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Original poster

Honestly don’t know how il cope if schools don’t open

41 replies

Mummypig2020 · 31/07/2020 10:44

It’s been a long few months. 3 Dc who bicker and moan. The older two are desperate to go back school. Oldest mental health is awful atm.

Youngest is due to start soon, and I’m worried as she’s not been away from us in months.

My mental health is struggling, Iv been put on stronger tablets.

Iv spent a fortune on new uniform.

Just fed up. I don’t know how we will cope.

OP posts:
formerbabe · 31/07/2020 10:47

Why do you think they won't go back?

I know how you feel...by then my dc will have been home for nearly six months without any break from each other...they also bicker, it's the worst.

Fingers crossed...hang in there

Original poster
Mummypig2020 · 31/07/2020 10:48

Just the amount of posts I see on here 😩🙈

OP posts:
THATbasicrebelBITCH · 31/07/2020 11:09

I reckon they will go back as planned until about november

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 31/07/2020 11:09

I agree. Any return to school is going to be short.

THATbasicrebelBITCH · 31/07/2020 11:12

Just got to take it as it comes unfortunately

Original poster
Mummypig2020 · 31/07/2020 11:13

My oldest really worked hard to get from the bottom set up in maths, and she’s fell right back down. :(

OP posts:
Anniemabel · 31/07/2020 11:20

I have had three at home since March too, eldest is 8! The work / childcare juggle is exhausting and they spend too much time on screens as a result.

I’m also dreading the potential announcements in September re schools. It’s frustrating to think that pubs and restaurants opening and people not adhering to social distancing may lead to a further spread resulting in more school closures come September.

Carlislemumof4 · 31/07/2020 11:45

Local track and trace here in Carlisle is apparently showing more Covid spread as a result of households mixing in each other's homes/private barbecues rather than pubs. That seems to be reflected in the measures just announced for other areas of Northern England last night.

Which does beg the question how it's going to be possible to send all children back to school full time in September without cases rising exponentially everywhere. With three primary age children in school that's 80 odd other households we'll indirectly be in close contact with through our children spending hours together in small classrooms, eating together and sharing toilet facilities.

We chose not to send our Year 1 DD back before the summer hols (others weren't in years eligible) but all three are desperate tor eturn now. Older DD moving up in to Year 6 particularly needs it socially and to just be in the school environment. Remote home learning with new teachers they don't know is a different prospect to the summer term too.

Uniform I've bought with growing room and can pass down, thankfully they don't need new shoes.

Hoping they can be in school for at least the first half term but it looks less likely by the day.

THATbasicrebelBITCH · 31/07/2020 11:49

@Carlislemumof4 I was trying to work out the other day home many other households we will be mixing with in sept but it was massive so i gave up Sad 5 dc, eldest two in bubbles 120-150 each, then one in a bubble of 30, one a bubble of 50, those two then go to wrap around, baby in a nursery bubble Sad

SengaStrawberry · 31/07/2020 11:52

People on here don’t know any better than anyone else.

It’s high time educating children was seen as much of a priority as the NHS. Children have missed out on enough for a disease that statistically is barely likely to even affect them.

JacobReesMogadishu · 31/07/2020 11:57

If the schools don't open it's also going to cause a massive problem for households where one parent can't return to work and this in turn will effect the economy.

It's already going to be an issue with many childminders stopping work, wraparound school clubs restricting numbers/not opening. I've got 13 people out of 20 saying they don't know if they can come back in Sept because of no childcare.

Illusionordelusion · 31/07/2020 11:59

I’ll believe it when I see it. Three primary children here too. I really really hope they go back.

labyrinthloafer · 31/07/2020 12:05

Hello I am firstly sending you Flowers

I am right at the other end of this from you - I am dreading schools going back! But I suspect we both want schools open safely, so we are really both in the same camp.

I don't know what will happen, but all I can suggest is you focus as much as possible on now. That is what I am trying to do, because I can't control any of the rest of it.

I am planning to mentally deal with schools in the week before the start of term.

Carlislemumof4 · 31/07/2020 12:11

@THATbasicrebelBITCH It's so worrying isn't itSad I keep going round in circles wondering what the solution could be. Part time to reduce numbers and children eating lunch at home, still getting the benefit of the familiar school environment, some in person teaching and social interaction with friends? But I'm a SAHM due to needing to care for another family member and DH works from home (already did mostly pre Covid), I realise part time school isn't a solution for families with both parents working.

BarbarianMum · 31/07/2020 12:17

My prediction is they'll go back over large parts of the country (everywhere if people get their shit together and keep taking precautions to prevent spread). After that it will be choppy. There will be localised outbreaks and maybe some local lockdowns and temporary school closures. So not school as we know it but at least some school.

TW2013 · 31/07/2020 12:22

My 3dc are in bubbles with about 500 children in total in different schools, that is before we mention the teachers and two are in exam years 😭.

gottastopeatingchocolate · 31/07/2020 13:06

I would be very surprised if the schools don't open.

Whenever I get stressed by "what ifs", I always tell myself not to spend my energy on something that is out of my control and that might never happen.

If you try to enjoy the summer on the assumption that they will be back at school, it might make for a happier summer. You will never get that time back, so you should enjoy it if you can.

PumpkinPie2016 · 31/07/2020 13:14

PM announced that the opening of schools is a national priority. Let's hope that it remains that way!

Hopefully, pausing easing of lockdown and targeted interventions will help to control the virus and then schools can reopen in September as planned.

Mummabeary · 31/07/2020 14:16

Yes I think they will reopen and of course each week there will some cases/closures. But the point I think people on here who say "schools will be constantly closing" are missing is that it wont be all schools and it wont be all the time. Think of say 100 school outbreaks/closures a week which I think would be bad level. There are 39 school weeks in the year so that's 3900 schools closed for some period over course of the year. That sounds terrible but it would still leave about 28,000 schools open all year with no closures. It's so defeatist to say 'let's not open them as theyll be closing all the time.' Some schools unfortunately will have periods of closure but there should also be whole swathes of the country able to get on with a fairly normal education.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 31/07/2020 14:30

I'm in the same boat. DS just refuses to engage with home learning. He cried daily during lockdown. He's an only child and he's been separated from his peers for long enough. And I have the added issue of not being able to work from home so I have no bloody idea how I'm supposed to work if school doesn't open. Before anyone jumps on me with "school isn't childcare" I know that but it doesn't solve my problem and I have no other alternatives.

BelleSausage · 31/07/2020 14:35

@Mummabeary

The issue with that situation is that it is totally inconsistent for parents, kids and teachers. Also, because teachers are parents too one school closure could force another school closure. I teach in one county and DD will go to school in another. Lots of teachers at my school are in the same position.

We need a long term, sustainable solution that offers more consistent learning and that make it easier for parents to plan childcare needs.

Part time could offer that.

For example:

Two day school bubbles with which ever bubble is out of school being looked after in a separate childcare space (local hall, adapted office blocks etc). The bubbles stays together but aren’t mixing in school.

This means there could be childcare four days a week.

Bubble 1- Mon/Tues in school then Thurs/Fri childcare space.

Bubble 2- Mon/Tues childcare then Thurs/Fri in school.

Weds deep clean for both spaces.

It’s not a perfect solution but at least it’s consistent and means we can all plan ahead for childcare and would cause fewer closures/disruptions. If bubble 1 goes out then bubble 2 is still ok. No school closure.

formerbabe · 31/07/2020 15:25

@Waxonwaxoff0

School is not child care apparently, but I've heard the job centre considers it to be...parents can't win

formerbabe · 31/07/2020 15:26

Oh and I'm still waiting for the summer catch up...am I imagining the government promised us that?

PineappleSquosh · 31/07/2020 15:26

This reply has been deleted

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formerbabe · 31/07/2020 15:30

Do you have a reason for wanting your children to go back to school, other than they bicker and moan and you don’t want to look after them?

Oh just get lost

Six months of looking after bickering children without a break is not a huge amount of fun.

It's a reasonable expectation when you have children that they will be able to attend school