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!

Just saying have you read this thread?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4113739-Disabled-kids-the-forgotten-Covid-victims

[quote AldiAisleofCrap]@berryfull AIBU to think that those people calling for the schools to stay open should check their privilege?
Not everyone will have a mild illness if they contract Covid-19 , it’s highly likely I will become severely ill or die.
My children’s right to a mother is more important than another child’s receiving education in a school building.[/quote]
What makes you think you will die? Have you seen the survival rate

@berryfull I'll ask again what do you do OP?

So OP are you campaigning for more social workers, police, foster careers etc or just think it down to teachers?

Why is it up to the parents of disabled children to lobby for rights for the disabled and vulnerable.

When I became a teacher I signed up to protect and help vulnerable kids - why should it be me?

*why shouldn't it be me

I've been trying to tell people that while I do support schools closing in general (I haven't 'called for it' per se) there are no good answers.

I really dislike people, especially people without kids and don't appreciate what is at stake, who start calling parents who want schools open selfish or worse... I appreciate I have it easy, my kids are a bit older, one is in secondary, I have space, resources and an understanding manager.

I also appreciate many people who are clinically vulnerable are scared of schools being open.

Both sides have legitimate reasons for supporting one approach or another but I simply don't see any good answers.

Remember, rather than having a go at parents for wanting one thing or another, this gov has had 9 months to prepare if they'd thought about it. January and February was always going to be a crisis period, even without the new variant - I am not a scientist and I could have told you that months ago. They should have been putting resources into equipping schools and families to cope with the almost inevitable closure at the starts of 2021, but they didn't because they preferred peddling reassuring 'Over by Christmas' messages to telling people they'd have to buckle down during peak virus season and helping them prepare.

Schools can not stay open for the children that need them if we carry on as we are. Teachers and other staff need to be protected so they can carry on providing an education, albeit remote learning for most.

If your school hasn't provided a place for your vulnerable children then you need to take that up with them, or your council.

@SaltyAF

Stop asking members of school communities to cure all society's ills by risking their health.

Great response.

Teachers aren't childminders

Gosh I am so privileged. Not enough bedrooms for us all. Had to Shield Meaning we had to find somewhere else for my OH to sleep during early stages of pandemic when we already share a room with our youngest. I don’t get any space or time away from my Children - not even for a shit. Had to abandon the pittance of work I did have meaning we’re fairly skint most of the time... but I have also had mild covid which was one of the most horrific experiences of my life and know why we need to protect others from that.

My mental health is shit, quickly veering towards rock bottom but my being happy is not more important than the safety of others, it does not trump their right to live. I can improve my Mental Heath when the world is safe again, the longer people don’t comply and the government keeps fucking up, the longer we experience lockdowns making us unhappy.

This pandemic is Bigger than me and you.

Echobelly

I have no problem with anyone saying that schools should stay open.

I have problems with people saying that schools should be open without making them as safe as they possibly can.

the lack of joined up thinking about what happens when a easily transmitted virus is let lose in schools is staggering.

What do people think will happen when teachers go off sick with this?

I'm sick and tired of the press reporting that vulnerable children and those with SEN can go to school, when many of these kids cannot.

Remember, rather than having a go at parents for wanting one thing or another, this gov has had 9 months to prepare if they'd thought about it. January and February was always going to be a crisis period, even without the new variant - I am not a scientist and I could have told you that months ago. They should have been putting resources into equipping schools and families to cope with the almost inevitable closure at the starts of 2021, but they didn't because they preferred peddling reassuring 'Over by Christmas' messages to telling people they'd have to buckle down during peak virus season and helping them prepare

I'll not have a go at parents who have concerns. That's understandable.

I'll absolutely stick up for my profession if endlessly confronted with goady misinformation from people who claim to care about vulnerable children but clearly want schools open at any cost.

I want to return to normality and teach. The best chance we have of this is to get the R rate down and hospitals less overwhelmed.

I want the same thing I've wanted for months: a proper strategy for safely opening schools that places staff, student and community safety first.

The government have failed and the goady ones/ones who refuse to engage critical thinking are too willing to blame the wrong people.

This thread is a waste of time.

@berryfull is literally just saying the same thing in every one if her posts and not actually taking on board anything posters are saying or answering any questions!

@landofgiants

I'm sick and tired of the press reporting that vulnerable children and those with SEN can go to school, when many of these kids cannot.

Quite, it's relying on the school to accept pupils into their hub and the sad truth is if your school doesn't see your child as vulnerable then there's no place for you.

i want schools closed....all of them

but i won't be 'checking my privilege' ....nope

Case rates in my area are currently low, I might feel differently about school closures if I lived in eg London.

@walksen

."I WFH and it is really hard with young kids "

Well at least you have a safe working environment then.....

Well yes, I do, but I didn't say I didn't have a safe environment did I?

Plenty of people on here seem to think you can easily have kids at home (mine are 1 years old and six) and do a demanding job. You have to choose between neglecting your job or your kids. It's no walk in the park and people seem oblivious to that fact - they think it's all baking and making rainbow collages if you have kids around while WFH. Read other threads, plenty of people who work in health and social care services have had to have kids at home while working and the standard of care they provided has totally diminished, impacting the level of service and the lives of service users. It's bad for the child and the parent and it also impacts the rest of society. That is why it is a last resort. Some people might even lose their jobs in the process. People make out the alternative to schools being open has no other risks whatsoever.

I think we need to look at alternatives first - allowing parents to keep kids off without risking fines and then see what kind of numbers you are left with and if you can put measures in place to reduce risks. If this isn't possible then, yes, school closures or a rota system. I do feel for those working in education as they have not had any support or funding to keep their workplaces safe.

But yeah, thanks for the comment - I will bear that in mind as I obviously haven't before, given that I have worked in frontline care services myself previously and know that with some jobs it is impossible to distance.

I’m not answering any personal questions as I do not want to offer any more personal info than I already have.

I’m also not slagging off teachers/school staff. They are amazing. Thank you to them all. They should be vaccinated first (with nhs staff)

I also apologise, I just don’t have the energy to respond to all the questions to me directly.

I am however grateful for all the interesting measured passionate voices with differing viewpoints that I will read and think about and research, and hopefully that will help me as I navigate whatever the next few months bring.

All the best to all in all your challenging varying situations.

All I wanted to say is please do not assume the vunerable children are ok if schools close. Because it’s not true.

You don't have to be privileged to support H&S for a particular industry, just empathetic.
I do sympathise with those who would be better at school, and that for some reason, you know they can't access a school.
However, not a philosophy I agree with, but at times like this nature does dictate, selfishness and the survival of the fittest, (fittest) to adapt and change to the situation.

@CanICelebrate

This thread is a waste of time.

@berryfull is literally just saying the same thing in every one if her posts and not actually taking on board anything posters are saying or answering any questions!

there was a poster like this last night, ended up being 'looked into' and threads all deleted..

@Littleideasbigbook

The families on my caseload (who you mainly describe) got a school place though in the last lockdown and I am pretty sure I spent hours writing plans, visiting them in their home and school and standing in gardens and fields, and ringing other agencies to liaise about their support? The police, schools, paediatricians, OT's and social workers didn't stop working?

Some OTs did stop working actually. As did some SaLTs.

'Check your privilege' is the most annoying term I've heard. Having said that, you are right that some children are safer in school than at home. They are classed as 'vulnerable' children, so are given school places even though the school is closed to other pupils.

All of this. We have our vulnerable dc in from opening on Wednesday despite school being 'closed' til at least the 18th

It looks to me like most of the parents of today's children look on schools as a place to give the parents a break from their children. Schools are there to educate and to a certain extent socialise children not to give parents peace.

I’m not someone who wants to see schools open at any costs, I can see arguments on both sides, but I think comments like this are so incredibly unfair.

Many parents are desperately trying to hold onto their employment. The combined forces of Covid and Brexit are making the job market absolute hell in many sectors and parents can’t begin to compete in any workplace if they have to teach and parent while working.

There are many and varied reasons why people want to see the schools stay open, but I guarantee you that not one parent wants them open so that they can put their feet up and read the paper.

CanICelebrate

TBF most of the "schools must stay open" crowd do exactly the same.