So who will be returning their children to school in June?

[Bigfishylittlefishy]

Just that really. Parents of reception, year 1 and year 6, IF schools return on the 1st of June, will you send your child in?

My son is in reception and I would be willing to send him in.

People who are being driven crazy by their kids, what the hell do you do in the summer holidays for 6 weeks

Some people's inability to understand that this is a completely different situation is astounding.

I agree there is lots we can’t do now with our children and getting others to care for our children when we need it/ while we are at work is one of them.

I was just genuinely interested what parents do with their children during those 6 weeks normally, logistically wise if they are normally working? As in, it must be really hard because children get so many holidays at school... Do people manage to get time off in the summer for a few weeks then grandparents etc help too? Because I am a teacher I have always had the same holidays as my daughter so I have never known how people manage really during such long periods without school- which is obviously the position we are all in now. An extremely extended school holiday but without the help of family members outside our home or child care facilities.

I believe the government has said that if you have to care for a child you can continue to work for home/ your employer has to let you stay at home because not all year groups are back? But the updates are always changing so I’m hoping that is still the rule. Does anyone know? Or if your employer asks you to come back are you then considered a key worker and can put them in school regardless of whether you are a nurse, delivery driver etc? It is all very confusing!

I completely understand it is a different situation. I was asking logistically what people do. I am single mum with no grandparents to look after and on a teachers salary. I wanted to know what others do when kids are not in school?

I was just genuinely interested what parents do with their children during those 6 weeks normally, logistically wise if they are normally working? As in, it must be really hard because children get so many holidays at school... Do people manage to get time off in the summer for a few weeks then grandparents etc help too?

Annual leave, grandparents, holiday clubs....lots do manage.

This is different. Both of us are working form home full time in roles that have suddenly become much busier. All of this with a 5 year old who needs some home learning.
It's hard and we're shattered.

I was just genuinely interested what parents do with their children during those 6 weeks normally, logistically wise if they are normally working?

Holiday camps and clubs - not currently available and unlikely to be this summer.

Some people have support from grandparents - not currently available.

Unpaid parental leave - max 4 weeks a year, if you can afford it, and has to be at a time agreeable to your employer. Likely to hurt your career if taken too much.

One particularly memorable year where DH and I took all of our leave except a week at Christmas separately, and some unpaid leave.

And the preschooler is at nursery unless we’re on leave.

We have no family help - so holiday club and AL.

Thanks, that’s interesting to know. I am teaching from home on zoom, and my daughter is also being taught by her school on zoom. So it’s a bit crazy, I am in the situation where if I am asked to teach in June, my child is unable to go back to school because her school has said they are not going back before September for any year group. And I am completely on my own.

How old is your daughter? I agree it’s an impossible situation. A lot of people are being pressured to return to work while their children are still at home despite the government’s ‘encouragement’ that they be understanding. I can’t see that schools going back part time and without after school clubs etc will make things massively better for a lot of people, though if my 8yo is able to go back at any point it will do wonders for his mental health, which is crumbling.

If he’s at school for a few hours it will free us up from supporting his education a little and enable us to work, if it aligns with when the preschooler is back at nursery. I’ll be honest though that the work benefit for us of school going back in the proposed form is relatively marginal (nursery much more so - we’ll still need to supervise schoolwork for 8yo as no zoom teaching here but obv less full on than a 4yo). It will be different for others though.

"65 teachers have died at a point where only 2 % are in. The Bbc site on job risk ranks their risk at 32 out of 339. This is higher than careworkers or bus drivers, who seem to get sympathy."

That is incorrect.
The ONS data states that 65 education professionals have died. 26 of whom were teachers. 11 male secondary teachers, 6 female, and 1 male primary teacher and 6 females. Plus two special school teachers.
They don't state where or how they were infected and they had all sadly died by April 20, so most were probably becoming ill at or around the time of lockdown.
schoolsweek.co.uk/ons-figures-reveal-65-covid-related-deaths-in-education/

The reason people have sympathy for bus and taxi drivers is that they are in a group where there is a higher death rate per person working in that sector. They are also poorly paid.

For example, whilst every one of those 26 teacher's deaths is a tragedy, there were 29 bus drivers dead in London alone by the same date:
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/04/23/lond-a23.html

So it is in my opinion disingenuous of you to minimise the risk that sector faces.

I think Callimanco seems to have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder about teachers. They just want protective equipment like other front line workers. Bus drivers also deserve protective equipment.

Also starting salary for bus drivers is around £23,000. (In 2016) so possibly more now. Teacher’s starting salary is currently 24,000. Hardly a stark difference. Not that pay makes a difference to whether someone deserves PPE to protect their life.

No, the pp was correcting the misleading post.

Of those 29 bus drivers dead in London by the same date- do they state how or when they were became ill?

If the teachers became ill around The time lockdown, that was when schools were currently fully open still, so likelihood is they became ill from contact with someone at work.

"I think Callimanco seems to have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder about teachers"
Ffs Nicol

I work in education myself.

On the one hand you object to me posting a new research roundup document by the British medical journal as it is misleading because, even though it doesn't claim this, you think parents reading it will think it says children don't spread covid at all. You then post in your rebuttal a summary from the college of peadiatricians that says exactly the same as the news roundup I posted.

You then thank another poster who DOES post misleading information, claiming 65 teachers have died after catching covid during the lockdown period when only 2 percent of pupils are in. Which was inaccurate and misleading

When I give the correct figures once again I am criticised.

It's not me with the bloody chip on my shoulder! Let's hope you don't teach in maths, stats or science.

I have no objection whatsoever to people making a decision based on good information about whether to send their children back. I have a child potentially more vulnerable to this than most, though not in a shielding category. This is why I am seeking out information at source from NHS data, The ONS and examining journal articles. Not newspaper spin. Because I want proper useful information.

Get off my back, will you?

Haha sure, whatever you think!

My husband is self-employed and works permanently from home. Last summer, for the first time, we barely used any additional childcare as the children has both got to an age (9 and 6) where they could amuse themselves for most of the day. However, this is completely different. We have two different online lessons going on at the same time and the six year old needs a lot of support. Also, the school requires a parent to be in the same room during an online lesson - not great for client calls!

Bunsygirl, that sounds really difficult. I know that with the young children it isn’t a case of them just getting on with home learning. It has to have so much input from parents at home!

My 13 year old seems to constantly be having trouble just connecting to the zoom lessons. But her teachers seem to be good at setting them tasks that are easier to do at home with not too much parent input. Like making things etc. I feel like it doesn’t matter too much if she learns anything in this period of time. More concerned with her emotional health and making sure she isn’t anxious etc! It’s a crazy situation, feel like she shouldn’t be expected to do school work like normal.

I feel that now the BMA says that it’s too early for schools to go back, we can’t really ignore them www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-52669441

I think the teaching unions will be in a much stronger position now the BMA are agreeing that there isn't sufficient evidence that they are safe to open. What a PR nightmare now the government cannot paint this as an matter of teachers being willfully difficult.

My personal view is that there needs to be different strategies for the different regions. I think the evidence in London is that it's probably safe - they are only getting 20 new cases a day - but on the other hand more people use public transport to travel to and from school there. I think evidence in the North is much more equivocal and in certain hotspots - eg Gateshead - it is very much a bad idea. I am worried about a second wave over Winter and if there were a way to do it I would like schools back in August.

For example, if we took a six week break in Dec/Jan instead. I appreciate this is unworkable but I think it would be useful if it was.

In the N.E we have three of the highest number of coronavirus Gateshead, Sunderland and Middlesbrough. I hope they do take this in to account - it's bad enough being in one of the worst hit areas in one of the worst hit countries without being dragged further into the shit because we have been dumped on a London schedule.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/education-52669441

This article is helpful and from a reputable newspaper (the bbc).

I agree now that the British Medical Association have shown their support for teachers. They’re hard pressed to argue against the BMA. Along with the fact that Denmark found their R number to go up as soon as schools re opened.

Interestingly, it looks like Hartlepool Borough Council have said that their schools will not be returning on June 1st on account of their uptick in cases. I suspect Stockton and Middlesbrough will follow.

www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/teesside-council-says-not-opening-18260239