To feel I can't cope with schools only going back part time in August?

[jbonsor]

Just that. I was coping OK with lockdown, and trying to keep positive about juggling kids and working from home til June, then take a few weeks holiday over the summer just to do things with the kids even if still restricted. This week I have received a letter from my son's nursery to say he has a space for the 2020-2021 school year but that due to covid 19 they can't confirm pattern of attendance, as in, they can't confirm if he will have the 30 hours he was having since August. I also have read a lot that primary school might be 2 days only a week or a very day but only morning or afternoon session.. This has really tipped me over the edge as I am dreading having to keep juggling all this for over a year. This really puts a strain in family life and finances because now we have to basically decide on one income only, and not onky that but I don't feel I am that good at home schooling and feel like my kids are going to fall behind. Sometimes I can't believe how everything fell apart so spectacularly and how is the Scottish government deciding this is the best course of action without any regard for the mountain of problems this will bring to a huge amount of families.

Ireland are in favour of continuing restrictions for a number of months

www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/guaranteed-that-second-wave-will-come-when-they-ease-restrictions-says-ucc-professor-1001500.html

@nasal based on the fact that as I say a quick infrastructure was put in place for elderly people by the supermarkets, community, the council and federal government so that they could shield since they are the high risk group.

@nasal before lockdown, but after social distance was recommended they were still happily going to garden centres, and all out and about in town. Which is their right... As well as kids have a right to full time education. What is not OK is depriving one sector of the population (kids deprived of full time education, activities, clubs) to protect another that in the majority is either not shielding (old people that are independent and wish to go out even though is not necessary) or already compromised because of systematic failure in the management of this pandemic (i.e. The elderly in care homes)

I agree about elderly people. If they are a pension, no worry about lost jobs. I see very ancient people out and about All the time. How about they protect the NHS and stay indoors do the not-at-risk of overwhelming the nHS )ie the majority of working people can get on with their lives.

Being 'high risk' due to age is not the name as needing to 'shield'

Shielding is another level altogether.

No one is on the shielding list based on age alone.

I agree about elderly people. If they are a pension, no worry about lost jobs. I see very ancient people out and about All the time. How about they protect the NHS and stay indoors do the not-at-risk of overwhelming the nHS )ie the majority of working people can get on with their lives.

Well they might not lose their job but they will die without food. Elderly people are allowed out.

Ireland are in favour of continuing restrictions for a number of months

The national mood is turning against the government and the slow pace of reopening. They may say these things but I don't know how enforceable restrictions will be long term.

@nasal some people should shield because of medical conditions, others because of their age, both are high risk. How exactly will elderly people die without food? Some will have family, the ones that do not have family can get a supermarket delivery slot. The council and the community also have put help in place to help elderly and vulnerable people to get their medication, food etc. Of course they will not starve.

Penny has only just dropped for me that NS has decided all schools will go back on 11 Aug. This is over a week earlier than scheduled for our school. We have a UK holiday booked and paid for starting 7 Aug - no refunds from travel insurance as would be classed as 'disinclination to travel'.

I am so cross that they have made this decision without any consultation or consideration of parents - and without any real explanation of the rationale, same as the decision to continue with this 'blended' learning nonsense.

@pigoons exactly, why not just wait until they were meant to start a week later anyway? Like you say, no rationale, we are just told.

Or telt.

@pigoons.. I will lay odds going to be a complete farce that week anyway.. Kids and teachers will be lucky if they can all be in the right place at the right time.. Never mind getting any teaching done..

Just go..

@JassyRadlett woozier why are you so angry? I only noted that school will also be full of anxiety its ok to point out 2 sides to the story

@Sadie789
@frasersmummy

Yeah I've just had that discussion with my DH (who is always worried about DS missing school). I've emailed the head to explain the situation.
I am hoping the first week at school will be on transition years - which doesn't affect us.

I am just fed up of the whole situation. The Scottish Gov website says the following

A universal approach will bring benefits for children, including an earlier return to school for many, and the ability for all learners to engage with weekly in-home learning tasks

Still not sure of the rationale

some people should shield because of medical conditions, others because of their age, both are high risk.

This is complete bollocks. Nobody is in the shielding catergory based on age alone.

How exactly will elderly people die without food?

Obviously it was an exaggeration but in the same way any people would die without food.

Betting the 11th August start date for all is because the online elements of 'blended learning' are going to get rolled out centrally and it's easier to do that on a single timetable.

Still haven't seen any information on how exactly we're supposed to achieve teaching from home if we work during school hours. Our council have only told us that school will be in touch at some point before Aug 11th to let us know what the arrangements will be.

woozier why are you so angry? I only noted that school will also be full of anxiety its ok to point out 2 sides to the story

Oh dear @Yorkshiretolondon! You’ve fallen into the classic online trap - assuming someone who points out that your post is patronising and silly is an angry person, rather than a calm one who is pointing out that your post is patronising and silly.

As always, parents will be weighing up these decisions carefully. Many have discussed their considerations on this thread. Assuming that you’re delivering a searing insight, replete with passive-aggressive hashtag (for has #justsaying ever been anything else?) makes you look both tin-eared and daft.

I trust our school to make it a safe, calm, positive place for the children returning. The nursery to which my son is returning is already doing that for KW children. It’s so sad some aren’t able to have the same faith in their children’s schools.

A universal approach will bring benefits for children, including an earlier return to school for many, and the ability for all learners to engage with weekly in-home learning tasks

Well that's rubbish. My instinct is that we'll do the at home stuff when it suits and if it doesn't, we won't. I accept that won't work for everyone though. Dh currently wants to move to the Netherlands. He is still an EU passport holder but does not speak Dutch (although ds and I have been learning it in lockdown). Ds is only 5, trying to teach him anything whilst keeping his almost 2 year sister out of the way is interesting. If they want us doing things at home, they have to accept school hours might not work for various reasons (IT access/siblings/working parents).

What I think about the Scottish government schools plan is this:

It’s all bluff and bluster to make it look like they’ve come up with a cautious, but detailed plan that is different to England’s and has the catchy new concept of blended learning thrown in for good measure.

They have done this knowing full well that by mid July lockdown and it’s associated measures will be a distant memory, everyone will just go back to school for the new year as normal, and what everyone will be talking about by then is the deep and all encompassing recession so no one will care about asking John Swinney whatever happened to that blended learning thing you were talking about ...

Cute little strategy that once again hypnotises the electorate into feeling like we’re already an independent country making our own decisions... so that when they next ask if we want to be an independent country, more people are comfortable with the idea as it feels like we already are, and... BINGO!

Scotland isn't an independent country, and can't afford to be one. Take out the Barnett Formula which subsidizes Scotland so it can spend 30% more per capita than English counties (and if I might be allowed to say so, allocate it fairly ineptly). I do not see paeans of praise to Scottish schools or health care or social care on MN. Most posters seem indifferent or critical. With the price of crude in the tank, where's the money coming from to fund the dream?

As everyone is going to be in the same boat employers will have to be flexible about hours for all employees

Or, employers could say "we've already been really flexible with working parents during lockdown, now we're all heading into a recession, we just can't afford to keep paying you for hours you can't work for the foreseeable future"?

@pigoons

We’re in the same boat. Booked a UK holiday when our foreign holiday was cancelled and deliberately made it the last week of the holidays so that we had the highest chance of self catering accommodation opening up by then. Mine weren’t meant to be back until the 19th.

They’re really suffering now without school and not being able to do much - we normally do a lot of sporty and outdoor stuff and haven’t been able to do any of this. We’re also really struggling as both working from home while trying to homeschool and looking after them- they’re both early primary.

We’ve made the decision that if the school does go back early we’re still taking our holiday - we will desperately need it and it sounds like it’s going to be chaos anyway with this blended learning approach.

Similar here @pigoons and @arewethereyet21

Booked UK hol 1 - 8 August. No idea if it’s going ahead but my youngest is starting high school so if there are extra transition days required for him we might need to cancel, assuming it’s not already cancelled. He has autism so was meant to be having summer school enhanced transition in July hence we ended up with later holiday

As everyone is going to be in the same boat employers will have to be flexible about hours for all employees

Optimistic. Employers have shown huge flexibility but with massive financial pressures and threats of redundancy it won’t be everyone in the same boat: families where one parent works and the other doesn’t, parents who’ve been able to get full-time nursery, parents of secondary kids and of course people without kids won’t be in that boat. They’ll be able to work their hours. Only households where every adult works will be fucked.

As everyone is going to be in the same boat employers will have to be flexible about hours for all employees

But they aren't all in the same boat. Dh and most of the people he works with can work full time without needing flexibility. The same is true for quite a lot of our friends and family who only have one parent working. Then there are all those people with no children or children old enough not to need parental support or those who will use grandparents regardless.