A quick poll - year 6 returning to school

[Lougle]

I have to decide whether to send DD3 back to school on June 1st. I am a SAHM, so I don't 'need' to send her back for work purposes.

The school has told us the measures they'll be taking, and the general message is "We'll be here for your children, but they aren't going to get any more teaching than the children who stay at home."

So Google Classroom set work. Groups of 8 kept 2m apart. Eat lunch in Classroom. Don't mix with other groups.

YABU - don't send her in. YANBU - send her in.

I can't see the voting button but I would vote YABU, as I am in exactly the same situation with my year 6 DS and won't be sending him in.

I can't see any benefit for him at all, he would like to go and see his teacher and friends again but wouldn't cope with the enforced differences in routine and contact, so I think preparing him for just one change in September when he goes up to high school is better for his MH.

We’re in a similar position and have decided to keep our Year 6 son at home too. We are coping reasonably well with home schooling. He is missing his friends but the proposed learning conditions at school will not allow him to mix with his friends anyway.
It just feels too soon and I don’t want to send him in to an environment that might cause anxiety. I am concerned about his transition to secondary school but we will cross that bridge when we come to it.

Given our secondary schools aren't going to be back, transition will be limited to " this is what secondary school might be like, but we don't really know yet!"

I have a DD in year 6 and I'm 99% sure I won't be sending her in. If she really wants to go and say goodbye then I will but it isn't the transition they need is it. No hugging people , no real goodbye , no concert nothing so I don't see the point exposing her to anything or the anxiety it will cause.

This is really interesting. My school Facebook group seems to favour sending them in. I'm torn, and the poll is, so far, almost 50/50 too. It feels like a really big decision.

The latest guidance says that if schools can’t have all priority year groups in full time (due to space or staffing), they have to focus on the youngest ones only. My sister in law’s school will only be having Y1 and reception back.

My son is in Y6 and I've decided not to send him back. It really doesn't seem worth it to me. A few friends/family members are sending their kids back, though, and I don't judge them for it. We're all doing what we think is best.

I was going to say that @Redlocks28. If many parents of the younger age groups agree to send their children in, Y6 parents may not end up with a choice anyway. Especially as the Government have said no part-time or rota either. If your school has a nursery as well Y1 pupils may struggle to get a place too. Vulnerable and key worker children take top priority still. With most teachers back on school site their children will probably take up quite a few places.

DD will be going, but only because we have all had the virus here. I’m sure I would feel differently if we hadn’t.

The majority of her class feel is a risk for what is only 12 days of learning.

The main questions you need to ask yourself are how is your y6 at the moment mentally, and are they engaging with educational activities.

If they are doing fine on both then by all means keep them at home. There is no great benefit to you, and it might help the schools if initially at least fewer children attend.

There is nothing to stop you keeping them at home to start with and eg returning in July.

My school is planning 2 day weeks to keep groups small enough.

@FireUnderpants technically they are not meant to do that, but I am sure many schools will.

DD3 goes to a junior school, so no YR/Y1 to consider. They're using 8 downstairs classrooms with 8 children and 2 adults per class. So it's luxurious compared to the Government guidelines. It is just that sense that if I send her in when I don't need to, it's making things less safe for everyone else.

DH is also a site manager at 4 schools, so we're already exposed to 4 schools, then DD3 on top would be 5. Eventually, when DD1 & DD2 go back, we'll be exposed to 7 schools each week.

My DD will be going in. School have offered year 6 Mondays and Tuesdays, Wednesday is a cleaning day and Thursdays and Fridays for R and year one. Key workers DC are in everyday but in our small school there are only a few of those.

I'm a sahm so don't need to send her in but she is lonely and I think a change of scenery for two days a week, seeing her teachers and friends would benefit her. I'm not expecting much learning to get done, only thinking of the mental health/social aspect.

I have two ds as well, not in year groups going back, but if they were I would probably keep them at home as I don't feel they are suffering as much as DD by not being at school.

@ineedaholidaynow Especially as the Government have said no part-time or rota either.
On the 50 pay guidance they said the opposite. Has that changed?

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I'll be sending mine. I need to wfh and he hasn't been engaging well with home learning. His secondary have been sending transition tasks weekly to introduce some of the teachers which is nice but I want him to see his teachers and peers for a few weeks. I'm not overly concerned with the risk element.

We are doing 2 days a week for R,1 and 6. The guidance is just that - guidance.

Are the MPs with kids in private schools sending them back or are private schools staying closed?

I've said a tentative yes to Y6 DD going back. She hasn't done any schoolwork. School have already offered her a place but she'd be the only year 6 at the moment.

Her secondary have been in touch and putting up school tour videos. They are hoping to offer a visit at some point.

It is only guidance but if schools can offer full time for a whole year group, that is preferable. I expect academy trusts and LEAs will have things to say about it if parents complain that a rota means they can’t get back to work.

My headteacher says so far they've had 3 versions of the guidance, each with slight changes from the first.

The latest guidelines say full time should be offered.

On Thursday night they sent a further guidance out saying strictly no part-time or rota, but there was a paragraph at the beginning of the guidance saying this document was simply guidance. They then sent out a further document on Friday night again emphasising that part-time should not be offered and if you couldn’t fit all classes in you need to prioritise the youngest ones ie nursery if school have one, YR if not. I haven’t read this document in detail but I couldn’t see the ‘this is only for guidance’ paragraph.

I'll be sending DS in as I am wfh full time and a single parent. I have not been able to give him the supervision he needs to do the work as I need to focus a lot in my job and he is none stop chatter so it's impossible! We are in a different school system here so he wont be changing school in September but I think he needs a few weeks back so he doesnt go totally feral as is on his xbox all day at the moment

Private schools are covered by the same rules as State schools in this instance.