If school cannot go back normally, they shouldn't go back?

[UnderReview]

Especially primary schools. Social distancing cannot be the new 'normal'! It will really fuck kids up. They'll be scared of normal contact and germaphobes for life. It's not OK. No school would be better than playing on your own in a chalk draw box in the playground or sitting on a table by yourself. It would be a nightmare for teachers too and is ultimately useless. If a kid sneezes on the way in to class or in the toilet and touches a tap or the wall, or coughs on a tray of pencils, etc... and they're sharing the same air in the classroom.... and the teacher cannot possibly stay two metres away, what if a child falls over or is in pain?! Or choking? I don't know what the answer is, but it can't be social distancing in schools. Or AIBU?

Staff will not be allowed to come close and help your child with their learning..

So classes are going to be mini lectures.. And if the kids don't understand.. Then what??
I have a 14 year old really struggling with maths and due to sit national 5 next year.. If teachers cant approach a desk then whats the point

I really do fear for my sons education

Surely if children are in a bubble of a number of children, yet their best friends are in a different bubble yet in the same classroom, will they not feel upset that they cannot interact / play with them . Also , I feel by children going back it will naturally feel like things are becoming more normal so some parents will loosen their resolve and perhaps allow children to mix out of school thus breaking bubbles.
Taking this further , yes I'm aware children are more likely to not show symptoms / get it only mildly - but are the children of parents in front line jobs likely to pass it into parents that have kept their children indoors etc because of a family member who needs to take extra care.
What we definitely don't want are parents saying they don't want their child in that bubble because of xyz !
Personally I think there will be many issues aside from the complications of covid.

Nobody has to send their children back to school either on 1st June or at all. The government have already said they're not to fine parents who don't send their children back before the summer holidays.

If everything is okay in September and schools go back generally, parents will have to decide whether to send the children back in the new normal or deregister and home educate.

However, people planning to home educate will have to do so without teacher support when schools are back full time and employers are unlikely to be flexible about work and childcare when there is an option to return children to school.

The bubbles should be in different classrooms. They will go out to play at different times. Many schools are organising lunch to be eaten in the classrooms, partly because the dining hall will have to be used as an additional classroom.

Our staff will not be able to come up close to your child and help with their learning as they would have done normally. No learning will happen then.

I wonder how long the 15 children bubble will last though. Certainly not in our primary when other years are phased in. There's just not enough school space and rooms for classes to be split round the building

UnderReview ok you won't have heard about this having just arrived from Mars, but the younger ones have to go back so that their parents can go to work and you need people to go to work to give you all the things you need from electricity to beefburgers.

If kids don't go back to school
How can people work, if we can't work now can we afford to live, it's simple in my eyes and my child will be going back as I'm still working and trying to look after her at hone and it's becoming very stressful and hard. Covid is around tonstay and we need to get used to it and manage as best we can. I'm getting quite sick of hearing people on social media saying people are awful mums for send h their kids back to school, but some of us have to work so what else is the solution?

Our teachers have been told if they need to come up to a child in class they need to stand behind them (although I am sure the child would just turn round!) But I think they are mainly being encouraged to stay at the front of the class.

It won’t be proper lessons, certainly not to start with

My school has explicitly told parents that the child will be encouraged to care for their own bumps and scrapes. That if they need assistance, parents will be called to come and administer. And the child will wait in an empty room for the parent to arrive.

Not only are you being ridiculous, but you're just making shit up.

I agree OP - my mum is a teacher who is still working and it sounds so shit. one child per desk, not allowed to play together at lunch or play with the same toys, one of the kids gets really panicky apparently if someone goes anywhere near her (this is obviously outside of the 2m) presumably because at home the social distancing message has been pushed so much.

following from that, my friend has a 5 year old who is scared to leave the house at all because the stay at home message has been pushed so much.

I really dont know what the answer is but I have to disagree with those saying this wont affect kids long term. it absolutely will - this is very memorable. I still suffer with anxiety now based on certain things that happened in my childhood. feel very sorry for children right now.

I know it's the daily ail but if this is the reality, no way am I sending my children anywhere near.

Siri, show me a school that is posting for PR reasons rather than to inform.

Thankfully our school isn’t doing anything so extreme or daft. They are clearly worried, emphasising they can’t eliminate risk, and planning bubbles smaller than 15 for the classes coming back first. But they are being honest, constructive and not engaging in alarming bullshit, for which I am grateful and think more of them.

My child isn’t in one of the first years back back being away from school is creating enough MH havoc for him. I’m reassured that school will be well planned and human if and when his class are invited back.

Everyone needs to get a grip. For most people this is no worse than a normal cough or cold. We are very likely to get it at some point so all we can do is minimise the risk. But there is still a risk everytime we leave the house or bring something in. Our children cannot spend months more at home. There are too many children losing our and parents unable to work.

Social distancing cannot be the new 'normal'! It will really fuck kids up. They'll be scared of normal contact and germaphobes for life.

So having to maintain a social distance at school is bad for kids, but keeping them at home and not allowing them to see anyone will be better?

the no staff would stand by and watch a child choke is something to be asked, even doctors and nurses have been told not to even start resuscitation until theyve got their gowns masks gloves on! so if a person collapses they must wait while staff get the right ppe on...maybe school teachers get same advice. so much needs clarifying

Some kids are at serious risk because they are NOT in school. Others are at less risk but are being neglected, and are receiving no education at all. For others they are going hungry. Parents who wish to keep their kids at home can, you can home school permanently - for everyone else it's a balance of risks

We had to decide by lunchtime today and I've opted for no.

and the teacher cannot possibly stay two metres away, what if a child falls over or is in pain?! Or choking?

FGS. Any teacher/TA/school staff would rush to the aid of a child who was choking and all thought of social distancing would be out of the window.

The problem is the children who need to be visible at school probably still won’t come in until it is made compulsory. Isn’t about only 10% of vulnerable children who could be in school are actually in school at the moment. And they take priority over the year groups going back too.

a person collapses they must wait while staff get the right ppe on...maybe school teachers get same advice. so much needs clarifying

They might get the same advice but given that they won't have PPE (it's not necessary for school staff apparently....) they won't have anything to put on. School staff are expendable, medical staff are not. Term time non-teaching school jobs used to be like gold dust, it'll be interesting to see how unpopular they become now.

YABU.

Whatever 'normal' is, it's not going to be what it was back in February. And we can't just put life on hold forever until we reach some undefined state of 'normal'.

Schools have to start going back when it is reasonably safe for them to do so and there are reasonable measures in place for both children and staff, to ensure everyone's wellbeing.

My DS was at a special school in England until the schools closed . We are no longer in England but we still get school emails. The school has said that they need to be honest and upfront from the start, and so are clear there will be no social distancing at the school when school goes back.

Im with you OP. Seems to schools are one up from coldiz

That’s pretty fucking offensive.

Eton is an utterly ridiculous comparison, it’s a boarding school with all the kids coming from different parts of the UK. Nearly as ridiculous as the constant crap about ‘schools should go back when the HOC goes back to full sitting’