Bitter about missing school occasions

[Rhinothunder]

Just really beginning to hate this government. Parents have been banned from sports days at all our local schools as they say its too much risk and they can't police lots of bubbles as required by govt guidelines.

We've also been banned from assemblies and shows even if can hold them outside. I haven't seen a single thing yet in my 6 year olds school career. We saw so much for the older ones and was a real high for us and the kids.

Meanwhile on the news we are watching g7 encourages, football officalls and z list celebrities swan round the world and mass together.

It's so galling and I'm getting really angry about it.

Struggling to accept it and thinking of how I can take action.

Government aren't banning parents at school events or on school site. DFE advise against it unless necessary - school has decided it isn't necessary. It is disappointing but your child probably won't mind at all. Should be all that matters.

Plus we couldn’t even look round schools due to covid. So 🤞🏻

@Stevenage689

Government aren't banning parents at school events or on school site. DFE advise against it unless necessary - school has decided it isn't necessary. It is disappointing but your child probably won't mind at all. Should be all that matters.

I’d be happy for our sports day, productions and commendations, inter school tournaments etc to all go ahead without parents this year if that was deemed necessary, but ours have been cancelled outright which i don’t understand when others are going ahead (some with parents). It’s frustrating.

It's crappy, OP.
I'm a ft teacher and had a baby May last year - I was really looking forward to being able to attend all of my middle child's events at primary school for once, to actually be able to walk him up to the playground and collect him, and generally be involved more with his school life.
Then Covid.
I returned to teaching from mat leave last month so won't get those opportunities again at all now. He is having a Year 6 Leavers celebration (outside) but unlikely I'll be able to attend because of work.

I hadn't really considered it! It is what it is and I'll survive and my Children won't suffer too much.

I missed eldest sports day due to work long before Covid - she's fine with it and I have been to all since.

Youngest is Y1 so was reception when covid hit. Maybe I should get myself worked up and I am a bad mum for not , but there will be other sports days.

So fat they seem happy and healthy even with covid and they know we are there when they need us so not really a big deal. And he knows no difference.

Have a year 6 here and I Had this conversation tonight with a relative. They have missed out on so much in the last year it’s not fair on them at all. Angers me when I see big events taking place at the moment.

The only thing that has not been cancelled is out taster day next week. We got a letter yesterday and the secondary school has said it will not be cancelling as it’s not fair on the children and what they have been through the last 2 years. Fingers crossed nothing changes by next week.

I’d love to know what the chances of contracting covid are at an outdoors, socially distanced assembly/leavers gathering/ sports day etc

I’ll hazard a guess - fuck all chance

Just a big fat excuse to say ‘computer says no’

Stevenage689
Government aren't banning parents at school events or on school site. DFE advise against it unless necessary - school has decided it isn't necessary.

Not in my experience - I'm a Y6 teacher who has spent the past month working on our end of year production. Just been informed by PHE our max audience will be 6!
We knew it would be reduced, but that's so small we now won't have anyone- it wouldn't be fair. Our school hall is massive, we could have easily socially distanced 30 pairs of parents. We can't have it outside as we are in a noisy location, you wouldn't hear the children. We'll video it instead, but the staff are gutted - haven't told the children yet as only found out yesterday.

The trouble is, nobody makes any money out of the kids' assemblies so the government doesn't care.

I must say, watching the crowds last night for the football I did wonder why my 18 year old dd couldn't have an end of year party. I mean, she'll live, but it seems absurd double standards particularly as the match was so dire

I am sad not to have been able to watch these events but relieved this year as there was no way I could miss work. My 5 year old would have had no mummy there to cheer and been left out.
In someways recordings / zoom are fabulous .

I'm hoping (selfishly)that the Christmas Play is binned again this yr. MY ds hates them and gets stressed every Yr. Last December was so much more relaxing for him and me.

@Malteser71

I’d love to know what the chances of contracting covid are at an outdoors, socially distanced assembly/leavers gathering/ sports day etc

I’ll hazard a guess - fuck all chance

Just a big fat excuse to say ‘computer says no’

I know ridiculous isn’t it

@laserboy

Stevenage689 Government aren't banning parents at school events or on school site. DFE advise against it unless necessary - school has decided it isn't necessary.

Not in my experience - I'm a Y6 teacher who has spent the past month working on our end of year production. Just been informed by PHE our max audience will be 6!
We knew it would be reduced, but that's so small we now won't have anyone- it wouldn't be fair. Our school hall is massive, we could have easily socially distanced 30 pairs of parents. We can't have it outside as we are in a noisy location, you wouldn't hear the children. We'll video it instead, but the staff are gutted - haven't told the children yet as only found out yesterday.

What I don’t understand is that people can be crammed into public transport (mainly in masks), so why can’t they sit in the hall, distanced as much as possible, in masks? Or are they saying masks don’t work? In which case, why is it ok for me to work on hospital wards (with covid patients when I was redeployed) wearing the same type of mask I’d be wearing in the school hall?!

@Malteser71

I’d love to know what the chances of contracting covid are at an outdoors, socially distanced assembly/leavers gathering/ sports day etc

I’ll hazard a guess - fuck all chance

Just a big fat excuse to say ‘computer says no’

Exactly, completely agree.

It’s complete overkill...

Watermelon221 - completely agree. We also have the added stress that quite a few vocal parents are going around saying it is the school that choosing to exclude parents. It is so frustrating.

@BackforGood

"Bitter" ??

Bit sad maybe, but you have to put these things in context. Hundreds of thousands of parents never see a sports day, (because they work). Ditto assemblies.

Of all the things that have been sad and upsetting over the last 15months, I don't think not being able to attend a sports day ranks anywhere.

well I've worked damn hard to put in place a flexible career where I can see these things. It hasn't been easy and I would earn more if I didn't. so yes, I'm equally pissed off about it.

I'm sorry for children missing out but personally sitting through sports days, dreary school productions etc etc was one of the most tedious things about having a child a primary school

@Ragwort

I'm sorry for children missing out but personally sitting through sports days, dreary school productions etc etc was one of the most tedious things about having a child a primary school

Yes I agree! Marvellous when they get to secondary and all that tails off. I'm sad my 18 year old isn't going to be able to celebrate with her friends at school though.

@Watermelon221

I’d be happy if they would still go ahead with no parents, but all of ours have been cancelled.

They’re sucking the joy out of everything.

Incredibly year 10 exams were ok to go ahead in the hall, but sports day not, on a huge field. Kids can cram in dinner hall (maskless) and school bus, but no prom, end of year assembly or production.

Such bloody stupid mixed messages. Not to mention the football fans in London allowed to gather in huge crowds and those plane fulls of people rushing back to avoid quarantine....

Surely year 10 exams are educationally important, whilst eating and travel to and from school are obviously essential. They can't be compared with proms and school productions, particularly the latter which would involve bringing many families into a room and mixing them, when we know that the Delta variant is spreading faster in schools than in any other setting.

Yes, the big sporting events are pissing me off a bit. Loads of strangers from all over the place, possibly drunk, queuing together, sharing toilets - that’s far more of a risk for spreading a virus around than outdoor, distanced gatherings of parents whose children are already mixing every day and many of whom are seeing each other for play dates, coffee etc. I have kids at two schools and they’re doing their absolute best within the guidance they’re being given, but some things have had to be cancelled and those that are going ahead are doing so with no parents in attendance. There’s a couple I would have liked to go to, so seeing the crowds on TV is sticking in my throat a bit.

@RitaTheGreeter

But I said I was happy for these things to go ahead without the parents there. Obviously I’d miss going (having said that we don’t go to high school sports day anyway) but at least the kids would still get to do it.

If they can be together all day for exams etc, surely they can have sports day?

The thing I’m pissed off about is that no one met my baby (born in lockdown #1) until he was six months old because that was the advice given. Actually, if we’d followed the advice, no one would have held him until after his first birthday. But I got to the point I was so fed up with no one getting to hold him that I sacked it off at six months. I wish I’d just binned off the guidelines when he was new and tiny and let my family hold them then but we were heavily cautioned against it it was a deeply isolating time.

I’ve never met a health visitor either; despite many attempts to ask them things I didn’t want to bother a GP with. I fear for the fall-out from all those unsupported women and births.

@kungfupannda

Yes, the big sporting events are pissing me off a bit. Loads of strangers from all over the place, possibly drunk, queuing together, sharing toilets - that’s far more of a risk for spreading a virus around than outdoor, distanced gatherings of parents whose children are already mixing every day and many of whom are seeing each other for play dates, coffee etc. I have kids at two schools and they’re doing their absolute best within the guidance they’re being given, but some things have had to be cancelled and those that are going ahead are doing so with no parents in attendance. There’s a couple I would have liked to go to, so seeing the crowds on TV is sticking in my throat a bit.

Yes and at the primary school, we are all in the smallish playground at pick up and drop off, in masks and distanced every day.

But we can’t stand on the massive field masked and distanced for sports day because it’s too high risk? It’s mad!!!

I’m delighted that parents don’t have to attend sports day, assemblies, school productions, shell out for residential S or trips. No guilt for not being able to attend due to work, no ridiculous sobbing from parents at leavers assemblies, no over competitiveness from other parents at sports day or about SATs results. So refreshing!

Parents sob at leavers assemblies? 🤭😂

Also, what’s a pre-school graduation? Another poster mentioned them. Tell me it doesn’t involve mortarboards and gowns…