Our children have the right to an education.

[NameChange738676756]

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.

Normally I can’t take a group of kids across the road to the park without risk assessments in triplicate. If there’s a dodgy swing, I don’t pick up on it and someone gets hurt, I’m in bother - and rightly so.

The “science bit” in the government guidance says nothing about children as spreaders. The whole document is about minimising contact between groups of children. It’s obviously considered to be a problem. So now I’m risk assessing not just for X, Y and Z but for X’s little brother who has muscular dystrophy, Y’s diabetic granny who lives with them to do childcare while mum and dad work, Z’s dad who is a pillar of the Muslim community but is a bit on the portly side and in his late 50s. So forgive me if I’d rather take a bit longer to get things right.

Please note - taking a bit longer to get things right / review best practice in other countries / gather evidence of actual virus levels in the local community does not equate to I want to hide away at home doing nothing on full pay until a vaccine.

And to the poor poster upthread who is a single parent and obviously really struggling - please try to have a chat with your children’s teachers or head. We would be offering at least a few hours in school under the provision for vulnerable children if you spoke to us.

Children have a right to an education yes. They also have a right for that education setting to be a safe environment. Rush them back to soon and their right to education in a safe setting is being denied.

mumneedswine haven't you got some marking to do?

The R rate may not drop much more by September. What then?

And it's pointless to wait til September just so teachers are happy that the R rate is low enough if that's at the expense of the NHS being able to cope this winter, or us being plunged into the worst recession in 90 years.

Ok currently on my break PP! Let's just think here. Health workers and carers who are in a similar proximity to their patients as teachers are to children ALL have wear PPE for protection. Generally they only seen a small number of patients. The staff at the supermarket, they have screens gloved and masks, bus drivers the same. Now teachers :no PPE is needed apparently, no social distancing can be implemented. Your childs teacher gets Covid comes to work as no symptoms
they give it to your DC no symptoms, they gives it to your DH or DP they die.....
We see many fit and healthy adults ill and dieing with this. There has been public out cry at the deaths of health workers who can wear PPE but your DC right to an education means it's ok for their teacher to work unprotected .... just stop and think what your saying . I'm not a teacher but a health care worker. No my children aren't in school as my husband is working from home. Just stop and think about what really matters.

@qweryuiop

I wonder if people could extrapolate to how teachers can't do their job properly either while teaching their own children.

Agree, qweryuiop. Teachers as parents trying to home educate/work with young children are in an equally challenging position as non-teacher parents trying to wfh. Perhaps that's why some teachers have been limited in the work/feedback they have been able to provide. They need understanding/tolerance (and, ultimately schools and childcare back up running so they themselves can do their jobs properly).

@Whatsername177

… we must consider the safety of the young people we teach too.

I completely understand where you’re coming from here, although we need to balance this against the risks which long-term school closures present. To the extent that appropriate measures can be taken to reduce the risk, it would be negligent of schools as employers not to take them and, if that means keeping schools shut a few weeks longer, I think parents would (and should!) accept this so long as there is an ‘action plan’ for the way forward (i.e. an explanation of what measures will be taken to mitigate the risks in the additional time).

Sadly, I also think that the risk for some families with vulnerable adults/children may presently be too great for these children to return to school. Ideally, they should be supported to stay home and given as much help as possible with their education (given often limited school resources).

I do think we need to move to considering risk for different groups on an individualised basis and try to get as many people back to normal as possible.

Hatingthevirtuous

Lost my business, so furloughed on £250 pm and benefit.
Luckily we don't need money for bills as don't have them really, and those we have are minimal thank God.
Mine is A level now, so teaching Art and Music atm.

Tbh, with a Primary aged child you are looking at 2 hours a day tops, this would cover a full day at school.
But even an hour is better than nothing.
Helping when they are stuck, and just showing an interest is far better than being on here or fb bashing teachers. (Not saying you are doing this).

It isn't a strike if you refuse to work in unsafe conditions. That is allowed in law.

I'm staggered at how many parents are happy for their children to go back to an unsafe classroom.

Not sure why some of you send your kids to school since teachers are such a useless bunch of layabouts.

Quite the opposite. It is because many parents value the education that teachers provide for their children that they do not feel they can provide an effective education at home and are keen for schools to go back.

I'm setting and marking work so that pupils have an education. I agree - it isnt the parents job to educate their children. You enrol them in school, I teach them. The schools shut down due to an unprecedented pandemic. I set work via on online platform or post work home (depending on your circumstances). I make a video to clarify written instructions. I mark and give feedback. I set more work and do another video. I mark and give feedback. Repeat ad infinitum. Alongside which I answer queries, phone pupils who need a verbal explanation. What more can I actually do, other than come and sit in your garden and teach through the window?

Of course, but maybe you have a partner and surplus money so you could cut down hours for your children?

Sure. I'll tell my employer I'm cutting my hours, I'm sure they'll say "whatever you want, Iwalk" and not "this is a full time role and if you can't do full time hours you can't do the job, so when will we receive your formal resignation?". DH is currently furloughed and if not made redundant (a very real possibility for many if not most furloughed workers) he will return to work without a quibble when recalled. Having spent a period on a very low income, I am not going back to the days of crying in fear when the post comes, spending most of my waking hours anxious about money, panicking when a dc says their shoes are etc, unless I have literally no choice.

I don't want schools to reopen because I need childcare (I am entitled to a keyworker place if I want it, although I'm not currently using them as it would be daft whilst DH is furloughed), I want schools to reopen because it is my genuine belief it will be of benefit to the dc for many, many reasons.

This such a shit storm.

Apart from Sixth form and GCSE years who I have no good solutions for - That's who teachers really have to pull it out for, I think the rest will catch up. it's going to be like a really really long summer break.

It's all the off radar kids I worry for. Those in chaotic households or with no space or tech etc. There has been such a low take up for these kids.

The kids in homes where mums care enough to have a go on MN will be ok.

Iwalk

That is your decision, but you can't expect teachers to work in unsafe conditions. Would you work if it wasn't safe for you to do so?
I know many parents are trying their best to work and educate their children. Sadly there are those who just bash teachers and haven't even tried to educate their children.
I find it both hypocritical and ironic that teachers are bashed when it's the parents responsibility.

Sure, I’ll teach my own children full time while everyone else delivers their own babies and investigates their own crime complete with making their own arrests because otherwise I don’t love my children enough.

I’m absolutely certain that there are lots of teachers reading this in despair at how some of the “teach your own kids, we’re too special” brigade are making an otherwise incredible group of professionals look.

@Devlesko

Things sound pretty tough and sounds like you're doing a great job.

But, as I'm sure you recognise/remember, wfh looks pretty different with toddler/pre-school/young primary kids. Helping when stuck and taking an interest doesn't cut it. They don't leave you alone to get anything done, ever.

While I'm sure A-level students come with their own challenges, I'd happily swap children at the moment. Give me a sulky teenager (though I'm sure yours is lovely...) over an incessantly demanding small person any day when you're stuck with them 24/7 and trying to work.

I'm staggered at how many parents are happy for their children to go back to an unsafe classroom

We live in London...I have a secondary aged ds who walks to school.

I am far more fearful of knife crime and traffic than I am of covid

Jojobar - I guess you are betting on immunity being long lasting. If corona mutates like the flu (for which you need a yearly flu jab, which is sometimes not effective) - we have a big problem.

The rest of the world would quite rightly block British travellers because it becomes a source of infection.

Under the UN convention On the rights of the child children have the right to an education and to attend school (Article 28).

Amongst other rights currently swept away such as the right to see friends (Article 15)

Some awful and nasty comments.

My sister in on full pay and furloughed. She works in an office. No one is having a go at her for not working.

I'm a teacher. I have two young children at home. My partner is also working full time as a key worker. My children's nursery is closed. I work 3 days a week and currently am working 5 days a week plus weekend time to support the children at home. We got no easter break as we were in school looking after key worker children and this will continue over half term as well.

I want to get back to school as I miss teaching my class, however, the government guidelines are unrealistic and impossible.

I would not dream of having a go at anyone else for not working when I have no idea of their circumstances or have done their job.

@iamruth see my post above. It's my job to teach your kids. 100% agree with that. But honestly, read my post and tell me what more I can do. Please.

The staff at the supermarket, they have screens gloved and masks

Screens yes, but in none of my local supermarkets are workers wearing masks. Some have gloves but as gloves don't provide any benefit I'd rather they save the planet and don't bother.

We see many fit and healthy adults ill and dieing with this

No, we don't. Numbers of young healthy adults who have died are very small. Indeed as was posted upthread the death rates in certain age groups are DOWN on the average. Don't worry when the recession kicks in though you'll see a lot more poverty related deaths, in all age groups.

Just stop and think about what really matters

What matters is the bigger picture. Teachers are not looking at this. If they were they would be finding ways to implement a 1 June return rather than posit all the reasons why it can't be done.

@iamruth

Definitely agree that some people took it far too far by quoting the law that parents are required to provide an education, which implied that parents should be educating their children independently, which is obviously not fair. Teachers do have expertise and should (most, but not all, are) be using these to support parents to educate their children in these difficult times. However, the OP said "My 11 year old has lost all interest and I can’t get him to do anything significant," which suggested that they felt that motivating him was the sole job of a teacher (I'm sorry OP as it may well be that this isn't what you meant). In normal times or now, teachers and parents must work together to motivate children.

And teachers have the right to be safe. We have no PPE! Or do you think teachers are robots?

Schools should be setting meaningful work and reviewing it. Some, where they are confident that the children have individual access to the tech required, may do this synchronously with live lessons. Many, who do not have that confidence, will set work to be done asynchronously. I got a message at 2.50am from a student doing some Maths I'd set. I did not respond immediately (!), but I did respond, as I do to all students who complete work. I also message them to give them a nudge if I don't see anything from them. If your child's school is doing nothing at all, then IMO they are not meeting the basic expectations. However, parents do need to support with the motivation to engage with the work, in the same way that parents need to get their child to school when school is open. If appropriate work is provided, and the child is not engaging, that is not, in the current situation, disregard for the right of a child to education.