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...

Imagine living in a society that wanted to lock children up for months to protect "wider society" from something that presented zero risk to the children.

It's kind of monstrous to do that to the people in society with the least say in how it is run.

Children's parents are also very unlikely to die of Covid. Also teachers. The median age of death of Covid is 80.

Hopefully if we ever let our children go back to school we will give them a better mathematical education because inabillity to understand basic numbers in the general population is quite alarming.

@Nihiloxica - except those kids with shielding parents... we don’t care about grandparents? Hmmm - keep kids in for a month, reduce risk to grandparents - I’d take that one. Maybe the economy will be better if we don’t have a big second wave requiring another lockdown? The low infection Countries are going to open borders to each other - but I think UK Will probably have to wait it out...

www.change.org/p/uk-parliament-dominic-cummings-must-be-sacked/d?source_location=combo_psf
link to petition

Let's turn it around:

What is so terrible that will happen to children in the next two weeks that it isn't worth waiting to reopen schools in order to half the risk?

It's true that the risk on average of a teacher or parent dying from coronavirus is low, but some individuals will have a higher risk than others, and I think waiting two more weeks, when we have waited so long already is worth it to reduce that risk.

Keeping schools for a little longer, or reopening them in a more phased way is not the same as locking up children- personally, I do think children should be allowed to meet and play with those from other households.

Seeing David Cameron mentioned, I think it would have been pretty safe to assume that, had they not been so sadly bereaved, the entire family would have been shielding for the foreseeable future to try to protect Ivan, rather than demanding that all children, including their own, go back to school (or at least 90 - 180 of them in a larger primary) in a week.

from something that presented zero risk to the children. which would be true if it was of zero risk. Its a tiny to healthy zoster, it's a higher risk to kids with certain medical needs. Theres an emotional risk if they lose loved ones before their time due to covid. And for what? A couple of weeks ecus, not the next decade

There is a DM story that Charlotte ( Kate's daughter) isn't going back to reception because they want to keep her home with her older brother
I suppose private schools break up in June anyway , but it might have sent a positive message there , even for a couple of weeks.
Of course parents have choices, about this but it won't help the cause much for ordinary people deciding what to do about sending them next week. Keir Starmer has sent his children in and gets criticised for doing the opposite no wonder people are confused.

Private schools break up at the end of June /beginning of July here so the kids can still have 4 weeks of school. Ds goes back on 1st June to his prep school.

Kate and William would have to travel back to London, to send Charlotte to school. With the furore going on at the moment about Dominic Cummings breaking the lockdown, it would not look good to be making a 100 mile journey.

What they do doesn't affect ordinary parents anyway; making a few phonecalls while your Nanny looks after the children, isn't like trying to work from home in a full time job and teach your children at the same time.

I don’t think it’s fair to expect william and kate to use a 4yo to make/help a political/public health point.

Remember Gummer making his 4yo eat a beef burger at the end of the driveway at the height of CJD?

Even if they’re keeping her off because they’re worried about the risk I think that’s fair enough. Others can make the same choice if they want.

I don’t think it’s fair to expect william and kate to use a 4yo to make/help a political/public health point.

It may not be fair, but they have already been happy to do so. Remember the picture of George, Charlotte and Louise, supposedly clapping for the NHS - in the middle of the day, not at 8 p.m.? An NHS which they have almost certainly never used.

He's a key worker.

But clapping on the doorstep isn’t putting the health of the kids Potentially at risk. Sending them off to school in London potentially is. Massive difference.

if their parents think there’s a risk they would be pretty poor parents to send her anyway just because they’re worried about how they’re perceived.

I don't care where the royal children go etc but it might make an undecided parent think ' I'm not sending them in'!
I know this isn't Kate or Williams problem at all but it still sends a message it's ok for your child but not our one! I'd hate to be a parent of small children at the moment and have to make that call! How hard is that to do ? Especially if you have different views to your friends or family. Such a dilemma.
Not sure what I would do either to be fair.
One week to go about all that and the news is still about Dom keeping his job!
:(

Sending them to school in London would necessitate a move from Norfolk - not good right now!

Yes, didn't think of that about them moving.
I don't blame them for keeping them off : parents have to make a choice here.
I don't trust the government to keep teachers safe , but they will have to go in next week etc. None of this is easy.

“ IMO it is hypocritical for the Labour Party to say everyone should use state schools...”

The Labour Party doesn’t say that.
By the same argument, it’s hypocritical for the Conservative Party to use state education and the NHS.

I'm glad there are private schools as more money then for state ones!

I'm glad there are private schools as more money then for state ones!

If only. Schools get an amount per capita.

Other countries reopened schools when the infection rate was lower and there was a proven test and trace system in place. It’s fair that parents and teachers want to wait to do the same here.

Here in Mexico we've been told that schools will be the last place to open, but that could well be because we are coming up to the summer holidays.