Social distancing in schools- mental health

[Myfriendanxiety]

Does anyone else feel that they would rather home school their children indefinitely than send them to a school where they have to social distance?

I really worry about the mental health of children if they are forced to sit alone at desks 2m apart from others without any proper play time or interaction. I just can’t see how this type of schooling is going to be beneficial to children and how it will create a positive learning environment.

My DS has another year before he starts school luckily- but if he were starting in September to a school system based on social distancing then I wouldn’t be sending him.

chocolate that isn't really the point of this thred : the whether the schools should open or not debate has been done to death. I think OP is coming from a difficult angle and opening an interesting discussion about the mental health impacts of reopening.

Yes sorry you are right. I have been on so many of these threads I get confused.

I still think they won't expect social distancing but may keep school groups together which would be less risk and not as distressing for the children.

It's not just you though chocolate : sorry for singling you out.

No sick ignoring needing to attempt to SD at school is like a pp said throwing vulnerable/shielding parents and teachers undrr a bus. I understand that some people are having to work throgh this but it does NOT help the nhs or anything to expose all these people via their kids. Many peoples kids are too young to be hygienic or are thumb suckers etc. It's not like i would personally choose to go in a room of 30 people and start doing that at the moment.

Tbh, I'm fairly pragmatic about the whole thing and everyone getting back to normal life asap wouldn't be an issue for me personally, but I will be very pissed off if I'm expected to resume 'normal' working only to be told I must maintain 2m+ distance, or no contact at all, with the rest of the world

But that’s exactly what many key workers are expected to do at the moment.

Nicola Sturgeon has announced they are looking at changing or modifying classrooms to accommodate it.

Our union is asking for PPE, which we will wear. Some staff are already wearing it.

You might not like any of the above but that is what is going to happen.

The last point you make is what they are doing in Denmark, I read.

But children there are finding it very tough : going to school and staying in artificially small groups, staying away from their teachers and other friends. Going home at lunch and not going out again til school the next day. Not fun, that's for sure.

The you was to chocolate.

Don't worry op, there is no need to socially distance young children from each other. There will only be a need for teachers to stay apart but the kids shouldn't notice anything. They'll still be able to play together.

I had 7 children in today. The Y5 and Y6 children kept apart but the Reception/Y1 children had to be reminded every few minutes not to get too close to me and the other children. I can't see how EYFS and Y1 will be able to operate with more than 6 children in a classroom.

The idea that social distancing could be enforced at schools is, quite frankly, hilarious.

Anytime anyone suggests this as an actual thing, I just want to pat them on the head and say 'bless'! The naivety is just astounding!

It's awful it really is, I can imagine it being all kinds of stressful for everyone involved.

As a parent I feel as though if I didn't have to work, and could go out a bit more with the dc l, library, park, museum then I could make a much better go of the home school malarkey. Younger child's school have been really supportive with setting work, the secondary school not so much.

But trying to work, school and being stuck in is a bit hellish. Dc are coping but the cracks are starting to show.

Chocolate. I don't think you sound dramatic. Perhaps though think of it another way. Look at all those children who loved through the war, the vets who fought and those parents/grandparents born post war era.
They are grafters. They work for what they need and understand the value of life. Maybe this generation will grow up completely differently to the negative press they've had the past decade or so.

I don’t think the schools will social distance it’s not realistic. At the moment they do it at the hubs as they have very few children. It is not nice that the children can’t play together. It’s not just about the children learning the subjects it’s about the social side too. I think this can’t be provided at home (unless usually home schooled) on a long term basis. I’m hoping the schools open in Sept.

My ds is autistic and year 11 so just kinda left suddenly. He is gutted that schools may be become socially distanced with separate desks and he was forced to socially interact for all these years

I'm a teacher and went in today. Er had 5 in and it was so tricky to keep them apart, play time in particular!

There's new data coming in all the time and from what I've seen a fair amount of it suggesting children aren't the super spreaders of covid like they are with other viruses like flu. They also don't seem to catch it as easily, and when they do they rarely get a serious version.

If, and it is an if, that initial data is validated more then I think it's pretty difficult to justify trying to enforce social distancing on children.

We were talking about this earlier (we run several after schools clubs) and whilst our premises would probably be physically big enough for children to have the appropriate amount of floor space there's no way you could actually enforce it. It's completely contrary to how children naturally socialise and play. Sure you could separate desks in schools (although you wouldn't get everyone in) but playtime, lunch, nurseries, after school care, holiday clubs, even just moving around the classroom - I just don't see how it could be done.

Local school has just 6 children in. It's a shame that the school doesn't join with another with a similar small number and let the teachers stay off for the week then swap around. Perhaps a gradual increase in numbers. Year 6 to work on preparation for secondary in September?

What if the vaccine takes 18 months to develop - stay home for 18 months? When is the 'right' time to return? Generally children are the least at risk in society - but some of the teachers may fall in vulnerable groups - part time school, very small numbers, only some year groups.... someone has to decide when and how

You're only going to be able to socially distance up to a point.
You can:
Cancel all assemblies and large group activities.

Stagger playtimes so only one class at a time plays out.

Rearrange seating so that they're on individual desks (assuming we somehow restrict numbers)

Encourage children to keep all of their books and equipment together in a box and ask them to bring a pencil case in from home to avoid sharing resources.

Eat lunch in the classroom to avoid all sitting together in the dinner hall.

But you won't be able to stop them interacting or touching each other at all, it isn't possible or fair.

It's not so much how it would affect the kids, it's more that it will literally be impossible to reinforce. The teachers would spend about 5 mins telling the kids to stop going near each others then, and then start thinking about giving up. Then shit, the Twinkl Coronavirus PowerPoint they are all waiting for has crashed, little Ava has fallen over and hit her head and needs all the paperwork filled out, Ollie can't find his maths book, oh wait look Jack has got it, where the fuck are those guided reading books that were on the desk, now isn't the best time to tell me that your fish has got Covid 19 Harry, don't forget to ring Lily's mum at lunchtime, why is Ruby crying, oh look Johnny and Joe have forgotten all about social distancing and are kicking the shit out of each other 😂

Oh it would be completely impossible! You'd need as many adults as kids, at least

Drivingdownthe101

But some social distancing is possible in most jobs. It's not possible at all in schools.

So fine, send us back, but don't tell me that social distancing is important.

stuckindoors77

Exactly.

CaroleFuckinBaskin

😂

Honestly, it's like some people have never met a child!

Better than being stuck at home with parents who don’t have the skills to home educate. Children can still talk, share jokes, laugh together without touching or standing close.

Social distancing, at least at primary/EYFS level, is nigh on impossible I’d imagine. I used to teach Year 1 and can’t conceive of how it would be doable at this age, let alone any younger than that - how would you even begin to socially distance in a nursery or childminder setting? For younger children the entire curriculum would have to be adapted to lone working, plus classrooms are too small for meaningful distancing to be applied and I agree in any case that it’s verging on cruelty to deprive such young children of social contact when this is essentially how they learn and develop.

I’d imagine the mental health impact of having to behave in such an artificial way, and of constantly having to ‘self police‘ yourself to stay away from others would be significant.

That said if I had to choose I’d still send DD to school once they reopened; I’d rather she had the routine and structure of a school day and the access to education than be stuck at home indefinitely with stressed out WFH parents and zero social contact (she’s an only so no siblings to interact with). I’m thankful she’s only two at the moment and for us this dilemma is only hypothetical. Hoping and praying that things will be back to relative normality by the time she does start Reception.