Our children have the right to an education.

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So many posts about whether schools will be safe when they reopen but I’m not seeing this point made. Lots of discussion around the childcare that schools provide and the importance on children socially.

My 11 year old has lost all interest and I can’t get him to do anything significant. We’ve had one zoom social with his teacher and classmates. So pretty much zero learning going on.

We know children are less susceptible and there is some discussion around whether they’re transmitting less. The children of key workers (i.e. the ones more likely to catch and spread it) have been at school the whole time and as far as I know there haven’t been massive outbreaks in schools.

So I think I just want to loudly shout: our children have the right to an education.

Thank you purpleboy.

Sandybval I think you’re probably right. I thought Mumsnet was a place to come for support, it’s become more and more apparent over the past 2 months that it’s a place for people to kick others when they’re down. Because the only thing we are allowed to care about is the fact that people are dying of coronavirus. Worrying about anything else makes us selfish.
Anyway, better off feeling suicidal alone with no support than feeling suicidal with people actively giving me a verbal kicking.

Children do have a right to an education, but from the way children are being sent back, this is clearly not about education or Y10 and Y12 would be first. This is about facilitating a return to work, and possibly experimenting to see how opening primary schools get the R number.

Teachers have caught Coronavirus and some of them have died since the school closures. Due to the lack of testing, we can't say they caught it in schools- it is rare for children to get diagnosed.

Most schools have less than 5% of their children in on each given day- often with staggered arrival and home times (we are allowing children to arrive from 8, and leave early if a parent is available, or stay til 5 if they are needed). Adult-Adult contact is minimal.

Children do have a right to an education, and home learning is not as good as the real thing, but the reopening of schools isn't about education. It's about childcare, and teachers are not willing to risk their lives/health for that.

I find it interesting, anecdotally, the difference between the education currently being delivered by private schools, the parents are fee paying and the education being delivered by state schools.

More teaching could be done.

Pretty simple really. The fact you/your DC is struggling at the moment is sad but it isn’t a reason to re-open schools if it’s not safe. Many people are struggling. We don’t just overturn sensible solutions because of this struggling. Personally, children’s education is way down my list of priorities. That doesn’t mean I don’t care, it means there are other more important things.

It was probably never unsafe from a child's point of view. Well the level of air pollution around many schools will have been worse than the virus anyway. Children's education is extremely important. How can anyone think it isn't?? You need to have a good think about your priority list! What do you think comes higher? Perhaps health might, Being stuck at home for 6 months certainly isn't good for childrens' health though.

Schools aren’t going to re-open because anyone cares about children’s education. It’s only being considered to provide childcare. The decision was random and makes no real sense. They’re hoping only a few children return - the children of those who are desperate for childcare - and the fact no absence fines will be issued shows that.

No - they are reopening because education is vital and because many children are suffering hugely being isolated at home. If education wasn't important, why are such huge sums invested in it? Why not just provide free child care and leave it up to parents? You sounds completely insane - presumably you had a good education yourself and take it for granted.

I completely agree with you, OP. My 7 year old wasn't very engaged at the start but now she's completely uninterested and it's a battle to get her to do any school work.

Few months of no school won't kill anyone

Tell that to the six-year-old beaten to death for not listening by the abusive father who was "homeschooling" him.

I recommend reading the book ‘goodnight mr Tom’ to your child and also for yourself. This is a global pandemic the type of which has not been seen since 1918. People are dying and if it wasn’t for lockdown the scale and number of deaths would be even higher. All economic activity and the restriction on our daily lives are at the same magnitude and level as world war 2 where children were shipped off to strange families in the countryside and sometimes abused. You could do with a bit of perspective about your child’s ‘right’ to education which does not trump a persons right to life.

I am in Ireland and the schools are now closed until September. Usually the children get two weeks for Easter, then primary children get from end June till September off. So in reality they are missing 3 extra months of school than the norm which is not going to massive impact on their education. If Irish kids can manage it (and I haven’t heard half the whining about school over here as is evident in the U.K.) then UK children will be fine too. It is also hard to disentangle the impact of no school vs the pandemic. It could be your child has lost all interest because his life has been reduced to staying at home. If other things open up like the ability to go out and about to parks/museums/beaches and the ability to meet small numbers of family members/friends then you may find an improvement in him - I know myself I am struggling with productivity in work. Like I said - perspective is important here!!!

nearly died feom pneumonitis due to chickenpox. At what point does your child's right to an education override my child's right to safety?

Should we have shut the schools so he didn’t pick up chickenpox? There is a risk to everything.

Education starts at home with the parents. It is not the sole responsibility of the state.

Ok then. Let’s start a discussion about how much state money is spent on it.

There are lots of resources online after all.

From the education act 1994: "Duty of parents to secure the education of their children
It shall be the duty of the parent of every child of compulsory school age to cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable to his age, ability, and aptitude, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise." It's not the school's responsibility to provide education, it's yours. Whether or not this should be the case (not all parents are capable etc, and children ought to be educated) may be up for debate, but as it stands, while I agree with you that children have a right to education, it is not impossible without school.

I find it interesting, anecdotally, the difference between the education currently being delivered by private schools, the parents are fee paying and the education being delivered by state schools.

Been done to death. The majority of state school pupils do not have the technology for a day of live lessons, especially if there are multiple children in a family, parents WFH. I work in a deprived area, fewer than a quarter of pupils log on to our existing online platform, an average of 4 or 5 watch the videos I post daily to go with lessons I have put up.

the reopening of schools isn't about education. It's about childcare, and teachers are not willing to risk their lives/health for that

I think you may have articulated how I was feeling far better than I ever could have. Their need for an education isn’t being prioritised and this is what I wanted to shout about.

I don’t want schools to reopen if it is dangerous for teachers (or my DC!). There is no magic solution: I’d be happy for my DC to remain home schooled if there was a way for that to become effective, but that doesn’t solve the need to have children in school so that workers can go back to work. I’d be happy for my DC to go back to school if they could find a way to make it safe to do so, but it seems like that was impossible.

I don’t know... maybe this is why I elect an MP. To be smarter than I am and come up with solutions! But our children’s right to an education seems to be disappointingly overlooked.

Primary aged kids don't just miraculously arrive at school. Parents, grandparents or childminders have to get them there and that puts them at risk. Yes all children have a right to an education but not at the expense of other people's lives. I think schools need more time to prepare and look at how social distancing could work and the decision as to opening should be left to individual schools. We would be failing children as a society if adequate measures are not put in place so children can have an access to education.

For the original poster education does not begin and end with school. Instead of pointing the blame elsewhere you need to take some responsibility for your own child and should be motivating him yourself. If his school provision of work is inadequate use bbc bitesize, use google and access the many free websites with age appropriate work for your kid to do. There are loads of resources for children his age. You can practice timetables over breakfast, get him to read a book and write a short summary of it, write his own story, practice spellings etc. Take an active interest in your child's education and parent!

I appreciate there are parents who are working from home or still going out to work, have more than one child, few electronic devices at home or can't afford to buy cgp books for their children but you ought to at least attempt to make an effort in teaching your child and motivating them is really up to you.

It’s your responsibility to look after your own health. Are we all doctors, too?

My DD is doing ok. She’s five. Her P1 was cut so abruptly short that it’s heartbreaking. She LOVED school.

But as I said above, I can’t fault the provision made by the school. Her teacher has been fab. They have done what they can. My struggle comes from working full time from home. It’s hard to keep her motivated as the novelty has well and truly worn off now. Her friends parents are all saying exactly the same thing.

She loves to read and write so I have her doing things like writing letters to her grandparents just to keep her practising. She reads me a book before bed every night just to keep it all ticking over and there are little online games and tasks we do together. We have her “tricky words” in a jar and we go through them a few times a week. The number work is a problem, she could not be less interested in it and it’s a chore dragging her through it but we do try. I think she’s only really maybe doing an hour a day.

If education starts at home, give back your salary which is funded through the public's taxes. Working parents can take a sabbatical whilst they focus on schooling their children.

You've got degrees, training and years of experience. You're doing yourself and your profession a disservice to suggest that it's something anyone can just do.

And being incredibly dismissive of parent's efforts. The learning environment in school is a huge part of engaging the children, being with their peers, discussion, the requirement to show up. To expect kids to work from home and self motivate properly when many uni students and working adults struggle is unfair. They're too young and this has been too sudden.

I'd also point out that you are in a public sector job, which I presume you think is safe or these antics wouldn't be happening. Many parents are not in such a position, having to work with the kids at home and manage their own anxiety about finances and losing their job.

Comparing that to the classroom is ridiculous.

Dippy yes but the absence of access doesn't mean that the provision should not be made for those who can, or want to.

Also wasn't there something about laptops being provided to vulnerable or have I imagined that?

GREAT post savehalloween

Absolutely

Well said @savehalloween

But I’m beginning to wonder what the point of teachers are at all, given that apparently we are our children’s educators, there’s loads of stuff online anyway, Oaktree academy lessons are available.

Perhaps it’s time to save the public purse some money.

Hahaha! Feel. Free.

@DippyAvocado I was going to copy and paste the whole section from RCPH - which says exactly what you just said, but with footnotes which nuance it - but it seems that actually children are more at risk of catching it from adults than vice versa from the research in the Netherlands and Australia...

I’ve not read the full thread.
Resources here
www.thenational.academy/#

www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize

Article here
www.theguardian.com/education/2020/may/12/like-the-open-university-we-now-need-an-open-school-for-the-whole-country

Hahaha! Feel. Free

That’s what we’re being to told to do on this very thread though.

I think teachers need to be careful about the long term implications of what they’re saying now.

Great that some teachers are working, delivering classes online and marking work.

My children's teachers aren't. They are setting intermittent work, might get marked, might not, no feedback, no support. DD logged into a timetabled session yesterday for a subject and no teacher logged on.

They are not earning their salaries at the moment.

I'm amazed at how many teachers (supposedly professional and intelligent people) can ignore the science and stats about Covid and children.

Same goes for parents.

I wonder too how many parents saying they don't want their child to go to school have broken lockdown at all? Given the number of children from many different families playing out in the road and gardens on VE day it seems somewhat hypocritical.