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.

My sons school said they don't think they will be back until Sept anyway so I'm going by that.

Biscuit0110. Well put. Totally agree.

Our school is preparing to reopen in June, and HT is now holding meeting with HoDs Ilove we will know soon enough, in just a few hours from now.

How did Brexit affect our children's education? Thing is I don't trust the government to do the best thing for the children, they are under pressure to get people back to work and need the schools open. I'm just not convinced it's safe.
At least in September you can see how other countries are coping and possibly the death rate will be lower. It's a bit pointless sending the children back now if the schools have to close again I'm Sepember.

Some children genuinely are terrified of masks. It just means the SEN kids once again are expected to miss out.

As far as anyone is concerned, the "September" you speak of means nothing at all. It is simply the start of the new academic year - but the virus doesn't know that.

Currently, we don't know what the situation in September will be. It could be worse for all we know. To everyone saying their kids will be in as soon as school opens (regardless of whether or not it is safe to return) simply because they're "going mad" at home - 'utterly ridiculous' is all one can say to that.

Biscuit If you actively break lockdown measures I hope someone reports you.

www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/ondemand/video/5001289/?fbclid=IwAR1v0JuFVlhxJeurVV751m3FSJU3fnJRTjEhBaaL0YVHv8dNM5qnLxB0VgY

Although this film is ostensibly about Japan, at 44 mins in, you can see a few minutes clip about what school looks like in Taiwan right now. Kids and teachers are wearing masks. There are temperature checks. Kids who have to be sent home are put in a separate room and the teacher supervising them wears a visor. Everyone seems to be coping with this OK. Once the number of cases is down to a certain level, the UK can start to learn from the experiences of other countries.

LOLing at the idea of kids wearing full-on airtight PPE that leaves marks all over their faces. Nowhere in the world is doing this!

Waiting for a bit so they miss more school but still going in while the risk remains present, and just in time for flu season, that I don't understand. What's the rationale?
In my case - I'm vulnerable (but not shielded vulnerable) as our several of my ILs and tbh the impact of one of us getting seriously ill off the back of it is worse than missing school for an extra few weeks. I'd rather the schools had time to work out kinks of distancing adults at pick up/drop off for a while before I willingly shove any of us into that situation.

Plus in my DDs case (and a few of her friends cases as well) being out of school has seen her mental health improve phenomenally so again, a few weeks in the situation that was causing her massive distress is going to be less worthwhile than starting a whole fresh year.

I have friends who are not in the situation we are in and are happy to send back, some with shielded children worried about what will happen wrt to their non shielded siblings and some with vulnerable children or themselves being vulnerable who would be more happy to keep our children until any kinks are sorted.

If you actively break lockdown measures I hope someone reports you.

She is taking about the summer. There won't be a lockdown by that point. Schools will probably still be out in the summer, but the government will no longer have any legal grounds for stopping households mixing. By that stage, if she wants to set up her own homeschooling co-op, there is no legal reason why she can't.

Each school is different and what is doable safely in one school won't be safe in another. Schools will have to decide what they can accommodate safely based on school lay out, regional differences 're Covid, their staff levels etc.

It may be some schools only cater for limited children. Some take only older children, some provide part time schooling only. We may move the schools to air craft hangars/other or split schools over several settings? It may some whole schools are not back until much much later.

It won't be an agreed date across England. There were be lots of different scenarios because every school has their own problem.

Where I live the covid spike though small is growing. Another area is dipping.
But my schools are in a different area with their own issues. This will be the same for staff and if and where they travel from. Therefore provision will vary and may open and close as needed at each individual school.

Some children genuinely are terrified of masks. It just means the SEN kids once again are expected to miss out.

I get that this sucks, but surely those kids who CAN cope with masks should be given the chance to get back to school.

Kokeshi123 do you know how they manage the issue of young children changing soggy masks etc there? I can’t see how it’s in any way hygienic to wear the same soggy mask all day so they must take multiple masks and change regularly? Do the younger children get help with this? Do they get taught how to take them off hygienically at meal times etc? Sorry if you have no idea, just thought you seemed knowledgable on the subject

If kids wear masks to school, will they were the same ones all day? They go soggy after about 20 mins envy so will we need to provide enough for regular changes?

You seem to be confusing masks with nappies? We all wear masks where I live. No, we do not change them every 20 minutes. I am getting more and more baffled at the utterly weird reactions towards masks in western countries. They are simple to use and really really not a big deal!!!

@Frustratedsenmummy

Some children genuinely are terrified of masks. It just means the SEN kids once again are expected to miss out.

What do you suggest? The teachers just forget about social distancing and leave their fear at the door?
We are told social distancing is the main way to protect us from this, we are told to keep 2 metres apart to save lives.
It’s easy to say something doesn’t work and no it won’t work for everyone..

But I’m open to suggestions on how else to protect my staff, other then stay closed forever which can’t happen.

The risk is tiny, absolutely tiny to the children, and yet our children are still being locked up months and months on end, it is an outrage.

The children may live with adults who may be at risk (BAME, obese, over 70, shielding, pregnant ) or may be taught by adults in those groups. If adults in the risky groups don't m/can't return then there's simply not going to be enough staff. Schools need extra money from the government so that there's extra cleaning, hand gel, PPE to keep staff safe.

I've seen plenty of kids on their daily exercise- walking the dog, cycling, playing with their siblings, in supermarkets... if you've locked yours away since March then that is a choice that you made.

There isn't a lot of data on kids as they've been in lockdown. Now that some European countries have their children back at school part-time the scientists will hopefully have data that can enable our kids to return too.

Biscuit0110

I for one, will not be supporting any further lockdown measures after June, and I will set up my own school if I have to, and sports teams.

that is adorable, total keyboard bullshit. but adorable all the same.

I love you, biscuit. Your passion is exactly the passion I have in my heart right now about my kids having months of their lives stolen and the massive MH issues this will lead to.

I am frankly exhausted by trying to maintain their mental health.

And adults can sit in the front garden and chat to neighbours because it’s VE Day. Others can do the conga in the street. But if you don’t live in that sort of street, or if you’re a teenager, you aren’t afforded similar. Why can’t my teen have a friend in the back garden?

Somebody will be along in a minute to highlight what I’ve said in bold and remind me that their WHOLE LIVES could be stolen.

We will rue the day we lost sight of mental health.

Sorry Kokeshi123 no need to take the piss, I have never worn one so I don’t know. Forgive my ignorance. I read in a study about masks that they are damp after 20-30 minutes so was asking a genuine question. I’ll know better in future.

And if children are anxious and stressed over the risk of Covid, how will spending them to school, into a crowded public space, the exact opposite of what they have just spent 7 weeks absorbing is the opposite of how they are supposed to be keeping safe and will put them at higher risk.

Parents may want children to go back to school to work, but have we considered the impact this will have on children who are scared of catching Covid or there families catching Covid? Who have heard about people dying from this strange new illness, who have been told fir months they must stay home to stay safe, and will suddenly be told that they have to go to school, and will inevitably hear (from school friends, parents discussions, the tv) how it's not 100% safe. Surely that will have a huge impact on many childrens mental health and behaviour. Specially if they feel they cant talk about these anxieties due to their parents/adults continuing like it's nothing, potentially leading to outbursts of behaviour.

Actually Kokeshi123 forget it. I tried to ask a genuine question about something I know little about due to no experience in that area. You sounded like you had experience and might have been able to answer me. I thought gaining knowledge on a subject was a good thing? I’ll ask elsewhere.

@Kokeshi123 I dont think you've said anything wrong tbh.

Generally fabric masks that its suggested the general public wear can be worn all day. They don't so soggy unless you spit in them. It's not much different from when those in sport wear lower face masks in the winter or in the summer in marshy conditions for long periods of time. I can confirm that although its mildly annoying until you get used to it, it's really not hugely uncomfortable, specially compared to medical standard masks.
They should be boiled washed every evening or when you get home, but that's specific to using them as virus prevention.

It is puzzling the UKs aversion to fabric masks, even more so when theres huge amounts of research currently being published which supports there value in preventing spread of Covid..

Kids go back to school... bring it home to their parents ... many vulnerable and the effects of having lost a parent to this disease will be much more severe than the effects of missing school until a vaccine or treatment is in place.

how do child that are deaf or have hearing impediments and lip read understand teachers wearing masks?
the science over masks suggests there maybe some minimal benefit it is not conclusive it certainly doesn't protect the wearer from other people but may protect other people from the wearer
personally if teachers are worried I think clear visors are better than masks
the R rate in Germany has continued to fall since schools reopened and other measures eased, there was a one day spike the day after but a week later the r has falled from 0.75 to 0.65

Drivingdownthe101

What I know about masks is

They wear the same mask all day in Chinese schools.
I have worn various dust masks all days in jobs that I have had and not changed them.
The view on masks appears to be that it isn't for your benefit but for those around you.