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Original poster

Y6 child, any other parents feeling like this?

60 replies

whodunit3 · 13/05/2020 13:36

To be clear we are (and I understand privileged to do so) in the too soon to lift lockdown camp, I’m a Scot living in England but for the 1st time wish I had Nicola Sturgeon in charge of the country I live in.

Regardless I will very much take into consideration what my Y6 DD wants to do, she loves school and like any child about to start high school was excited for the last term with all the fun activities, trips and events.

What I want her to realise before she goes back though that it’s not going to be the last few months that she expects. There will be no pool party, no traditional BBQ, no end of year choir/church service, sports day or dance show. She won’t be able to hug her friends, she might not be in the same group or even school as them, she might not be able to hear her lovely teachers talk properly due to their masks, definitely no hugging then goodbye, she might not even have her teacher or TA..

Will there be any transitional help for the move to secondary, visits to new school will be out, as will, I think high school teachers visiting primary, what are they going to do to make that part beneficial?

How is this a memorable way to end her primary school journey?! In the weeks before we went into lockdown the school was filled with fun, XC races, silly PJ days, class presentations on Roman history and the messy haired, untucked shirt, rolled down sock wonderful nonsense that comes with being an 11 year old girls that has been with her friends all day...

That’s how I want to remember her primary days, not the shit show that they are proposing...

OP posts:

maria860 · 13/05/2020 22:30

I really am in two minds about this my son is very social has a massive social circle at school he's one of those lucky popular kids because he's so sweet and kind (not just saying that because he's mine honest)
He misses his friends so much he was crying about never seeing them again.
I've asked him what he wants to do he said he's scared but wants to go back , I've got a few weeks to decide I'm pregnant is it worth the risk I have firmly said i want him to go back but I've read the papers again and questioning myself.
In my mind he's going back I think it's personal choice to the parent

Llareggub · 13/05/2020 22:41

I’m in Wales so we won’t be back in June anyway. I think the only sensible thing to do is to have the year 6s visit their senior schools and do a really great transition, but only if it’s safe.

namechangenumber2 · 13/05/2020 23:25

DS is yr 6, he'd like to go back in June if possible. We've explained that school won't be the way he remembered it - he may not be with friends ( and I know he'd struggle with that) or teachers. I'm hoping, rather naively, that his secondary school will manage some form of transition- he really needs something and was meant to be having extra as he has some SEN.

I'm part of the team organising the leavers party. Who knows when it'll happen, but when it does we'll make sure they have an amazing time. Fortunately most of the year are going to the same secondary school so they'll continue to see friends.

It's all just pretty crap isn't it? My eldest is yr 11 so left school completely now - the week running up to lockdown was the weirdest ever

bathsh3ba · 13/05/2020 23:31

My daughter knows it won't be the same as usual but still wants to go back to see her friends and teachers and have the opportunity to mark the end of her primary education, even if not as she had originally hoped. For me, that's fair enough. We are in a low risk area, no high risk family members and a small school with outdoor space.

Echo08 · 13/05/2020 23:41

Yes I feel the same op .My yr 6 is missing her friends and is really sad that there will be no disco , no leavers play for parents and all the things yr 6 leavers do .It has an extra twist in that all my DC have been through our village primary over the last few years and they are the last DC to go it isn't how i envisage it ending .Currently DC won't be going back unless figures alter and most of her friends parents feel the same .

Hadenoughfornow · 13/05/2020 23:43

you being a Scot living in England and wanting Sturgeon has no bearing on any decision you make.

And I say this as a Scot living in England....what is Reception anyway?

And if you remember, Scottish schools finish in July which makes Nicole's decision so much easier whilst sticking the boot in Boris......he is an arse though.

Hadenoughfornow · 13/05/2020 23:44

Scottish schools finish in June (naughty red wine)

Daffodil101 · 13/05/2020 23:46

Y6 DD here.

On the last week before they broke up, it’s thought that the R number was about 3. This was well known I think. And yet they were never expected to socially distance.

Well apart from the time I beeped my car horn to dissuade her from hugging her friend as school pick up.

And yet here we are. R less than 1, presumably falling further by June, and yet we talk about cancelling the rites of passage (leavers assembly, BBQ etc) that could actually be attainable with a bit of distancing, the sort of distancing we Weren’t using when the R number was three times what it is now.

My feeling is to go ahead with their events and try to socially distance as much as possible.

Echo08 · 13/05/2020 23:47

@user1635482648* really i have explained to my DC that's how it will be .How the heck is op presenting a picture of doom she is being honest .At yr 6 age children are quite capable of understanding what is going on .

LadyPenelope68 · 13/05/2020 23:51

I'm a Y6 teacher and if I were the parent of a child in my class, I wouldn't send them back.

My class won't all be together, some with teachers they don't know well, and it's been split on register order (not my choice), so many won't even be with their close friends. Each "unit" of children will have separate break times, separate lunch and even separate arrival/end times, so may not even see their friends. We won't be doing PE and there won't be equipment out in the playground/breaktimes. Each will be sat at their own desk, with their own equipment (all soft furnishings have been removed from classrooms) and there won't be any collaborative group work. There won't be the usual fun end of year 6 activities as they won't be able to mix and don't have the space to spread them out.

I made sure the last week of school before we went onto lockdown was FUN! We watched a film, we played games, we had jaraokecand did all the stuff I know my class love. That's how I want them to remember me and their last time at school, not the way it will actually be.

It makes me incredibly sad that I won't get to spend time with them all and hug them goodbye on their last day, I've shed a few tears already about it all.

If you are sending your Y6 children back, please make sure they are aware it's going to be very different, but they will get through it x

Sauron · 14/05/2020 06:41

@LadyPenelope68 thanks for sharing that. I’m in two minds as my dd is leaving but she doesn’t overly want to go back to school. Our school have yet to lay out a plan but I expect it will look something like that.

Alakazam8 · 14/05/2020 07:00

I’ll be sending my lo back as soon (south west England) as possible. She has asked about school so much and has a difficult transition due to send. There is a low statistical risk to children and for me the benefits to her massively outweigh this.

I still haven’t been told whether her school will reopen and there’s been no info from them. I’m disappointed in this.

I question why they can’t make the necessary preparations in the time allowed when a lot of staff (in our schools case) aren’t involved in teaching atm and haven’t been providing work for them either.

I don’t think her teachers are furloughed (they aren’t) so what exactly are they doing other than providing childcare as and when needed.

1moreRep · 14/05/2020 07:02

for me i just want them to teach the stuff they missed, i don't care about the sentimental things they will miss as they did a bit in the last week before lockdown at my school

i'm worried about their education, school trips parties etc don't bother me

1moreRep · 14/05/2020 07:04

there's about 15 in my dds year/ class anyway so i'm presuming they will be together, they are all talking on zoom most days anyway and she's still going to school every day

1moreRep · 14/05/2020 07:09

daily in school at the moment they work in the morning then have a bbq, watch films, water play outside. it's lovely really (wish there was more work but understand the schools focus on mental health)

our school has under 18 in most classes and is rural so has generous space, i trust them to deal with this

plus i have no choice - front line emergency workers

Orangeblossom78 · 14/05/2020 08:22

Sound mad not doing any PE. Thankfully our school is sensible and will at very least be doing move a mile and PE in their groups. So bad for their health and behaviour not to exercise.

Kokeshi123 · 14/05/2020 08:27

I'm guessing they will not be doing a full day at school though? If not, there would be plenty of time for them to take a long walk or run.

bathsh3ba · 14/05/2020 09:07

Not everyone got the chance for a fun last week before lockdown though. My daughter was in household isolation because her sister had a fever, which turned out to be a bacterial infection. So it was a very abrupt ending for her. She definitely will benefit from 'closure' by going back in. This is a disease with a less than 1% mortality rate, not the certain death so many seem to think....

LadyPenelope68 · 14/05/2020 09:15

@bathsh3ba
But the virus can be spread to the adults in school or does that not bother you? Is your child having closure to primary more important than the life of their teachers?

LadyPenelope68 · 14/05/2020 09:17

@1moreRep
It will be a very amended type if education, they won't possibly be able to teach all they've missed. Plus, your expectations that because it's a small class they'll all be together is incorrect - mine is a class of 15 and they will be split up to allow social distancing as much as possible.

LadyPenelope68 · 14/05/2020 09:20

@Orangeblossom78
Do you know that they are definitely doing PE? Headteachers have been advised by their Union apparently not to do it, plus our LA has also issued that guidance. That's not a decision that our school made themselves.

Orangeblossom78 · 14/05/2020 09:20

Also the lack of PE does not seem to fit in with the gov guidance on being outside a lot...

Orangeblossom78 · 14/05/2020 09:24

It's from the MAT...the communications so far, our school have awards for it's outdoor play provision and will be using the outdoors a lot. No specific mention of PE but can't imagine them dropping that. All the pics they are sending us are of e.g. den building and activities outside with the key children.

They also use a play scheme do cover PPA time so may well be doing that. they do the Move a Mile which would be easy to do as well. But as i mentioned earlier it seems Yr 6 may be going straight into the secondary for transition so might not even be back at primary at all.

LadyPenelope68 · 14/05/2020 09:25

@Orangeblossom78
I totally agree with you, it does go against guidance, but that's what's been advised by our LA. I think it's madness.

bathsh3ba · 14/05/2020 09:28

@LadyPenelope68 the risk to her teachers is very small unless they have an underlying condition,in which case I would understand them not working. According to an article I read today it is a 1 in 650 risk of dying for people in their 50s and significantly less below: a 1.5% chance. That's a risk I would take: if her teacher chooses not to, that's her call. I'm more interested in the risk to society as a whole by shutting down for 6 months plus, the extra deaths that causes and the damage to people's mental health, finances, education etc.

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