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?

I've been in school throughout. And it has been a fabulous experience for the kids. Lots of forest school, free play etc. Yes, we pick the little ones up if they cry. We put a plaster on a scuffed knee. We cut their food up for them if they need it. They run around and play together etc. Just all with a lot of handwashing etc etc. You can't socially distance from small children.

It's all bollocks frankly. We might as well stop with the hypocrisis and lift all restrictions.

Parents whose kids are at school together will no longer refuse play dates, why would they. They will no longer stop seeing each other, because their kids are together anyway.

This country wants to go back to "normal" and we are doing just that.

I am tempted to give my own family a couple more months to see if this is successful, or people get negatively affected.

With regards to Eton, how the hell can they socially distance people who share bedrooms and showers? It’s a completely different ballgame.
Also, they have excellent online provision and all their students have access to technology, so they are missing far less educationally than some state school pupils.

Parents whose kids are at school together will no longer refuse play dates, why would they. They will no longer stop seeing each other, because their kids are together anyway*

I don’t know what ‘people’ you’re referring to in that statement, but how the hell do you know what people will do?
If mine go back to school but we’re told to otherwise maintain social distancing, that’s what I’ll do. As will the people I know.

Really getting pissed off with people saying things like "Eton isn't going back til September" or " schools should reopen when private schools go back".

The kids at private school are fine. They are privileged kids, from nice homes, probably getting homeschooled right now by educated parents. Much like most of the kids of people posting on Mumsnet and whining about 'the new normal' daily.

It is NOT like this for all kids. I worked in a deprived area in the north where there was high levels of neglect. I made kids toast in the mornings out of my own money as most hadn't had breakfast and had parents who were still in bed at school start time so brought themselves to school on an empty stomach, usually late. We had constant visits from education welfare officers, educational psychologists, community police officers, camhs... A whole village of professionals worked together to keep those kids safe. We had sexually active year fives. I confiscated weed in the playground more than once.

These kids are out there now, with no trusted adults looking out for them. They need to be in school. Much more desperately than fucking Eton.

@ScreamingKid very sensible post.

I'm not a teacher any more but I would hate to work in these conditions. Teaching and learning should be fun and there will be no fun whatsoever. What about PE? It's hated by a lot of primary teachers as it is. Here's a chance to down grade it yet again. Little kids sitting rigidly at hard desks. It's like Victorian schooling. What about children with behavioural difficulties especially in Y6? Lots of ingenious ways of causing havoc there.

If your child doesn't need to be there... Lucky them and lucky you! But we need to work to get the schools open for the ones who need it

I don’t know what ‘people’ you’re referring to in that statement, but how the hell do you know what people will do?

I am just reading facebook groups, local groups and the school whatsapp. Parents also already arranging for group pick up and drop off because it's not convenient for each parent to be expected to do both.

You might chose to respect the previous social distancing guidelines, but many others are not. The reasoning being that by sending the kids to school, there's no longer social distancing anyway 🤷

Might be outing, but there's a discussion right now about a join birthday party and where to hold it as the indoor spaces are not reopened just yet!

I do not think the government actually wants schools to maintain the level of social distancing many schools are suggesting.

I've noticed lots of schools are scaremongering parents about how they won't approach children to help with activities etc. Imho they are making a meal of it because they are trying to deter parents from sending children in at all. I think there's a mentality in education whereby they expected there would be nothing til Sept and there's resentment about having to try to do a month juggling pupils returning with extra safety, and some kids at home (understandably, as this is really hard).

They do not seem to understand that the extra 3 months with zero childcare will literally fuck our economy beyond repair, and that the risk of not reopening schools is worse than the risk of opening them.

Why can't people see? This whole thing has been overegged for the majority. There are absolutely vulnerable groups - care homes, the very elderly, the obese and those with certain conditions. It would have been far more effective to focus absolutely on isolating and protecting those groups.

Of course there would still have been tiny numbers of young healthy people who would have got it. Much as tiny proportions of such people get sick/die every year from other causes.

We MUST return to normal.

My 10 year old has gone back to school in France under those conditions, they also get a temperature scan every morning and her teacher wears a mask. She is not fucked up, she is totally delighted to be back with her friends and her teacher. She's a very good student but was finding it difficult to keep motivated on her own and misses her friends. It's not childcare, it is a continuation of her education and development, even if it is a very challenging situation.

Better to get used to it know as it is very likely we'll be in the same situation in Sept waiting for another wave. Much more damaging for kids to be isolated over a long period of time IMO, especially if there are not at risk factors with the kids health or the family's health.

Whether or not the UK is ready to send kids back is another question, given the high number of cases but when it is time, this is the way it will probably be for the forseeable future.

Agree NoIDontWatchLoveIsland. Our school have clearly said ‘we do not expect the children to social distance’ and social distancing is not included in the plans.
Government guidance is that they do not expect young children to social distance.

These kids are out there now, with no trusted adults looking out for them. They need to be in school. Much more desperately than fucking Eton.

schools might be the least "bad" choice for these extreme cases, but that's really not an argument to encourage any parent to send their kids!

Eton isn't going back til September Eton is fully boarding and they have lots of international pupils. You can't enforce social distancing in a residential setting. The pupils will be learning at home.

@upthewolves yes yes and yes !

These kids are out there now, with no trusted adults looking out for them. They need to be in school. Much more desperately than fucking Eton.

Absolutely this. And not just kids with no one looking out for them but kids stuck with adults who will be hurting them on a regular basis and badly at that. And so many of those children can't speak up about that hurt until they reach adulthood - not all abuse gets spotted or picked up on.

I can't understand why more people don't get that. Children are being harmed by lockdown. They need to be back in school and mixing with other children. I just saw another human and had proper quality time with someone I care about for the first time in weeks. We had to keep our distance. It helped my mental health so much even though I couldn't give him a hug. We laughed and had a great chat and it made a lot of difficulties melt away. Children will benefit in the same way.

My 10 year old has gone back to school in France under those conditions

good for her, but it seems that a very important amount of schools have refused to reopen, and quite a few others are closing again due to coronovirus risks.

It sounds like the debate in France is still going and even more strongly than in the uk.

Why can't people see? This whole thing has been overegged for the majority. There are absolutely vulnerable groups - care homes, the very elderly, the obese and those with certain conditions. It would have been far more effective to focus absolutely on isolating and protecting those groups

Absolutely 100% this. This virus is not lethal for the vast (vast) majority. We know so much more about it than we did. Locking down was sensible. Continuing to lockdown is disproportionate and is going to do so much more harm than the virus. Shield the vulnerable, get everyone else going again.

Children are being harmed by lockdown. They need to be back in school and mixing with other children.

it will do a lot more harm to many children to go back in the wrong conditions.

Send yours back by all means, but don't expect everybody else to agree.

@oneandtwenty I am not in any way encouraging parents to send their kids! You have the choice. I haven't even decided whether I'm going to send my own - waiting the schools plan for reopening this week. What I'm saying is, all the uproar about social distancing/ the 'new normal' is creating a danger of the schools not opening at all. And we need them open for the ones that are safer there than they are in school.

Antibody testing may also reveal that a greater number of people have had it with fewer symptoms. This is a disease we must learn to live with.

I hope anyone who is being mega anxious about it/pressing for continued lock down is doing everything they can to self protect too, e.g

• lose weight if you are overweight
• stop smoking
• do everything your doctor suggests to prevent type 2 diabetes, eg dietary changes, increase exercise.
• protect the vulnerable in your family. DON'T use 75 yr old grandad for childcare.

The Eton comparisons are pointless - it’s like comparing apple and pears. It’s not a primary school first kf all and secondly it’s a boarding school with international students. Of course it’s not possible for students from other countries to travel to the Uk now and share bedrooms! Many Uk boardinf schools announced ages ago that they won’t open until September. I bet they all have excellent online teaching anyway.

If you are a parent who is neglecting your child, are you likely to send your child to school when it is optional? Unfortunately the most vulnerable children are the ones who are in the stay at home camp rather than send to school camp.

I've just posted this on a different thread, but it occurred to me that most children currently in school are those of key workers, many of whom are in touch with the infected; therefore we might have expected to see large numbers of cases arising from this if the dangers were as great as some claim

I'm not aware that any such large clusters have arisen - surely the unions would have told us if so - and wonder if this is perhaps some reassurance around more children returning to school?

Op stop being so precious! Kids will adapt to the new ways