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.

For those parents that are simply unable to do any school work with their children, for the children that are left in bed all day or on screens because parents are finding it hard to cope working full time as well. For the children without food, proper bedding, abused or afraid.

Six whole months of this will be life changing. Absolutely life changing in the most negative way.

Not every child will make it.

Education is much more than simply learning how to spell, do an equation successfully, for most if not all children it is a way of life, and for many a lifeline.

Safeguarding laws, are why there are no zoom style lessons

Nonsense. There are no laws saying no zoom/google meet. Many schools (especially private ones) are doing zoom or meet.

For those parents that are simply unable to do any school work with their children, for the children that are left in bed all day or on screens because parents are finding it hard to cope working full time as well. For the children without food, proper bedding, abused or afraid.

Six whole months of this will be life changing. Absolutely life changing in the most negative way.

A million times this

The unions aren't saying schools shouldn't go back, they are saying the government needs to set out clearer and more realistic measures to allow it to happen safely. You would hope any union would do the same for their staff.

There are no laws saying no zoom/google meet. Many schools (especially private ones) are doing zoom or meet.

It’s very interesting that many private schools are using it.

Puts in perspective the many state schools who were very quick to say they couldn’t possibly.

OP I agree, and they also need the social interaction for their mental health but they’ve been sold out completely over this. I shall be hiding the thread after this as the hysterical brigade are out - and of course the parent bashing and assuming people can’t take responsibility for their kids.

I am happy to plan and resource learning for my kids (I’m having to for one of them as school have been shameful). Happy to carry it out. Even made tentative arrangements to put my own life on hold if they’re not fully back in September.

What I am not prepared to do is watch a normally happy and resilient little 7 year old girl become what can only be termed clinically depressed with a brain “so full of sad it won’t let me sleep because I miss my friends so much”. GP is aware but not helpful and what help can he give?!

This is a direct result of school closures and a steady and alarming decline in normally the happiest natured kid in the class who is smiling throughout everything.

Good luck OP - you won’t get much intelligent response on here once the hive mind have you on their radar.

The risk to adults is not ‘very high’ until they are over 70. Very very few 70 year olds are teaching and in my children’s’ schools the vast majority of teachers are in the under 45 - no more risk of death than in a normal year even under the worst measure group.

And stop being so goady

@pussycatinboots

It's goady to ask what constitutes a safe working environment? Asking a simple question is goady? Good grief. People have every right to ask legitimate questions. If that's what you consider goady, you need a dictionary.

Six whole months of this will be life changing. Absolutely life changing in the most negative way.

Yes! Have we suddenly forgotten about the gap that occurs over the 6 week summer holidays? I'd be open to union suggestions that addressed these problems. Not just screaming it's unsafe! For many of us it really isn't

My 9 yr old has a disability that means he has had less than 6 hours a week of formal education for the last 2 years, and since lockdown has had nothing at all. This is despite the fact he has an EHCP and is legally entitled to 30 hours of 1-1 support every week to access a suitable education.

He has an IQ on the 99th centile, and scored 100% on his English SATS a couple of years ago. But he doesn't get an education. Nobody sends him home learning. Nobody organises Zoom lessons for him. Nobody thinks this matters. Nobody cares that he is missing a key childhood experience and being denied his legal right to an education so that he can reach his true academic potential.

He is one of thousands of children with additional needs who are denied their right to an education.

Nobody seemed to give a shiny shit about kids like him until all of a sudden everyone's children were forced into the same appalling situation, and now everyone is shouting about how children have the right to an education? I hope you'll be being as vocal about this subject after your own children have returned to school, because for my child and many many others there will be no return to school and this will carry on being their normal for probably the rest of their childhood.

Yes children have a right to education.

But likewise, everyone has a right to be treated by the NHS

That's stopped too!

My OH had his cancer treatment stopped mid cycle and has been left in limbo with no info at all as to when, or even if, his treatment will start again. He WILL die within a few weeks if it's not.

These essential public services MUST restart sooner rather than later and the workers need to stop hiding in corners and get back to doing what they're paid to do!

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned already but yes zoom teaching does pose a huge safeguarding risk. One that I have not seen many people talk about is that if all 30 children in a class are on screen in the meeting then any adult who is in any of those homes had access to any of the children on that meeting.
Adults without DBS checks are not allowed into classrooms but if zoom teaching happened then children will be exposed to all the adults who are in other childrens households. Not acceptable.

As someone who works in a school I am honestly itching to go back! When students are allowed to return however not all students will be in all day every day. This is not possible if we have to stick to the government guidelines of only 15 a class. There is not enough classrooms or enough staff (even if those sheilding decide to come in).

I know you probably feel it is not your responsibility to find resources to home school your child but there are a few groups on facebook with people who share homeschooling resources. There are stuff for all year groups so might be worth a look.
Just type in covid 19 home school groups and something should come up.

I know it's a really stressful time as parents but us staff have no input in when or how schools will re open to most students. We just do what the government recommends.

Nobody thinks this matters

Please be aware that there are many teachers who do. Some of us are fighting against unions and demanding that children's education, health and wellbeing is put at the top of the list. Many of us are doing our best for our students and are so worried about those that are not getting the support they deserve. Sadly, we are not the majority. Or maybe we are but we are too scared to step out of line in real life. Who knows. Your child matters, they all do.

DSs nursery is also doing zoom music sessions.

It doesn't matter that the risk to young people is low. The risk to adults is clearly very very high!

This is wrong. So many people fail to understand the risk (probably because the risk to elderly has been merged with the whole population to keep us all at home). The risk to adults under 50 with no other health issues is very low, and the risk to those under 70 is still not high. Over 70s and those with underlying health issue need to continue to self-isolate/shield and will need to do so for some time.

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned already but yes zoom teaching does pose a huge safeguarding risk. One that I have not seen many people talk about is that if all 30 children in a class are on screen in the meeting then any adult who is in any of those homes had access to any of the children on that meeting.
Adults without DBS checks are not allowed into classrooms but if zoom teaching happened then children will be exposed to all the adults who are in other childrens households. Not acceptable.

So is the risk higher than catching covid?

@fandajji thank you ❤️ But sadly, nobody who could change the situation thinks it matters! I have literally sat in meetings and been told "we do not have a suitable school place for your child"

@HairOfTheFrog
Couldn’t agree more
My son is similar, manages to attend school by the string of his teeth and needs lots of support.
Getting him to engage with home learning is so hard even though he is extremely bright. His anxiety is off the scale, he is not sleeping and says he is hearing voices. I contacted his Sw but they can’t offer any help.
All his support mechanisms have been taken away so not just his education and I fear for his mental health.
he is eligible to attend school because he has an EHCP but school refused to take him because they said 5hey could not cater for him despite his needs being clearly explained in his plan.

At the moment my children are not getting an education. I have three of them, the older two are upper-secondary, doing subjects I haven't much of a background in.

Scotland have a blanket ban on online teaching in state schools - either pre-recorded or using things like Zoom or Teams. There is an online portal and a chat function but the first day of operation the teachers disabled that because they had 200 children in the "maths room" all chatting to each other and the teacher's comments were lost in the crowd.

So all they are getting is an email with "here's this week's worksheet, email me if you have any problems". They are ALL struggling with being at home, not going out apart from walks. This is the best time of year for being out and about with long evenings and they're missing all of the Scout bbqs, guide sleepovers and summer term acitivities as well as education. We've had tears, strops, upset and downright anger.

Because of our differing school years in Scotland, we are facing the prospect of no school until August, with a huge knock-on for the exams this time next year. Ms Sturgeon has made it clear she won't be reopening schools, and schools at the moment are not teaching. I am generally a huge supporter of teachers but they are at the moment not doing the job they are paid to do.

The figures are still emerging but all indications are that children under 15 are at a vanishingly small risk. Older children slightly higher but still incredibly small. Most teachers are at a very very small risk too, as there aren't many 80 years olds still out there teaching.

We all know it's not going to be business as usual when schools go back as some parents will refuse to send their children back until they use their own extensive medical education and public health PhD to decide when it's safe. And some teachers will be off, and it might be part time, or certain subjects or whatever. But at the moment I'd take any restrictions over what they're getting now which is diddly squat.

Actually the education law states that a parent must cause their child to have a full time education suitable to their age, aptitude and any SEN they might have. The law states that a parent can do this by sending them to school or by an alternative - private school or home education. The schools are closed therefore, in law that option is not there and the onus falls back on the parent to provide the education. Those of us in the country (and there are many) who have had children completely failed by the school system and have ended up having to home educate children are only too aware of this!!

We know children are less susceptible and there is some discussion around whether they’re transmitting less.

WHO states that they're just as likely to get the virus as as adult. The fact that they may get it mildly is great for the child but not so great for the adults around them who perhaps won't realise they have the virus because they have no/ very mild symptoms.

The teacher/ nursery nurse/ TA working with that child won't have any PPE and won't be able to socially distance, so spending the whole day with them probably means they're at a fair risk of catching it.

YABU mostly because a right to an education doesn't make much sense, because if you have a right to something, then someone else is obligated to provide it. So in this instance you're saying that teachers are obligated to provide education for your child. But we are entering that never ever circumstance where there may be no teachers willing to teach. If no teachers are willing to teach (or, as importantly, not enough), then who do you suppose is obligated to provide that education.

So, YABU if you think this is a rights issues. You have a right to be free from persecution, a right to bodily integrity, to be free to associate with whom you wish, to worship whichever religion you believe (i.e.: you have a right to not be unduly interfered with by the state or other citizens), but you do not have a right to be provided with anything. Because that's an economic and social good, not a right. It is the product of a wealthy and well organised society, not the result of a right.

I agree. I live in an area of high deprivation and nearly 10% of primary school children have had no contact with the school whatsoever. These are kids whose parents don’t speak English, don’t have Internet at home, live in a single room with several siblings. They are going to lose years of life expectancy off the back of this.

Oh and to the "education starts at home" and "teach them yourselves" posters - fine for small children.

But if you could explain how my oldest does his Advanced Higher science subjects without labs and equipment, and how my middle one prepares for her Drama course without access to stage lighting, costume or you know, other people to direct in a scene I'd be grateful.