School and (imho) unjustifiable risk.

[MincepieMavis]

DD's primary school have invited a dancer to come in for a day to do workshops, including every child in the school. The children will see this person in their bubble groups. The dancer will be distanced and wearing a visor. The activity will take place outside if the weather is ok, or in their small school hall with the windows open if the weather is bad. Covid cases are on the increase, counties around us are moving up a tier right now. And someone in our household has a covid-relevant underlying condition.

Would you let your child take part?
Would you consent only if it took place outside? Or with other conditions?

It's a no from us unless it's outside, minimum. AIBU?

@RubyViolet

Bubbles are non existent in schools.

Not in my 3form entry primary school. 2 classes per bubble,; staff not allowed to be in more than 2 classes (including MFL , computing and art teachers). PE us allowed 6 classes as she is outside. Staff allocated spaces for lunch in bubbles with distanced chairs and tables. Ch eating classrooms with dedicated lunch staff. No lunchtime playtime but at am and pm break, classes in separated areas of playground. All meetings are virtual and planning time taken at home. 2 children tested positive this week and only their classes need to isolate. Mind you, very little space in classrooms, so harder to distance.

Yes definitely

Husbands school do not have access to staffroom. Class teachers (2 per Yr) and TA do not mix with other class teachers.
Everyday they have to compkete a form regarding contact/interactions with other adults ie office staff (must be 2 metres away etc).
Dinner staffwill obviously be in contact with all bubbles.

You’ll remove your child for the rest of the week so she isn’t in the same room (not 2m away) from a dancer?

I think you need to think about your risk assessment, this could go on for a lot longer and we all need to think about the risks/benefits of what we allow our children to do. I know someone who didn’t leave the house and garden with their child (not ECV) from March to August. There are risks to not living and developing too which may outweigh the risks of Covid, particularly for the young.

You'll remove her for the week?

You sound crazy

Yes I would. It's no more risky than when you go shopping etc. Your child is sat next to other children all day anyway, who in turn have been in contact with God knows who. The school 'bubble' is not some germ free, sterile environment.

I get that you're anxious but it's completely unfair to pass your anxiety on to your child. Massively unreasonable.

YABU.Remove your child and let them miss out then. Poor child. This sounds like a well planned activity. Your child is not going to be right next to the dancer so how are they more at risk? Your child doesn't just see one member of staff all day. There will be other visitors coming into school - supply teachers, peripatetic staff, possibly councillors. Your child will see midday assistants, canteen staff, site staff, office staff, SLT or have walked where they have if you are thinking about footprints. You are being really unfair to let your child miss out. Children need arts activities. The benefit of this outweighs the neglible risk.

I don’t understand why some posters bother. Do they just an echo chamber and strop when they don’t get it?

YABU. The risk to your child is infinitesimal.

The dancer’s more at risk.

You are being irrational. It is one extra person, they are no more likely to have covid than any of the other children and staff. We need to restore, where we can some semblance of normal life and this level of hysteria is preventing that. You cannot just take your child out of school for a week.

This is really sad. Your child deserves to thrive, not just survive. What a miserable existence 😔 schools are trying so hard at the moment and you’re more at risk from the other students on a daily basis.

Exposing your child to one extra socially distanced person is not a huge risk compared to sending them into school in the first place.

They will not be socially distancing with their classmates, why is it the socially distanced dancer you are worried about them catching it from?

Bubbles do not equal safety whatsoever, they just make it easier to send home groups when there are cases.

School staff will cross each other, they have meetings, use the same spaces, same toilets etc. Then you have every child in the bubble and their siblings who may or may not have been complying with the rules.

I’d not be happy re the dancer as I don’t think anyone other than the children and staff should be on site given cases in schools at the moment are increasing from recent data.

You’re being ridiculous

If be fine with it, let them have some enjoyment. Bubbles are crossed with siblings being in different years, school buses and sports groups outside of school.

Covid also travels on feet/footwear as well. Feels frivolous when we've all complied with all the school's risk assessment findings to this point.

So are you bleaching shoes, every time you come back inside? Do you wash every item of clothing immediately after returning from a trip outdoors? I fear this way the madness lies.

DS2 and DD3's school are doing something similar and we're keeping them home that day (agreed with the school).

Their school is very strict on bubbles and they are both in small classes (and in a village it's well known what families are taking big risks and which aren't). Staff aren't allowed to cross bubble at all and their school lunches are boxed up and eaten in the class so they don't even get close to dinner staff.

DD4 is extremely vulnerable. DS and DD are back at school for the sake of their mental health (and education, but mostly their MH) despite the risk to her so we have been very, very, very careful.

There is a virtual class/workshop being held by the dance worker at lunchtime for the children who can't come to school and DD and DS have been invited to join that.

I find it very bizarre that despite seriously strict restrictions the same person is going to be going into all of the local schools and mixing with all of the bubbles.

@Mellonsprite

Covid also travels on feet/footwear as well. Feels frivolous when we've all complied with all the school's risk assessment findings to this point.

So are you bleaching shoes, every time you come back inside? Do you wash every item of clothing immediately after returning from a trip outdoors? I fear this way the madness lies.

The feet comment leapt out to me too, what would be the mechanism for virus transfer by feet?

Are you worried that your child will touch the dancer's feet them instantly like their fingers?

Surely simply telling your child to not touch feet/anything that feet have touched/washi their hands before licking their fingers would remove the almost immeasurable risk

Schools cant win. Parents moaning about lack of extra curricular activities etc and then parents moaning about risk if they do

Schools cant win

Pretty much. I honestly wouldn't bother if I was a teacher, and would just do the bare minimum for all the complaining some parents do. This is why I am not a teacher however, they are patient and put the children before whiny pathetic parents.

You do realise that in secondary schools staff are having to be in each year group bubble? Just yesterday I was teaching to 4 different bubbles so not sure why the scenario in the op is so terrible

Everyone makes their own risk assessments, if you're not happy then take your kid out.

I feel the children have lost so much, and this would be a lovely opportunity for them. Children are low risk and our family are low risk so it's a different decision for us than others.

Asking here will achieve nothing except a shopping list of opinions if you're lucky and a pile on if you're not

My DD's infant school have had a man come in to teach them to ride bikes without stabilizers 🤷🏼‍♀️ She got a certificate!
Personally I'm immensely grateful as a disabled mother.