School compulsory after Summer

[Orangeblossom78]

Boris Johnson has said it will be compulsory for all children in England to go to school when they reopen after the summer holidays.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/coronavirus-heads-caution-against-fines-for-parents-who-keep-children-at-home-pszxwx2mx

May be a 'period of grace' before fines though.

@CovoidanceMechanism I've been so upset all day about this. There has been absolutely no consideration whatsoever has there?

The idea of losing the school place is upsetting and very final but I see it as a more favourable alternative.

What a shit state of affairs. Thousands of families just like ours will be affected.

Heartbreaking for our children. A more pragmatic and caring government would have given this some thought and some much needed leniency 😢

These are very difficult times oldbagface I’m trying to count my blessings, remember times of resilience and endure.

I hope you find a way through.

I suspect if I truly embrace homeschooling it will be good enough.

@confusedandtired99 I think we have been fed a lot of lies regarding children not spreading Covid to stop us panicking. Johnson waffling on today wearing his Bob the Builders helmet about all children back to school in September, no exceptions, mandatory blah blah blah. Schools with a limited amount of pupils have had to close due to high infection rates and we haven’t even come out of lockdown.

What will September be like after half the country have been to Spain, bars, restaurants, cinemas and shops have been open, no mandatory wearing of face masks. It will be March all over again.

The skeptic in me says it’s a good way to reduce the class sizes and put the onus on the parents for education. ‘Little Johnny with severe asthma failed his GCSEs? Well he should had a PROPER education. Not this home ed rubbish’ then the govt can’t be held to account for poor exam results/failure to progress.

Well articulated @bollockingfuck, completely agree with what you say. For those that are shielding sending their child to school really is a matter of life and death if they were to bring anything back to the household. Why should we lose a school place when we are in a situation like this. So instead of a child's education being affected for a year or thereabouts (hopefully) instead our children's whole future is affected with losing their school place. These are unprecedented times and we shouldn't be punished on top of everything else for the sake of not sending children back when it's going to be a roller-coaster ride of bubbles being shut down repeatedly and instability in schools due to cases of covid anyway.

@oldbagface and @CovoidanceMechanism sounds like we are all in similar situations. However, I have hope in the teaching unions fighting this fining system and requirement to deregister. I am normally a passive person but this is something I will fight the local LEA tooth and nail on.

@CovoidanceMechanism @oldbagface @Recoverandthrive GV said there would be fines for those who kept children off "without good reason " so if your children are medically vulnerable that would be a good reason. Shielding letters, GP or consultant confirmation would probably be needed but previous to this any child kept away from school for a long period of time would have needed to provide medical evidence to support it.

I mean GW not GV

Not meaning to be rude to anyone but I am reading and assessing the research evidence as a basis for the calculation of my family’s vulnerability not relying on the official designation of vulnerability.

If it was reasonably accurate and effective we would have had far fewer than 60, 000 excess deaths, I feel sure.

@Char2015

So if my child goes to school, catches covid-19 there, ends up in hospital, ends up in a very very bad way or even worst case, who do I take to court? The Government for making it mandatory for children to attend?

De-register then. It’s there as an option. If you aren’t willing to go by the rules then you will have to

This is insulting to parents after months of juggling and uncertainty. Explain how schools will be safe first before issuing threats about fines!

The problem with just accepting non-attendance is that the kids who don’t come in are the ones who really need it.
Non attendance because of shielding IS a very good medical reason, so will be fine.
But a lot of people are planning to take the piss (there was a poster here last week who didn’t want her kids to attend school(but of course keep the place) due to asthma, but was fine with them doing rugby and another contact sport (forgot what). Sorry, either you shield, or you don’t.
And shielding should only be done when absolutely necessary as the consequences of prolonged social isolation are significant. For the ones that shield (either themselves or a permanent household member living in the family home), provisions should be made. All others - either go to school, or give up your place.

I, for one, welcome this news. I am on the 'extremely clinically vulnerable' list and have been shielding. I received a letter last week saying that shielding will officially finish on 1st August, so assume that that is the case for everybody that is currently shielding? The reason for me shielding is that I am having chemotherapy treatment for cancer.

Now here's the thing. I have 4DC, 7,9,13 and 14. My DH is a key worker and so we made the decision to send the 7 and 9 year olds back to school a few weeks ago. They needed to be back for them, they were missing formal education and their friends so much and I think the longer term mental health implications were a real risk, more so than COVID. They are so much happier in school. If I could send my teenagers back I would, without a shadow of a doubt. I have recently started letting them meet up with a couple of friends.

I am realistic enough to know that there may never be a vaccine. There may never be a 'safe' time to send them back to school. I value my children's education, their socialisation and their mental health. It would be totally unfair on them to shield forever on the off chance that they or I have serious complications from one of many potential risks of every day life.

If you don't want to send your children back then deregister them and homeschool. That has always been a parental choice.

What I can’t stand is the contradictions - in the same week we’ve had one minister (Gavin) saying that it’s completely safe for schools to open with full classes, full time in September and another minister (Matt Hancock) closing schools in Leicester because ‘children seem to be particularly affected and are contributing to the spread of the virus’! Do they have different type of children in Leicester the rest of the country???

@Theresomethingaboutdairy
^^If you don't want to send your children back then deregister them and homeschool. That has always been a parental choice.
Why should parents be forced to do this when there could well be a vaccine and so instead of disruption to their schooling for a year or so it may impact their whole future. Good schools are hard to come by. This shouldn't be the option parents are having to make simply because they are trying to stay alive.

But in the majority of cases it’s not due to people trying to stay alive but due to people giving in to extreme levels of health anxiety.

I’ll turn it around

Why should kids willing to take the risk to go back benefit from those better schools rather than holding empty places for children whose parents are unreasonably scared

The problem is 'could' be a vaccine. What if there is never a vaccine? Would schools be expected to hold places for absent children indefinitely/for years? I'm honestly not sure what schools should do in these cases.

Life normally favours the brave and the risk takers

I’m more concerned about the mental well being of some of the children I’m reading about. I think that isolation probably will prove to be a greater risk in many cases than Covid ever would.

@divebar so true! we know social isolation and constant anxiety has absolutely disastrous effects on children. The effect is delayed, but very, very negative.
Covid 19 is not nearly as dangerous to children, and healthy adults.

Therebare 90,000 children currently shielding in UK (according to an analysis I read recently) plus a further unknown number living with a shielded sibling or parent.

These people do not have health anxiety, they have either or both an increased vulnerability to catching it, or a significantly elevated risk of serious illness or death if they do.

They are meant to rely on 'where possible children should practice frequent hand washing and social distancing'

I do not think it is a sign of anxiety to have misgivings about the adequacy of that. Especially whilst the role of schools in the Leicester outbreaks is unknown

The consequences of being socially isolated and overwhelmed with fear for a year are really only worth it if there is an immediate danger to live. consequences of a year of fear and isolation are in many, many cases very destructive (as seen in young cancer survivors etc).

life not live....

@CovoidanceMechanism @oldbagface just wanted to say thanks for the solidarity - sorry I couldn’t bring myself to look at this post again until today. We will just have to do what’s best for the safety of our families and suck up the lack of understanding from society as usual.

I was also thinking that in September we could get exposed to potential carrier and need to self-isolate for 14 days. Then we might all pop out after 14 days and, what do you know - possibly get exposed again. Another 14 days isolation.

@Bollockingfuck it certainly seems that way. Yes and it's continued today with people implying we are over worrying and should forgo our child's place. Or suggesting that a shielding letter will cover us. Totally not understanding the difference between the two. And in any case, sheilding is being brought to an end before September.

I also have to wonder how many of these have children with Sen and extreme difficulties with daily life.

I just despair.

I hope you find a solution that's best for your family.