To be sad to see the school places being announced

[Lexijayde44]

Mum to a reception child. She was really getting into school after a slow start grasping the routine. Seeing her progress was such a relief and we had a good parents evening the week before lockdown. Its clear my little girls one of the lowest in the class with stuff but they just are happy she likes going to school. She's picking things up much better at home reading and writing wise though!

I know it's absolutely tough crap that we are in this situation. We are all parents who's kids are missing out massively on their education and seeing friends etc. I'm not a special case. But I just felt sad today. People were announcing their kids schools for September. The offers came through today. It just seems so bizarre that the next class is getting ready to start in 4 months time and I am wondering if my child will ever get chance to be in that class again with her friends and teachers. In year one they have 3 mixed classes. I know she will be ok. I know the teachers will be prepared for it all. But I still feel sad. This year is a year of moulding them and prepping them for the rest of school. It's play based and loads of outdoor time etc. Its going to be a huge shock to her going into year one and not having the routine she remembers.

I know this comment will get me some flower emoji/get a grip comments but I feel sad that I've been robbed of my child's firsts! I know people are dying. I know we are lucky. I know there's many years ahead. But I just know how badly she needed the next few months to really prep her for school life.

I hope others can relate. I know it's not a big issue but I can't help how I feel

We've kept everything positive for her too. But I worry how she is actually digesting all this. She knows there are germs being cleaned away. But I feel so bad for her being kept away from everything she once had. She's not old enough to understand. I really feel sad for the kids tonight. Not just mine. I know they are having fun at home and this is needed. I just can't see how anything will get better until a vaccine is available. Therefore I feel they all need to repeat a couple of months in their old classes. I hope the government puts a fair plan on place to support everyone's children .

Personally I think reception, year six, year 10,11 and 12 are in the worst situation. Other years hopefully will be returning to the same classes and people. Plus they are old enough to understand you change class etc.
Is anyone else feeling sad for the kids?

I was hoping children would repeat a year of school, I think in the Uk we send our children to school to young. It would be the perfect opportunity to delay sending children to school until 5.

You’re sad but your child won’t be sad and won’t remember much. Year 1 teachers are just as nice and at my sons school they still have a small range on toys in year 1.. Lego/ cars/ play doh etc.

DD is P6 and has a teacher she absolutely adores. As a probationer, we don’t know if she will be returning next year so might not even be in the school. DD’s really sad about it.

I would think the teachers next year will be really good about catching kids up where they can.

I understand. I said to someone the other day that I thought Y1 in particular will need to be adapted. My DS is in Reception and was just settling after a bumpy time. He’s progressing with reading and writing, and seems to love numbers but there is no chance he’s going to sit down all day and do formal learning from September without a bit more of a run in.

DD2 didn't get to properly "leave" nursery because she was hospitalised.
She's now looking likely to not properly get to "leave" her infant school, where we'd finally got a great class teacher, SEN provision that was really working and she was starting to thrive - because of this epidemic.

I'm done with feeling sad.

I think when they're older it will be a vague memory of staying home a bit more, good weather, and baking or something. It wont affect their life, in lots of countries with great educational outcomes they don't start education til children are much older than the age they start here (like 6 or 7).

Also I have faith in our teachers - if schools dont go back til September the teachers will know what a shock it is to the children and will ease them in gently and help them catch up, it is their job to manage this and in general they will do it well, they know how long a few months gap will feel to the smallest children. It's only a few months in 14 year of formal education that they are missing out on, and they are gaining in other things - spending time with family, learning to amuse themselves etc. My toddler has changed so much in the last few weeks its lovely to actually have time to enjoy seeing her progress instead of rushing her everywhere...I know settling her back into nursery is going to be a bit of a nightmare but I'll worry about that later!

DS1 is in Reception and has loved it. He is loving this time at home too. Sees much more of DH and the time is really family time. Nothing to distract us from him and DD and DS2. No one calls round, we don't have to go anywhere that isn't nearby. We help him with school stuff, go on long walks or he cycles, plays in the garden, bakes, does art stuff. He'll remember it as a great time. I am not worried about what he is missing at school. This will be his normal. He isn't aware of the bad stuff other than there are some germs and we are all trying to keep away from them.
We passed his school today and he waved at it and blew it some kisses. 🙂

I feel for my reception child more than my older child.

Both are missing out on so much, but he absolutely loves school. I was a bit nervous about him going as i don't really think nursery got him and his personality didn't come through.

He's had an amazing teacher who he adores and she (and the many other wonderful staff) have brought him on so much.

I just think we are not giving kids enough thought in all of this. And to just say they will be fine and not bothered about it - well I'm not convinced that will be the case

I feel exactly the same, our daughter is in reception and school was really the making of her. I think they'll go back on 1st June so I'm hopeful they'll get the last 2 months of reception year.

I think its OK to feel sad about anything and everything within limits at the moment.

I'm sad for my son as he won't play cricket this year. There is a backstory - he was having problems with other children at school and this is the one thing he is really good at, and this year he will be one of the oldest children in the group not the youngest so it won't be the same next year - but ultimately I know it is a little ridiculous and he will cope without it. There are other ways to build his self confidence.

I have in September
DC due to start 6 yr Uni course
DC due to start at Sandhurst
DC due to start A-levels at new college
Nephew due to start at Princeton

Yeah, it doesn't feel like a celebration time, either.
But grateful they aren't in yr10 or yr12, at least.

It is OK to be sad but you know she will be fine. She will have matured so much since starting in September, she will be catching up with 1 to 1 with you. Maybe try to look at it as having some quality time with her that you weren't expecting.

Personally I think it would be nice if it ends up with school going back in September to let the reception kids go back into reception for a few weeks and delay the new one starting. This year's reception are missing months of school so next years missing 2 or 3 weeks. Reception and year 1 teachers could work together so kids get lots of input and the transition would be eased.

I get you OP. I don’t have children but work in a reception class. I’m not ready to hand them over to year 1 yet! They’re still so small.....you can tell
I’m fond of them!

But I do know, they will be fine, even if they are small. And a lot of allowances will be made for their adjustment.

Actually thinking about it maybe reception and year 1 teachers should swap so this years reception get that continuity. Do you think that would work?

I feel exactly the same. I have one in reception and one in year 2, im so sad for my reception child. His teacher is so good so I'm really sad he is missing out on her. I'm hoping they get to go back to school before the summer holidays even if it is only a really short time.

Aww OP

I thought some of the threads of 'Little Johnny's going to miss his birthday party' a few weeks ago were lame, but you put it well and it seemed more reasonable to me as a child-free person.

It's great that she's dong better with her reading and writing. That's something you could get loads better by the time she starts back at school, and the general sense of concentrating on lessons etc.

Have an ok time, hugs and stay well. xxxxx

I feel the same about my dd. She was just settling in without dragging me in with her and tears in the mornings. I know she will be ok academically but I do feel sad that she's missed out on the innocence of her first year at school. It certainly goes up a level in terms of play/working expectations and she's missed out on that initial love of learning and that learning through play.

I think year 1 will be adapting though, I expect the first term will be more reception like than it normally would be to compensate though. They will need to cover the last part of the reception curriculum before they can move onto the year 1 curriculum as if they don't have the basics they won't be able to move on. I think the transition from reception to year 1 is probably one of the easiest to adapt.

I also feel sad for my ds as he is in year 2 and will move up to year 3. The infants and junior schools are quite separate and different at my dcs school and I have heard it's a big step up normally. I feel sad ds has had his final innocent and protected in the infants school taken away, he won't have been prepared for the formality and step up in expectations. It's the first year they don't just have one teacher and are expected to use a timetable to find their way to classes. But again, I think they will change the normal routine to make allowances.

At the end of the day they will be ok.

I feel exactly the same op. My dd is summer born and I really don't think she will be ready for year one she is a bit behind others in class and it really worries me that she won't cope very well she struggles with change. I think we all worry no matter what age your children are and we shouldn't have to apologise for it it's normal 💐.

She had no concept of how reception should have ended or what it would have been like!? These are your thoughts and your problems not hers. As a child her life is lived in the present and what is happening now is exactly that - what is happening now. She won’t even remember reception.

Nothing has been lost here? Each day is a new day and whatever happens it on that day happens?

Don’t project these feelings into her.

I feel the exact same. I have 4 children in different school years and feel the most sad for my reception year child. You're not being silly. You can feel sad about anything you like, your sadness about one thing in no way detracts from someone else's sadness about something else.

And in terms of being behind etc. All kids will be in the same boat. The Teachers will adapt. Why can’t you look at this as they’ve already had a nice long trial at school and they will re start when schools open again.

Slightly different but DS moved schools mid year, he was just getting into the swing of things making new friends, etc,

He can't facetime his friends or anything like that, because we don't have the same contacts and if we go into the summer holidays and they lift the lockdown, its going to be really hard to arrange playdates as I really don't know any of the parents. His Birthday Party was meant to be at the start of April, which was one way I was going to get to know the parents, but that had to be cancelled

I feel exactly the same, I have one in reception and one in Y6

I feel most upset for the one in Y6 who is missing his final year at primary with his friends, all the usual transition stuff that probably won't happen now, as he fully understands what he's missing and he saw his fantastic teacher on the verge of tears on the last day when he told them they are all fantastic. This is the third year they had the same teacher and I'm gutted for the whole class that they can't finish it together properly.

My reception child was thriving at school, absolutely loving it and whilst I wish he was currently getting the same experience as LuluJakey’s child, he's not. We have no outside space and he has a two year old brother who wants to be with him constantly but doesn't quite get how to play without destroying games/worlds he's built who he can't get away from due to lack of space. His Dad is still working full time outside the home and I having to work from home during the day. So he's not getting those lovely together fun memories, he's got stressed mum trying to juggle work and kids, constantly telling him to be quiet when he shouts as his brother or cries because his game was trampled for the 10th time.

I honestly hate it and I feel awful for thinking/feeling that but it’s not enjoyable or bonding for our family at all.

it's not going to be a normal y1 starting in September - the teachers will know that all the kids missed out on reception and will adapt the normal plans to make the first few weeks back be a sensible slow reintroduction. if you are particularly worried, contact your school's SEN coordinator - your child doesn't need to have any kind of diagnosis to recieve a little extra attention if she is finding it more difficult to cope than the others in her class.

I get it op. I feel like my ds3 has been robbed of his first year at school. Or at least a massive chunk of it anyway.
All of my children were doing so well at school, even my ds2 who is Autistic and has learning difficulties because the teachers this year have been amazing. He’ll never have those teachers again though now when he goes back.

The abrupt end to the school year has just made me so sad. I feel so so sorry for the children in years 6 and 11

I feel the same. Like yours mine wasnt doing the best at basics and I worry going into year one that he will be even further behind and get left behind. I know it's only reception but this is when they learn basics of writing and reading. His teacher from nursery which he absolutely loved moved up with him from nursery and she left for maternity not long ago which he struggled with and now this. I do feel gutted the experience of reception could be over.