I AM NOT SENDING MY DC TO SCHOOL!!! But...

[HT96]

Ill take them to a park full of kids! 🤦🏻‍♀️

People are so backwards its a joke, group chat last week how no one is risking sending DC to school till September then same group chat meeting up at the park!

The parks in our area full of people today! Even though they still have tape round...

I agree OP. People are nuts,

I have teens so don't have to worry too much about school until Sept, although my Y10 will be going in at some point,

Without wishing to heap wrath upon me, I believe there are certain people who are way too comfortable with lockdown and don't want too much to change (or course I mean people without money or job worries).

It may be because school with social distancing sounds grim

also sounds like not much actual education will be happening, just childcare

However, they'll presumably be people who don't have to go out to work, if they've so much time for parks

I don’t agree OP, I’m not sending my child to school next week but not because of the risk of the virus but because of the extreme measures taken to social distance in school. I haven’t got a problem with my child playing with other children, my problem is that dropping my child into a ‘pen’ in the playground, him staying in the same classroom for the whole day, having designated toilet times and sitting at a desk alone all day do not provide an environment that promotes emotional wellbeing.

When I saw the beach pictures at the weekend I did say to OH I wonder how may of those people wont be sending their children back to school.

It reminded me of a womwn being interviewed over BSE years ago, she said she wouldn't be eating beef again but was filmed puffing on a cigarette.

If local schools are open, I'd expect employers would demand their workers use them, even those WFH

Hence sounds like SAHP, parents working opposing shifts, possibly self-employed / small business owners

Thing is, the need to be socially distant will be here for many many months to come. Maybe years. At some point, (unless you decide to permanently homeschool) the children will need to go back to school.

I don't think September is a magical month. Waiting for things to go back to how it was pre-COVID is going to be a long wait.

@Milicentbystander72 Exactly, the virus will very much still be around in September 🤦🏻‍♀️

I can't wait for soft plays to open I bet they are rammed to 😵

What makes you think they are the same groups of people?

I’m not sending my dc to school BUT..... they won’t be going to the beach, the supermarket or meeting up with friends either. I do see the hypocrisy of others though who won’t send their dc to school but are happy to expose them to risks in other ways.

Boring..it's ok for nice middle class Mumsnetters but frankly it isn't ok for poor working class kids that are suffering.

I don’t agree OP, I’m not sending my child to school next week but not because of the risk of the virus but because of the extreme measures taken to social distance in school. I haven’t got a problem with my child playing with other children, my problem is that dropping my child into a ‘pen’ in the playground, him staying in the same classroom for the whole day, having designated toilet times and sitting at a desk alone all day do not provide an environment that promotes emotional wellbeing.

I completely agree.

I’m sending my son to school but I have told him that if he doesn’t enjoy it then we will just take him out again.

The school have released photos today to let us know what the classroom will be like and it looks awful.

I cannot see how sitting at a table on his own for 6 hours, including eating his lunch there on his own, and not being able to play with his friends is in any way a beneficial environment for him to be in.

Absolutely! I have a friend who isn’t sending hers back to school, but is having a friend to stay in their house this weekend 🤨

Oh yeah I hear you.
My DD‘s best friend isn’t going back in June but DD is. Her mum messaged me and tried to arrange a play date. I was honestly surprised! She said the decision to send kids back is an economic one and as she’s a SAHP she doesn’t see the point in sending hers in.
I declined the play date.

It is better to have kids back...even with social distancing.

Kids being away from school means poor ones eat a lot worse or a lot less (one school is sending out food parcels to their poor students).
It means child abuse is more easily hidden and parents that keep their lovely middle class kids at home make it harder for the poor disadvantaged kids to return.

Please get a life and think outside your own bubble

Well, it’s a completely different risk profile 15 kids vs 1 friend, indoors vs outdoors, for much longer, dining hall, toilets etc being shared.

The risk in a park play date is minimal. School, much higher risk.

@Milicentbystander72 you are correct. So people like @MrsWhites who are not sending them in because of the environment rather then the risk of the virus are going to have their kids at home a long long time.
I’d rather send my DD in now and feel like I’m giving her a head start on what it’s going to be like, rather then wait until September when she’ll already be having to adjust to a new year, new classroom, new teacher etc. As well as all the social distancing rules.

And if I don’t send my child it is much easier for school to accommodate those who need to be at school bc parents can’t or won’t educate them. What’s the problem with that? Honestly, I don’t see your point.

The school actually want fewer kids in....

I can't send my child back to school as am vulnerable because of disability. My life is as lockdown most of the time the only difference is my teenage son is at home.
It's been lovely he and i have grown close again and he's so helpful. I just hope that it all ends well for everyone .Being disabled has taught me patience and so many things just aren.t worth worrying about.not to be commercialistic and be grateful for small things. Welcome to my world everyone.

Agree OP.
Walked through our London park yesterday and there was at least five football matches of young kids playing (50 in total), loads of groups of teenagers. No social distancing at all.
I said to my DH
Either we are about to get another surge or we are reaching some level immunity (not impossible given we are one of the most effected boroughs esp at start of lockdown )
What is the point of rotas and bubbles if kids are just mixing out of school anyway.
I also said if schools don't go back soon, children are going to wonder why they are going to the park and play with mates when they can't go to school

Isn't the risk of transmission smaller outdoors?
Also I don't think the kids in the park are staying in groups of 15 for 6 hours?

Anyhow... my biggest issue with school returning is indeed, as others mentioned, the fact the current plans sound horrible, and not particularly conducive to good mental health or good education.

How do you know it's the same people?
If they don't want/need to send them, they are quite entitled not to. I doubt the people keeping them off will be mixing with others.

vickitotnes I'm glad to have my Y2 uni student (21) DS home, too. His house share had gone tits up, he and DS2 (19) get on well; DH's job is 'safe', wfh; I'm the spanner in the works: coalface NHS but PT 😂; but we're having a nice lock down!

As for whether I'd send a DC back into school, I think I would but it does look pretty grim, hazard tape around the library books, etc.

How do you know it's the same people?

Because it was the same group chat?

You're comparing oranges and apples.
The park
-each adult responsible for their own child

• always outside
• fun for the kids

School
-mixing with 15 kids with only two adults to enforce social distancing (which does NOT happen btw, I've been in looking after key worker kids)

• not a nice place to be at the moment
• indoors, cramped

I feel as though unless you're working in a school at the minute, it'll be hard to comprehend just how grim things are.