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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To Think some schools won’t reopen in September

209 replies

Lardlizard · 26/05/2020 10:04

Yanbu if you agree

Because so many school are not reopening for year r,1 and 6 in June

Because of reasons such as a quarter of the staff are shielding etc, so how on earth will they we able to reopen all years in sept
They will still have the same staff in September

OP posts:
Baaaahhhhh · 26/05/2020 15:25

We (the government), really need to get on top of the perception of risk.

Setting aside the shielded for a moment, some of whom will be associated with schools, but not many, and the over 60's most of whom will not be in school (!).

For everyone age 0-50, all pupils and most teachers, the risk of death from Covid is the same as the risk of dying of anything for that age group. It doesn't mean you won't catch it, but the risk of death is the same. So, what do you do with that risk. You have to carry on, right? You do every other day anyway, so there is no other alternative.

pennylane83 · 26/05/2020 15:32

I work full time and have done all the way through lockdown, I have managed to sort child care until September. If the schools do not go back full time In September I have no idea what I will do, I am sure a lot of parents will be in the same situation

The government are living in cloud cuckoo land if they think that employers up and down the country will put up with their employees working around part time school hours and staggered start and end times for each year group or having to take every other week off work because your child is home learning that week. Ridiculous!

namechangenumber2 · 26/05/2020 15:34

I'm praying schools/colleges will be back to normal in September 🤞🏻

My SIL works at a school where the head has allowed teachers/ support staff to stay at home whether they are shielding or protecting someone with a medical condition ( such as mild asthma). This means 30 out 45 members of staff are working from home currently. She's keeping this going past the schools reopening so I'm not sure what they'll do in September if schools are meant to be open to all years - I'm guessing maybe those who aren't shielding will go back

MrsArchchancellorRidcully · 26/05/2020 15:40

I'm certainly not home educating mine well. I simply can't as I'm working a 35 hr week. I'm a parent who crumbles a little inside when parents who aren't having to work show the great stuff they've been doing.

My 11 yr old is doing ok with stuff posted online by school but my 8 yr old is not. Online learning does not suit him at all. He is desperately lonely and hates remote schooling. He has told me twice he wants to die. And I don't have the time to focus on him so at the moment he's a fortnite expert as it's the only way he gets to interact with friends.

I feel shit about it so schools will just have to get on with it come September. Sadly I'm in wales who are treating us like children and I'm on week 10 of virtual house arrest.

The WHO has said today countries are going to have to stop being paranoid and learn to live with infectious diseases.

cocktailoclock · 26/05/2020 15:47

So much to say on this thread but don't have time.
I want children back to school in September - I would send them back tomorrow given a choice. My children y2 and y4 have been forgotten.
I fear very much that they won't be because we are not doing enough planning and my heart sinks when I see schools saying they have unlikely to have school for various years in September. It's reckless and based on what? Not govt guidelines and certainly not knowledge of disease. I think decisions like this add further concerns to parents. Rather than saying 'we don't know - things could be very different then'.
I'm no teacher basher but I think the very best teachers don't realise how poor the provision has been for some children. I have raised it with our head, exec head and chair and it still remains inconsistent with no feedback or engagement at all with teaching staff.
I also hate when people say parents don't want to spend time with children. That's not true or fair either - they just want their kids to go to school and learn properly.
We have to move heaven and earth to get things right for our children for September. Anything else would be a national disgrace

FourTeaFallOut · 26/05/2020 15:50

The WHO has said today countries are going to have to stop being paranoid and learn to live with infectious diseases

I read that the WHO said countries should brace for an immediate second wave if they lift restrictions too quickly. I suspect we are getting news from completely different sources!

Kljnmw3459 · 26/05/2020 15:55

I believe that majority of kids will be able to catch up with their learning despite a long break. There will be those who will need extra support and I wish, rather than hope, that this would be taken into consideration on return. Of course that would require extra funding.

Drivingdownthe101 · 26/05/2020 15:55

Well rather than rely on potentially biased reporting, it’s probably best to read what the WHO actually said.

FourTeaFallOut · 26/05/2020 15:58

Well, of course. I was just pointing out how the same information was stretched.

Blackbear19 · 26/05/2020 16:08

I believe that majority of kids will be able to catch up with their learning despite a long break

I think the further down the school kids are the better chance they have of catching up.
Clearly kids in exam years is more of a problem than kid in even the early years of high school.

PafLeChien · 26/05/2020 20:04

but I think the very best teachers don't realise how poor the provision has been for some children.

I don't think that's fair at all. There are inconsistencies in schools across the country, and you look at the (obvious) difference between private and state schools you weep. But many of the state teachers have children themselves, and are very much aware of the situation!

Even child-free teachers can see the way things are going to, they are in the middle of it!

I am just seeing some parents completely over-reacting. If you didn't know the background, you'd think we had been stuck on lockdown in basements for years. Whilst we have been told to stay - more or less - home for the last couple of months, with access to everything.

slothbucket · 26/05/2020 20:56

Children have missed 6 weeks of school so far or 7 in some counties. That’s not months and months like people are pretending.

Bollss · 26/05/2020 21:03

with access to everything

Except friends and family.

My child has not seen another child in 8 weeks. It is not good for him. It is not an overreaction to be unhappy about that.

megletthesecond · 26/05/2020 21:06

DD's primary school has announced they cannot open for year 6 in June.
Once they have reduced class sizes for the YR and Y1 pupils they don't have enough space for year 6.

If they can't fit three years in now I'm not sure how they can be running normally in September.

bogfi · 26/05/2020 21:22

I have heard about part time schooling in secondaries in Sept. Hoping it's not true

middleager · 26/05/2020 21:27

I worry that when/if schools open to all in Sept that any suspected case will result in lots of disruption and that school will be out of action with kids/staff quarantined for 14 days. It could be 'rinse and repeat' 14 days later.

I think there were some schools in France where that happened, but I recall it was a low figure, so fingers crossed.

Keepdistance · 26/05/2020 21:38

It's a fair point that a longer gap without school till sept could have meant more time in school from sept. As could you have more time in school alternate weeks smaller groups as with 30 in a class more chance of general cold flu etc meaning time off

notonmywatchyouwont · 26/05/2020 21:48

I’m wondering if things like lunchtime clubs and after school clubs, along with sports fixtures between schools might be affected?

I would have thought that would be a given?

NotMyFinestMoment · 26/05/2020 22:12

I'm facing this issue myself. The school was supposed to be open but closed anyway and to everyone including keyworkers and never provided details of an alternative. The reason given was too many staff were self isolating for medical reasons and/or live with vulnerable people so felt unable to risk infecting their households. Now roll on another 2+ months too now and they are still coming out with exactly the same excuses/reasons. I think if there is no vaccine, it will be the same thing again in September and so on. I don't understand why if the staff can't work due to self isolating why they can't bring temps in (that's what they would usually do if they are short staffed). I've had no one contact me about my child and no homework set in the last 3 weeks (my child is in a class size of less than 10 by the way). So no YANBU.

PafLeChien · 26/05/2020 23:23

My child has not seen another child in 8 weeks. It is not good for him. It is not an overreaction to be unhappy about that.

Nobody is happy about it, it's not ideal, but it's hardly the end of the world either. It really is not a big deal, why making it one, stressing yourself out and stressing your child too?

Nihiloxica · 26/05/2020 23:34

It really is a big deal for children to be removed from public life for months.

It's an unprecedented experiment with their welfare and nobody who dismisses it so callously should be allowed anywhere near children.

frasersmummy · 26/05/2020 23:43

@bogfi
The part time schooling is on the scottish Road plan document
It is says schools restart Aug 11 on a part time basis
So. That's where the ptime has come from

PafLeChien · 26/05/2020 23:48

t's an unprecedented experiment with their welfare and nobody who dismisses it so callously should be allowed anywhere near children.

seriously? You need to chill. There are countless examples of children "removed from public life" Grin for various reasons, they were just fine.

I know people are bored, but is it really necessary to be so over-dramatic? You do know you are allowed to leave the house and always have been don't you...

bogfi · 27/05/2020 00:22

@frasersmummy I was referring to schools in England as I had hoped by Sept things would be a bit more back to normal.

Blackbear19 · 27/05/2020 07:44

Honestly I can't see things being that much different in Scotland to England other than Nicola trying to put her own spin on things.

England, Schools go back 1st June, but only certain years.

Scotland, Schools go back 11th August, but teachers return in June and the new intake and P7s are expected back.

Are they really that much different? They are putting the emphasis in different places but really saying the same thing baring in mind different holiday dates anyway.