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Original poster

Is anyone thinking of keeping kids off school in Aug/Sep?

384 replies

user8558 · 11/07/2020 08:57

I know a lot can change before then.

And I know lots of kids are desperate to go back and parents desperate for them to go back.

But is anyone considering at this stage keeping them home a little longer?

OP posts:
Original poster
user8558 · 11/07/2020 09:16

What about parents who are vulnerable/shielding.

Is it really safe for their children to be mixing in schools?

OP posts:
lifesalongsong · 11/07/2020 09:17

Absolutely not, are you?

hadenoughbleach · 11/07/2020 09:18

No way. By September, there'll have been no school since just before the end of March, nearly 6 months! Yes, they'll have had summer holidays in the middle of it all, but it'll have been enough by then.

Also from September, employers are likely start enforcing the "No working from home unless childcare in place" policies that they had relaxed during the peak of the pandemic. Unless you are a SAHM, you'll need to factor that in too.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 11/07/2020 09:18

God, no. DS has turned into a grumpy, argumentative child over the past few weeks. He's fed up and it's a battle to do any work with him. Plus I'm a single parent, I need to go back to work and I can't do my job from home. We are both low risk and I'm not particularly concerned about coronavirus. Roll on September and some kind of normality.

Parker231 · 11/07/2020 09:18

I thought the shielding finished at the end of July?

thewisp · 11/07/2020 09:19

Is there any suggestion people will still be shielding in September?

hadenoughbleach · 11/07/2020 09:19

I also think the government will find a way to make it mandatory for all children to be back at school in September, so there'll also be fines to consider if you choose to keep them at home.

ssd · 11/07/2020 09:21

If I was shielding I'd be worried about sending my kids back to school, but I think overall you don't have much choice unless you home school them.

Bluepolkadots42 · 11/07/2020 09:22

My DD will be back at nursery from last 2 weeks of August. I would be lying if I said I didn't feel a bit anxious about it, but I think it's more anxiety over how she will settle in again and find her first few days back after having all this time at home with me and DH. I am a teacher and v keen to return to normal in September- although now I've seen our school's plans for September I think I use the word 'normal' loosely here.

Educationwhateducation · 11/07/2020 09:22

@user8558

What about parents who are vulnerable/shielding.

Is it really safe for their children to be mixing in schools?

According to Jenny Harries yes, it is safe.

Blanket fines for non attendance will be in place for September and whether you are vulnerable or shielding will not be taken into consideration. If you feel that it is too risky to send your child back to school then you will need to deregister and homeschool.

ElizabethMainwaring · 11/07/2020 09:23

@user8558

What about parents who are vulnerable/shielding.

Is it really safe for their children to be mixing in schools?

I don't think that you find any answers here sadly. My husband is ecv and I'm a teacher. Even ecv teachers are expected to go back next term (in England). I'm very worried.
Jrobhatch29 · 11/07/2020 09:23

@user8558

What about parents who are vulnerable/shielding.

Is it really safe for their children to be mixing in schools?

At the risk of souding a little harsh, these people will ultimately have to decide what is best for their children and not just them. Shielding is ending as well so I doubt schools will accept that as a valid reason for non attendance by september.
PeskyRooks · 11/07/2020 09:24

No way. If secondary school was open on Monday the dcs would be going! And they would be skipping out the door happily!

ElizabethMainwaring · 11/07/2020 09:25

The official line is that 'shielding is being paused'.

BlusteryLake · 11/07/2020 09:27

Absolutely not. Children have paid a very heavy price in all this and it needs to stop. One of mine will have been off school for six months and it getting more despondent by the day. We risk a generation of de-motivated depressed children if we don't give them their lives back. Fine if people don't want to go to school, but don't expect my children to do the same.

ssd · 11/07/2020 09:30

Shielding can't just be turned on and off when it suits the government. Either you are still at higher risk or the virus has disappeared, which it hasn't.

The shielding have been really hard done by here. All the focus has been on the economy, which for most of us it high risk is sort of OK now, but for people at high risk there needs to be a whole raft of measures in place, so they can be safe.

ssd · 11/07/2020 09:31

NOT at high risk I meant

FizzFan · 11/07/2020 09:32

No

They need to go back. It’s much safer now than before they closed.

Original poster
user8558 · 11/07/2020 09:37

Yes it's safer now.

But if numbers start to increase between now and then - if deaths are forecast to be back up to 800 a day by November, there has to come a point when it no longer is safe.

What is that point?

I think many people here would be sending their kids to school if deaths were steadily 1k a day.

But there must be others that a nervous.

It's not health anxiety if you are very vulnerable to a the disease.

OP posts:
PeonyTruffle · 11/07/2020 09:37

Mr year 1 son has been back since our school allowed the first kids back, best decision we have made in a long time.

Schools should absolutely be back in September in my opinion. I think the longer they are off, the worse the anxiety around retuning grows.

FizzFan · 11/07/2020 09:42

So what’s the answer? Kids are already going to have been off the best part of half a year. It’s gone on long enough. There’s no reason to think deaths will end up at anything like those levels. The deaths at the peak were caused largely by infections before lockdown when there were zero mitigation measures in place. Now we have contact tracing, SD etc. Plus half of deaths were in care homes, hopefully that fuck up won’t happen again and they’ll be safer in the event of a spike.

Some people just don’t want to seek to accept that significant progress has been made and that we need to get back to some semblance of normal.

Ginnymweasley · 11/07/2020 09:42

If you don't want to send your kids to school then homeschool. I don't really understand what people want to happen? How long can we expect kids to stay off school? If it's ok for people to go to the shops, get their hair cut, get hammered in the pub why should children continue to be kept away from their friends and education?
Now obv it's an ever changing situation but you can't keep schools closed on the chance of a second wave etc. What about peoples jobs? Not everyone can work from home etc. As of this moment in time opening schools is a perfectly safe option in line with all the other things we are allowed to do. If you don't feel comfortable then homeschool.

Jrobhatch29 · 11/07/2020 09:42

@user8558

Yes it's safer now.

But if numbers start to increase between now and then - if deaths are forecast to be back up to 800 a day by November, there has to come a point when it no longer is safe.

What is that point?

I think many people here would be sending their kids to school if deaths were steadily 1k a day.

But there must be others that a nervous.

It's not health anxiety if you are very vulnerable to a the disease.

Has that been forecast? I dont think anybody knows what will happen. Tbh mine will go as long as they are open. Children are at such low risk and me and my partner are willing to take the small risk to ourselves to keep them in school and help their mental health. Children have been at the bottom of the barrel through this and they need to be allowed their lives back
SteelyPanther · 11/07/2020 09:43

No.

Beebityboo · 11/07/2020 09:45

I do understand the anxiety as someone vulnerable to Covid, but at this point it would be detrimental to my DC's to be home any longer so it's just something I have to be brave about for their sakes.
I'm a bit concerned about my eldest having to wear a face mask for her 45 minute bus ride back and forth but I'm hoping she'll adapt.
The alternative is I home educate them and that would be completely wrong for my youngest two. Life has to start again.