Reasons why you will not be sending your children back to school in June?

[saylor]

Unless you live with an adult over 65 (2% of UK households with under 16s and over 65s according to ONS), your child has an underlying health condition, or someone in your household has an underlying health condition/is shielding, what are your reasons for not sending your child/re back until September or beyond?

I've read that poorer households are much less likely to send their children back to school than wealthier households (paper copy of Economist magazine last week before anyone asks for a link!) which will widen the achievement gap even further.

For context, I'm SAHM and DH a high earner - we are both in agreement DD will be going back the minute school reopens.

@EveryLifeHasASoundtrack I don't know why you're FFS-Ing me? It was research carried out and published in The Economist, not my personal opinion.

does that mean you can’t foresee sending your child back to school at all?

Potentially, yes. We’ll make the decision together. My daughter is extremely sensible and at the moment doesn’t want to go back to school. She’s probably learning more at home than she did at school and spends hours each day keeping in touch with friends so there’s no concerns academically or with emotional well-being at the moment.

If the evidence pointing to wealthier families sending their kids to school in higher numbers is correct, I would think it probably has more to do with the well publicised higher rates of infection and worse outcomes for lower income people. More of them are in front line roles working without adequate PPE for a start. It stands to reason that this group would then be more cautious about reintegrating their children. How offensive of the PP upthread who suggested that richer = cleverer and that's why poor people are (potentially) more cautious RE school Talk about privilege and prejudice.

I won't be sending my child back to pre-school if they open on 1st June. I don't need the childcare so DC goes for education, social development, to foster independence etc. Although nursery have been in touch to ask if we will be sending DC back, they (understandably) haven't given any information regarding distancing measures etc. With the information I do have, and from looking at how other settings and other countries have implemented safety measures, I don't think the experience of being at pre-school would actually be a positive one for DC at the moment or any time soon.
Additionally I am seeing so, so many people completely flouting social distancing rules locally. For example, went on my roughly 2 weekly trip to the local farm shop (I.e. it's usually it's somewhere that people might go for a little trip out, not just essential shopping) yesterday afternoon to have a family of 2 adults and 2 young children merrily trip past me just inches away. More and more people meeting up in the streets outside my house. More and more people I know are choosing to see their families and friends. I sometimes feel like we are the only people in our area still bothering. And these are the families who will also be sending their kids to nursery with mine. So it feels like an unnecessary risk when I don't need the childcare and I doubt the children will get much from being there right now anyway.

To answer the questions about September, of course things might be different by then. We will (hopefully) know more. Schools and organisations will have had more time and more guidance to implement safety measures. Maybe the government will pay attention to what has worked in other countries and we will have more examples to follow. There are lots of reasons why September might be totally different to June.

I don't think the snooty attitude of scoffing at all these supposedly stupid (poor) people who view the risks differently is helpful. It's extremely arrogant. Not aimed at you, OP, but some other posters.

Those who say that the home learning packs are gone so children can stay at home don't seem to realise that the schools won't run a dual economy of distance learning and onsite when schools are back.

Agreed this isn’t a class or income issue.

We haven’t decided yet. We have said we will wait to see what the stats show in a fortnight’s time.

Big concerns are causing the spread with the adults in schools or nurseries etc, and those who do drop offs and pick ups. After all, who wants to unnecessarily cause the death of their child’s much loved teacher?

We are privileged because we have the option. We can wfh and our jobs are safe. We would be sending DD purely because she misses everyone there and wants to go. The schools aren’t teaching the curriculum and it won’t be the same place it was before due to reduced class sizes and interactions. It’s certainly not an educational benefit to send her there.

My child has SEND in mainstream and very little thought has been given to how he'll return to school and access the curriculum. The EHCP school place idea was half-baked- hence the low take up and I expect the govt have given even less thought to SEND kids this time. They have however had time to relax the LA's duty to provide his support so

Another set of transitions and upset for a couple of weeks childcare (doubt there'll be any real learning happening) is totally not worth it. We've got into a rhythm of homeschool so we'll stick with that until a proper plan is in place.

Reception child here -

Vulnerable older sibling so probably wouldn't have sent back anyway but school has sent out letter today with plans to accommodate children and it seems so stripped back from normal early years school that I don't think it would be a enjoyable experience for her anyway. Sat at desks, all toys and soft furnishings removed, probably not with friends or teacher that she normally has etc etc She's quite hit and miss with school anyway (still have the odd day of tears at drop off) so I don't think it would be helpful.

I will add though I'm a SAHM so its very easy for me to just keep her home.

"They have however had time to relax the LA's duty to provide his support so hmm"

I think a lot of children will be losing some/all of their 1:1 or TA support particularly in mainstream. If I had a child in that position who was happy at home I wouldn't be rushing them back either if I could avoid it.

Because I think they’re being rushed into school, before it’s safe to do so, for childcare purposes. I don’t need childcare, appreciate we’ll likely be deregistering and reapplying for school once we feel it’s safe.

P.s. my OH is on the frontline, so not an uniformed decision

Have you considered the reason why working class as saying no? They are the ones seeing it in care homes, transport, nurses in hospitals, hospital HCA, even cleaners, others working in other healthcare settings, shops, factories etc. Or they know lots who are. It is everywhere, it’s scary. And largely unknown. I’d consider the reason middle class people are more likely to send them in is they’re living in a bubble.

I have a Year 1 child and will not be sending him into school.

The whole thing is too rushed and I don’t see any benefits to sending him back that outweigh the risks.

I’d consider the reason middle class people are more likely to send them in is they’re living in a bubble what utter judgemental rubbish! Covid is like politics, everyone has an opinion and everyone’s opinion is unique to their situation

I’d consider the reason middle class people are more likely to send them in is they’re living in a bubble

Or perhaps they are looking at the statistics?

Reception age child, not going back, I have type one diabetes and I don’t have a fully functioning spleen, I’m also Asian and male. A six figure salary, the salary argument seems stupid.

Two TAs at my sons primary school have covid at the moment, most likely caught from the children, especially as one lives alone and walks to work. We have a high proportion of parents who work in healthcare.

I’ll review later in the year.

DH and I are both teachers so will be going back into school when ours schools tell us to. DD1's school doesn't seem likely to be having the Y10s in at first and DD2 is Y6 - her curriculum is finished and she's happy at home, learning independently. Also, we'd prefer to limit our household's potential exposure as any one of us spending time with someone who tests positive may result in the isolation of students and staff in four schools.

We live in Wales but if we didn’t my younger ds would not be going back in June because: both his parents are vulnerable to some degree, his small rural (but oversubscribed because it’s amazing) school will not cope and I would prefer to help them keep numbers down so they can attempt to social distance, and because his older brother is homeschooled anyway and they are both doing well academically and are mostly very happy.

Yes, what @formerbabe says. My children will be switching from key worker school to regular school on 1 June. I work for the NHS (non front line) and spend all day analysing statistics and research. Today’s Telegraph has an excellent visual on the “risk” to all age groups from CV-19. Even with the serious Kawasaki complication that is not a new illness and children are still at more risk from meningitis and other illnesses.

@saylor I am also an Economist reader and perfectly understand they point you’re making about exacerbating disadvantages. I think it is a real worry. I see some posters are having a swipe at you but I think if they could read the articles (of which there are many on the topic over the past few weeks) they might not be so quick to dismiss your concern.

It isn't that we don't want to send the back, it is the way it has been rushed through without proper risk assessment, consultation or planning.

I have one in yr 1 and one in yr 3. One will be going back on 1 June (if schools open) and the other one will be going back as soon as her year group is approved.
I have been made to feel like the worst mother in the world by class WhatsApp groups (the majority will not be sending their children back to school until ‘safe’) and Facebook posts.
I’m comfortable that we have mitigated our risk (tiny) and believe that DC will suffer far more from an even further extended period stuck at home. They need to get back to proper learning and socialisation now.

I will send my children back as soon as possible. It is a disaster for many children that schools are shut but I can well believe that poorer households are more reluctant to return their children. Middle class families place higher value on education and are less likely to be in poor health.

I have been made to feel like the worst mother in the world by class WhatsApp group I having received some very patronising responses when chatting with parents about my child returning to nursery. Honestly I worry about the mental health, reduced knowledge and social skills keeping kids at home is having far more than bloody covid.

The 14 year old who died of the Kawasaki type complication weighed 15 stone. Details released in the lancet this week. I’d bet my last £ there were undiagnosed underlying conditions there. That is not a healthy weight for a 14 yr old.

This is the problem, the risk is not to all children, just a tiny tiny percentage but the media leaves out important details so every parent is terrified for no reason at all.

OnlyFools I worry about that too.

We haven't made our mind up yet. Our son is in year 1 and has autism. He's struggling at home but I'm not sure how he will manage at school with a lot of changes so we can't make up our minds until we know the full situation.