So sick of seeing all the I’m not sending my kids back to school posts

[NiknicK]

from parents on Facebook. Followed by their friends jumping on the band wagon praising them for being such a great parent. I’ve also seen posts from parents judging others who have chosen to send their kids back saying they are selfish. Why do parents feel the need to announce on Facebook that their kids aren’t going back school. My children aren’t going back to school until at least September but I haven’t felt the need to share this on social media with the hope of being validated by other parents telling me what an amazing parent I am. It’s like it’s a competition, ie the prize for the biggest martyr and best parent goes to........

[Crimsonnightlotus]

I actually don't see it like that. Reading other people's opinions is helpful when making my own. I am torn between sending back or not when school starts, so it's actually good to read what everyone else think of pros and cons, safety, etc.

[TurquoiseDress]

Yes OP I've seen this on my FB, esp on the local group with a lot of the mums.

Some of it is verging on hysteria, and it's like a competition for those who 'love their children' the most by keeping them at home and out of harms way.

Never have I been more sick of all the 'your bubz your rulez hun' brigade! For me this is often the mark of a moron, but each to their own.

Nobody seems to take into consideration that people may need to actually get back to work and earning money to buy food and pay the rent/mortgage...now there's a thought.

[TurquoiseDress]

To add for balance, the posts where people have actually debated the pros & cons have been really interesting and useful to read!

[Durgasarrow]

It's just their opinion. They're free to share it.

[Littlemissdaredevil]

@WhatCFeryIsThis I win my baby is 1 day old so I’m not sending him to school until September 2024!

[mrsbyers]

I’d be interested to know the employment status of those who are adamant they’re not sending kids back - I would guess there is a fair proportion of them don’t work outside of the home

[JetsetJetlaggedJaded]

@burplecutter I've said to my daughter's nursery that I don't mind keeping her at home until september because;

1. the nature of my job has changed and is unlikely to go back to normal until September, so I imagine that there are other parents in situations where it is more urgent for them to have childcare, which I don't necessarily need right away. I also like the idea of spending some extra quality time with my daughter that I will never be able to get back, and saving a bit of money on nursery fees will help me too.
   
   
2. if you look at the guidelines, and take account of how many nursery staff may be in the shielding group, I imagine that the nursery is counting on some children not coming back right away so that they can introduce the smaller groups / bubbles / more distancing etc that is stipulated in the guidelines. By September (knowing that I am expecting my daughter to rejoin at that point) I would think they would have enough time to find more staff, train them, CRB them if needed etc etc. Or the government guidelines may relax as they learn more about the virus and find that it affects certain categories of people in a less serious way, so I'd hope that fewer of their staff would still be in the shielding category by that point
   
   
3. a lot of people have talked about the Danish model, which is likely to require some building work in British school and nursery buildings. Perhaps re-purposing some outdoor space, installing extra sinks for handwashing or building some portacabins to enable a higher number of smaller groups of students etc. I imagine that it would be more realistic for schools and nurseries to be able to source and install those things by September, rather than right now when there's very little time and more scarcity of materials and builders. I would rather send my daughter back (at whatever age), once the nursery (or school) has had the opportunity to make the necessary changes.
   
   
   For me it's nothing about being "terrified that my child is a guinea pig" or anything like that, It's more that I think there are other people who need to send their kids to nursery more urgently then I do, and I think that our schools and nurseries need a bit more than 3 weeks to sort out the changes they need to make

[EmbarrassingMama]

It's great that Covid won't be able to transmit between humans by September isn't it.

[Burplecutter]

Yeah there may be more non teaching staff being employed between now and September I should think. But you can't train a teacher in 3 months. Especially when 7 weeks of that would be the summer holidays. But I don't think they'll be able to accommodate class sizes of 10-15 so the numbers will have to increase in each class.

[raviolidreaming]

I‘m happy with my decision to keep my kids at home but I don’t judge others for choosing to send their kids school

And yet OP, you sound just like them.

[DominaShantotto]

Mine IS going back - I've pushed to get her taken back in under vulnerability criteria as her mental and physical health is suffering so much under lockdown. Language regression, insomnia... the lot.

Looked at the local data, looked at the school's planning for how they're "bubbling" the children and staffing and I'm more than happy to send them back in as the detrimental effects to not doing so more than outweigh the risks in our case. I have friends with kids in the eligible age groups who have chosen NOT to send their kids back - we have different circumstances, different kids and made a different choice - and the world continued turning without us shouting and screaming to force the other person round to our point of view.

[quiteathome]

I have a year 6. I am undecided, not that bothered about Covid- we are all low risk and we won't be knowingly mixing with any vulnerable people. However can't see that there will be any value educationallly. The sent home work has been mediocre. And when they go back they won't be with their teacher, so not really seeing the point.

On the plus side year six is not a bad year to miss overall.

[Devlesko]

There are too many on here too. Either talking about kids going/ not going, and now those complaining about people saying what they're doing.

[Teateaandmoretea]

I haven't noticed this at all.

I'm fully intending to send dd back. I have explained the differences and she says if I don't let her go back to school she'll never speak to me again. She says most of the others are going back too.

Clearly I am an unrepresentative little bubble.

[namechangenumber2]

Our school have just sent an email saying they're only going to allow keyworker/vulnerable children and children who's parents have to go back to work ( out of home) back

[MarieIVanArkleStinks]

The question is moot. The teaching unions are up in arms and the likelihood is that many schools will not be going back on 1 June unless there's an actual directive - backed up with guidelines that are idiot-proof - from the government.

I haven't made any plans to send back DC or otherwise. It's pointless responding on a knee-jerk basis when no one has the slightest idea as to how this will play out.

My employers are planning for a non face-to-face, WFH approach for most staff until the end of 2020. The majority of other parents will not be in this position, and for those being told they must go back to work or risk losing their jobs, the stress of the situation must be unimaginable.

As for competitive parenting, it's easy to choose not to play that game, and to ignore those who do.

[Toomuchgoingon]

My DD is in year 6 and I am on the shielding list. However, we have taken the decision that she should go back. I'm really impressed with how her school have coped with the vulnerable/key worker children so am prepared to take that chance. They will be keeping the children in their own classes (no mixing at all) as well as temp checks etc. She will need to get changed as soon as she walks through the door and take a shower. It's not perfect but she's struggling being at home so think she will benefit from it (as will we not having to deal with the meltdowns.) She has SEN so it's even more stressful.

[sunglasses123]

I agree with a PP. Who are these people picking and choosing with no mention of finances. I also hope that they arent going to allow them to fall too far behind. My DN is definitely falling behind. My SIL has decided that its just too difficult getting her to do the work and has given up.

As for those people who are saying that Boris told them they could stay on furlough until Oct. Words fail me. He certainly didnt say that!

[Topseyt]

I don't intend to send any of my three DDs to school ever again. Can I come into the winners' enclosure? 😃

[TryingToBeBold]

So many comments on FB that are driving me up the wall

"Our children aren't guinea pigs"
You're right.. the ones that have had to go the whole time because parents have had to work are the "Guinea pigs"

"My children won't go back until MPs are going back".
Well some of them are still working from home. Just like everyone has been advised to if they can. And parliament won't be full for a while.. just like schools.

"I'm so angry that kids can mingle and go to school with any kids and not see grandparents"
Yes.
Because if my 1yo gets sick. I'll deal with that.
But as 1% of those that have died being aged under 45, it's not about my DD getting sick or dying.. it's about passing it onto granny or great granny and the odds not being in their favour.

[Sedlescombe]

There were about 3,000 deaths last week and that only includes hospitals and care homes.a There is genuinely a dilemma between getting the economy moving - which needs children back at school - and ensuring the safety of both children and the people they could take the virus back home to. The death toll still seems far too high to risk re-starting homes and I note that both the BMA and the headmaster of Eton appear to agree with that position.

[OneandTwenty]

"Our children aren't guinea pigs"
You're right.. the ones that have had to go the whole time because parents have had to work are the "Guinea pigs"

not really.. the extremely small numbers - as opposed to at least the whole classes of an entire year group and the extra childcare provision for them made it that key worker children were NOT in the same condition.

There's not that many families where both frontline working parents were out of the house at the same time and had to use the schools.
Of course there are cases, that's what school opening was for, but many key workers also juggled shift or had a partner who could wfh.

[TryingToBeBold]

@OneandTwenty

Maybe it's just schools and nurseries in my area. Theres still a lot of children going and none closed that I'm aware of

[AnneOfTeenFables]

You don't judge others for their parenting decisions but you judge others for Facebook posts. I suggest you extend your 'not judging' philosophy to Facebook. It will make your life much easier.

FWIW Facebook posts saying DCs aren't returning to school aren't the same as photos of dinners. They serve a valuable counter narrative to the media and politicians pushing a 'return to school' message.

[PennyForYourTroubles]

I imagine they’re posting it because they’re outraged the government have made such a stupid decision. They want to voice it one way or another, so what? Scroll past it if you don’t like it. Not doing any harm.