AIBU to send/not send my child back to school

[flippertygibblet]

I have just received an email from my sons school to advise they will be open for his year to attend for 2 days a week from next week. This came as a bit of a shock as I wasn't expecting his year to back until September. Now here is my predicament, my son would really benefit from going back to school, academically he has always struggled & I am concerned how far behind he may fall, we have been doing school work with him every day but obviously it's not the same as school,however, I am shielding due to falling into the 'extremely clinically vulnerable' group & am torn on what to do. Any advice from households with shielders? Thank you!

Yes

Honestly, op, there isn't a right answer here. Whatever you choose will potentially have negative consequences, or potentially be absolutely fine. Only you can really judge how much impact those six days will have on your family.

Our email from school was very clear that households who were shielding shouldn't send children back. But I do agree that the chances of your child catching it are slim. One thing that's worth thinking about is that the older a child is, the more likely they are to pass the virus on. So if your child is year eleven, that's going to be a greater risk than if he's year two.

@flippertygibblet yes it’s official guidance it relates to children too young or have a cognitive impairment that means they cannot social distance. How old is you child? Year five or six probably be ok.

[quote ToothFairyNemesis]@flippertygibblet yes it’s official guidance it relates to children too young or have a cognitive impairment that means they cannot social distance. How old is you child? Year five or six probably be ok.[/quote]
My DC is year 5. I have no idea what to do

@flippertygibblet if it was my child ( I am shielding) I would wait until September. Your child is education will not improve from two days supervised learning rather than teaching at school.

@flippertygibblet it’s 8 days, they will not make the slightest bit of difference to your child’s GSCE results in six years time.

Interestingly, just seen the Education Secretary warn that fines and other measures may be taken if parents don’t send their children back to school in September.

So thankfully, parents won’t be able to hold back their kids education because of their anxiety.

@heartsonacake

Interestingly, just seen the Education Secretary warn that fines and other measures may be taken if parents don’t send their children back to school in September.

So thankfully, parents won’t be able to hold back their kids education because of their anxiety.

I feel this is rather unkind, worrying about a father who has had a recent transplant is understandable.

The problem with this virus is we are all equally at risk of catching it but the risk of serious illness or death varies hugely.

I sent DS back last week but in your position I wouldn’t be taking any chances just for a few weeks back at school.

@heartsonacake
So thankfully, parents won’t be able to hold back their kids education because of their anxiety.

Firstly I have been educating my dc at home.

Secondly my dc would be mixing with children from up to 320 families in their bubbles if they were to return to school in September
And thirdly when you are told in no uncertain terms by your consultant that contracting Covid19 will have a very high likelihood of ending up on a ventilator it’s not anxiety!

Maybe think a little before you post! Not everyone circumstances are the same.

My understanding is that shielding will finish at the end of July. So sending your child back to school for a couple of days with extreme measures in place (i.e. shower and change all clothes immediately on getting home, take nothing to school and bring nothing home) sounds like a sensible way to ease back into normal life a bit.

Your understanding is wrong, it’s paused. I am still on the shielding risk. I am not concerned about catching Covid19 from my children’s clothing or belongs, rather from them.
Thanks for the unsolicited advice , but I think it’s sensible I listen to my consultant with his years of training and expert knowledge of my particular health issue.

The government may be ending shielding.
I think consultants have a very different view on that, I trust them more.

We are going to de register and home educate not worth the risk in our case

Interestingly, just seen the Education Secretary warn that fines and other measures may be taken if parents don’t send their children back to school in September. So thankfully, parents won’t be able to hold back their kids education because of their anxiety.

My DS has an EHCP, my other DS does not have an EHCP but requires SEN support. The law around provision for children with SEN has been relaxed and schools have been told basically to do their best but not to worry if they can't meet their obligations with regard to necessary support.

Why should parents like myself be forced to send their child into a setting which cannot currently meet their needs, which in turn could be more damaging to his mental, social, and emotional health? Having spoken to school they have acknowledged that, no, they will not be able to provide support beyond the most basic of measures and that if social distancing measures are still in place and if the DC cannot stick to them then they will be excluded for the duration anyway. I already know that one DS won't be able to stick to them without support to do so, support which isn't going to be provided.

We had a child we could Not accept back due a family member shielding- as we weren't insured or something?!? We had to contact lawyers and get a letter from their doctors saying they take full responsibility if anything happens then we were able to accept the child back :)

I don't get your point about him being behind in work.
When you intend to H.ed you teach/support learning anyway you like, you can't possibly get behind because you aren't school.
I'm sure if you deregister nd start looking at how you want him to learn you'll soon pick it up.
You can follow the nc if you want to but there are so many other things to learn that aren't covered in the nc topics.
What will he want to do? Would you aim for him returning to school in the future?

@PumpkinSpicer We are going to de register and home educate not worth the risk in our case
I think we will have to do the same which really upsets me as my dc love school.
I welcome the news that school places will be available to all dc in September but it’s needs to be safe for both them and staff. It also should not be compulsory. I appreciate teachers may no longer have the time to support home learning and am happy to take full responsibility. All I want is for my children to not loose their school places in order to keep me healthy and alive. I don’t think that’s a big ask.

I don't think the law should be changed and those opting to H.ed shouldn't expect their place to be kept, another child will need it.
To h.ed you have to deregister, whatever the reason.

I would also repost on the H.ed board in education, AIBU might not end up being the place for this.

@Devlesko it’s not “opting to home school” and my children need their school place. Can you really not comprehend that children from shielding families should not have to choice between a school place and potentially loosing their parent or their own health being severely compromised ?
You honestly think that’s fair enough?

@Devlesko

I don't think the law should be changed and those opting to H.ed shouldn't expect their place to be kept, another child will need it. To h.ed you have to deregister, whatever the reason.

I think we need to be more flexible as a society while we see what our first covid winter is like.

We will all know a lot more by March/April.

There are a lot of very certain-sounding people. I am not certain of anything just now!

We've sent ds4 back to nursery and he walks into the porch, strips and straight up for a shower afterwards. Both dp and me are back in work so we follow same routine. We decided he needed the transition for school and he was becoming unhappy not seeing anyone