SAHP - BU to send DC back to school?

[Soopertooter]

Would I be unreasonable to send my Year R child back to school even though i am a SAHP?

DC is quite robust and adaptable so I do think they would enjoy being back despite the changes, and with two younger siblings to take care of at home we are barely doing any schooling.

However, I don't think we've had the virus and I worry about DS catching it and bringing it home. We are not high risk though.

I don't know what to do for the best.

@justdontatme that does sound totally grim. Have they given a justification for it?

The secretary told me that they need to keep the kids apart from each other so that if anyone gets ill the parents won’t be able to blame the school...

Seems ridiculous because surely parents are sending at their own risk. If the school is following the government guidance then how can parents blame the school?

I suspect they will have barely any takers, which is what they want.

I just feel so sorry for the poor families who don't have a choice because they need the childcare.

@justdontatme the preschool are being unnecessary. Besides any parent sending their child needs to be making an informed decision thst they accept the risks and schools will do what they can but it won't be risk free.

Yep, I think quite a few schools are deliberately making it as alienating as possible.

YANBU. There's lots of negative stuff on here, but my local primary is looking forward to welcoming the children back in June. I'm a governor and have seen the classroom set up. The kids will adapt - it will be fine.

I hope it isn’t ‘grim’ as people keep putting it. We don’t have to send our child back to school (Yr 6) but I just think it will be better for her to be schooled by her teacher than the stress of home schooling which has been a battle. She is happy doing a bit of work at home and then spending the rest of the time on her iPad but I want more variety for her and think the school will be better at engaging her in learning and creative tasks again. So she will be going back in two weeks on a see how it goes basis. If it is weird and she hates it ( which I doubt as she likes school usually), we will take her back out.

You do what's best for your child.

We got our child's school plan yesterday. We are not sending her. Theres 45 kids in her year. They are going to be in groups of 8-12 with one staff member. No guarentees who it will be. If that member goes off sick etc then that group of kids can't go to school. No hot meals will be served. No lunch in the hall. Only playing out in their small groups. So they won't be allowed to see large amounts of friends. They are doing 9.30-2.30 days. But Friday afternoon is closed for a deep clean . They are allowing kids back on June 2nd in reception. The following Monday the year ones can go back. Then they will consider year six kids if there will be room. All artwork will be removed from the wall. The teachers will be wearing ppe. The kids will be washing their hands alot. The cleaners will be cleaning the class alot. Most toys are being removed. Reading books will not be coming home.the curriculum is not being continued. If the child gets any illness they have to be tested. Even if it's just a normal cold. They can't touch or share blocks, sand, pencils etc. They can't touch their friends. No hand holding. No hugs.

I'm not sure it's a healthy environment to put my sensitive child into. She will want to see many of her friends that she has mixed with. If I say she is going back she is going to skip up the road thinking yay. She will be so excited to go down the steps into her old playground and into the eyfs classroom. Which is full of toys and colour. They have pets. They have dens and beanbags etc. All that's being taken away.

I took her home in march and said once the germs are gone you can go back. So therefore I'm not sending her back until she can have a fairly normal day. Come September this virus will have spiked or settled massively. They also will have to have all children back by that point. So I'll send her when it's more of a normality.

If your son is happy s d confident and you think he can handle the schools plan then ofcourse send him. It will be positive for some kids. I just fear the government are putting huge amounts of complications onto the staff. It's pretty sad when you look at it. Yes kids are resisiliant. But 4/5 year old kids go to school to mix, share, play, build their immune system and learn basic reading and writing and maths. It just seems odd to think this new way is positive for a majority.

I would seriously be questioning the ability of a school to teach my child anything, if they were putting in place unnecessarily restrictive measures, not based on guidance, and not based on science. It would demonstrate to me a group of people somewhat hard of thinking, which would be worrying for educators. Part of education is surely to build problem solving skills, creative thinking, resilience etc. DD is yr 4 so can't go back anyway, but if she could she'd be there with bells on. Her school have outlined their plan for the returning year groups, and it looked great. If I had seen a plan with the more draconian measures in place, I would be looking for another school for September, where people could apply common sense, intelligence, and an understanding of actual risk to come up with an environment suitable for at least some level of age appropriate learning (given we're talking about only 3 year groups at the moment). Those schools putting fictional barriers in the way of this, are only creating a very poor impression of themselves.

I think any school which is currently hosting key worker children will have a better idea how to manage. Non of the teachers have been wearIng PPE so far.

What virus related reason could there possibly be for removing artwork from walls?

Mine are going back - not in the designated year groups, but they're going back as "vulnerable" as one in particular is really not coping well with lockdown now (if they were an adult they'd be diagnosed as depressed, language regression, not sleeping etc).

Both kids are aware of the arrangements, aware of trying to socially distance and following what the adults tell them to do - and I'm very happy with the balance the schools have struck between safety/infection minimisation and fun and engagement for the kids. Both are aware they may not have "their" teacher - think one's actually looking forward to seeing how some of the other teachers in the school she's not been taught by are to be fair.

The child that's really suffering needs the social interaction and talk element of things - that's what's regressed in terms of her speech fluency. She can get that in a small bubble setup better than she can in the house at home with a volatile and controlling suspected ASD older sibling. Even being with the keyworker/vulnerable kid bubble rather than her own year group will be fine for her - she tends to gravitate to the kids in the year group below her anyway so that works out quite well for her.

It's the choice that's right for us.

@shelby2010 mine has been in throughout. They are doing an excellent job at not mixing bubbles. Lots of outdoor time. The kids can play in their groups. The group's have been allocated based on teachers knowledge of the kids. There are still plenty of resources available.

Shock horror when a child is upset or hurts themselves they still get all the cuddles they need.

Most importantly though is the attitude of the teachers. They are positive, upbeat and welcoming towards the children. Yes we are all nervous but that is not for a 5 year old to worry about so everyone is keeping business in attitude in front of the kids.

@deliaskis I could not agree more!

It’s the summer term. Even with the vagaries of weather it should be possible to spend a lot of time outside, minimising risks where younger children are concerned. They don’t need as many toys, etc, if they aren’t cooped up.

Yes agree but that can't work as there's one playground and they can't go near others in the group. You can't expect 4 year olds to not naturally head towards other kids. Then when they get corrected you are sending them a strange message. Filling their heads up about germs etc. It's all abit much for the youngest. Just my view. I appreciate others will think differently.

Our school sent out a questionnaire and the response shows that 90% of the pupils in R, y1 and y6 have said they will.be returning on 1 June.

Our LEA have now confirmed 15th for R&1, 29th for 6. Nobody else this year. It's a disgrace. They are failing our children and gaining in their duty to provide an education. Shame on them.

Stagger outdoor time. Our school has a seperate reception year group play area which will be shared between the 3 groups. Then the main playground and the field will be split. Between that and staggering they don't need to worry about different groups mixing.

That was meant to be failing again. They are failing twice. My phone just failed once.

I wouldn’t send mine.

Having been in to school this week to see and hear what it’s going to look like, I think it’s going to be extremely hard for children to adjust to the new ‘normal’. I can see a lot of tears and refusal to come back once they know what it will be like.

It's your decision...you don't need a reason to send them, your class is open and if you want to, send her in.

I run a childcare setting and I have laid out to my parents what provision will look like and urged them to make their decision based on what's right for them.

Hardly anyone responded and I suspect they would like me to make the decision for them, after all I tell them if it's a snow day or not, I set inset days and make the call about extreme weather conditions etc. This time I can't do that, they need to tell me.

@deliaskis, which LEA out of interest?

I would and I'm a SAHP too. Four Dc all low risk. In Scotland though so highly unlikely till August. I do thimk were going to be living with this virus for years or until a vaccine rolled out. I'm not expecting things will be largely back to normal after the summer and that influences my decision.

@upthewolves Cheshire East.