Keeping children at home until September

[Witchcraftandhokum]

I work in a school and I'm seeing and hearing a lot of this both on here and in the contact I have with parents. I am worried about how we will manage social distancing and whether we will have PPE if the schools open soon, but I do appreciate the need for kids to be in school, particularly Year 6 and 10.

I also don't know how it will work if a lot of parents chose not send their kids back until September. I wonder just how many parents will do this?

So...
YABU - My kids won't be back until September.
YANBU - My kids will go back as soon as the schools open.

For me, like most, whether or not my children go back to school before September will depend on whether I’m required to go back myself (teacher currently wfh). I won’t bother telling you what I HOPE will happen or what I THINK will happen because people will just get their knickers in a twist.

I think I'll see how it goes with the schools opening.

I'm not worried about them catching it particularly, but I'm concerned that school is going to be difficult, boring, upsetting or even frightening if the teachers are wearing masks and they can't move out of their seats or be near their friends etc.

The home schooling is going pretty well for us and we could keep them off until September if needed. I'll see what the plans are for school opening and go from there.

Mine has been in throughout however if arrangements for returning are bonkers I will pull her out

Frustratedsenmummy Can I ask what you think the bonkers arrangements would be?

I'll wait and see what the actual plan is going to be, as pp said Im aware they'll likely catch it at some point but as far as I'm concerned its about being sensible. Mine are 9 and almost 5 so especially the youngest has zero concept of social distancing.
The other thing to think about is whether I'd trust other parents to keep their symptomatic children off, and that's a resounding no if chicken pox and pre lockdown is anything to go by. The last week before school shut there were multiple instances of parents calling one child in sick and sending in the others 🤦‍♀️

My 2 will be back in nursery as soon as it opens.

Mine will go back but that is because we are in the rare position that grandparents have had confirmed cases and we very likely have already had it. If that wasn’t the case then I would probably have kept them off until September.

Kids being in all over the place and 5 year olds being attempted to be forced 2 meters away. Being stuck at desks all day. Not being able to be cuddled when they need it etc. It goes against the very nature of small children and I can't even imagine the stress of trying to enforce it on staff. Teachers in full PPE would be traumatic for many small children.

She's in for SEN purposes and right now the school are firmly realistic in how the day is being conducted. Within the new current normal there is routine and consistency.

If it is forced from higher up to change I know the school won't be happy either.

Arise please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think it's been confirmed that you can't catch it twice, or have I missed something.

Op. The science is starting to show children don’t really get it or spread this. Yes some rare cases but they need to be contextualised.

We also have to remember only 3000 people under 65 have died in the Uk. 95 percent of them had significant under lying health issues. So approx 150 healthy people under 65 have died in the Uk. It is a vanishingly small number.

People need to remember where the risk lies, what that risk is and the demographics involved.

Not just panic.

My school opens tomorrow and I’m sending my kids back with glee.

I’ve had a thousand emails from DS’s teacher this week that he hasn’t turned in any of his online work, despite my pleading, nagging, taking away the PlayStation....

Fuck this.

Mine will be in the minute they open the school gates.
They are going crazy stuck at home and so am I.

'We also have to remember only 3000 people under 65 have died in the Uk. 95 percent of them had significant under lying health issues. So approx 150 healthy people under 65 have died in the Uk. It is a vanishingly small number.'

What's the source on that please?

Mine will be in like a shot. They were very happy at school and miss their friends and teachers. I love them to bits and we're a fairly happy household, but it isn't healthy or sustainable for DH and I to be their whole world for God knows how long.

Nuffsaid and Frustrated While I'm aware that staff in PPE may be frightening for children I think it will be a baseline requirement before the unions agree to send the staff back. I will refuse to be back in the classroom until I have some.

@Bluntness100 I’ve not seen that children don’t really get it or spread it. What have you seen?

However not every family is made up of those with no underlying medical conditions

I would prefer to wait until September, simply because we will have more knowledge of the virus, its transmission chains and how to break them. whether track/trace/isolate actually works etc

Re catching it twice, my understanding is that it really seems to confer temporary immunity. We just have no idea quite how long it lasts (months? Years?) There was a brief panic a while back when people in South Korea seemed to have tested positive twice, but that was clarified to be an error.

spaggettios Are you in the UK? Is your school opening for vulnerable children and the children of Key workers or are they all going back?

That's understandable Witch, but teaching through a mask and goggles and gloves is going to be tricky isn't it?

He will be dressed in uniform and back in the first day they say they can go. Year 9 and needs to get back as GCSEs in just under 2 years

What ppe are you referring to for a school?

Myotherusernamewastaken Mask and gloves.

@Witchcraftandhokum the teachers at my daughter's school have had discussions surrounding PPE and not a single one wants to wear PPE because of upsetting the children. I know of several schools who have fed back similar responses within our LA.

I'd like to know what people think will change between now and September with regard to the virus itself.