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.

[ABucketOfShells]

YABU-ish. I have a very unpopular (at least on mumsnet) notion that I am considering not sending them until there’s a vaccine, or that there’s enough immunity isn’t wiping out lives at the same rate it is now. I’m worried about their mental health having to social distancing, PPE etc.

[iVampire]

What makes you think this?

The rate at which new papers are being published

[tiredanddangerous]

For me it depends what measures schools put in place. My dc won’t be going back to sit in classrooms with 30 other children, nor will I be standing in a crowd of hundreds of parents at pick up and drop off times.

[NeverForgetYourDreams]

A lot of us will already have contracted it without knowing and as it's been around since December here those awful colds and flu people had in December and January can probably be attributed to it. The risk of children catching it and passing to teachers is very minimal. Got more chance of catching it going to do the weekly shop.

My mum is over 70 so in the 15% of the population at risk group. She says she's happy to stay at home if the remaining 85% of the population can get back to some normality.

Remember the plan was to reduce the strain on NHS til the summer not to eradicate the disease by lockdown restrictions. It's not going to go away and we can't stay locked up til they find a vaccine in 12-18 months time. Some sensible measures need to be taken moving forward.

[bigbananafeet12]

I do think that if schools are not open until September, social distancing no longer needs to be a consideration. It's highly unlikely that that dc will have stayed 'lock downed' for another 4 months and there is no doubt many will be mixing with peers again, particularly secondary school age (saw quite a few secretly gathering yesterday in a field whilst doing my daily run).

[Witchcraftandhokum]

London Sorry I do think year 12 is important too, it just didn't factor into my brain because we don't have a sixth form.

[Yogamad38]

I'm shielding so if my children go back to school before September it increases my risk (not trying to be selfish) so my plan if schools announce they are going back before September is to speak to the school about home schooling a bit longer. I would hope that school will make some provision for children of shielding families. But I will cross that bridge when I come to it. My children are really enjoying home schooling. My Y9 Daughter says she feels more focused, motivated and is enjoying her school work a lot more. See what happens x

[bigbananafeet12]

@ABucketOfShells I’m worried about their mental health having to social distancing, PPE etc Have you though about their mental health from remaining isolated for another year or 2?

[RedLentilYellowLentil]

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.

It would be helpful if people could stop spreading misinformation like this.

[Member984815]

In ireland we don't get a choice schools are shut until September. They've been shut since March 12

[Nogoodusername]

At my DC school, there is no PPE being worn and kids are not social distancing from eachother. Maybe they are from staff though

[Flipflopflapflip]

I work in a hospital and I really don’t think ppe Is going to work in schools, though I would support teachers if they wanted to wear it. It’s hot and really uncomfortable and I’m desperate to take it off all of the time. I don’t think it would really help teachers either as we wear it to protect patients rather than to protect ourselves so to protect the adults you would need the children to be wearing it and not touching it which would be impossible. Dd is still going to nursery and I worry a lot about the numbers massively increasing so would probably try to find a way to take unpaid leave and take her out of nursery if they reopen as normal.

[ABucketOfShells]

@bigbananafeet12 presently she’s very happy, attitude is much better and generally seems less stressed, as well as now working at year 2 level (she’s only in year 1 and was slightly behind at school). She has cousins I know she’d see without anyone bothering about social distancing. Would sign her up to any appropriate clubs that are behaving normally etc.
It isn’t healthy to keep young children away from each other, and shouting at them to keep away is more likely to have long term affects, in my opinion.

[boredboredboredboredbored]

Dd is in year 11 so no chance of them going back as GCSEs cancelled. I am however keen to get DS yr 10 back. I think years 10 & 12 should be given priority when they do ease the lockdown given the time they have left before exams.

[Howaboutanewname]

The risk of children catching it and passing to teachers is very minimal. Got more chance of catching it going to do the weekly shop

Read this.

www.erinbromage.com/post/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them

Then ask yourself if you would want to be working in a school right now.

[Piixxiiee]

I won't be send my kids back before September and as a teacher really would like gloves and mask for September if schools back as normal.

[quarantinevibes]

My kids won’t be going back until September unfortunately. DS is registered disabled and has severe autism and other problems, he goes to a special school, everything is in his mouth and he wouldn’t understand social distancing it would probably distress him and wouldn’t work. DD is 4 just started reception this September and I don’t think it’s fair to expect her to either to be honest, and I don’t feel she’s missing out in anything major as she’s only 4 years old. I think there’s no right or wrong answer, every family is different it’s no one size fits all.

[Nogoodusername]

Sorry - my post above is about whether they are wearing PPE (no) or socially distancing (no, the kids aren’t from eachother) at the key worker school at my DC school

[Harpingon]

The Unions are pushing for PPE for all teachers and staff before they will allow them to return and if they don't use it they will be breaking health and safety rules, so it will be enforced if they get their way.

[enjoyingSun]

Does area, lifestyle play a part as well.

Coronavirus: Higher death rate in poorer areas, ONS figures suggest seems to exacerbate exiting health inequlaities.

Infection rates vary across the countr.y Also seen suggestion air pollution may adversley affect outcomes. Ethnic and genetic mixes will vary with lcoation as well.

I'm in a poor area, with a really high infection rate and with dire air quality. There are high rates of lung diseases - like asthma, Ironically our asthma seems to have improved since we moved here but across the city there are high numbers linked to really high car pollution levels.

I've a Y10 and I'm worrid about her education but I'm also worried about schools - as enclosed environments with poor ventilation are high risk spread locations but I'm also worried about trains buses and offices and lecture theater and labs we'll also be going back to.

Wales does seem to be moving slowly though and trying to think things through which does inspire some confidence.

[OhLookHeKickedTheBall]

If the option exists to not send them back until September, then I'll keep my DC off. Both mine are primary age, so whilst the evidence is looking good that children aren't spreaders to the extent of other illnesses I have massive concerns regarding drop off and pick up and the amount of adults around. Plus concerns with some parents who would send symptomatic children into school and would themselves present for pick up and drop off whilst symptomatic alongside our schools' history of trying to push children into school before they're no longer contagious (chicken pox children still with newly forming blisters being told to just cover them up and go back in). I have another issue with my DD where it would be certainly more beneficial for her not to return to the situation she left.

[BorsetshireBlueBalls]

David Spiegelhalter was on the Andrew Marr show this morning, and pointed out that of the 10 million under-15s in the UK, 2 have died to date of Covid-19. So the benefits of sending children back to school seem to massively outweigh the potential health risks of Covid to them.

Obviously, if your household is shielding someone, the calculation of risk would be different. But it would be fine for my household, and for many others.

[ABucketOfShells]

And she has a younger sibling too, due to start reception in September. Summer baby so I can and will defer whilst I’m deciding. They play together beautifully, I appreciate socialising with siblings isn’t the same as others, however, I feel it’s better than what is being proposed. Alongside cousins and hopefully clubs.
They’ll be more space in the class for parents who feel otherwise, seems like a win all around.

[NeverForgetYourDreams]

Sadly the unions are going to use this situation to get other demands met. They are not thinking of the children's education. Yes some restrictions and health & safety issues are required but for example each school does not need a deep clean before pupils return. Most schools have had minimal pupils in and many classrooms unused and the virus doesn't hang around on desks for 7 weeks or more.

[crustycrab]

Sweeny yes, I'm shocked at how many people I know compared to some.

3 under 45, and 6 over 59 but only 4 had health issues and 2 of those 4 should've had years left. None were BAME, only 2 were over 70. They didn't all live in the same area either but all in the north of England.

One of my nieces had Kawasaki disease a few years ago. She was hospitalised and has had various strange issues since. The post viral reaction seen in some children is scary and it's really too early to tell how long these symptoms will take to show.

I'm fucking sick to the back teeth of sweeping claims like those @Bluntness100 just made.