ? Our headteacher keeps praising the homeschooling kids and they have been given a special treat in their learning packs for reaching half term! Nothing for our kids though !! It's hard for us and our kids too, my dd misses her friends desperately and the whole proper class and learning. ^

Yup. Absolutely right. There should be a little recognition for the poor children in school everyday 🎻 There you go. It’s drawn to scale by the way.

Oh go away. Is there any need to be so mean?

@Riolou3

I totally agree.... stupid ill thought out comments...
Im sorry for your loss... my nephew killed himself April 2020 ....
I understand

Retszol
^ lollipoprainbow

Aibu to think there should be a little recognition for the keyworkers/vulnerable children who are in school every day ? Our headteacher keeps praising the homeschooling kids and they have been given a special treat in their learning packs for reaching half term! Nothing for our kids though !! It's hard for us and our kids too, my dd misses her friends desperately and the whole proper class and learning. ^

Yup. Absolutely right. There should be a little recognition for the poor children in school everyday 🎻 There you go. It’s drawn to scale by the way.
Oh go away. Is there any need to be so mean?

That post is utterly tone deaf to the problems detailed in 18 pages. Maybe they would like to swop their school place for a special treat? After a half term of working full time and teaching my child, my patience is thin with others whose biggest concern about children at home seems to be that they are not in school to be chums with their kid. If that’s been your biggest worry since Christmas, count yourself lucky.

Probably weep for dd's fantastic teachers and the teaching assistants that work with her then carry on muddling through. She goes to a great school and I have no doubt they will spend the rest of the time she has with them, currently in year 3, boosting her and lots of other children to somewhere close to where they would have been. I'm hoping they get to go back soon, she needs teacher/ta support and for the school to actually have the chance to properly investigate her learning difficulties. As it is, she is loosing the independent working skills that they all spent a great deal of time and effort in begining to restore.

I've given up trying to compute what this is likely to do for ds' future prospects. He'll continue to access the in school provision part time for as many hours as they can offer him. See what Ehcp assement brings him and begin pestering the slt about what is best for him overall in regards to being ready for starting year 1.

doctorhamster

I'd be disappointed but I think if they wait til after easter there'll be more chance of them making it through til the end of July without another lockdown. Short term pain, long term gain.“

Agree.

Stop. No one is 'entitled to a school place' its emergency child care. For those with no other option. Its not because its hard to juggle home learning and home working. Its shit. Its hard. But it could be worse. No one is expected to home school. Just get through as best we all can. Less kids in school during closure, less chance of another lockdown and more chance of us getting back up and running. For what its worth, my husband and myself are key workers, were working full time and over time and I've cried. But I still support the lockdown and wish we could all just take a breath and get through it however we need to .

@cocowhite

If it goes on past then just stop with all the school work. That's my plan, just take all the pressure off as it's not worth the affect on our mental health. Work will always come first as it keeps a roof over our heads.

Just do a priority list maybe of what has to come first and then do them in that order. If there's not enough hours for all of it just cut the list short to what is sustainable.

Totally agree! It's really NOT the end of the world if they miss a few months of education, compared to a life time. Please stop stressing about it. It's just not normal times and the expectations to keep on top is ludicrous. You need to let go. Schools will have to work out filling up the gaps later....

Schools and parents. This is where society goes wrong. Education of our children is a collective responsibility.

Northernlassie1974

Stop. No one is 'entitled to a school place' its emergency child care. For those with no other option. Its not because its hard to juggle home learning and home working.

I think it’s fair to say that experiences vary by school and area however, at my child’s school it’s not emergency childcare it’s school taught by the regular teacher and TA. The only child I know of with two key worker parents isn’t there at all. Most of the rest of the children there have one parent who is a key worker (sometimes by dint of a very generous interpretation of the the broad categories) and a second parent who is either wfh or sah parent. Some of these parents told me last lockdown that they sent their child in precisely because it’s hard to juggle home working and home learning. It was hard to take then and it’s even harder to take now but that is how it is. These parents have sufficient insight to know they want to avoid combining wfh and home learning but not sufficient insight to realise that saying this to someone who has had to do precisely that is rubbing salt in the wounds.

On the impact of missing school, it’s not just about the education, it’s about the social side. My child has sobbed to see kids going in and is distraught that he sees no friends. Attainment wise, how relaxed you are rather depends on where your child is at and how much their confidence and self esteem relies on not being behind their peers. I feel responsible for my child, I don’t lay this all at the school and wouldn’t rely on them filling in the gaps.

To Itsjustaride8w737

You can still request an EHCP assessment from your local SEN team - while you have her at home, keep a diary of all the ups and downs, with her learning, moods, behaviour etc..... that will go alongside what assessments her primary school made.
If they refuse assessment then immediately put in an appeal. Staff in the education departments are working, some meetings with parents are still being done via Microsoft Teams.

Itsjustaride8w737

I don't know how I'll cope, dd is 12 and autistic, she doesn't have an ECHP so doesn't have a school place at the moment.

I'm pregnant and fed up and cry most days.

Why can't an eight year old behave himself for two or three hours unless he is thoroughly spoilt? Why should teachers have to put up with that sort of behaviour? Why should all the children in his class be disrupted by his behaviour because he behaves like a brat? The fact is both of you haven't taken charge of your child who thinks it's alright to be selfish and disruptive in class. And other children who want to study have had to put up with his spoilt behaviour in class. I'm fed up with people saying constantly their children are out of control. Whose fault is that? It's not the teachers job to make sure that your child can sit and work for a few hours while looking after a class of 30.

OP you are absolutely not alone!
But in all honesty I think it’ll be a miracle for full school to return for every pupil on March 8th - hopefully your 15 year old will be able to return if in year 10

@Retszol

^ lollipoprainbow

Aibu to think there should be a little recognition for the keyworkers/vulnerable children who are in school every day ? Our headteacher keeps praising the homeschooling kids and they have been given a special treat in their learning packs for reaching half term! Nothing for our kids though !! It's hard for us and our kids too, my dd misses her friends desperately and the whole proper class and learning. ^

Yup. Absolutely right. There should be a little recognition for the poor children in school everyday 🎻 There you go. It’s drawn to scale by the way.

How mean. To the original poster ignore the spiteful ones. Yes they are also struggling, some adults appear to have no empathy

@Scorpio75kaz

I nearly cried at the thought of them not going back..... what will I do? Have a breakdown I think!!! As a single Mum with a 7 year old on the final leg of being diagnosed with adhd, I honestly don’t think I can carry on..... the damage it’s done to our relationship is horrific, and I’m honestly not sure how reversible it may be! I cry myself to sleep every night. I’m at total breaking point. I’ve never felt so alone and isolated in my life. Huge hugs to you!

Take care of yourself and be easy on yourself. You can only do so much. If he only manages a little home education then so be it.

@SpringtimeBluebells thank you x

I feel you OP. My 2 youngest, 4 and 9, have gone back to school last week (we're both keyworkers but we've juggled shifts to keep all 4 home) they just couldn't keep up any level of concentration and the 9 year old has worked incredibly hard to catch up to his peers after various delays early on and we could see him dropping behind again. It was a tricky decision, discussed with the head teacher as we didn't want to expose the teachers to more risk, but we are tested weekly for our jobs and the school agreed they would be better going back. Maybe chat to your headteacher if you feel it's no better after half term, they can open a place for children that are struggling with home learning if it will benefit them. Keep going, we're all feeling the same, I guarantee it x

@northernlassie1974

"
Stop. No one is 'entitled to a school place' its emergency child care. For those with no other option. Its not because its hard to juggle home learning and home working. "

What you describe is absolutely what hubs were meant for. However, this is not the reality in all schools. There are kids in whose circumstances are the same as they were in March. These are not vulnerable kids, these parents have recognised how hard it is to WFH and home school and are now using places they didn't take up in March, some of whom lied to get the places and others who have non-KW parents at home.

Schools are definitely operating under different criteria...I know a couple of very pt teachers who have managed to get ft place in school for their child on the grounds that they have prep to do on non work days.. No SEN, definitely not vulnerable.

@Retszol thanks for the violin, yes I have many problems my mum being very ill with dementia and Covid and my 8 year old dd with ASD struggling with her mental health because although she has a school place it is different to what she is used to and is struggling just for starters but you carry on being bitter and spiteful.

@lollipoprainbow I too am in the same position caring for my mother. I didn’t get one problem taken away just because I’ve been given another to deal with. I am stretched so thin I could break. Your child clearly needs her place and quite rightly has it. The face to face with the teacher is where the praise and encouragement is for children in school happens. I see no empathy from you for the children not in school - just concern about how it impacts your child.