Is anyone not sending their secondary school child back initially?

[lastkisstoo]

I've decided to keep my 15 year old home, probably until the October hols to see what happens.

We are in Scotland. What just happened in the pubs in Aberdeen is exactly what I see happening in schools. Mostly young adults, enclosed space, no social distancing.

My child has asthma, and while not on the list for sheltering I still feel is vulnerable enough that I don't want to see him being used as a guinea pig while the government assess just how big the uptick in cases will be on schools re-opening.

We can take sensible measures to keep levels low and accept we have to live with it but that people will still die

Exactly, we need social distancing in school to keep levels low!

That should read ¨we can´t stop everyone dying¨ -sticky keys, sorry

We are testing more people therefore finding more cases although the positive amount of results is still fairly low for the amount of tests done. 950 positives out 174000 tests carried out, that's over 99% negative. We have carried out 10 million more tests than Spain and France have.
We were slow on the uptake with the testing available in the beginning many cases will have been missed off that official figure. We need to look at hospital admissions and deaths rather than cases when assessing how damaging the virus is in society. You can surmise by the falling deaths and admissions that many positive cases are mild or asymptomatic. Of course we can't know the full extent of long term effects for a while yet.

We have ,950 test-confirmed cases today but estimated over 3000 actual new cases.

@labyrinthloafer

We have ,950 test-confirmed cases today but estimated over 3000 actual new cases.

How does that work? Where does the 3000 figure come from.?

You have to define what low levels are. 700+ confirmed symptomatic cases per day is not low by anyone's measure. 400 cases per day was not low but the increase is not even recognised.

You have to define what sensible measures are. Outside of schools they are defined as restricting movement, limiting social contact to a low number, social distancing and wearing masks. But these measures are not sensible in schools. Why?

You can't just shut your eyes, cross your fingers and power through because the government say so. That's why we are where we are. We can't do the same and hope for a different outcome. To those who question past behaviour, this is like watching a car crash in slow motion.

I suppose for every one positive test they have estimated x number of positive cases. Not everyone with symptoms gets tested and not everyone with it has symptoms

That was to @Uhoh2020

I’m not sending any of mine back for the first grading period. That will ride us time to see what happens when schools are open. Our primary had 1200 enrolled. They have staggered lunches and only move one class in their own grade corridor.

The secondary has 2k+ and switch for each class at the same time flowing down central corridors. No chance of SD at all

I'm sending my Y8 daughter back. She really struggled with friendships in primary and had managed to establish a lovely friendship group in her first few months at secondary. She lacks the confidence to meet them without the structure of school and I am really worried that she won't be able to rebuild this if it continues too long.

Education and school are about so much more than lessons.

Nor do I view her as being a 'guinea pig' by returning her in September.

It is really helpful reading all the different opinions so thank you.

To the people with the same thoughts as me thanks for reassuring me that I am not alone in my observations and concerns.

Can I just point out again that I am not talking about primary age children. My son is 15, 5'10" and built like a linebacker. There is little if any difference physically between him and the 18, 19, 20 year olds in the pubs that Nicola wanted to cry about. Many of his friends are the same and bigger. Then there are the S5's and 6's. These are to all intents and purposes adults, just as vulnerable to catching the virus as you or I.

Increase in testing can result in increased cases. If you increase testing by 10% and have a 10% increase in cases detected there is no actual increase. But the increase in positive cases is greater than the increase in testing.

Plus if the official R value based on confirmed testing is 1 or below but the number of confirmed cases is increasing you can deduce that either the R value is greater than 1 or that asymptomatic or presymptomatic transmission is occurring.

Whatever the case, it is likely that regardless of individual risk, risk off severe ill health or death to those more vulnerable due to individual or social factors will be increased.

To be frank @lastkisstoo, whether he is 'like a linebacker' or a stick insect is irrelevant. The virus does not affect young people in any serious way, unless they have very serious health conditions.

In fact, his health will be much more affected by the poorer exam grades he will get from not attending which will reduce his income in future and stop him getting a good career.

For science mygcsescience science is great for covering content in England, not sure about the difference in Scottish curriculum but it might be worth contacting them. I'd recommend it massively

For my part I am secure in my belief that if my youngest DD gets lower than expected Alevel results AND decides to resit. That she will NOT be doing it in her school. Or any school/college. Her right to education, university and socialisation does not trump her social responsibility not to add to the spread of this virus and cause the unwitting death of her grandparents , teacher , or some unrelated older person she travels on the bus with. Who simply puts their hand on the same bus pole whilst getting up or down from a seat.

My daughter has her whole life in front of her to resit alevels if required and years in which to attend university when it's safe to do so. Boredom is boredom but she will get over it.

Sadly though, when your dead your dead. Luckily as she is an adult and able to make her own decisions, she feels exactly the same.

Going back to school is not about the kids safety, it's about everyone else's.

@disorganisedsecretsquirrel

What a very odd post. Your DD has an obligation to take sensible precautions of course. But she does not have an obligation to give up her education to avoid the tiny likelihood that she could be infected and kill someone!

I'd be going NC if I were her. You need to seek treatment for your anxiety as it is not healthy at all for your DD.

My friend (a GP) had asymptomatic Covid. She found out because she had the antibody test.

She was a regular visitor to a care home where ten elderly residents died of Covid.

There is a chance that she introduced Covid into that home. So, squirrel, did she kill those patients?

I think it will be clear to everyone by half term that the plans need a rethink more along the Danish 15 to a bubble line than our English 230 to a bubble. If children have to do half days or they have to go to school in a large church hall or empty theatre to achieve that then so be it.

It's just a shame the government is using our children as Guinea pigs when it's clear from around the world that this cockamamie plan will spread covid and lead to school closures within weeks.

"Even if they passed on a virus, shall we just be clear that the virus kills people, not children."

Are people not important then? Ie the adults they come in contact with, the teachers, the staff, the bus drivers, the public on the buses they will travel on, their parents, shopkeepers, their Grandparents?

"Children are not killing people, or threatening to kill people. They should not be given the impression that their desire to live their lives and return to school amounts to murder."
Who is giving them that impression? What a stupid comment.

Do what you need to do, but provide him with an education! bbc bite size id nice, but ridiculously easy. Its in no way adequate to replace education in school.
my oldest has SENDs, is slightly behind, but bbc bitesize is waaay to easy for him...

I'm not sure whether we'll send our youngest back to school. She's 13, going into year 9 and has a chronic disease. Even before Covid, she had an individual health care plan at school.

For us, the tricky issue is that I'm a teacher, so have to return to work, and DH may be allowed to work from home some days, but will be required to work in the office on other days. So it's a question of how we would sort this practically. It's not a long term solution, but something we're open to in the short / medium term.

I'm emailing the school at the start of term and asking them what measures they have put in place for her, given her condition. If I'm not happy with the answer, then I'll discuss home schooling with the school.

At the end of the day, she can always re-sit the year, but if she did catch Covid-19, we have no idea what the long term effects would be, or if she would ever get over it.

@SpanishPork

To be frank *@lastkisstoo*, whether he is 'like a linebacker' or a stick insect is irrelevant. The virus does not affect young people in any serious way, unless they have very serious health conditions.

In fact, his health will be much more affected by the poorer exam grades he will get from not attending which will reduce his income in future and stop him getting a good career.

Can you back this up with a scientific study please.

@Morfin

www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.23.20076042v1.full.pdf+html

Only 2% of those admitted to hospital with Covid in the U.K. have been under 18- all of whom had significant underlying health conditions.

The average age of those who died was 80- only 12% had no underlying health conditions.

The risk to under 75s with no health conditions is minuscule- there is no reason for schools not to reopen.

@SpanishPork

This is about the kids spreading the virus not about them succumbing to it.

Even if they ¨only¨ spread it, it will lead to chaos and devastation. It is better for everyone,including them, if schools are opened up in a responsible and intelligent way. That doesn,t for example,involve their vulnerable teachers dying, see Israel.

There could be an outbreak in October
The countries best scientists are sayings it's safe even with kids with other serious health problems
Are you capable of homeschooling?
What do they think ?

@herecomesthsun

There is no evidence that any teacher anywhere in the world has died after catching Coronavirus in a school.