Keir Starmer's kids at school

[SoHereWeAre01]

So Labour Party supports the teacher's union in opposing schools reopening on 1 June....

Whilst the the leader of the Labour Party has his own children currently attending state school....

Hypocrisy of the political establishment...

And families of poor backgrounds and BAME are more likely to suffer badly from COVID, so maybe that’s a reason to keep them out of schools for the time being? This isn’t exactly a clear-cut situation in case you hadn’t noticed.

Eh? Key worker sends kids to school. Not sure OP what you think key workers have been doing for the last 2 months if it's not this......

I've got children in state schools and support the unions in opposing schools reopening on June 1st too.

As far as I'm aware many parents with kids in state schools feel like this.

Are we all also hypocrites?

Do you not think the leader of the opposition might be a key worker ?

Surely Lib Dems ARE Tory now?

I really don’t get your point. It’s both about keyworker children and the safety of everyone.

A small number of key worker children being at school because they need to be is not the same as all children returning to school whether they have a need to or not.

If you lead the party that opposes the gradual return of a small number of pupils, yet send your own kids to school... surely safety issue is not the main reason you oppose 1 June date.

As half of a working parent to a Yr 1 pupil, I would like Keir to not only support the gradual return of pupils, but support the 1 June date.

If he feels his kids are safe at school, then he should support the gradual return of pupils, as stipulated by the government, on 1 June.

Schools do not re open, I have a year 6, letter from school yesterday to confirm spaces for key workers only they have no space available for kids to return 1st June. So wrong they have been negative from the start

s half of a working parent to a Yr 1 pupil, I would like Keir to not only support the gradual return of pupils, but support the 1 June date

Why June 1st?
Would June 8th be ok?
June 15th?

If he feels his kids are safe at school, then he should support the gradual return of pupils, as stipulated by the government, on 1 June

Why do you think his children - like other key workers children - are safe at school at the moment, but things might change if more return?

Surely op the amount of children in school at moment with only key worker children and vulnerable numbers are low. Reopen to 3 year groups and the number of children rises to 90 or more excluding all key worker children and vulnerable. I agree with Keir and other key workers concern their children are probably safer at the moment as numbers are less.

All parties support having children of key workers in school

Both the PM and Leader of the Opposition would be key workers

It's just that none of BJ's kids are of school age, iiirc
(and if he can remember correctly too !)

Oh bore off

I'm a key worker and my dd is at school. I do not believe it's the right time to fully open schools for all pupils. There is no hypocrisy here just people doing their jobs and trying to keep their children safe at the same time.

I don't think Keir Starmer's children are fair game OP.

Your argument doesn't stack up OP. Concerns about schools reopening aren't just about the risks to the children. There's the risk to the staff and also the risk of increasing circulation of the virus generally and creating a second peak.

At my school, the keyworker children are being looked after by staff who have volunteered to go again. As schools return staff who have family members with underlying health conditions or shielding will have to go back. It's a completely different situation.

This sounds desperate OP. Do you have a big dog in this fight? Bigger than safety and education, in that order?

The governments determination to make demands on schools whilst providing bugger all guidance and no additional resources was always going to make for a shit show. KS feels his child’s school can manage the current numbers - I don’t see why that means he should want all kids back. That is a very different situation. Heads and governors are worried they will make a bad choice and be decried as murders if deaths are linked to their choices.

Do not bring peoples kids into this .

You're being obtuse, OP. You know the difference between keyworker children being in and 3/7 year groups being in. You do, you know you do.

Teacher unions are not against re opening school, just the artificial date that was given before the guidelines. Keir Starmer hasn't backed the unions.

Unfortunately, life is not definitive but relative. You weigh things and based on balance of probabilities, you proceed or not.

The science is undeniable. On balance, more damage is being done to children (especially of poor or BAME) in lockdown than in getting them back to school.

If Keir was in my position (half working parent) juggling work, schooling and childcare, he would probably be a little more sympathetic. And not support the unions in opposing the 1 June gradual return of a small number of classes.

We have to start at some point, and what's the difference between 1 June or 8 June or 15 June? Will one or two weeks make such a dramatic difference?

Again, I think the reason is partisan and not science or ideological.

Will one or two weeks make such a dramatic difference?

In terms of infection levels nationally, yes they could? That's the advice we saw today.

Sorry OP but "the science is undeniable" is just not true; do check out the alternative SAGE group which is made up of extremely reputable and eminent scientists and who have come to quite different conclusions from the government about how safe it is (for society generally, not just the children themselves) to reopen on 1 June. Also do note that the current arrangement (R, Y1 and Y1 returning from 1 June) was not even an option modelled by the scientists advising the government.

This is a very goady post...

We have to start at some point, and what's the difference between 1 June or 8 June or 15 June? Will one or two weeks make such a dramatic difference

Yes. The R rate and all that.