To feel in despair for the kids

[JudesBiggestFan]

My son was one of 400 children sent home from two bubbles in his high school today to isolate for 14 days. He's in Year 7 and it was his fourth day in his new school.
He'd been catching the bus, made a new friend, had settled in so much better than I hoped after the past few chaotic disrupted months. And now he's home again.
Not only that, he is now going to miss his cricket presentation and first two football matches of the season, not be able to see friends and family, all for the pleasure of three days of schooling.
And I can see this happening over and over and over again. Luckily childcare isnt an issue as I work from home, but I'm just so sad for kids missing out. Six months off and it seems we're back where we started with no end in sight

@Ginorwine30

I can imagine how frustrating it must be, I feel really sorry for kids who’ve waited months to go back to school and then get told to go home for two weeks. It’s ridiculous in my opinion, we can’t carry on like this indefinitely.

The vast majority of youngish, healthy people recover fine from this, I’ve had it and I’m fine. I know sadly that isn’t the case for everyone but it would be better to tell elderly/vulnerable to take extra precautions and the rest of us go carry on. The reality is that it isn’t ever going to go away so you either take your chances or live like this for years

This is exactly what I think. Vulnerable and elderly take extra precautions and the rest get on with it. We can not carry on like this. 😩😩😩

@Mistressiggi

There is. It's part time school. Parents didn't want it.

Government didn't either. They want everyone back at work which would be difficult with having to do part time childcare. Also difficult this way when everyone is sent home every so often. There isn't really an easy solution.

I'm really sorry that your son is missing his cricket presentation and is stuck at home. Any chance he can game online with his new friend or something?

We had 2 training days last week, half-way through the first day one of our staff was told that his son had tested positive. He s self-isolating now, until he heard that his test was negative all the staff wore face visors to protect the children and parents actually complained about this.

@lljkk

Sorry OP, situation sucks. I would happily have the Swedish model instead but few people agree with that (unless they're total nutters who like many other things I could never agree with). DS is in bubble of 28-30, btw. His secondary school figured out a way, for yr7-8 anyway.

Did they really? Taught by just one teacher? Our Y7 and 8 remain in one room too. Their teachers, however, teach across all the bubbles and can’t get 2m from them. Plus they are on the school buses altogether. Think you are probably kidding yourself, to be honest.

The vulnerable can't just hide themselves away while everyone else gets effective as many are teachers or parents of pupils or the pupils themselves. They can't just lock themselves away. People have to accept that there will be some disruption to schools for the rest of the year but hopefully children won't miss too much and what they do miss will be supplemented with online learning.

effective infected!

Our Y7 and 8 remain in one room too. Their teachers, however, teach across all the bubbles and can’t get 2m from them. Plus they are on the school buses altogether. Think you are probably kidding yourself, to be honest.

They are 2 m away from pupils at DD's school.

Sorry to hear the op 🙁 dd2 just started year 7 and is the happiest she’s been for ages would be so upsetting to have it all snatched away again

Poor kid, that's so shit. Tbh I'm "waiting" for this to happen for mine. So shit for them all X

I absolutely agree with comments upthread - vulnerable and elderly self isolate and the rest of us get on with it. There really is no other option as we’re months, if not years, from getting a vaccine and there’s no way that we are going to ever get infections or deaths down to nil in the meantime.

So many people seem to forget that lots of people in “vulnerable groups” are also parents ! How are people supposed to isolate with children at school ?
Also you may be more vulnerable than you think. The people I know left with cardiac damage, brain damage and long term fatigue are all young enough to have children at school. One of them is only 20.
Dr Xand of Operation Ouch has made a programme about his cardiac issues post Covid, and he is under 45, very fit and healthy beforehand.
I think we all need to proceed with caution until we know more about this virus. We all need to try and protect each other. I have found the pandemic most shocking in its exposure of how little people care about the elderly, the sick, the disabled, and anyone who may be more vulnerable in their community.

I absolutely agree with comments upthread - vulnerable and elderly self isolate and the rest of us get on with it.

So only children's physical and mental health matters?

Denying children education will do long term damage to the economy and social fabric of the UK

shut the pubs
open the schools

Yes, @Witchcraftandhokum - Only young lives matter. Lock the e,dear,y and vulnerable away

(elderly)

Yes it’s awful. They missed a lot already

Face masks in schools would be a big step in the right direction.

And people not being selfish twats and indulging in behaviour that allows their school age child to catch it and take it into school. School transmission will come later for sure, but right now it’s being take into school from the community.

And how exactly does society keep running with all those people tidied away? the elderly and vulnerable are doctors and teachers and shop assistants and childcare support and parents and careers and hospital drivers and they have money that keeps the economy afloat

Oh, and they are human too

And how do we protect them given they need fresh air, exercise , food, love like anyone she ?

the definition of vulnerable will need t9 be rather broad if we are to avoid overwhelming the NHS. Make sure you don't catch yourself.

@smogsville

I'm sorry OP that's just beyond disappointing for your son and the rest of the children. What happens to siblings, do they have to stay away for 14 days too?

@AlexaShutUp I don't agree I'm afraid. If the alternative to keeping potentially contagious kids at home is for those in vulnerable groups to isolate, that would be a least worst scenario for me.

Aren’t you a lovely person, as long as your happy then screw the sick, vulnerable and disabled. They are asking kids who have been exposed to isolate, it’s not like they have placed the whole country on another lockdown. Have you thought about all those life limited kids, your child might have to miss 2 weeks of school but you expect those life limited kids to never leave their house again and die without experiencing being out and about. It’s literally what it comes down to. They can try and control it which might cause 14 days inconvenience in what I hope is 80+ years of your life but screw the vulnerable instead

@Hereinthesticks

Agree with the pp who said schools need to look at smaller bubbles in secondary schools For sixth form they only take 3-4 subjects. Each pupil's bubble could be those 3-4 classes (about 20 max each) and their tutor group (30) and they are only allowed to mix at break time with those pupils. That cuts a bubble in half immediately. Of course, the pupils would have to be trusted to stick to that and assemblies on-line or information passed on during tutor time/registration. Of course the whole bubble principle is deeply flawed, with out-of-school sport, siblings, parents' workplaces etc. An acceptance that a slightly lower bar is needed for effective education might be required, even though that is less than perfect. And along with that an acceptance that socialising and mixing outside of school needs to be restricted for sake of education.

But they don’t take the same subjects as each other. Somebody could do history, English and philosophy. But somebody else in the history group could do history french and music. And somebody else philosophy, psychology and art... And so on... this is why a whole year group bubble is needed

@smogsville

I'm sorry OP that's just beyond disappointing for your son and the rest of the children. What happens to siblings, do they have to stay away for 14 days too?

@AlexaShutUp I don't agree I'm afraid. If the alternative to keeping potentially contagious kids at home is for those in vulnerable groups to isolate, that would be a least worst scenario for me.

Except thosenl vulnerable are the teachers you are expecting to teach the potentially contagious children. That doesn't work.

I have found the pandemic most shocking in its exposure of how little people care about the elderly, the sick, the disabled, and anyone who may be more vulnerable in their community.

I agree. Not only do some people not give much of a shit about the vulnerable but the also seem to totally underestimate their contribution to society and think everyone can just "get on with it" without them. They can't.

Cardibach, the teachers move around each new lesson time.
My big worry is that DS gets on well with his bubble classmates. Since he will see so much of them, the friendship circle just shrunk massively & DS didn't really make any friends in yr7. My little worry is whether DS enjoys academics & learns new things.

I have zero worries about the virus & the school gets to worry about staff getting ill or poor discipline in the small time gaps when no adult in the room. DS rarely takes the bus, I actually am not sure what's going on with bus service since it is charter, nothing to do with the school or LEA.

Aridane It's fucking terrifying. My grandmother has lived through two world wars, her father died in the trenches fighting for this country in WWI, her husbands plane was shot down while he was fighting for this country in WWII. She contributed to this country her whole life yet people think it's perfectly acceptable for her to die alone while her dementia addled brain can't understand why her family have not visited and appear to have forgotten about her as long as their little darlings can go to school. Fucking heartless.