If you don't think schools should reopen...

[TeaInMyStoneCup]

...what do you think should happen? Genuine question. I work full time (from home), as does DH (though not at home) and we have a soon to be 5 yo (in Sept). Do you think that we should just carry on as we had to in lockdown when nurseries closed, when we were at breaking point attempting to work and simultaneously look after him? It was shit for us and it was shit for him because I could never give him my full and undivided attention. I'm still catching up with work now and he went back to nursery in June.

I understand concerns but they don't seem proportionate to what we know is the mortality rate for this illness. Genuinely - what do you think should happen? Parents should just home school?

My two sisters and my mother are all teachers and can't wait to get back.

The fact is that is isn't up to the likes of me and you (parents and teachers) to think of a viable, workable alternative.
It was the DfE's job and they had six months to come up with money and a plan.
They've done nothing.

Agree with this.

[quote mac12]@Swelteringmeltering I know, same sense of foreboding here. Surely we won't make the same mistakes? I am hoping there will be a last minute u-turn in the direction of commonsense.[/quote]
Like the A levels they will do the U turn after the damage has been done.

We were told initially masks did diddly squat.

yes they dont protect the wearer. They protect others from the wearer.

Google it, its been known like forever

@itsgettingweird

Bless ya being another confused person starting yet another thread about this.

Let's spell it out again.

No one wants or thinks schools should remain closed.

Most people (few seem to care beyond 9am on day 1) want schools open but to have the same covid secure set up as expected elsewhere to prevent spread.

This is to keep them open.

Alongside this they want a solid plan with funding for keeping up education in the case of closures. Rather than this government waffle of "if possible" added with "and we won't provide funding to make it possible"

Reply! Thanks for having the energy to repeat yourself for the zillionth time!

@itsgettingweird meant to say “this!”

@elliejjtiny

I think schools should open but the children go back part time to keep the bubbles smaller. I also think that those parents who don't want their children to go back to school yet can continue to keep them at home temporarily without having to de-register or be fined.

And this! Although I’d like to think some could be full time if the government go themselves together and let the schools start talking to the parents without the elephant in the room of fines and deregistering, closing down meaningful conversations.

since you are not the Ozp how do you know that this isnt a planted thread designed to get the same old coverage of U4T across?

Report me to MN if you want to and you'll see that I have a lot of posting history under other usernames. I've been around for ages.

And sadly what @Morfin said! Good to keep the conversation going at this at the top of the chats in many ways but I can see why people are exasperated. I think pretty much everyone wants education for as many as possible (within the realms of safe!), as safely as possible and as consistently as possible.

@chickenyhead

yes they dont protect the wearer. They protect others from the wearer.

Google it, its been known like forever

So therefore in schools it will help protect children and staff who maybe vulnerable.

Great we all agree masks are good in that sense

I know masks don't protect the wearer.
That's what I mean though, there was a massive block.. Because there was no evidence that's masks give protection

Slightly tweak the questions and evidence
.. Slow, plodding... Months later.. Oh right... They protect others from the wearer!!

In Italy they're using public buildings to allow social distancing. I've seen other countries do this too.

Can't our government consider such a plan?

I agree that they'll leave it too late to u turn as always.

@Mindy98 I don't think we've got as many public buildings as most European countries... Certainly most municipal sports facilities are public as opposed to privately run. There are also a lot more of them. Smaller state has many knock on effects...

There would need to be an excess of teachers to do this. There isn't.

Has it been a week or 2 weeks since Scotland have been back? Is there any data yet?

I think the slow progress of this thread suggests that most do want schools to open (as do I) but with measures in place that will allow them to stay open and staff and pupils health to be protected. I'm afraid that it's not schools' main priority to help you and your DH back to work (nor me and my DH, so we're likely to have to make some very difficult financial decisions).

@MrsWarleggan

Scotland started going back last Wednesday but quite a few were part time until this week. No real time for in school transmission to show up, and plenty of teens were not social distancing in parks on the Tuesday... like 10+ teens in a 1.5m2 platform on a climbing frame...

@TeaInMyStoneCup

A 14 day isolation would be fine. I just don't want to be trying to work full time and homeschool for months on end. Again.

Have you considered how a 14 day isolation every time someone in your child's bubble of 230 has a cough might look during cold and flu season? How many kids have a cough? How many 14 day isolations can you do per half term?

No one wants children's education to suffer.

But the government's plan is stupid.

And will lead to schools closing.

Which nobody wants.

I have not seen many posters wanting schools to stay closed. Most are sensible and want protection for staff and pupils. I don’t like the gung ho approach of ‘open the schools, get life back to normal’ it won’t work, schools will be closing within the first month due to staff sickness. A sensible and cautious approach is needed to start with.

My child has severe SEN and underlying health issues, he won’t be returning in September and there will be no fines for me. To be honest he cannot be educated, he’s a teen who is non verbal, incontinent (I don’t want staff doing his personal care and putting themselves at risk) cannot read and write and never will. School for him is learning life skills. I have seen the guidelines for September and I’m not happy with them, they normally spend mornings doing activities within the school and afternoons out and about, a supermarket, a trip to the park, a local museum etc, this won’t be happening from September, he will be cooped up with his classmates, teacher and TA’s for 6 hours a day in one room, no singing assemblies or lunch in the hall. No pe in the gym or sensory sessions in the sensory block. We will continue to do what we have done for the last 6 months.

If I had a NT child I would want them back in school part time to start with, if after the first half term it’s all going swimmingly I would want full time.

@Swelteringmeltering

We were told initially masks did diddly squat.

FFS, is it really that difficult to understand that this was because there was insufficient PPE for frontline staff? This was a cover for government ineptitude in having and insufficient and out of date stockpile.

@TeaInMyStoneCup

since you are not the Ozp how do you know that this isnt a planted thread designed to get the same old coverage of U4T across?

Report me to MN if you want to and you'll see that I have a lot of posting history under other usernames. I've been around for ages.

Given that MN has been rife with the sort of bullshit that has become U4T's raison d'etre since the beginning of lockdown, that assurance is kind of empty.

As I’ve said before, just because children and young people aren’t dying, doesn’t mean they aren’t facing long term effects.

Well report me then, the button is there.

I meant to bold this one out - fail!

Given that MN has been rife with the sort of bullshit that has become U4T's raison d'etre since the beginning of lockdown, that assurance is kind of empty.

Again - report me if that's what you think.

What exactly would we be reporting you for? You may well be a long time user and you may also well be a member of Us4Them. You may also be a morris dancer. You may pick your nose. You may be the world synchronised knitting champion. None of these things are really reportable.

However, you DO appear to share a lot of beliefs with the Us4Them lot, such as a propensity to see people shouting "AAAAARGH, close the schools, where's the vaccine, why does nobody have a VACCIIIIIIIIIINE???!!!" where there do not appear to be any.

@summersnearlyover Are you managing to get any time for yourself at all? It must have been an exhausting six months for you.