We have decided....

[whodunit3]

We have just had a family meeting and made the decision, the children will be kept off from tomorrow

Youngest has a chesty cough so wouldn’t be going in anyway but the other two will also be off for the foreseeable future (two primary and one secondary)

We live in an area where parents and grandparents are older, I have 0 confidence that BOJO, government informants or any scientist in the world really knows how this new virus works and I’m scared!

I read today that the reason behind lots of parents stopping doing what they though was right for their children was fear of judgment, doing the wrong thing, or more importantly doing (for you) the right thing.

I just wanted to share, that we are standing up and doing what feel right for us, do what’s right for you.

T0tallyFuckedUpFamily oh come on ! Stop this nonsense. We don't need more illogical statements on here. Have a THINK before you write negative stuff that adds to people's worries.

The government has actually TOLD EVERYONE with signs of a cough to self isolate for 14days.
I made the decision to stop my child attending school today. I have impaired immunity and the risk is now too high. I simply called and said I had a cough. No questions asked, just said OK - she has to stay home for 14 days. (Then receptionist added, "pretty sure we will be closed by then anyway as not enough pupils/teachers to keep open" - this is a 1200 student school)

There is not even the slightest, remotest possibility that you will be fined. Do you not realise how completely over run with work the skeleton council staff are , dealing with business continuity. The people who normally deal with school fines will be redeployed into front line services if they are at work at all. !

MBA what a peculiar post.

Do your bit, don't expose over 65... Don't go to crowded places many staff in schools are 65 + and schools are massively crowded places

Mine are out. Massive safeguard issues

My apologies T0tallyFuckedUpFamily that wasn't you... you were quoting someone else.. can't work out who though. Sorry for being cross with you

mba

Yep, your opinion.
Others know it's because the "aim" [BJ] quote, is for 80% of us to catch it, this is best done by letting the kids infect us.

MBA1974 I could not disagree with you more.
You seem to assume that the majority of parents who have removed children are then willing to let them become almost feral ! I think you will find that for the parents who have made this choice it is either because they fear their child catching it OR that their child will transmit it - without even realising they have it, to someone who is in the vulnerable group.

I need to self isolate due to a serious impaired immunity. Covid19 is scary but this is pretty normal for me. I have to stay away from work normally if someone has a bug.. so this is a real worry.
My children will be at home. They have Alevels this year. The school is already prepped for online work - one of her subject teachers is already SI at home and setting work.

Keeping children off school IS the right thing to do if you are able to keep them safe and isolated.
I believe that this is exactly what the vast majority are doing. Of course that is a problem with younger children and for those parents unable to WFH - but for those that can, it simply removes them from the spread of this virus and it is completely illogical to say having 1200 students on busses, hanging around corner shops, going to costa, supermarkets etc on the way to and from school is MORE safe than 500 kids doing the same .

I just wanted to share, that we are standing up and doing what feel right for us, do what’s right for you.

Uh oh - that way chaos lies

Wow! Why are you being so presumptuous and unkind?

I don’t want my mum to get Coronavirus, get sick and die, and I don’t want your mum or dad to have the same happen to them, so I’m doing what I can to prevent that by taking my feverish headachy, cough ridden children out of school, and staying at home. I’d like to think others would do the same.

We didn't have a family meeting, DD is pretty unhappy at my decision that we stay home tbh. I'm not a SAHP but I've reorganised my work so I can work from home, I'm lucky I know. We both have a cough, mine's quite wheezy and I don't think there's anything dramatic in following government's recommendation to stay home if there is someone with a cough in your household. It's a pretty mild recommendation tbh, I think schools should be closed as of yest anyway. Totally agree with OP

Completely agree with you OP. After a terrible week of anxiety I decided that this was the best course of action to keep my family safe. We have multiple risk factors here and have had quite a battle to persuade my oldest to stay off due to worries about his A levels; as it stands, they may not even be happening at all now

Online resources:

• BrainPop
• Curiosity Stream
• Tynker
• Outschool
• Udemy
• iReady
• Beast Academy (Math)
• Khan Academy
• Creative Bug
• Discovery Education

YouTube Channels:

• Crash Course Kids
• Science Channel
• SciShow Kids
• National Geographic Kids
• Free School
• Geography Focus
• TheBrainScoop
• SciShow
• Kids Learning Tube
• Geeek Gurl Diaries
• Mike Likes Science
• Science Max
• SoulPancake

Lots of board games, library books (and Kindle), tinkering/upcycling with household junk, etc.
Some resources to help with kids at home:

Scholastic has created a free learn-from-home site with 20+ days of learning and activities.
*
https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.htmll*
*
Pretend to travel the world..Go on a virtual tour of these 12 famous museums.

https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours

This is the awesome free curriculum that we use. Everything from preschool activities to 12th grade is here!
*
https://allinonehomeschool.comm*/
*
List of thinking games by grade: https://allinonehomeschool.com/thinking/

More awesome free learning websites that we like to use*

https://www.starfall.com/h/

https://www.abcya.com/

https://www.funbrain.com/

https://www.splashlearn.com/

https://www.storylineonline.net/

https://pbskids.org/

https://www.highlightskids.com/

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

https://www.coolmath4kids.com/

http://www.mathgametime.com/

https://www.uniteforliteracy.com/

http://www.literactive.com/Home/index.asp

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/

https://www.switchzoo.com/

https://www.seussville.com/

https://www.turtlediary.com/

https://www.e-learningforkids.org/

Please feel free to share this with anyone who you think may benefit from this

Please remember teachers, they will have a massively increased workload either in school or if they have to work from home online with their pupils. My dd has also had to prepare paperwork lessons for those with no computer or internet at home. plus h
aving to take lessons for teachers that are off. All the yr 7 and 8s have been sent home. Also student doctors, we know a first year and they have been told they might have to step in, I have also seen on line that some med students have been fast tracked to the end of the year and moved up. She is having to go in despite her father being one of the at risk due to an underlying illness.

Oh do shut up, Aridane. In the absence of clear directives we all have to make decisions for ourselves. That includes you.

Thanks @fogginghell, I'll take a look at them, very helpful 😊

I’m quite thankful that the government closed our schools and took the decision out of my hands (Canada).

Reading Mumsnet and the British media I really can’t work out why the British government is not doing more in terms of containment measures like the vast majority of other places. And against WHO advice and guidance. I really don’t understand.

Thank you fogginghell...l will be using some of those resources with Dc...I didn't know about most of them.

I have also decided to keep my older children home as of today. Both in primary. Baby is all snotty but I think teething as nappy rash accompanying the runny nose.
My partner is still working though as self employed and be a bit stuck without his wage. Thankfully he's isolated most of the day as digger driver. Still very worried though as he has chronic athsma. I would much rather him be at home but he refuses as he needs to support as with his income.
Very tricky situation for many but I believe individuals choices are right for them.
Take necessary precautions to help yourselves.

We had a family meeting too- very sensible. We also decided to keep DC off school from today.

Quite a few posts above someone said this** with links:
Italy trying to send out a message for courage..
Sicillians trying to cheer each other up while social distancing.
Madrid showing solidarity with healthcare workers.
And Brits fighting in the aisles in supermarkets over bog roll and sarcastically criticising the choices others make on mumsnet.

I was thinking the exact same thing this morning. Around the same time I had three separate friends from my youth in Italy, Netherlands and Germany all sharing lovely messages to friends along the lines of stay home, stay safe, help your communities. It felt very different to our focus on toilet rolls somehow.

I am doing the same from Friday. The school already set up online work for children who are self isolating and one week off won't disturb their progress too much. School already struggling with teachers off because self isolating or pregnant. I think they should let people who can take kids off school as it would reduce contact and transmission if numbers of students were reduced. Maybe keep school open for students whose parents have to go to work.

We had no choose granddaughter has a cold an a cough not bad sent home from school her sister also as lives in same house we have had only 2 cases here 1 now better this means they are off for 2 weeks go back to school 3 days and then off for Easter

But surely if one of the family is coughing you should all be in isolation?

What do you do if your step daughter is dating and regularly sleeps over with her bf at his family’s house? I feel she is posing a risk to both of our families by not staying home. She only turned 18 a couple of days ago. What can I do? Her father is being annoyingly relaxed about the situation.

Is anyone else in your family in an increased risk group? If so, you must tell her that the next time she goes, she’ll have to stay there for the duration, if his family is prepared to accommodate her.

My immediate family are already keeping their distance so no risk there it’s just unfortunate not to be able to see them. I don’t believe anyone in her bf’s family is high risk either but I just know that neither her or her bf give a damn about handwashing etc and that’s what scares me.