To wonder if I'm the only person who won't be sending kids to school in August

[user8558]

AIBU to wonder if I'm the only one who won't be sending DC back to school in August.

I initially thought "wait and see", but now the details are coming out about what it will be like. And my instinct is telling me to keep them off until normality resumes. Or something closer to normality.

Homeschooling has been going well. I'm not worried about their education.

I do worry about the lack of social interaction, but feel on balance this need wouldn't be satisfied adequately until things are a bit more relaxed anyway.

I wouldn't be expecting any work to be set for my kids, I'll take care of their home learning.

I cannot be the only one feeling this and thinking this?

Or is everyone going back in August/September?

My daughter suffers from anxiety and is under a counsellor through the hospital for it. Particularly health anxiety for many reasons. In addition I’m shielding. However, I took the decision to send her back when it opened for her year. The first week I thought I had done the wrong as she was really anxious. I cried when I dropped her off on the first day seeing everyone stood around separately. However it was the best decision. She’s totally back to her normal self. I have no regrets.

In addition her paed told her she has more likelihood of issues on her bike than with corona.

I'll be playing it by ear. My eldest is desperate to go back, but can't yet (Year 3). On balance, I think that it would be better for her to go back, once she can. My youngest could go back now, but doesn't want to (Year 1). I am happy for him to stay at home, seeing as the eldest is here anyway. I think it is the best option all round, rather than stressing him out unnecessarily. I can work from home, and we are managing okay(ish), so shall reevaluate after the summer holidays.

@user8558

BillyWilliam - I'm curious. Is that unreasonable?

I can't be the only person feeling this way. Indeed I'm not. I'm interested to know how much of a minority I'm actually in.

If you've decided what you are going to do why does it matter how many people are doing the same?

I think your actions bear no relation to the risks involved and I feel sad for your children but I also assume you don't care what I think so I really don't understand why you're asking.

Well said @SockYarn. How much safer can we get it?

I don't agree with keeping children off from school but it's an individual choice for each family to make. For example more kids will die or be seriously injured crossing the road than will die or become seriously unwell as a result of Covid 19. Despite this, parents don't stop their kids from crossing the road, we just take reasonable precautions and teach them road safety. Likewise, as long as the schools are being sensible and taking reasonable precautions then the risks are tiny. As with all things, you weigh up the potential problems against the benefits and make the decision that's best for your kids.

@SerendipitySunshine

I'm with you OP. No school until we feel safer.

Safer in what way? More children die or have serious health problems from just about everything you can name than Covid - road accident, cancer, accidents in the home etc

I don't know if this applies to Scotland but yesterday's English briefing figures were that it's estimated that currently 1 in 1700 people have the virus, how many schools have that many individuals in them?

It's your choice OP but I think you're silly.

Going back to school IS part of "normality returning". How is education not part of normal life?

Mine are back at school part time - all that's on offer we took it and they're delighted to be back. (We're in England.) Seems bonkers you can go to Primark, the zoo, and soon pubs and cinemas but schools aren't properly open. Priorities!

Our complete primary school is back (independent school with caring ethos - there are a lot of very anxious kids there!). haven’t heard of anyone not enjoying it (approximately 90% of kids are back)

I personally think that being kept away from school, away from other children the same age for months on end and no interaction with friends, is worse than social distancing at school

We almost certainly know it is, there's lots of evidence for positive interventions for those excluded from their peers due to accident, illness and disability that even limited interaction is better than none - that's better as in has a lower risk of death.

Our school has said not to expect much in-school time for the next academic year but they definitely won't have any inside knowledge. I will be sending mine back when they are allowed and am hoping school are wrong on how little there will be.

One of mine is going into GCSEs next year and other has ASD and no social contact at all since 23 March, he also will do more of some things at home but less of others and he's learning but getting unbalanced. If mine were at primary I might well keep them home.

@TerrapinStation I think the point is that if every school larger than 1700 people (just about all the secondaries in my city are larger than this) have one person with cv in them then soon the number wont be 1 person per 1700, it will be much higher.

Hopefully by September the number will be more like 1 person per 20,000 at which point we can just firefight localised out breaks.

Re "lack of social interaction", I overheard a child in the playground of a local school as I walked past yesterday. He said to his friend: "I was so happy to come back.... just seeing everyone's faces". He looked about 8 years old. To me that speaks volumes.

I think you are minimising the impact that not going to school has your dcs. So far all the people have talked to have said how happy their dcs are to be back at school and able to see their friends. School is part of their normal and part of their routine too.
If you want to be homeschooling instead, then I would recommend you

• have a look carefully on how you will be ab to fully the curriculum with your dcs so they are not getting behind. Why NO INPUT from the school.
• look carefully at what homeschooling involves. Parents with children who are homeschooled will have activities planned, visits to museums, organise group meets etc... Will you be happy to organise that from scratch AND be going out and meeting people for the sake of your dcs instead if school, even with the possible social distancing measure in place?

My youngest is in 6th year and is desperate to go back, she has missed her friends and her teachers, I’m happy with the standards that have been put in place and she will be returning 3 half days a week for the first 3 weeks and then it will be reviewed, they want to see how social distancing goes with smaller year groups before mixing more years together

Dds school has been amazing, school work has been set, we’ve had 2 phone calls from her guidance teacher and also her art teacher, 2 teachers appeared at the door yesterday with a gift bag of chocolate and pens to say thank you for representing the school during a virtual work experience she did. Communication has been on form and I trust that they have the best interests all the children.

Many parents are complaining but we need to start moving on and getting some sort of normality back.

You do you mate. Kids are only anxious about specific things if their parents are. I've explained to my kids that all the measures in school are to keep other people safe, rather than kids getting ill, and how granny would be ill if she got it. One of them seemed worried, asked more questions, and was then quite happy.

Safer in what way? I know children who have been hospitalised by chicken pox. I know a child who has a heart condition as a result of an immune response to slapped cheek. But no one gives a shit about that because it's not Covid.

Mine will be back as soon as they're not prohibited from entering the building, and I'll be cracking out the bunting the day they're back full time.

Mine was hospitalised as a result of scarlet fever last year, caught from school.

My Y8 son is back full time from today, though every other day. His school have done a good job with live lessons but he's very excited to see his friends again.

I have a health condition that puts me in a slightly higher risk category but school is an area where I'm willing to take the risk. I'm driving him in rather than him taking the Tube as he usually did.

I imagine it will be a time of big decisions.
Many many children will be shown to be happier home learning. I think a lot of parents will keep on with home education. A lot of children will be missing all sorts of things and be dying to get back to school, and also many parents will just not think its safe

Because I think @user8558 there is an awful lot of I in your posts. A lot about your anxieties and how you are feeling about it but very little looking at how your children are.

One of DDs friends (she is Year 6) didnt go back because she was feeling anxious and not sleeping and stressed. Absolutely fine because it is her anxiety and her Mum is helping her through.

Another one had an anxious mother but she sent her back because it was her anxiety not the child - she is fine

This is all about your anxiety - nothing in there seems to suggest your children would be anxious and they adapt.

Take away all the I's and your anxieties out of it and put your children in the middle

My DS has gone back to preschool and I have seen a happy change in him. I think children need to be with their peers so school is important from a social aspect- and not just a place to learn

@user8558

Your children’s school is shit if it makes children feel anxious.

My son has returned. His school is phenomenal. He is so happy to be back. Bubbles of 15 and they interact with no social distancing within the bubble. Football and play time, lunch outside picnic style, his normal timetable etc

And by September likely the pods will be 30 anyway.

There was an article on the BBC a couple of days ago that reported health care professionals were starting to see cases of PTSD in children. They said it was partly caused by isolation.
I will be putting my child's mental health before my own anxieties and sending them back to school.

@formerbabe

My dc will be back as soon as the fucking government says that they're no longer banned from the school premises.

I'm quite angry as you may be able to tell

I’m not angry but damn I agree

As soon as the government says “yes all schools can open” they are going to go to school so fast, they may not get a chance to change out of their pyjamas

On yet another thread you started on this issue OP you say that your decision doesn’t have anything to do with health concerns but more about the abnormality of the situation.

* I'm not worried about harm to them.*

I have small concerns over the risks to myself and my partner who between us have a few risk factors.

But what I'm most concerned about is the abnormality of it.

It's not going back to school normally.