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.

I think people are missing the fact that young kids will not be getting a normal education at school. The curriculum is play based. Distancing? Smaller classes? Shorter hours?

Even the most well intentioned school can’t offer a normal education.

So saying send them in because they can’t be educated at home is a none starter.

However I totally understand why some parents want to send their kids in, and I support it.

If they chilled out and understood and supported those who don’t want to send them in then ... that would help social distancing, help the teachers and help the kids who do go in to have a more normal education.

If only half turn up, the kids who go in are more likely to have their usual classroom and teacher and a more normal return

My dc isn't in the years mentioned but they will be back first opportunity, it's the friendship side that is needed, being able to talk to other children, they haven't seen another child in person since March. I wouldn't care if it was just half a day a week but that social interaction is needed. Chatting online isn't the same when you're only 7 years old

I will send my DS back to nursery. We’re in the south west and infection rates are comparatively low here.

It’s not as bad as some are making it. Many children are attending hubs at the moment. For those that are really worried I can understand. June may not happen so I wouldn’t panic.
Things won’t be perfect but we have to start from some where. The children will probably do what they do now at the hubs I’m sure the kids will just be pleased to see their friends. It seems like parents have mixed views and many will keep their children at home to see how it all goes. Advantage to that is smaller classes for the teachers.

@excitedmumtobe87 but they do in ours, and even in societies where they don't, there are more informal settings where children can learn important skills that don't involve Maths etc.

This is what is important for this age group, being with their peers.

No I won't.

@HeyBlaby I was referring to what you said about all other societies. Not ours.

They won’t be with their peers in the same way though. It’ll be distanced and different.

I do support those who want to send children back.

No. My daughter due to start school in September. I'm waiting until at least then I don't want her to be the guinea pig to see if it bloody spreads in this phased easing of lockdown.

But I'm able to do this as work from home. Don't get me wrong it's HARD working AND looking after DD I'd LOVE the let you of the pressure but my gut says no and I always listen to my gut feeling.

I’m interested to see how the staggered drop off and pick up times are going to work.

Yes mine will, I told them yesterday (in a suitably vague way) and they are really pleased.

Every single person I know who is really angry about the opening of schools has at least one parent not working in the day or furloughed.

I wish they would consider those of us with children with SEN, working full time etc and what being homeschooled is like for our kids. Because I can assure you it's pants.

Nope I doubt it. I don’t trust the gov in the slightest after all the mistakes that have been made so I’ll make my own decisions. DD is reception at private school so for a start they only have 4 weeks and secondly i think the whole separation aspect, no soft toys etc would actually be really unsettling for her. By the time they’ve staggered the drop offs and pick ups I imagine it won’t really be worth it anyway.

@HeyBlaby

"There really is a sense of some teachers on here wanting special treatment."

Really? I don't think the profession want special treatment, just not to be thrown into a room with 15, often physically needy, children without any PPE or any chance of social distancing.

Year 6 - great, reception and Y1, really?! 😜

This is what is important for this age group, being with their peers.

Waving at each other from 2m away.

DD's school (not UK) opens on Thursday, she is going back despite my worries. I am interested to see how it works, they are doing things to mitigate risk like staggered break and lunch times, different areas of the playground for each group, outside teaching as much as possible (have been told to dress them for the weather and make sure they have spare socks for wet feet), regular supervised hand washing and no sharing of materials - everyone has their own books and stationary and paper in their desk and they stay there, no homework so no taking of books of home.

The children are not being used as g pigs?? They have to phase them back gradually. It's obvious.

^*Why is that related to the question in the OP?
That would suggest that the 'hysterical, militant people screaming and shouting to get their way' got their way, and you're sending your child back to somehow teach them a lesson.

You make no sense, but you seem angry and unpleasant.*^

I am quite angry actually, but I'm certainly not unpleasant.

I'm angry because I think whilst some people have the luxury of staying at home with their children, they are forgetting that others have to work, or their children are falling way behind, or are missing out on the social interaction. See the thread about wfh with young children, it's a thoroughly miserable situation and many people are going to get told to get back to work before September. Children and parents have been by and large just chucked under a bus with all this.

I said weeks ago on here that younger children at school wouldn't be asked to socially distance or stay 2 metres apart, they'd be kept in smaller groups with staggered playtimes etc. I was ridiculed by the September brigade. Yet here we are.

I think what people are failing to realise is that these new guidelines for schools will still be there in September. It still won't be school as you knew it.

Schools are going to have a big challenge now to reorganise everything to fit in with the new normal, and yes it will be a challenge, and it might require people to do things they never expected to have to do.

But these hurdles won't have just disappeared come September. It's unhelpful to just say no, no can't do that, won't do that.

We ALL have to find new and very inventive ways of moving forward.

Instead of signing petitions to keep schools closed indefinitely. Why aren't people signing petitions to get extra funding for schools?

Yes we have to find ways to make this work. Nothing will have changed by September.
Home school for those that wish, that’s just not possible for many people and it’s also not right for a lot of children.
Phased return seems quite sensible imo

I think people are missing the fact that young kids will not be getting a normal education at school.

No, we’re not, so please do drop the patronising bollocks.

We are capable of reading guidance and evaluating what is in our own children’s best interests.

You hit the nail on the head ^^

DominaShantotto

“ ...... but school have washed their hands of them .....”

Really interested to hear what you mean by this. What were you expecting of school that you feel they haven’t provided?

So they're being treated like Guinea pigs if they go back in June....

And what if the government bow down to unions and nobody returns until September.... They're still going to be "guinea pigs" then aren't they?

We have to start somewhere. They're starting with the most affected children. Do people really think they havent based this decision on anything other than the economy?

Wake up ffs.

Really interesting news article on BBC just now. A scientist who is a specialists in virus’s was saying how low the risk is to young children, there are far more risks from other diseases they can pick up. A teacher from Denmark talking how the children are at school, it’s working but it is not a normal school day.

We ALL have to find new and very inventive ways of moving forward.

All simply cannot. You’re overlooking children with vulnerabilities or those with a shielding parent/carer. Must they forego their education whilst the healthy progress?

There are many, many thousands in this category. Ongoing remote teaching will have to be available to them.

All of us do what’s best for us. I understand everyone’s view and support what everyone decides.

I’m self employed so can juggle work and education. It’s tough but because my health is vulnerable, i do it. Because I don’t feel comfortable sending them back, I do it.

But I totally understand that not everyone can do that or wants to do that.

I support everyone’s view and when I try to defend my view when criticised that’s all I’m doing, defending my decision.

I support everyone else’s decision.

Did anyone else see the interview with the headteacher on the BBC news this morning? I was amazed- she hadn’t even read the guidance, but started out by saying the proposals were totally unworkable. They then interviewed a teacher from Denmark, where they have introduced the measures suggested here- regular hand washing, split classes into small groups, staggered arrival times, allocating toys to each group of children so they aren’t all sharing. The English head teacher looked a bit amazed and said “lots of good ideas to think about there”. It was as if she hadn’t put any thought to it at all, just dismissed it out of hand as too difficult.