Please don't send your child to school if you don't need to.

[Zacharyezrarawlings]

Please, please can I ask you to NOT send your child to school unless you really need to?
I realise the government guidance is badly written and clear as mud (what a surprise) but actually if you read it all (and not just check if you're on a list of keyworkers) it does state many times:

"If it is at all possible for children to be at home, then they should be."

"If children can stay safely at home, they should, to limit the chance of the virus spreading."

"And every child who can be safely cared for at home should be."

already I am seeing posts on here and elsewhere along the lines of "Im on the list of keyworkers, wondering if I should send my child to school. My DH/partner is WFH but would get much more done if fred went to school" or " I'm on the list of keyworkers - should I send 15 yr old betty to school s she can see her freinds and keep up with her studies?"
Or even posts asking " can I turn down my child's school place if I am a key worker"

I am a doctor. This is going to be the worst few months of my medical career. Im not scaremongering but we need to take responsibilty for doing what we can to limit the impact of this.

I realise some people absolutely will need to send their dc to school for various reasons and so they should, but please, please if their is any way your child could stay at home please dont send them in.

I’m a single parent with a mortgage and no other support, I’m loosely included in the keyworkers list and without sending Dd to nursery I can’t earn money. Unpaid leave even with a mortgage break isn’t going to feed dd and I.

It’s a fucking shit position to be in, I’d rather we could both hunker down and stay safe, but this could go on for months, I have got to keep working to get us through this.

Obviously if either of us develop symptoms we won’t be leaving the house.

I agree. I will not be sending mine as luckily we can do opposite shifts.
Can I ask if my nephews would be better off with me and my children than being sent in as both parents need to be in work? What is safest?

Totally agree op, we all need to do our bit to make sure as many people as possible can stay at home. We are on track with Italy right now, this needs to change and fast.

THIS.

My son is college age and autistic with an EHCP. My husband is providing his care at the moment.

I’m current working as a TA and I will go in to support children of key workers who need the childcare. I am hoping many children stay at home if possible though to minimise the risks of spread.

@Ledkr I’d say they would be better with you, less mixing with lots of other children who have potentially met lots of other peopl.

ledkr I would have them with you. Overall that reduces their mixing and is safest all round.

Just said this to DH. He is a key worker but I can work from home. Don't want to send them in unnecessarily.

I could have a place. I'm not going to take one. I will work mornings until about 1 and then DH will work afternoons, we can both catch up on the evening. I provide emergency support for the fire service, but rarely so we will work around that. DH is local mostly so if I get a call he can come home tomorrow quickly. I don't need to be sat in my office to provide that.

I am a key worker, no family here or partner. DD is 6.

We are self isolating as I have been very very unwell since the weekend.

I earn £1300 a month in wages and get child benefit and approx £30 a week tax credits (which I am very very grateful for)

I spend £10 a week on petrol and £40 a week on food, I need to go to work but I want to desperately stay here with DD to keep her safe, I dont know what to do.

I could take a mortgage break.

I also want to be helping the community

Quite right, OP.

Also, school isn’t a pleasant place with a normal routine in these times of chaos. They are creepy, scarcely populated little ghost towns. We had fifteen secondary aged pupils in yesterday. I have no clue why.

In that case tootsie, you have to. No shame or worry.

It’s when the DD is 16 not 6 I’m a bit

Totally agree. Mine have mainly been kept home for a week.now to mimimise isk to dh.

Agree

Me and all my friends are key workers but none of our kids are going to school

DH told me last night he’s classed as a key worker.
But I’m a SAHP and he’s working from home.
No way am I sending the kids in. None of us will go anywhere other people are. Unless we desperately need food or other supplies.
In which case one of us goes.

I asked a Dr online and she said they'd be better with me. So do what you can or I will have them. Ella is social distancing too so could also help
Any tips on when dh gets home from work everyday. He is in the police.
Strip at door? Clothes straight in wash and then into shower? Wipe down car and door handles etc or is that ott?

Sorry I only meant to post the last bit of that

I’m a key worker, (single parent) and my DS is 15 in year 10.
He could stay at home all day by himself and wouldn’t come to any harm except Xbox overload - I’ve already asked the school if he can go in on Monday but on second thoughts maybe I’ll leave him at home.

They should just close and the government should fund childminders. Vulnerable children should be visited more regularly by social workers these days with a pause on the paperwork side so they can get round more houses.

I agree. I know people who are on maternity leave but are still sending their older kids in to school / nursery because it's easier for them. I dont understand it - surely you want to limit their contact with others and reduce the strain on the few remaining teachers!

I work in a hospital, I think our managers are really expecting us in and I cant blame them at all. But in my heart I know my job is to be a parent that protects their child first and foremost.

I told DD she might have to go to a new school and she said "o.k mum" and carried on colouring.

No tears, no questions, no anxiety, nothing, just "o.k"

I had to take one day off work (unpaid) to look after her recently (she had a cough & temp on/off for 3 weeks ironically) and she cried and said "Mum, you need to go to work and look after the patients, you can't stay home with me"

I did stay with her, she's a diamond

I do wonder if she had the virus, it was early February.

Jesus Christ namechange WHY would you send him in?

namechange most schools will be providing a sort of childcare provision. Normal lessons won’t be going ahead. Your DS would be very bored.

I can't understand why anyone would send their child to school if they didn't have to.

It needs to be the minimum necessary. Otherwise they will end up spreading this more and then schools just won't be able to open up at all for those who really need it.

Totally agree OP! I was working yesterday so I did send them in but I'm off today and so are the kids, safe at home with me.

I understand that some keyworking parents will need to send their kids to school, but honestly why would you take the risk if you didn't have to.

Seeing Italy is crisis on the news last night really shook me up. And finally made my husband realise how serious it was!!

I agree. Especially in light of new research that is showing that some children can have quite severe cases of coronavirus.
www.livescience.com/coronavirus-children-serious-illness.html

'But around 6% of children developed severe or critical illness, with symptoms such as shortness of breath and hypoxia, or low levels of oxygen in body tissues. (For comparison, a separate study that analyzed 44,672 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in adults in China found that around 18.5% were severe or critical'