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.

I also wonder what the children want to do, whether they want to go back to school but are being held back against their wishes, or if they're genuinely happy to stay at home.

My child is happy to stay at home because I have atopy and more and more information about severe effects of covid related to atopy is emerging.

My Ds secondary is perfectly happy he isn’t going back. Seeing the sights on the tube today added with all families about to mix I am fully expecting a second wave so happy he isn’t going back.

NAHT and ASCL say the final decision on whether to admit more pupils will rest with schools themselves. Heads will retain the power along with your governing body or trust board to make decisions regarding the safety of pupils and staff based on your own individual risk assessments. Awaiting the national guidance.

So now that the advice is to wear masks in enclosed spaces such as shops and on transport has anyone changed their mind as to whether teachers should wear them?

I also wonder what the children want to do, whether they want to go back to school but are being held back against their wishes, or if they're genuinely happy to stay at home.

I can only tell you what mine want: they want to go back to school to be with their friends, and the youngest want to play, mess around, go on their school trips, organise their plays, have their disco/movie/science days as planned.
They have no interest on going back to school with social distancing, new rules, and all the fun stuff cancelled, they'd rather be at home. it's the social aspect they love at school, they couldn't care less about the pure educational side - which they easily get at home anyway.

Why does everyone keep saying September what if situation hasn't changed by then ?
Other countries have started sending kids back so we can watch those proved the next few weeks
I very much doubt social distancing will be enforced on reception children just encouraged as much as possible
All these details will be released the press have been screaming for a time line and dates , they have given these provisionally and now that's not good enough
He clearly said back the earliest if the science / figures support it

My DC want to see their friends. That's normally at school. They don't want to go back to school and do the lesson side of it, they want to play. They're both happy to go back in September theoretically - DD would hopefully be away from the bad situation and DS is moving to her school so it's new and exciting. When Johnson said about reopening schools they were both very happy that they missed those initial year groups.

My dfs dcs are a mixed bag. Some would just like to go back, some are like mine and some have a split with siblings taking opposing views.

Why do people think teachers will be in full Ppe are they at the moment ?
Ppe even in hospitals in normal times will be different depending on your position
Are other eu countries that have gone back teachers wearing full ppe ?

So now that the advice is to wear masks in enclosed spaces such as shops and on transport has anyone changed their mind as to whether teachers should wear them?

The teachers at our school havent changed their mind that they’d rather not wear one.

Those who say they're keeping their kids home till there is a vaccine what do you intend to do really? To wait for a vaccine is unrealistic

This is a very good question!

We were chatting with groups of friends on zoom and one of them went off on one re the re-opening of schools etc saying how utterly insane it was etc.

Then said that their 2 children (3 & 5) would not be returning to school or childcare until a vaccine becomes available. And they will not be travelling/going on holiday etc until there is a vaccine.

ok fair enough re travel but it seems such a shame for the kids...they have no compromising health problems before anyone asks.
He was DH's best man at our wedding, DH tried talking through his reasoning etc and it nearly turned into a big zoom row!

We're all close friends and have known each other years and gone on holiday all together etc. Not surprised friendships are getting tested due to Covid!

@Witchcraftandhokum

The fact remains that the benefit of a mask is that it protects others from the person wearing the mask. It is not about protecting the mask wearer. On a crowded train there would be a benefit if everyone wore one (everyone is protecting everyone else).

A teacher wearing a mask in a class of unmasked children will have no real benefit as I understand it. In fact it could be detrimental.

• @Sandybval* my DC is in year 6 .I have spoken to them about what school would be like and their response if i can't sit with my friends or give them a hug if they hurt themselves then no .I work with vunerable people so if my DC brought it home from school i unknowingly caught and carried it then it would highly likely be devastating for the people i care for .My DC also has seasonal asthma which they needs both preventer and reliever inhaler. Too many risks in play for me .

A teacher in a classroom with windows that open and reduced numbers is hardly same as enclosed space on a train
I think it’s worrying that people seem to think that if they wait until September and all will be ok then ?
If we still have virus I would be more concerned in winter with all the other bugs that also go around

I'm terrified of winter. Will docs or boots even roll out flu jabs?

Its a great shame there wasn't a kite coherent approach to giving out weekly work for children.
Of course those that can't do it, fine. Talk to the parents about what they can do and make a note. I feel there would be less pressure to get dc back if they had decent cover in the mean time.
Its really shown the wheat from the chaff.

For those who are saying no to their kids going back, I would be interested to hear whether there were confirmed cases in your schools prior to lockdown? There were confirmed cases in my DC’s school for weeks prior to lockdown so I am not concerned about sending them back.

I have a year 1 and a year 6 child. My year 1 will not be going back before September, I will risk a fine. My year 6 will only go back if the school can give me assurances that social distancing measures can be put in place and that is only because I know he needs something to help his transition to high school, otherwise he wouldn’t be going either.

This!

My son is yr 6, school have stated today that they have no plans on opening back. I do feel the transition is going to be so hard for secondary school but I think it’s the right thing to do .

Mine need educating so need to go back to school. I’m not a teacher.

There will be no social distancing in schools as it just isn’t possible.

I won’t have the luxury of choice...if and when the schools go back I will be expected at work, if I don’t go to work I will get sacked

The virus will still be here in September.

Those saying they will wait for a vaccine. Think about it - will you really want to let your child be injected not knowing the real side effects? It takes years and years to test a vaccine and get the relevant approvals. I certainly have accepted that I can’t wait for a back e to be ready. So we have to accept that most of us will catch it.

My middle child is a student nurse who is recovering from covid after catching it from a patient who then died and it was touch n go at one point ,,,very scary as a parent not to being able to visit her uni campus and take care of her; my youngest is 8 and is autistic - he has no sense of personal danger, needs lots of hugs, spits when he is talking. I can't see how he could go back to school because he has no idea of social distancing yet he can tell you all about the "event horizon" of a black hole and a maths wizard. He attends our small school of 70 pupils in a rural area but we are all very close in our villages and grandparents drop kids at school.. I cant see how my little one will go back any time soon nor do I want him to - we're doing ok with lessons. I very nearly had a death certificate for one child, I don't want to go through that again.