To think if you can keep your kids off school beyond September, you should?

[user8558]

Firstly I want to make absolutely clear that by "can" I mean people in similar circumstances to myself. I've no job anymore due to coronavirus, my industry will be one of the last to find its feet so I'm likely unemployed for the forseeable. Fortunately my partner is able to cover bills etc with his income.

I'm a bit wary of schools going back in August. For me it feels too soon.

However, I also know it's not soon enough for many other families. That working parents are struggling and for many other reasons kids are really missing school.

Am I being unreasonable then in thinking perhaps that people like myself, with nothing better to do anyway (and have the mental resources) are doing everyone else a favour by keeping our kids home to make life easier for teachers and other kids trying to manage in cramped schools? To make social distancing in the classroom easier for those who need and want to be there.

It will be interesting, but you do know the government would have been equally sued for not taking the pandemic seriously and endangering the kids.

I’d be very interested to hear if any other countries suspended the curriculum.

And the provision they made to deliver education while schools were shut.

can you refuse to do the job you are given to do?

I should expect teachers to be able to refuse to provide online learning as well as classroom learning if there is no reason why those children can't be in school. Why should they have to double their workload because you don't want to send your child in?

If school is open and there are no vulnerability or shielding reasons as to why your child can't be there then you shouldn't be expecting teachers to provide online learning in addition to classroom for the rest of the students. Keep your child off by all means but sort your own home schooling out in that case.

I'm on the opposite end of the dilemma - I'm furloughed so at home all day with a yr 8 so who refuses to do any work and is loving not being at school. For that reason, I need him to go back ASAP before he completely loses his capacity for learning and routine.

On paper I am one of those who can, stay at home parent, reasonably intelligent have been doing my own preparation for school work and teaching the 3 different ages as best as I can trying to follow the curriculum. But I don’t want to, I know it may make me sound awful but I need them to be in school so I can actually be something other than this permanently on duty parent, (youngest does not sleep so I am up all night). Even when people can mix again we do not have anyone who will have our children, I am already trying to block out the fact that this is it for months, I can cope with that when I know there is an end. I will not be punished (if they said I had to keep them at home) for being a stay at home parent.

To all those who are concerned about my childrens well being, they needn't worry.

They're fine, and thriving. Why so rude?

I wish we had the option to make that a choice for us. I'm a single parent who was made redundant last month.
DD is an only child and year 6 but her school can't accommodate them going back so she will be at home until at least September.
Both of our mental health is affected as well as my finances. How do I find a job with no school and no childcare for the foreseeable ?

How do I find a job with no school and no childcare for the foreseeable ?

What an appalling situation you’ve been placed in, I’m so sorry. There are and will be a lot more in this position.

OP how are you educating your children ? Through teachers sent work or off your own back as this makes a difference
As if all those that decide to keep at home still want schools and teachers to provide the work when do they expect them to do that , as they will be in school teaching those that are there ?

I don't think anyone is particularly talking about your children's MH, op. Most are just stating what they think about their own children, or in general.
Personally, I think people should do whatever is best for their children, so I don't disagree with you. But you may have had different response if you have phrased the op differently, not using "you should".

@LaurieMarlow thank you those are kind words. I'm still job hunting and applying for roles that advertise working from home but so far no luck. Even if I get one of them it will be a big drop in salary but still better than no job at all.

@lazy if your a teacher then you should get it as in the OP example she is saying teachers will be back at school teaching all day , therefore how can the teacher then send work to the child at home
Ok if the parent has de registered and is properly homeschooling but if still expect school to provide that won't work

@user8558 I would have said the same about mine until this week. When DD went back as I saw how much physically being in the same room as her friends meant to her.

When DS (Year 2 who in the past has been difficult to get to school on occasion) realised his sister was going back and told me when he can go back he is going to run there.

This level of social isolation isnt normal for them. There is more chance of them being hit by lightening that dying of coronavirus.

The Government need to figure out the safe way of getting all children back to school and fast. I certainly dont think anyone should be keeping healthy children at home just to make it easier for them to figure out how

Yes my children were absolutely fine at home. We played games, did crafts, baked, played in the garden, did school work, read, went for walks, they’ve got a trampoline and paddling pool, rode bikes... it was great. DD1 is still far happier now she’s back at school with her friends though. She was absolutely fine at home... she’s far more than fine now.

And as I said above, she said when she came out on her first day ‘I didn’t realise how much I missed my friends until I saw them again’.

We could home Ed as between us we could cover the vast majority of the secondary curriculum but this is not best for our children. They get so much more out of school than lesson content and that is what they are missing.

I think that home educating your dc is doing them a massive disservice that will stunt their social skills (unless there are SN considerations)

But why is it “too soon” for your children to be going back in August? I am bemused by this attitude. It is not good for children’s education or social development to be kept at home and not having contact with other children very often, so should only be done if there is no other safe choice. Some parents will, no doubt, be able to provide excellent support for their children’s education. But I still suspect many won’t be as good as their teachers and there are many benefits to school that aren’t just about academic learning.

I don’t think that it will be unsafe to have children returning by the time August comes (unless we have a second wave by then- and schools going back are very unlikely to be the cause for a second wave based on the evidence we have so far). So therefore I think it in the majority of children’s best interests to be back at school. Obviously there will be done children who for their own health, or that of people they live with (a shielding parent or sibling, for instance), are not best served by being back at school.

I am interested in why some parents are so concerned about schools going back. Why do you think your children are at risk if they go back to school? We know children are highly unlikely to become severely unwell if they do get covid. There is also quite a lot of evidence that they seem to be less likely to pass it on if they do have it (though I will grant that this evidence is not quite as robust- but the body of evidence supporting that is growing). The jury is still out as to whether children are less likely to catch it or not. Given this, it seems it is perfectly possible to safely send children back to school come August /September. There will need to be planning around school drop off/pick up times and school transport. And I think there will need to be additional resources for schools in terms of accommodating extra classrooms/ways of teaching smaller classes, as well as need to find ways to allow teachers and staff to socially distance from each other (like any work place). But it should be possible with planning and a positive attitude, as well as extra support in terms of physical and staff resources. I think there’s too much focus on what we can’t do.

I’m a SAHM but I’ve sent my year1 back. I would love to keep him off but he wouldn’t benefit from it and he’d be a nervous wreck going back in September if he hadn’t been at school since March.

People can homeschool for as long as they like, but other than having something in place for those who need to remain at home due to shielding etc, why should teachers carry on providing online work etc?

@Drivingdownthe101 exactly the same with my DD who went back this week

My DS went back this week. He is so happy it's unreal. Seeing his friends again has been a massive boost. The quality time with long walks and bike rides won't stop, we did all that before anyway.

@onedayinthefuture

My DS went back this week. He is so happy it's unreal. Seeing his friends again has been a massive boost. The quality time with long walks and bike rides won't stop, we did all that before anyway.

Yeah exactly. We already did crafts and played games and rode bikes etc, and we’ll continue doing it now they’re back at school. It’s just now they get the benefit of school on top of that.

why should teachers carry on providing online work etc?

you will find a lot of threads showing you that in many schools, they haven't.

The discrepancy among (state) schools in this country is shocking.

no.

I do think this depends slightly on the age of your kids, but still, overall, no.
If I had chosen to homeschool (which I could do as an ex teacher myself) I would

1. have spent time and money buying a curriculum or resources needed
2. have a whole set of community based activities to support the hidden curriculum, in other words, football club, scouts, dance lessons, home school art group, music lessons or whatever.

I would be ensuring my child had lots of social interaction and good friendships which we would encourage through playdates and so on.

What is happening now does not porvide any of that. The academic side of education is important but it is only one side of it, and the rest os missing, and cannot be replaced at the moment.

But my kids are alsp year 10 and 12, they have public exams coming up. I don't know how to teach English to the level to pass a GCSE., or maths, or what the requirements are for geography these days, and that doesn't even start on the A level syllabus.

So, my kids need ot go back, urgently. Their academic education is suffering and so is their mental health.

I do get you. There's not enough places at my DD schools. There's only enough for half the eyfs class to go back after all keyworker kids. But some keyworker kids that have gone back have a mum at home and a dad in a key job. So the mum can keep them home. I think parents want something normal back in the kids lives. I choose to keep mine home. I am at home at the moment with the youngest anyway and my partner works from home for now. Under the new guidelines in certain schools I can see why it has been hard and is stressful. For example it's possibly going to be easier for the small village school w
with ten in a class/year compared to my DD school with 45 in a class with a divide to half the class for registration.

It also in my view depends on a parents mind set. Also if a child has siblings, additional needs etc. My DD is five and has a 2.5 year old brother. So she gets interaction from another child who also likes to crawl about and build and make a mess. They run about together. They eat dinner together etc. So she's happy enough. I don't like the mess but I'm much more relaxed about it than my friend is for example. Her son's an only child aged 5. My friends amazing but she struggles in her head alot. She's depressed slot or anxious. Her partner moans about the house and so she keeps it spotless. I wish I could have a home like hers! But her son's very sensitive. He picks up on her emotions and therefore it's best for him to be at school. It's best for both of them. Then she can get her head space and have time to herself.

It depends on many things.

I'm a sahm but mine will be going back in September. They will have been off for 21 weeks. Its too long and I think we are just going to have to take the risk.