IF you were able would you remove your children from school now?

[Evenquieterlife33]

Hi, I know many people who are unable to do this, I have several friends where both parents are self employed and cannot avoid public contact for work. I completely understand this. However, I can, my husband works from home now, his office has closed anyway due to a case. I work from home anyway. My kids are primary and secondary age. Apart from popping to the shops, we could just opt to more or less isolate to try and slow the spread. I’m not fully convinced on the herd immunity theory. Anybody out there pulling kids out of school??

I think schools will close end of next week though

No. Not yet. This is all going to be going on for a really long time and the longer I can squeeze out of almost-normality now, the better my family will be able to cope with measures later on.

My decisions would probably be different if I had children whose health was compromised or if they applied to me or my partner.

I am frightened. What's the harm with having an extended Easter break? Year 11 and 13 on study leave, year 10 and 12 have plenty of time to catch anything up and are capable of working from home. Younger kids who don't have public exams what's the issue? I am disgusted the government are experimenting with us and going against WHO advice. If I could be off work without having my pay docked I would do for sure.

Flower I feel the same.
One dd is actually unwell. The other one will develop a cough.

Name, it's wrong to say that. Everything is pointing towards keeping schools open.

I have lost all my work for the foreseeable, self employed event catering, and so I am taking him out of school. I am in the lucky position to live rurally and am mostly self sufficient anyway, and we can survive on very little money. I don't want to contribute to this herd immunity experiment by spreading the virus further. I know how hard it will be for so many others to do the same though. Fuck. This has all got very very real.

Name, it's wrong to say that. Everything is pointing towards keeping schools open.

Well everyone I know who works in primary and secondary schools is expecting to finish 1 or 2 weeks early for Easter so it’s not an unreasonable thing to say.

Flower but what of parents of younger children who cannot be left alone but whose nurseries and primary schools will close who also can’t take time off work to look after them without taking unpaid leave or losing their jobs?

Very difficult if people are working (most are), unless they are old enough to be left. I don't have young children now but would like to think I would keep them at home - I worked part time for a while and honestly don't know how we'd have managed. The grandparents were great at child care but with C-virus, they would have been vulnerable. I daresay husband and I would have worked something out between us but I honestly don't know.

Hee hee, I know mine would have LOVED not having to go to school for a while.

Not yet no, I could as my OH is retired but I am taking each day as it comes and they will go in Monday.

I am still travelling 2/3 days a week to London (from the NW) as it stands for work so I am probably the bigger risk. I think that will change this week though.

Not yet, but I'm keeping an eye on things.

I've decided my red line is that if we get to the point where they relax the regulations on class sizes (this was mentioned a couple of weeks ago) mine are coming home. I can have them at home relatively easily and surely at that point it also benefits the school to have fewer children.

DS (15) struggles to concentrate and learn in a class of 25+ so any bigger than that I think it would be pointless him being here anyway.

DD (11) is in a learning support unit within the school and they are handwashing and using sanitiser as it's much easier in that smaller and more controlled environment to do so.

I would hope that parents who can take their kids out under those circumstances would have the flexibility to do so as it might at least delay the point at which schools close fully and the knock-on impact on the NHS (nearly every healthcare worker I know is married/partnered to another healthcare worker) and other services.

Both dcs have respiratory issues and one has a heart condition.

I am keeping an eye on things and may take them out earlier but a)there are no cases in my area yet and b) so far the school is communicating pretty well about it all so I am reassured I know what's happening.

Yes, I’m keeping mine home from tomorrow. I’m a lecturer and my university has suspended both research and face to face teaching through to June.

Though the risk of serious illness and death is much less in children and young people, I feel if my students shouldn’t be receiving face to face teaching, then there’s no reason for my dc to take that risk either.

I am at home anyway for the foreseeable future, so I can’t see why I wouldn’t. I also have a health condition that puts me at risk of pneumonia and I been in hospital quite ill several times. It’s just not worth the risk.

My expectation working in the field (I’m in infectious disease) is that schools will close very soon anyway.

"Tagging a week onto Easter" does not help! If schools do close, they'd need to close for about 14-16 weeks.

No.

However, I think schools will shut possibly next Friday as my dc have been led to believe this by staff and my niece said her teacher told them she was preparing work packs for kids to do at home when it shuts. And that to coincide with Easter they will be shut 4 weeks. So it seems likely.

Am I jumping for joy? No. One of my dc has asd and this will throw the routine, up the verbal and physical aggression we receive from said dc and increase meltdowns which usually take place between 10pm and midnight .

Plus i will have to juggle looking after them and working from home (do not usually work from home), and asd dc needs one to one which is impossible.

Then I have elderly parents who rely on me on top. And an abusive ex husband.

I've decided my red line is that if we get to the point where they relax the regulations on class sizes (this was mentioned a couple of weeks ago) mine are coming home

I think a lot of people will do that.

If so, it’ll end up being childcare for the kids of frontline workers. Who will probably stand a v high risk of carrying the virus. That’ll be fun for the teachers!

I'm not as there as no known cases in our village

Heard immunity assumes that once you've had it you are immune. We don't know yet if that's the case.

No. I suspect we will get it at some point and as a reasonably healthy family - we are not at extra risk.

I will make sure that we stay clear of vulnerable people if there is any chance of anyone having anything though (my parents for example). I have always done this though as I can stay at home easily if my kids are at all unwell.

No I see no point. Keeping them at home and in the house for weeks is not something I fancy trying. That's what it would need to make a difference. We will just stay away from vulnerable people as far as we can