School in September

[Mumlookingforadvise]

Hi all,

I have a girl who goes to a school in Wimbledon ( Year 4 ). I am thinking of not sending her to school in Sept due to the current situation around Coronavirus.

AIBU - to not send her to school
AIBNU - Your choice.

What are other parents thinking?

@TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross someone asked about fines and being mandatory.
We are planning to speak to the head in mid August and gauge their reaction.

All the school kids on public transport a month after Boris told people WFH to go back to the office has to be a factor likely to increase the infection level.

My kids joke that if we go to a social thing we have planned at the end of the month with several people who are not in the least bit careful regarding infecting others we might be self isolating by the time school starts. And by the time that ten days is over one of the children's bubbles is bound to be self isolating due to a cough. And after that another one of the children's bubbles. And then the other one. And then the whole school will probably be closed again.

Your choice. Will you pay fees and keep homeschooling?

Some of the healthy population has unfortunately died. Long term implications on health are there even if you recover

Personally I would wait until September to make the decision. However, I started homeschooling my eldest due to ill health in September last year, my youngest as well since March. I can honestly say that if you are prepared to put in the effort, homeschooling can be very efficient and effective.

My eldest has excelled since being homeschooled and my youngest is now working two years ahead in maths. When it is one on one you can cover the work done at school in a fraction of the time. I think where some parents go wrong is thinking that they have to keep school hours. Many long time homeschooling parents of Year 4 children cover the same work as at school in around 2-3 hours. Only you know if you have the patience and whether your child will enjoy homeschooling or not. My eldest has enjoyed it but my youngest will hate to be homeschooled longterm. Also, it doesn't have to be forever. Many parents homeschool for a year or two for various reasons and then their children go back to school.

There is the potential for long term health effects with any virus unfortunately.

Local lockdown has started in some cities. Don't know if London gets impacted as well.
Better be safe than attend school for 6 months!!

I will be delighted when DC get to go back to school. I predict it will all go tits up within 6 weeks, sadly.

Don't mind paying the fees as long as I can home school.

YABU. Your child needs to be in school and you are denying her so much if you refuse to send her because of your own anxiety.

Some of the healthy population has unfortunately died

Healthy people die from many things...children can die from chicken pox or die in a car accident on the way to school.

Do you actually know the number of children who have died? It's staggeringly small...less than ten in the UK I think.

You are in a very privileged position so you can pretty much do what you like.

I’m sure the school will be happy to take your fees and have one less child in the classroom. As you say they won’t have to do remote learning for you.

Sounds like you made up your mind which is good for you, OP.

Your local authority will be keeping track of cases, I live in a nearby borough and there were no cases for the last two weeks last week IIRC in Sutton, Kingston, Richmond.

@Mumlookingforadvise

Local lockdown has started in some cities. Don't know if London gets impacted as well. Better be safe than attend school for 6 months!!

What does your last sentence mean?

You have a non-vulnerable 8 year old who will benefit more from going back to school and seeing her friends than spending the next year or however long being homeschooled by her working parents.

Infection rates in Wimbledon area are currently very low. I presume you will lose your private school place if you don’t attend. If you’re both wfh full time I can’t see (speaking from experience) how you can hone educate your child properly. There is a very good reason the Govt have made school attendance in September compulsory - in my opinion in lower infection areas it should have happened pre summer holidays. Re transport, if you’re both wfh again I suggest an “exhausting” car drive should be achievable or perhaps cycle?

Thanks for all your viewpoints. Gives me points to consider.

Send her to school. Private school are VERY on top of the social distancing thing, plus their "bubbles" will be tiny as class sizes are so small.

My daughter went back to her private school for the last few weeks of Year 6 in June/July. It was brilliant. Arrangements were crystal clear and everything ran like clockwork. Now in the holidays we're still getting weekly updates on how things are going. Private schools don;t want to lose fees, so their Covid provision is generally excellent

It's your choice, and I don't think it's an easy one. We're considering home-schooling too. At the moment, I'm trying not to get stressed about the decision, and am going to put it off as late as possible, then look at the figures, the risk, and find out what others are doing too. It also depends how much development there is with vaccines and treatments over the next few weeks.

If it looks like they'll be rolled out by the end of this year then I would be tempted to home-school for an extra term, and not take the risk if an end is in sight. Or if the figures are falling, then it'll be an easier decision to send them back in. At the moment things are changing daily, so am actively trying not to worry yet (although I am worrying!).

AIBNU

TBH I am a bit jealous of the home-schooling parents. Our efforts were a bit pathetic evenings/ weekends/ childminder asked to get them to do some work/ minimal help from school. I'd love to not work but my workload only increased since March this year.

I suppose socially, does she have clubs or friends /cousins she sees outside school currently?

I’m not sending mine. I’ll temporarily homeschool them till:
A) more is known
B)There is a better plan in place (schooling will be significantly disrupted for some time.

There are emerging innovations such as rapid saliva testing that may make schooling safer.

I’m just in no rush to send them back for their sakes, sake of staff and community transmission.

I will review decision based on emerging data and how schools navigate this crisis.

We'll decide at the last possible minute. We have a relatively young (30s) neighbour who used to mess about with my kids lifting them up with one hand and pretending he'd lost them and stuff. He was a really strong energetic fit man. The kind of person who raises your own energy level just by being there. He had an active physical job. Honestly I can't stress enough how very fit he was - in all senses.

But he hasn't been seen since he had coronavirus months ago. He can't go to work. I'm told he's hardly out of bed. And the paramedics have gone running in at least once that I've seen.

I don't want that for my husband. Or my boys.

And we don't do anything because Number 10 tells us it's safe.

So you do what you think is best OP. We will be.

Lots of opinions here which is good. Yes she has got cousins / friends here, which she meets in a social distance environment. Gardens and Parks.

Husband and I are actually loving having her at home and spend extra time !!