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.

[rka2017]

I agree with zigzag, even normal flu seasons so many children were coming with terrible coughs, flu and with sickness bugs. That’s how chicken pox spreads

[RoscoePColtrane]

If teachers feel they should wear PPE that would be up to them, but I would be very disappointed if my dc's teachers did so. I certainly do not think unions should insist on it. My dc will be back the minute the school opens.

[Duvetdweller]

How can people say well I’m a teacher and I won’t be going back? Surely if you’re told you’re going back you go back or you don’t have a job? In my job it is impossible to social distance but if I don’t go back I’ll be made redundant and I need to earn money. It’s not a teacher bash - same goes for any industry?

[Chokablok]

We absolutely know much more than we did in December. We didn't even get the viral genome sequences or a reliable test until January/February.

When it comes to transmission chains I don't think we know that much more.

There is still confusion on 2m distance. Does that actually work? 15 minutes of exposure? Surface contamination?

The emphasis seems to have shifted from "wash your hands and don't touch your face" to "keep 2m distance".

[Tfoot75]

My dds school aren't wearing PPE or social distancing with key worker children as they've been sharing photos. I think that Matt Hancock said last week that PPE wasn't needed in non residential schools, but can't provide a quote.

In context 2 children under 14 have died of coronavirus in the UK up until week ended 24 April (ONS data) and the total for under 44 year olds is c350. Both of these are statistically insignificant. I'm not sure how this compares to deaths in those age groups related to for example chicken pox, flu or measles, but imagine it is quite a bit less.

I know we need to think about the R rate, but also we need to think about the groups of the population that R rate is occurring in.

I wonder if schools are to remain closed for all pupils until September, they will extend the childcare element to working parent rather than just key workers. As their new return to work message is totally incompatible with the current situation.

My two will be attending as soon as they possibly can.

[FridayAddams]

Ariseplease 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.

How will they find a vaccine if catching the virus doesn't give you immunity from subsequent infections?

[BetsyJameson]

I don’t know when my ds will be able to go back as he is in the shielded group. While all his friends are still at home he is fine getting on with his school work and playing online with his friends. But I worry about him being stuck at home knowing everyone is back at school and don’t know whether school will still provide work.

[OneandTwenty]

Not only it hasn't been confirmed that you can't catch it twice, but there are many documented and proven cases abroad of people having it twice! Most among medical workers, but still cases.

It's not clear if it was the same strain or different strain as far as I have read.

[Oaktree55]

School will be a complete nightmare till a vaccine. In reality any return in Sept will be heavily compromised eg alternate weeks etc or other ideas to allow some degree of distancing. Staff or pupil sickness /quarantine, lots of kids will be off. I won’t be sending mine back until the science has moved forwards understanding this virus. We are also very likely to see another peak early Autumn and lock down again. I’m afraid there’s no going back till normal until hopefully a vaccine.

[amijustparanoidorjuststoned]

YABU to start yet ANOTHER thread on this subject that has been done to death.

[CaptainBlunderpants]

Mine go to school anyway as we are both working so yes they’ll just continue. The school have been wonderful and I’m hugely grateful.

[OneandTwenty]

I can't wait for my kids to go back to normal, but a school with "social distancing" rules will be the opposite of normal. It would be terrible for their mental health and push them to have anxiety and stress about the situation, why would I willingly put them at risk?

Then it's not just about dying, it's also about the long-term effects of the disease that people gloss over. Long term lung damage on a primary school child is not something I wish for my kids. That's not shown in any of the statistics, and the UK press is very quiet about it. You have internet, read the press from overseas - not the gossip sites like MN or the DM, the actual press.

[Witchcraftandhokum]

Duvet I'm pretty fortunate in that I could walk out of my job and into another very quickly and would be OK money-wise for a few months with no work as I have a side-interest which would see me through. I would feel very sorry for colleagues who didn't have that protection and would be forced to work without PPE. However I don't think the unions would let that happen.

I'm quite shocked that there are people who think school staff shouldn't wear it.

[Willowmartha1]

Yanbu it's completely unsustainable and unworkable to think working parents can carry on like this.

[OneandTwenty]

Local parents with children still at school today are very vocal against reopening the schools "as normal" - it puts their own children at risk, and they are not willing to increase that risk. You can't blame them. Do we really want more teachers, doctors and nurses to take leave right now to stay home with their own children?

[x2boys]

Yep I have the same concern @Lovemusic33 my ds is also at a special school he has autism and learning disabilities there is absolutely no.way the school will.be able to social.distance the children it would be impossible.

[Appuskidu]

Sadly the unions are going to use this situation to get other demands met

Do you have a link for this, please?

[Witchcraftandhokum]

amijustparanoid Well the 400+ people who have voted don't seem to think so. Feel free to move on.

[Howaboutanewname]

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

Sod the adults then, eh?

*Sadly the unions are going to use this situation to get other demands met. They are not thinking of the children’s education’

You’d do well not to use the Daily Mail as a source of ‘fact’. Both of the bigger teaching unions have plenty of information on their websites for public perusal, should you care to read it.

[Babyroobs]

My kids really need to go back to school ( years 10 and 12). I am not worried about them catching it themselves. What I am worried about is my dh who is on the shielding list and the repurcussions of him catching it. It feels like it's a choice between keeping him safe or jeopardising the kids education . What exactly are we meant to do with 4 teenagers in the house and a shielding parent ? We really need some guidance on this .

[FrippEnos]

NeverForgetYourDreams
Sadly the unions are going to use this situation to get other demands met.

Which are?

[Mummyshark2019]

Mi e is staying off until September

[Flipflopflapflip]

I would support teachers in wearing ppe if it helped them to feel safer but where on earth do you think it could come from given the balls up with ppe for nhs staff?

[Lynda07]

I would keep mine at home until September and then review the situation. Easy for me to say as I no longer have school aged child but I believe I would. I would actually be happy for any child of mine to stay at home and learn.

[Drivingdownthe101]

I'm quite shocked that there are people who think school staff shouldn't wear it

The school staff at our school don’t want to wear it. It would be a shame if they’re forced to by the unions when they feel it would hinder their teaching.
I accept that some want to wear it, but I really don’t think forcing those who don’t want to is the answer.