Surely they can’t keep schools open as normal if cases keep going up like today!

[Worriedmum999]

My daughter went back to school last Thursday. She really needed to go as lockdown played havoc with her mental health. She was fine doing her academic work but she is someone who needs the social side of school.

We are a vulnerable family and, with this shitshower of a government, I had no faith that cases wouldn’t rise and I wouldn’t be forced to take her out of school again. But I cannot believe that she has been back 2 days and the jump in cases has been so huge. I honestly expected us to be able to get to half term. Of course deaths are going to rise now. Why wouldn’t we follow the pattern of the other European countries. Add to that the fact that people can’t get tested now and we’re fucked. And I’m so fucking angry and upset about the damage that this is doing.

What are the government going to do? Surely it will be impossible to expect parents to keep sending their children to schools when the death toll is huge again and the ICUs are full.

Oaktree what personal wants? An education for a child who enjoys school. I’d go for exam year priority, having a dc doing it, but not great for other dc.

Are you vulnerable to CV and worried about the return?

@Teateaandmoretea

Everyone should be playing a part and making sacrifices not just the elderly and vulnerable.

Making sacrifices will lead to more long term problems. Do you really truly believe that this will ‘defeat a virus’, it is delusional no more or less.

Ruin everyone’s lives of all ages for a virus that isn’t going anywhere. Hardly a solution is it?

Ruin everyone's lives? Don't be ridiculous. Hyperbole really doesn't help.

It doesn't ruin your life if you have to queue for a shop or wear a mask. Or give up watching football for a while.

Keeping the elderly and vulnerable confined at home would ruin their lives, though, so everyone else has to do their bit.

And the fact that an A is no longer good enough, then it had to be A then A, then the government felt that A-A* was too easy (80-90% correct answers! - that is not too easy, that is pupils putting themselves under unsustainable and unbearable pressure), and then changed the system so that 7-9 were the new top grades, and many now feel disappointed with a 7 and push themselves to the limit of their mental health to get 9s. So no wonder anxiety and mental health issues got better when schools closed and exams were cancelled.
That does not mean lockdown and quarantine will benefit young people, it just means the current exams system is geared to deflate previous years' achievements and push the current candidates to the limit of what they can achieve in 1.5 hours in an exam.

@epythymy

More children are dying of mental health related issues than COVID-19. Closing the schools would be selfish, stupid, disproportionate and likely to lead to more deaths than keeping them open.

Did you even consider the potential deaths of teachers and school support staff??

If people truly cared about Education and didn’t use it as a smoke screen for their own personal wants they’d realise yes as a Society let’s figure a way to get those teenagers with exams looming sorted first

I truly care about children’s education, which is why I am completely limiting my social contacts outside of school to help reduce spread.
I am not responsible for government policy. I have written to my MP numerous times (he’s a useless sack of shit), but the fact that the government hasn’t changed their stance based on my letters does not mean that I don’t truly care about education, or that I’m using it as a ‘smoke screen for my personal wants’.
Reducing my contact with people and following government guidance to help schools stay open for the children due to take exams is basically all I can do.

This is with us until there is a vaccine

This will continue to be with us even when (if) there is a vaccine. Scientists themselves have said that it will never be eradicated in the way, for example, smallpox has been.

People need to come to terms with the fact that they will have to get on with their lives regardless. As we've seen with the flu vaccine, scientists can and do predict wrongly the strain of flu they think is going to be most prevalent each year, hence some years being more deadly than others due to an ineffective vaccine being dished out. I suspect the same will happen with Covid.

@Hereinthesticks

And the fact that an A is no longer good enough, then it had to be A then A, then the government felt that A-A* was too easy (80-90% correct answers! - that is not too easy, that is pupils putting themselves under unsustainable and unbearable pressure), and then changed the system so that 7-9 were the new top grades, and many now feel disappointed with a 7 and push themselves to the limit of their mental health to get 9s. So no wonder anxiety and mental health issues got better when schools closed and exams were cancelled. That does not mean lockdown and quarantine will benefit young people, it just means the current exams system is geared to deflate previous years' achievements and push the current candidates to the limit of what they can achieve in 1.5 hours in an exam.

It doesn’t decrease this anxiety to remove the chance to learn in class. The opposite for many. Even if you take away exams dc will be graded, sometimes arbitrarily which can be stressful.

And I didn't say schools shouldn't open. Life needs to go on as normally as possible

Apologies. I assumed you were referring to schools closing as that’s what this thread is about.

Don't blame the government - because they've handled it all so wonderfully well haven't they? lets blame the working class and not Dominic Cummings, because he's 'educated shall we?

I think the Great British Public has to bear a good portion of the "blame" TBH. It's not a class thing though.

Oaktree surely if dc have thrived being off school the parents can look into hone schooling? Those saying it's not that simple, surely you either want them in school or you don't? If they thrived and you are able to accommodate why not home school.

Personally my dc have always thrived in school. Eldest definitely suffered poor mental health due to isolation and lack of motivation.

That's not being dismissive towards poor mental health.

Mental health isn't either terrible or fine, it's a spectrum, just like physical health. It can decline due to poor circumstances.

@epythymy

More children are dying of mental health related issues than COVID-19. Closing the schools would be selfish, stupid, disproportionate and likely to lead to more deaths than keeping them open.

Could you provide a link for this claim? I haven't heard of this at all.

I don’t see why if some children do better out of school people argue it has to then apply to all dc.

The fact is many children will have improved mh back learning in class with friends. And yes as it’s a spectrum you can say this without referring to necessarily having mh issues.

@mumwon

Didn't they reduce the death rate from covid because it included people who died months later? But people take time to get ill & covid can have severe side effects (often caused by the blood clots it induces - in various parts of the body & organs) & sepsis & weakening of the body which allows co-morbid infections -etc etc. I thought Hancock stated that they only included people who died within a month? Note it often takes time to get severely ill -think weeks- so death could easily occur later than a month - but I suspect that wouldn't be helpful for Hancock idea of "we are in control". nb Haverhill is in his constituency. Further thoughts -if several teacher prove positive you have to wonder who they mixed with inside & outside of school & how far it spreads in the community both ways.

You might want to actually fact check before you post, no one has stopped counting deaths at any stage

publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2020/08/12/behind-the-headlines-counting-covid-19-deaths/

I agree with you about the teachers testing postive after 2 days back at school, they were infected before the term started and as I posted above it would be valuable data to find out where/how. 5 teachers in one school is worth investigating

@MarshaBradyo no I just perhaps have more of a realist personality than optimist and more Societally minded than most. It’s not sustainable what’s being attempted. Not many in Society seem prepared to compromise unfortunately. There should be a more flexible plan in place.

5 teachers in one school is worth investigating

This is high I agree. Not sure if inset day training could even bring that result.

fly That was my experience actually, and as you were not every single thread you won't know how nasty those threads became. Many teachers did not want to go back to school, and were very vocal about it. Fact.

Oak if your child prefers being at home and 'downtime' deregister and home school, for every child that enjoyed lockdown there were many more that did not, and whom suffered significant harm/damage to their wellbeing without school and friends.

@MarshaBradyo you seem intent on twisting my words. I countered the argument that all kids are mentally ill from a few months off. I clearly stated it’s a spectrum but one which people like to only focus on one end of!

The fact is, there is currently an alternative option for those who prefer downtime and home learning and whose mental health suffers at school... which is home schooling. If schools close again, there won’t be an alternative option for those who thrive at school and whose mental health suffers at home.

Oaktree fair enough if that’s how you feel but I disagree on your assertion that many dc relished being away from frantic life. Maybe some, but majority will do better learning in school and thrive there.

I find the idea that we can neglect education and good mh for children long term unsustainable. Which is why when Whitty said what he did I thought finally someone with a realistic POV

And yes there is the option to homeschool.

Closing schools to dc who prefer this option takes that away.

@Friendsoftheearth you are purposefully misrepresenting what I said. There’s a spectrum. Most kids will obviously fall in the middle! Christ the homeschool argument wears thin. People are entitled to say their kids and friends enjoyed the time off without instantly being told to homeschool.

Yes I’ve kept mine off till there’s decent data as I can and it suits us. I have no intention of permanently homeschooling though.

@Friendsoftheearth

fly That was my experience actually, and as you were not every single thread you won't know how nasty those threads became. Many teachers did not want to go back to school, and were very vocal about it. Fact.

Oak if your child prefers being at home and 'downtime' deregister and home school, for every child that enjoyed lockdown there were many more that did not, and whom suffered significant harm/damage to their wellbeing without school and friends.

I've not seen that at all. I've seen many teachers not wanting schools to go back without adequate measures in place to help stop the spread of Covid - that's completely different to them not wanting to go back at all and is, I think, very reasonable and sensible.

People are entitled to say their kids and friends enjoyed the time off without instantly being told to homeschool

Of course they are. And people are entitled to say that their kids suffered from the time off without being told that they lack resilience, or it being countered with the fact that other kids enjoyed it.

@MarshaBradyo you seem intent on twisting my words. I countered the argument that all kids are mentally ill from a few months off. I clearly stated it’s a spectrum but one which people like to only focus on one end of!

And the prize for spectacularly missing the point goes to oaktree

@bringbacksideburns It's not patronising at all to state facts. The biggest rise in infections is amongst young people and within certain communities. That is fact. Getting angry and 'shouting' here won't change facts.

If your town or county is in the red zone, it's because people are not sticking to guidelines. How else do you think the virus spreads?

No one says the government got it right.

But at the same time you cannot blame them for people's behaviour which is spreading the virus.

You can swear and shout all you want on social media, but it won't change anything, People need to start living less selfishly - why else is your area in the 'red zone'?

Who's causing the rise in infections if it's not them?