Lockdowns will not work now.

[OnionString]

The longer this goes on, the less people are going to abide by the "rules". Our lives and freedom have been taken away from us. Now we are getting back some, only for them to be snatched away. Our children education is ruined. Lockdowns only delay the inevitable. Instead of furlough, bike schemes etc, the government should have been ploughing all that money into recruiting nurses, doctors, carers, building even more temp hospitals to deal with the pandemic. Until the vaccine is ready (assuming the trials are successful) the virus is going nowhere no matter how many ridiculous rules we are told to abide by. Life has to go on for the majority, and yes this means sadly more deaths.

Atallcosts I am sorry you are struggling it has hard.
I have 6 children - 2 are autistic. Many home ed parents have SEN children and home ed because school provision is so terrible for these children.

I still cannot get over the OP saying 'in my opinion, the same number of people will die'

Are you a scientist, doctor, epidemiologist, virologist, statistician?

what on earth informs your opinion?

@AtAllCosts

We know it will cost her those low level GCSE grades she needed to get into her chosen college course. That course was the only viable option for her.

Was it the only course she wanted to do or the only possibility to get a job ever again? And does that trump other peoples lives? I wanted to be a painter, only thing I was ever passionate about but not talented enough. I still have a good life doing something else though. Can she repeat the year in the future?

I guess I'm usually one of the lucky ones as DD's school really is fantastic. It's so unfair there are clearly inconsistent between schools.
I really feel for everyone who has to make the choice to home ed due to lack of provision, I am finding that it definitely has its challenges, so hats off to anyone that home eds their SEN children.
I'm really just hate the assumption from some that it lazy parents spouting about missed education, it really isn't.

I’d hardly call this a shitfest, I feel like I have a really good amount of freedoms given we’re living through a pandemic.
I’d prefer me having some freedoms curtailed to mass death, which is what happens if you allow a virus to grow exponentially unchecked

Im a single parent working outside the home full time. I can't work from home. I have more than 2 children and the older ones are working beyond my capabilities in some subjects. They are also, like a lot of teens, not very self motivated so unless cornered like a rat in a trap will do very little work outside of a school environment. At the end of a days work I have limited energy to spend.

Hone schooling isn't an option. I need them back in school ASAP.

I need them back in school ASAP

But if numbers of teachers get ill or worse, there won’t be enough staff to keep the schools open. We all want schools open, but the current plan of social social distancing, no masks, no reduced numbers, poor ventilation and parents not even having to show a negative test before allowing their previously ill child back into school, will probably not end well.

I would hope all those people desperate for schools to go back and stay open, would be fighting for them to be safer, rather than blindly opening them with no mitigation of risk.

@Letseatgrandma by all means schools should be safer. But I'm not a specialist in education or public health. It's not for me to decide what should be done - the government employ experts and should have made the practicalities of school opening their priority.

I do know that in the 60s and earlier when measles was rife and there was no vaccine, children still went to school. I believe there was a policy of tracing contacts and quarantine in place. I would have thought that more than 50 years later an even better plan would be possible.

I am disgusted that there is still no coherent plan for schools but the pubs and golf courses are open.

totally agree with you @OnionString.. i cant believe this nonsense prevails. Isolate the elderly and those with co-morbidity instead of sacrificing the entire population and economy. Why should everyones life as we know it be over?kids education and futures ruined and everyone's mental health be up the spout when for the vast majority is is just mild symptoms.Future generations will look back on this as something to learn from.

would be fighting for them to be safer

Once you’ve written to the MP what else can you do? I asked for PPE for teachers

I still cannot get over the OP saying 'in my opinion, the same number of people will die'

She’s right.... but only in so far as everyone will die eventually! It’s a completely pointless argument regarding Covid. It’s a bit like saying “shame he got murdered, but he was going to die at some point in the future so that’s ok”

the government employ experts and should have made the practicalities of school opening their priority

Indeed, and it’s a travesty they didn’t. I am fairly sure schools will be closing all over the place throughout the autumn term, because they are the equivalent of endless huge gatherings across the country in small poorly ventilated spaces.

Isolate the elderly and those with co-morbidity instead of sacrificing the entire population and economy.

That's millions of people many of whom who play a vitally important part in keeping the economy going.

How do you propose we isolate them?

What about all the people who will get sick for weeks and can't attend work and etc how will that affect the economy?

Grow up.

@13Isthisfinallyit

The only other option to her is 'work skills', which has its own set of issues for her needs.

She could resit a year but won't receive the provision she currently gets, as it will not be in current school. As pp has shown, finding an education center that provides the provision is difficult.

I'm sorry you lacked the talent, could you not have re sat a year to improve this skill?

I do actually not feel it trump's other people's lives. With a member of my household having to shield, I am acutely aware it does not.
I did however feel that everyones opinion is valid and a fair debate should encompasses all views.

She would get a job, likely to be minimum wage, as they mostly the ones that hire without needing qualifications. It's not really what we hope for our children though, is it?

the government should have been ploughing all that money into recruiting nurses, doctors,

How long do you think it takes to train a doctor or nurse? You're talking years, not months. If we'd waited years, there'd have been hundreds of thousands dead, and who would be doing all the training etc - i.e. taking professional medics out of the hospitals and putting them in classrooms. You've really not thought it through!

Isolate the elderly and those with co-morbidity instead of sacrificing the entire population and economy

So who'd going to do the jobs of the vulnerable who you want to lock away for potentially years? There are millions of vulnerable, most of who will be workers/carers so you'd need to find people to do that work. One of our neighbours is a senior cancer consultant - he's vulnerable - that's a lot of experience and knowledge that's hard to replace.

Atallcosts- we are planning to do the keyskills exams with our 13 year old. Our oldest is doing GCSEs but our 13 year old wouldn’t manage that. Failing that we own our own business he can start training with us.

atallcosts please try not to worry about the college course - it is clear that 6th forms and FE colleges are going to have to be far more lenient and/or creative when it comes to recruitment to their courses in the next few years. Your daughter will not be the only one with perhaps lesser grades than might have been hoped - and whilst you may feel there are gaps, those same gaps will exist for many, many of her peers. Ultimately, both 6th forms and colleges needs bums on seats for their funding so will not be turning away people unnecessarily.

@43Enoughnowstop
Thank you, that is quite reassuring to hear.