To think that those people calling for the schools to shut should check their privilege

[berryfull]

It’s all very well and good to decide to keep your kids home or call for the schools to shut when you have enough space/have a garden/ have enough bedrooms/ have a home office/ can work from home/one parent doesn’t work/ you can work flexibly / your work can furlough you/ you have enough savings/ you have enough money/ you have WiFi / you have a device per child/ your children can read and write/ your children are independent/ your children are neurotypical/ your children don’t have disabilities/ you’re not scared of your partner/ you’re not scared of your children/ your mental health doesn’t make you a danger to your children/ yiu can cope with the stress/ your partner isn’t a danger to your children/ your health is good enough to allow you to look after your children/ your education level is sufficient for you to help educate your children you can feed your children throughout the day ..... etc etc

Stop presuming that all children will be safer at home. There are bigger and comparable dangers to the Covid that school keeps children safe from. And the vunerable ones are not being looked after.

Keep the schools open .... please!

Maybe rather than basically blame teachers for wanting to be safe and healthy, we should be looking at fixing the problem where some children are not safe for 16 hours a day.

Your kids are only in school for a short period of time. That doesn't keep them safe they still get abused when they go home, they still get starved. Rather than trying to put a plaster over it and making it the schools problem to fix, we should be fixing the home end. If that means removing the child from the abuse, and putting the abuser behind bars, actually do it, not stand around whining that they aren't getting a hot meal at school.

Quite frankly, I’m sick of the entitlement of some people with kids. Even a few months off school is unlikely to generate anywhere near the amount of trauma of losing a loved one. Imagine if they lost their father. Do you really think that’d be a lesser evil than a few lessons?

Yes because children who are vulnerable because they come from abusive/violent/neglectful (etc) homes where they are at risk of significant harm are going to have parents that care enough to speak to school and make sure they have a place 🙄🙄

^^ Totally agree. Why are people saying 'all vulnerable children have got a school place?' How could you possibly know that?
Do you know about all the many many vulnerable children that aren't on children service radar?

Hi OP,

This pandemic is going round in circles .... since march while most of the sensible countries solved or keeping the issue under control and yet in UK we are finding reasons not to take drastic action and post likes yours (which is not a generic but special personal circumstances) are muddying that decision making process.

Total shut down is needed until all people classed as vulnerable and key workers are vaccinated (including teachers) !!! Otherwise we are going to have another year like last one...

Half the reasons you mention; (not having garden and bedrooms and wifi and so on) doesn't mean they can't stay at home for a while anyway...Having kids is a privilege as well... and if someone depend on schools to remain open and teachers to look after their kids as a way to compensate for lack of garden and a bedroom, perhaps they should seek for support from their government, community and families at those difficult times.

Also if a parent is abusive to their child and we are keeping schools open in the middle of a pandemic to safeguard that child from his parent then I think we are not doing any favour to that kid !!! Contact social services and remove that kid from that dangerous situation, thats the solution !!!!

I am sorry your kids aren't getting the care and attention they need, but the reality is your situation is not same as general public and therefore needs to be dealt as a different case. You need a different type of help and that help needs to come from government, keeping all schools open isnt the answer to your problem - so i dont agree with your post.

But if you said "my kids have special needs and please don't close their school along with others", i would support your post all the way... I think you are angry and frustrated but sadly your point of view is not generic enough to write this generic post on all schools... i hope you get the help you need, probably an email to your MP could help as well - unless he/she is a Tory scum ....

You need better governments. The British governments of the past 50 years, two thirds of them Tory, have brought about a country which is vastly unequal and in which some regions of England are the very poorest regions in the entirety of Northern Europe, poorer than Poland and Romania.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2617938/Revealed-How-parts-Britain-poorer-POLAND-families-Wales-Cornwall-Europes-worst-off.html

In fact, most of Britain is poorer than the European average.
citymonitor.ai/economy/business/most-britain-poorer-european-average-and-other-things-we-learned-map-2721

@SkinnyMinnieee don't be so ridiculous - said father couid catch it from Sainsbury's!!!

"Do you know about all the many many vulnerable children that aren't on children service radar?" I can't talk for all schools but at ours SS involvement was not the criteria for vulnerable. I know this because 2 friends kids were offered places under the "vulnerable" heading, they've never been in contact with SS (I do know why school offered them places). Also schools are far more likely to know vulnerable kids ds than SS, where do you think SS referrals mainly come from?

Growing up I would’ve been classed as a vulnerable child. Parent with chronic mental health and substance abuse issues, physically and emotionally abusive. Physically abusive sibling. Was only hit/punched on thighs, ribs etc. No one outside my household had a clue. School was the only escape. I really feel for kids who fall under the radar if schools closes :(

@JamesMiddletonsMarshmallows

I do think that the government should keep schools open but allow any families who have concerns to keep their children off if that's what they want to do, without facing fines.

But it's not the government who are closing the schools - well, not in my area. It's the unions getting large swathes of teacher backing, backed by the local authorities.

I agree with everything you say @JamesMiddletonsMarshmallows and my heart aches at all the kids who aren't safe or cared for at home. Honestly, It's horrendous to think about.

But i also genuinely think that if they don't shut schools, and stop the incredibly spiralling infection rates, then we're fucked for a lot longer.

No one wants this. No one wants schools to shut and children's education to be compromised. They might prefer it as an option, but the situation is so divisive.

don't be so ridiculous - said father couid catch it from Sainsbury's!!!

There’s a tiny chance of catching it at the supermarket compared to an environment where dozens of kids are mixing without PPE then coming home. Hard to socially distance from the people you live with in the same way you can at the supermarket.

Children are not at school weekends school holidays or late afternoon evening. What happens to these vulnerable children. No one cared about these children before this pandemic. Children who are vulnerable because of there parents should be in care ect. School only protects them for 6 hours Monday to Friday. Next time people vote for a government don’t vote for one that doesn’t give a shit about children or the poor or disabled

If your children have an EHCP then they are allowed to have a place in school even during lockdown, the government made sure to add that to the list of vulnerable children.
I have two sen children, it’s not easy at all and homeschooling was awful but it was safer for them to be at home.

But it's not the government who are closing the schools - well, not in my area. It's the unions getting large swathes of teacher backing, backed by the local authorities.

Sorry? The government didn’t didn’t request that secondary schools not open fully until 18th Jan? Is that what you are saying? They didn’t tell certain boroughs to close their primary schools? Really?

And with regards to the rest of the primary schools, is it not the government that is not agreeing to safety measures to support the opening of them, thus putting the schools in jeopardy of not opening fully?

Everything needs to shut down until this is under control.

It’s this ridiculous British pomposity which has allowed it linger long after other countries have got it under control. And now we’re seeing mutations, which could potentially continue. Next strain may be another 50% more transmissible and 50% more deadly!

But a vulnerable child who then adds covid to the mix will be worse off!

Where I am we have an extremely good ideao of who is vulnerable without echp or sw etc.

Cam77 yes you are spot on. The Governments failures has pitted desperate parents against desperate teachers. We’re all tired and scared. None of us are wrong.

I’ve not read the whole thread but all that needs to be done is the children than need to go do so. Those that don’t need to go should be allowed to stay home which would help the distancing in school. This would make it safer to be there for those that need to be there

@EmpressSuiko

If your children have an EHCP then they are allowed to have a place in school even during lockdown, the government made sure to add that to the list of vulnerable children. I have two sen children, it’s not easy at all and homeschooling was awful but it was safer for them to be at home.

The issue is that if the school has no staff then they can't offer any places.

You can't use agency with some pupils with complex needs- they need medical training etc.

It is not unreasonable to assume that some schools will have no teachers and few if any support staff on site tomorrow.

So no places to offer, it isnt safe and unlike a snowy day you can't sit 100 pupils in the hall watching a video until the staff arrive.

WHEN will people realise that it's got fuck all to do with ANY of the things you listed ?

ALL measures are about KEEPING THE NHS TICKING OVER!

That's what literally everything boils down to!

What @CakeRequired said, all of it.

We need to stop relying on schools to fix in 8 hours what society neglects the remaining 16.

@ChloeDecker

But it's not the government who are closing the schools - well, not in my area. It's the unions getting large swathes of teacher backing, backed by the local authorities.

Sorry? The government didn’t didn’t request that secondary schools not open fully until 18th Jan? Is that what you are saying? They didn’t tell certain boroughs to close their primary schools? Really?

And with regards to the rest of the primary schools, is it not the government that is not agreeing to safety measures to support the opening of them, thus putting the schools in jeopardy of not opening fully?

@sorry, I was referring only to primary schools. My error. I realise the secondaries have been delayed.

I'm not in any way saying that this situation is anyone's fault except the government - they're are totally culpable and this situation should be laid entirely at their feet - but in my area, my understanding is that they did not tell the primaries to close. The LA had an emergency meeting, the NEC had backing and they supported the NEC.

Far better to have one or two DC, cheaper and easier to care for than a tribe of kids.
Have heard people saying
“But I have Five/six children, how am I expected to care for them with schools closed?

These days no one needs that many kids, surely.. ESPECIALLY if the parents need care for them.

Only have what you can comfortably manage or afford.

Dad was one of seven and said it was not easy for his parents... He questioned them having so many
His mum ( our gran) sounded like a baby addict who loved being pregnant.

Oh God, don't start on the 'privilege' bollocks. So sick of that word.

@ktp100

WHEN will people realise that it's got fuck all to do with ANY of the things you listed ?

ALL measures are about KEEPING THE NHS TICKING OVER!

That's what literally everything boils down to!

This. 100% agree.

If your children have an EHCP then they are allowed to have a place in school even during lockdown, the government made sure to add that to the list of vulnerable children.

This did not happen on the ground. It did in some areas but not ours. All the special schools shut apart to key worker children.