Year R and Year 1 back to school

[Justajot]

I know there aren't any details. But if you are a year R or year 1 parent, will you be sending them back?

YANBU - Yes, sending back
YABU - No, staying at home

[MyHipsDontLieUnfortunately]

I'd/on.

[MyHipsDontLieUnfortunately]

Oh and if dearly love to hand my notice on, but if I don't find an alternative by May 31st the earliest I can leave is December 31st.

[MyHipsDontLieUnfortunately]

It's the people complaining about lazy teachers whilst working from their home office who face none of the challenges and refuse to see them because "teachers are lazy"....

This.

I want people moaning about teachers to STFU unless they're actually out in the workplace, taking risks themselves. In fact, I think if it's safe for teachers then everyone should just crack on. I was joking when I first said that, but not so much any more. Let's face it, public facing workers won't be compensated if their health is compromised.

[lilgreen]

Our year 1s will sit at a desk on their own and only be allowed up to wash hands or use the toilet.

[CouldBeOuting]

I work in school. If my children were of primary age I would NOT be sending them to school.

If we comply with the guidelines then school will be a miserable place for such young children; if we don’t comply with guidelines (already absolutely no social distancing with the children we currently have in) then it will be a very risky place to be.....

[lilgreen]

Only 50% of ours are coming back. So much for people saying parents need schools to open. It’s the same at all the local schools!

[PickUpAPickUpAPenguin]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-52616071

Talking about spitting, this is tragic

[GuyFawkesDay]

Brilliant. Go for it.

It's the people complaining about lazy teachers whilst working from their home office who face none of the challenges and refuse to see them because "teachers are lazy"....

I can't wait to get back to teaching normal lessons.

But last time I was in school we had a vulnerable child in who spits on the floor. Told staff to f off. Won't social distance. Gets in your face.

It's really hard with just 5-10 kids. Lord help us with hundreds.

[SomewhereEast]

@GuyFawkesDay Yes as a perfectly healthy 39 year old I would quite happily do all those things right now. I'm an SAHP at the moment and have just contacted the kids' school to volunteer if they're short-handed with people in cleaning or catering roles shielding

[jadey0891]

Hi op
I won't be sending my children. They both fall in the category. But the reason why is because they both have medical problems

[GuyFawkesDay]

Ask yourself:

Would you be happy to sit in a room all day with 15 other people, with no PPE.

Oh, and those people lick their own shoes, wipe their bogies down your trousers and need hugs and to have help going to the toilet.

You have no hand gel, other than what you buy, and you can get to the toilet yourself to wash your hands twice a day.

If you're ok with that, then you are definitely pro teachers returning.

If it makes you think twice, then that's exactly what EYFS teachers are thinking.

I teach teens. I can absolutely guarantee some will cough in others faces as "banter". There was stories of kids licking stuff for dates at some schools.

It's really scary.

[LittleFoxKit]

My son’s school is staffed almost entirely by fit and young teachers

This dosent mean anything. I'm a young fit healthy person, I'm also at increased risk due to numerous underlying health conditions. So are quite a few of my young fit and healthy friends, with some being shielded. Actually I would imagine younger adults are more at risk as they are generally unaware of underlying conditions till later on in life and therefore woulsnt be able to accurately consider the potential risk to themselves until it was too late.

[ABucketOfShells]

No chance.
Year 1, and youngest due to start in September. Not going even in September unless they’ve miraculously rolled out a vaccine.
Accepted may have to deregister and reapply a later date.

[Incrediblytired]

Nursery’s are opening too for preschoolers according to the government website.

I’m not sending mine in as both myself and DH are clinically vulnerable and there’s no evidence that young children don’t transmit. Knowing my luck she’d bring it home and end up an orphan.

It’s hell working from home with her but not worth the risk of sending her back in my opinion.

[1forsorrow]

@Daffodil, thank you I am a very proud mum. He is my baby and the others grew up while I wasn't looking as I was busy with him, work and caring for disabled husband, but I have had more time to admire the man he has become. When I hear him talking about what he is doing at Christmas I always smile although sometimes I get a bit jealous as he nearly always volunteers to work Christmas Day so I feel a bit left out.

Even without restraining it must still be tough, you are really working with a very overlooked group. Keep safe, I know you have a child/children so they need you as well.

[lilgreen]

In Austria, over 14 s are back, distanced. Under 14s are not back until 18/5 at earliest and not a full day or every day. Far fewer deaths and locked down much earlier. Also they can see family groups already so seems more logical.

[Daffodil101]

Yes, that’s the sort of setting I work in.

I never have to restrain patients. My MH nursing colleagues are really tough cookies when it comes to risk, I have huge admiration for them, and others.

❤️ For being a mum of one of them. It’s hard being a mum at the best of times.

[1forsorrow]

It was a performance, I thought I'd probably get into MI5 faster.

I know what you mean about MH as one of my kids is a MH nurse and they don't seem to get much of a look in do they although it is a risky setting at the best of times, he is in a hospital not the community but both have their challenges. Fun trying to restrain someone with social distancing, he has been bitten, scratched, punched and spat at when trying to protect a patient from themselves or another patient. He is remarkably tolerant of it all and speaks so fondly of his patients.

[Daffodil101]

Wow that’s a lot of protocol going on there! In their defence, I’m guessing people with symptoms show up at their surgery still, despite warnings not to.

By contrast, my colleagues in MH are going into homes wearing theatre scrubs and clinical masks.

No consistency is there? So I suspect there will be no consistency in school, either.

[1forsorrow]

@Daffodil101 I just thought I'd update after my visit as many people won't have seen a doctor lately.

So I arrived at surgery, door locked with lots of signs about not leaving repeat prescription requests or urine samples, who to phone, not to go in with temperature or cough. Had a read while I waited for receptionist to come to the door. She talked to me through the glass door, she had put a mask and gloves on before she came to the door, she checked if I was on a list, I wasn't, told her I had spoken to doctor earlier this morning and told to come in. She went off to check and came back, said yes I was due to be seen, had I been told to wear a mask, I said no I hadn't so I was given a big strip of the stuff they use to cover the couch you lie on to be examined and told to fold it and cover my face and then use hand sanitizer, bit awkward as holding my make shift mask but managed to trap it under my glasses as I did my hands.

Waited a couple of minutes in empty waiting room and then called in to doctor, doctor wearing a mask, one of those plastic visor things plus gloves and apron.

All very good, very efficient but they are certainly being careful and risk averse.

[PickUpAPickUpAPenguin]

I think teachers may also be nervous as the modifications that they can do will be limited compared to hospitals and retails. For example they can't sit behind a plastic screen like in retail and tight budgets mean that they won't get plenty of antibacterial wipes and hand gels. They can't tell off a child for touching them (Reception need hugs) where as a shop worker can ask a customer to stand back from them and maintain their professional behaviour. If a teacher wore a visor or gloves how many kids would want to touch them or find them scary?

[Student58]

My youngest is at an infant school, and the advice says for them only to take Year R. Which is good as I would struggle to explain to him why he had to go back and his brother in year 4 didn't.

[Daffodil101]

You’re right, 1forsorrow.

There’s also a lot of variation in it, and from what I can tell (I’m NHS and therefore so are a lot of the people I know), there’s an element of choice (not the best word to describe it).

My local pharmacy is a good example, the pharmacists have it all taped off with some sort of crime scene investigation tape and plastic sheeting. They wear masks and they literally shout at you if you lean too close to reach the PIN machine.

Whereas the GP surgery nextdoor let you in, ask you to sanitise your hands and then stay behind some tape on the floor.

Some GPs I know are really cautious and nervous, one bought a biohazard suit but I’m not sure she wore it. Others going into care homes with apparently the right PPE and taking it in their stride.

There’s a lack of consistency, and I’m guessing that’ll happen in schools, due to local factors such as what the head’s attitude is, and that’s frustrating.

[lilgreen]

Most teachers are keen to get back. They just want to feel like precautions are in place. Some HT are not doing that and we’ll be left to buy our own soap and get on with it again-so it’s frustrating.

[1forsorrow]

but I do think questions will be asked if one group of public employees is seen to be very risk averse at a time when others are taking even more risk than usual but healthcare workers are risk averse about putting groups of people who may or may not have an infection. As an example I spoke to GP this morning due to some symptoms I'm having. I went through alot of questions and she explained she was doing that so I would spend less time in the surgery when I got there, I will also have to wait outside and follow the instructions on the door to get into the surgery.

So HCP aren't happy to spend longer than necessary with patients, they aren't happy to have maybe a dozen or so patients in the waiting room, that is probably the maximum that would fit in the waiting room at the surgery I attend, small satelitte surgery. So there is a big difference in how they deal with things depending on the individual circumstances.

Apparently at my surgery they have also removed the touch screen for checking in and receptionists are behind a screen.

All a bit different to having large groups of children in one building.