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.

oak Aren't you concerned about the impact on your child's education?Falling behind? Are going to lose your school place/be fined?

I am sorry but you seem very relaxed about what this is likely to do to your child's future, waiting to see the data will mean your child will fall even further behind.

And parents are entitled to say that they care about education without being told that they’re ‘using it as a smoke screen for their own personal wants’.
The same accusation could be levelled the other way, couldn’t it? People who have enjoyed being at home, no commute, having their kids at home etc could be accused of wanting schools to close again for their own personal wants.

@Badbadbubby, Life isn't fair for everyone. Never has been, never will be. You can't just close all schools and give all pupils a crap education just because that's "fair". It still isn't as some parents will teach their kids, others won't, just as some schools/teachers have been good with remote teaching, others havn't.

That was kind of my point, and I did not suggest closing all schools to make it fair.

Unless your child has significant health risks of course oak then you should be receiving substantial support from your school to keep your child safe, if not then I can't see the point if you intend to go back to school anyway.

We aren't all out there partying but believe the media hype and ignore the poverty, over crowded areas, people working zero hours contracts out there with no choice to WFH, higher BAME etc and just pretend it's because we are all thick and hugging and kissing eh?

So if we follow your 'logic' why isn't there a rise in ALL areas of the country where people have to do this type of work?

You are quick to blame the government.

What would YOU do now to stop the rise in cases in your area? Be keen to know.

@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.

Not my experience at all and I'm pretty sure I read most of them. What teachers wanted was a safe return to work for themselves and the children.Why would anyone object to that?

To pretend they didn't want to go back at all is unfair. What they wanted was adequate safety measures. And even without adequate measures they have still gone back.

But carry on teacher bashing, lazy sods deserve it, eh?

Why so unpleasant? I'm baffled by such an attitude.

Us 4 Persecuting Them maybe?

I don't know about you but I haven't got in me to do this all over again regardless, just to keep things fair! I want to get my dc back on track, economy fired up and life back. The idea that we are shelter with the elderly to keep things 'fair' repulses me.

The elderly have had a long and virus free life, they are retired with pensions. I on the other hand have everything to lose, I am not getting younger and my children are unlikely to get their childhoods back. I am actually not prepared to go into a full lockdown again unless our hospitals are unable to cope, and definitely not to keep the elderly from feeling it is unjust in some way!

@kaktus yes agree and hopefully this thread has illustrated that. All I was trying to say. Unfortunately many refer to “all kids being negatively affected”.

Think we’re arguing the same point!

@Friendsoftheearth unfortunately Pandemics don’t work that way. Our Gov has failed everyone by handling this so badly.

@FlySheMust Agree - the teachers largely want to be teaching and are happy to see the little (and big) urchins back in school. I support them wanting to be kept safe at work. They are busy teaching our DC while this thread grows. But closing schools is not the only way to keep teachers and pupils safe. The wider community is key. Chris Whitty was right: other things need to close to keep schools reopened. He has since been sidelined by Boris.

Friendsoftheearth I'm with you. We will be called selfish.

Our Gov has failed everyone by handling this so badly

This is sadly true.

@Friendsoftheearth the point for us is, I’m
capable of homeschooling, the kids are enjoying being off, we’ve had the opportunity to visit somewhere. The data re kids and transmission needs to be there before I need to contribute to staff /community transmission. I’d also like more knowledge on possible long term effects on kids health wise.

fair is equal or equality though they are do different things.

Fairness means everyone gets what they deserve and need.

Equal means everyone gets the same regardless of need.

Fairness here would mean schools are open for those who need it and resources and the ability to hold a place for those who want to stay at home.

It is what we should be pushing towards - allowing a choice to enable everyone to get what they deserve and need out of education right now. For the majority it is in school. For a significant minority it is not.

fair isnt! Sorry

Pandemics don’t work that way.

So go on, how do they work.

Usually we just crack on and hope we don’t catch it. Never before has the world been locked down over a virus.

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’ve been heartened by some of the responsible posts on this thread. I guess I’m what would be described as elderly (though actually I just feel like a normal person, and certainly there will be many of my age who have to go to work). After weeks of spending my life mainly on my own at home, I’m now going out - behaving sensibly, following guidelines etc. There is absolutely no way, unlike the average schoolchild, I would be doing anything whereby I could infect 30 other people at a stroke.

I wish some activities could be less restricted but I’m happy that they are not as I think it is absolutely important that schools remain open. What irks me is not that parents want schools to be open but that many of the most vociferous don’t want to restrict their activities in any way, so have just reverted to their normal lives and are actively breaking guidelines.

I’m prepared to continue with my restricted life (which doesn’t involve being imprisoned in my own home) providing other people return the favour.

And what a lot of nonsense about children not being able to go out in the winter! How on earth do you think people manage in properly cold countries?

Quartz if you give parents the choice. Many won't make decisions based on what's best for their dc.

Children need an education. I'd bet many who've said homeschooling has gone great it hasn't gone as well as they believe.

I've seen people on here say they'd rather keep their dc off school so that they can visit grandparents. That in itself isn't a good enough reason to keep a child of school.

People will take the choice as a flag that it's not safe and keep dc off through fear.

Children don't have a voice and like it or not parents aren't always capable of making correct choices.

@Teateaandmoretea

Pandemics don’t work that way.

So go on, how do they work.

Usually we just crack on and hope we don’t catch it. Never before has the world been locked down over a virus.

Never before has there been so much international travel meaning the virus spread throughout the World remarkably quickly. Not helped by lack of scientific/political consensus about how the hell we solve the problem. Different guidance/rules in different countries isn't helping. Foreign travel continuing isn't helping.

How many people are going to find they have cancer too late and lose their lives due to all of this? That's far more scary to me. This is going to cause a massive wave of premature deaths in people who either couldn't get to see a doctor (who then sends them for tests to confirm a cancer) or those who've had their treatments delayed or stopped. It's criminal actually that the hospitals have been empty (I've been to A&E a few times) and people will die as a direct result of this. Where's the outcry? 2 new deaths vs how many cancer deaths?!

The media scaremongering with this virus has a lot to answer for! We've yet to see the full extent of the damage done to the economy and it'll only start becoming apparent when furlough ends and we see mass unemployment... Perspective has all been lost as people are fearing for their lives, when they have more chance of dying in a car accident. Please educate yourself people, look at the data and compare to normal trends. Look at the 2018 flu epidemic and the death rates associated. Most importantly, look at all the services that have been stopped that will lead to premature deaths or lack of quality of life for thousands of other people. Madness.

@Friendsoftheearth

I don't know about you but I haven't got in me to do this all over again regardless, just to keep things fair! I want to get my dc back on track, economy fired up and life back. The idea that we are shelter with the elderly to keep things 'fair' repulses me.

The elderly have had a long and virus free life, they are retired with pensions. I on the other hand have everything to lose, I am not getting younger and my children are unlikely to get their childhoods back. I am actually not prepared to go into a full lockdown again unless our hospitals are unable to cope, and definitely not to keep the elderly from feeling it is unjust in some way!

You're completely ignoring the millions of vulnerable people who aren't elderly and are still working/caring for others.

Oaktree it’s totally up to you to wait and see. And I doubt it will cause much issue.

But I do refute the idea that I am thinking of personal wants when it comes to dc education and well being. For them, and a sizeable amount of dc, this means in class school.

It gets annoying when people talk about personal wants if others, it’s just a story to fit with their narrative on schooling.

We've yet to see the full extent of the damage done to the economy and it'll only start becoming apparent when furlough ends and we see mass unemployment

We’ll see a significant change of tune at this point.