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.

[KuckFnows]

Nope nope 👎 and nope

Not a chance...

[U2HasTheEdge]

My year 6 will go back as soon as she is allowed.

It is in her best interests.

[BEANBAG765]

My kids are Y6 and will go back.
If they were earlier years I would have perhaps kept them home.
Reception and Y1 is mostly play and alphabet. Not worth the risk.
In my opinion they should send years 4,5 and 6 to school - a bit more serious learning.

[woodpidgeons]

If I were in England - no way!! Not enough known yet about how it affects Children. More than 40 Children hospitalised in London alone with the linked multi inflammatory syndrome, and that's with 7 weeks of lockdown. More across Europe and the US including 83 in NYC.

I think more research and effective treatments (antivirals, or whatever other treatments may be effective) need to be found first.

[KavvLar]

Year 1 and year 5 here. No I won't be sending mine in as things stand now. That may change as plans are put in place and then I can risk assess again. Seems absolutely bonkers sending the little ones in given they are least likely to understand any distancing requirements.

[imsooverthisdrama]

I'm curious are you all going to keep your dc off till there is a vaccine or just wait till September? What if the virus is still here by then ? .
On the 1st June it'll be 10 weeks since school finished so for me yes definitely.

[Plaitandcurl]

No

[WhyNotMe40]

I'll be waiting for an effective test trace and isolate procedure. As social distancing is impossible in schools.

[dottiedodah]

I really feel for people in this dilemma TBH .BJ has said he wont fine parents who decide to keep children at home .However lots of kiddies missing their mates ,and those who dont have a choice maybe feeling guilty .Its one of those damned if you do, damned if you dont scenarios really isnt it? Surely Teachers will need PPE though before agreeing to go back in?

[CallmeAngelina]

Can I please ask Yr 6 parents on here, exactly what sort of transition rites of passage are you expecting to see in schools this year?

[joanneg36]

Yes. Like others, I think that unless you are planning to keep them off until there's a vaccine, I don't see the point in keeping them off in June - it will arguably be safer after 10 weeks of lockdown than at any other time (including this coming September).

I would make a different decision if I had a vulnerable family member, but otherwise I genuinely don't understand the logic, unless you are potentially planning several years of home schooling.

[Alex50]

Wow interesting list of the children that have been struck down by mystery illness, all the cases I can see are African Caribbean or Asian, I can’t see all 40 so this may have changed.

www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2820%2931094-1

[Oopsiedaisyy]

God yes.

[TiredMummyXYZ]

I’m a year 1 teacher and a parent of a year 1 child. My child will not be going back to school in June.

[MrsWhites]

I’m not waiting for a vaccine but I am waiting for cases to be far lower than they are at the moment and for a reliable track and trace system to be in place to enable them to find and isolate any school outbreaks!

[Twattergy]

Yes I will send DS as soon as his year opens. Clusters of Covid have been tracked to large events, weddings, bars and choirs. But not schools (that I've seen?). Have teachers been affected with rates illness beyond average (again I've not seen this reported). Considering kids across uk were during Feb and March sat in close proximity everyday when it was circulating unchecked I don't feel it like is high risk to them at all. That's how I am weighing the risk personally but respect the right of others to feel differently.

[Fern1965]

No teacher friend of mine want to go back. They don’t feel it’s safe. For that reason and the fact I can keep my child at home without issue, I will not be sending them back to school until the unions etc. are happy with the plans.

[Bollss]

fern sorry are your teacher friends scientists then? Or are they just teachers who'd rather wfh ?

Mines in nursery but I will be sending him back as soon as it opens.

[Clemmieandareallybigbunfight]

Yup

[Tfoot75]

Yes I'll be sending them back as soon as possible. Gov estimates there are 100,000 active cases (in doc published today), there are just under 17,000 primary schools in england according to Google. It's incredibly unlikely that there would be an active case in your child's school and that your child would have prolonged contact with them. People need to look at the actual statistics before getting caught up in all the fear.

[joanneg36]

What is 'safe'? That's a genuine question, and not meant argumentatively. People are willing to live with different levels of risk.

I think, as we've been in lockdown, a lot of people have forgotten that the point of lockdown was not to stop us getting the virus, but to ensure we got it at a rate that didn't overwhelm the NHS. So until there is a vaccine you may never feel 'safe' - I know I won't, in the same way as I did before - but nor would I keep my kids locked in the house because of that anxiety.

In terms of the risks to children, I don't see it as being a greater risk than something like chicken pox - which can also kill in rare cases - but which I was always happy to take the risk of exposing my children to, for the sake of the huge social and educational benefits brought by them being in school.

[nellodee]

From the official documentation on schools:

"Parents will not be fined for non-attendance at this time."

[Cherrybakewelll]

@joanneg36 This!!!
If only Borris had made it clear as to why we went into lockdown on Sunday! I agree with you it was to take the pressure off of the NHS.

[Jedstre]

Overall the risk to children is very low. My children have both been at school for the duration as DH and I are both NHS workers.

[HeyBlaby]

My 4 year old son is in nursery and will be going back as soon as he can. We are key workers so he could still attend but his usual nursery closed and we didn't want to send him to a hub with no settling in.

I think being off nursery for an undetermined amount of time will do him more harm than the potential of Covid given he has issues with communication/socialising.