To think schools should not reopen in Sept?

[SusanFrimp]

I think that schools should not fully reopen in September and instead be partially reopened to some years. It is just not safe enough to reopen yet. I'd say December at the latest for full reopening. If they can't reopen other smaller places, how can they reopen schools with 1000's of kids? AIBU?

Apologies if I missed someone saying the same thing upthread.

If teaching is a high-risk job for covid transmission, then presumably a lot of teachers have had covid already, particularly in London? I had it in March. And in my area, according to the nurse who took blood for my antibody test, almost 20% of people come back positive.

In some parts of some hospitals (like my brother-in-law's team), the majority of the staff have had it. Those who haven't seem likely either to have been exposed and not been infected, or to have been infected so mildly or early that no one noticed (and they didn't mount an antibody response). This made for a very grim April, with high levels of anxiety, and lots of doctor and nurses off work. But, they aren't worried about a second wave among themselves, either because they have robust antibodies or because they had it fairly mildly and didn't mount antibodies. (People who get over a given disease are invariably able to do so again, unless some dramatic and sudden change in their health has occurred. But you would know that.)

Have a lot of teachers had Covid already, before lockdown, particularly in London?

This/these type of viruses are never going to go away, we have to learn to live with them.

And having PPE in schools would be a logical way to deal with it.

Year groups in on different days would not work for parents who need to actually work.

There will be closures. Year groups may be sent home. Parents have to realise that it will not be "back to normal" and their DCs could be sent home or told not to attend for a number of reasons.

Staff shortages being a big one. If a teacher isolates her class cannot be taught.

There is more than one sort of vulnerable.

The Children’s commissioner for England wants pupils tested regularly regardless if they are showing symptoms.
I’m not sure many parents would be happy about that but could be wrong.

I had a little google and found this guidance document, to be honest it was a bit of scary reading.
I for one was certainly unaware that if my child didn’t consent to be tested they could Potentially be removed from me for up to 14 days.

I’m really sure what to think now.

I’m not really sure what to think now

They need to provide a way that all children can safely be tested. Currently there isn't one for mine.

The infection rate average across the UK is 5 cases per 100 000 people. In hotspots it is much higher, but in the majority of places it's lower. If we take a county with thr average rate of transmission, and assume (almost certainly wrongly) the every single case is either a teacher or pupil who will be attending school. Average secondary 1500 people max, average primary less than half that. Perhaps 1-2 schools across a whole county would have 1 person carrying the virus. I'm not worried.

Sorry so many people are being so rude to you OP. A lot of people are desperate to believe that this will all be over soon and get aggressive at any perceived threat to that idea.

Some children have struggled with mental health during this crisis, others have had a wonderful time. Some children are progressing slower than they did at school, others are progressing faster. Some families have both parents working, some have a parent or grandparent available to provide fulltime education at home.

What is clear is that the government curren plan to force all children back to school in Sept and fine anyone who doesn’t go. I don’t get why they’re being so forceful. Why not ask those who are able to continue to home educate to do so, but welcome back those who need school? Reduced school numbers would benefit everyone.

I’d like to home educate until March. If people who are able to, do that, it would benefit the schools, other families, and health service. Why must I lose the school place in order to home educate for a few more months? I’m in an oversubscribed area. It seems my choice is either go back in Sept and contribute to the spread of the virus, or lose forever the chance of local schooling. Seems odd to force people into that choice when they could so easily just continue to authorise absences.

It’s interesting reading about what’s happening in America. Reopening schools there does not seem to be going very well, with distancing basically abandoned in many schools, covid cases occuring and schools shutting again. My school plans to put the children into ‘bubbles’ of sixty with no distancing inside the bubble (because not enough room to distance). But they are also opening the before school and after school care, where the children will mix freely with children from other bubbles 🤦‍♀️

The government says that they don’t think the virus spreads much in schools. But they’re basing that assessment on the time period when schools were mostly closed and had proper distancing in place. 🤦‍♀️ And unfortunately we can’t trust a thing this government says anyway.

"Why must I lose the school place in order to home educate for a few more months?"

It is questionable that you should be able to keep the place if another local family wants it.

@Skysblue - if you home educate for a couple of terms , do you have the syllabus for your DC’s year and an understanding of how to teach the material. I couldn’t teach the methods the primary schools use for teaching maths and literacy- it’s changed so much since I was at school.

Totally YABU!

I have been looking after my special needs daughter and my 18 month old will be a week off of 6 months when she goes back on 7th, as her special needs nursery closed striaght away. Yabvvu , we cannot stop life indefinitely, it has been so hard this last 6 months. I am waiting for the 7th to be able to have a break.

www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/schools-study-shows-teens-spread-22502202?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

The messaging is changing !!

There is a huge problem. Children need to go back to school so that their parents can go back to work. Without them returning to work the economy will deteriorate even further to the detriment of all families.

The UK is not set up for distance learning. Not every child has a laptop. Not every child has a stay at home parent. Many parents who have been able to work from home, can’t do so with young children at home. The furlough scheme is nearly over so there is no government support for those employees who can’t return to work. If they don’t, unemployment will increase further.

There is a huge problem.

Not as big as the problem we are ALL going to have come October, if schools open without proper safety measures in place. You can forget going back to work properly once things escalate out of control again.
If you want your child to have the best chance of being properly educated long-term, then you should be throwing your support behind getting SD and PPE in schools. Smugly saying, "well, MY child's schools is safe because they have a staggered start" is not going to cut it, I'm afraid.

@CallmeAngelina

There is a huge problem.

Not as big as the problem we are ALL going to have come October, if schools open without proper safety measures in place. You can forget going back to work properly once things escalate out of control again.
If you want your child to have the best chance of being properly educated long-term, then you should be throwing your support behind getting SD and PPE in schools. Smugly saying, "well, MY child's schools is safe because they have a staggered start" is not going to cut it, I'm afraid.

Absolutely.

It’s only on Mn people seem to have doubts about returning to school. Everyone I know, parents and children, can’t wait for term to start.

And why do you think that might be, Parker123?

I wonder how many parents realise that it could be a very disrupted term

@Yellowbutterfly1

The Children’s commissioner for England wants pupils tested regularly regardless if they are showing symptoms. I’m not sure many parents would be happy about that but could be wrong.

I had a little google and found this guidance document, to be honest it was a bit of scary reading.
I for one was certainly unaware that if my child didn’t consent to be tested they could Potentially be removed from me for up to 14 days.

I’m really sure what to think now.

I’m laughing at the idea of testing primary school children regularly. Ths is an unpleasant test as they need to go deep either in your throat or your nose. Children are not going to passively accept that, and not on a regular basis either.

Re consent. I thought that only parents could give consent there, not the child as they are too young?!?

Parker231

Even those papers that have form for slating teachers are changing the narrative of kids can't get it/don't spread it to kids do get it and do spread it.

For those who are negative or have doubts, what is your solution?

We can’t put life on hold any longer - the next generation are going to be paying the financial cost for their lifetime.

@CallmeAngelina - children want to go back to see their friends, teachers, have a routine back to every day. Parents want their children to receive an education, and enable the parents to return to work to hold onto their jobs.

Some things that would help would be

1. additional funding for additional day to day cleaning and supplies, we have spent a fortune but the current regulations mean we are not eligible for any funding- so that means we have had to lose a member of staff in September.
2. staff to be able to use PPE if they wish, even if it is just to make the staff member feel more protected
3. schools to be able to insist on checking negative test results before a child with symptoms is allowed to return or 10 days isolation if a test isn't undertaken That would be a reasonable start