Challenging school fines or referrals to safeguarding for keeping children home

[MotherOfDragonite]

Just that really.

I'm alarmed by the lack of testing and/or track and trace activity, plus the increasingly high rates of community transmission (which must be higher than we can see from the data as so many are unable to get tests at all).

Seriously considering keeping my child off school.

My mother is shielding and in our support bubble. If we quarantine for 2-3 weeks we can return to her home and isolate with her to look after the children while I work. She is a retired teacher and the children flourished with her over lockdown.

I am clinically vulnerable (but not 'highly vulnerable' IYSWIM) due to my weight (suspect fatness is a less sympathy-inducing reason than other medical things, but there you go). I am a single parent with no back-up care for my children should I become unwell and unable to care for them. They are in two different settings -- the private nursery is no problem as they will save our space as long as I keep paying the fees, and there is no obligation to attend. School is a different matter. The head teacher is very gung ho about getting back to normal and basically implied I was being irrationally anxious when I expressed concerns. I think she will fine me and I am worried she will refer me to social services or educational safeguarding or whatever it is.

Is anyone taking legal or campaigning action to challenge this?

I know we can deregister and home school, but I don't want to home school in the long run, the school is really wonderful and I definitely want my child to return as soon as it is safer.

Any pointers or recommendations for how others in the same situation are dealing with this?

Are you in Boycott Return to Unsafe school facebook?
Lots of people unhappy with the situation
I agree with you op.
Looks like gov are going all out to enforce us keeping kids in. Whilst making it as unsafe as possible

Some local authorities have suspended fines until after Christmas. If you don't want to send your child after that, then deregistration would make sense. Schools have responsibilities to ensure that the children in their care are safe and well, as well as to educate them, neither of which they can do if the child isn't attending.

I don't think social services are going to do a lot about children being kept off school for covid reasons except clap eyes on them and check they are ok.

You should de register your child if you feel this way.

I can understand why you dont want to deregister and I think you shouldnt have to

sorry that wasnt emphatic enough. I really think you shouldnt have to

Why shouldn’t the OP have to deregulated their child?

Totally understand if you don’t want to send your child to school, if so you home school them, use resources from Oak Academy etc. The school can’t support your child at home and do it’s job for the others in the middle of a pandemic.

*its

*deregister

Damn you, auto correct.

If you don't want your child in school, that's fair enough. But you shouldn't then expect to keep that place for when you decide you want it. I'm sure there will be other children who would want the place your child is taking up. Take your pick, but don't want your cake and eat it.

It's a pandemic. You are helping by taking your child out of a crowded classroom. You SHOULDN'T have to deregister. Not in a civilized country that cares about the health of children and families.

I'd like to home ed mine until things settle but that feels indefinite atm. I'd prefer them to be in school but they need to be safe.

Another child could take that school place, what about them, surely they and their choices count too?

If there are no other children wanting the place, you can re-register on return.

@herecomesthsun

It's a pandemic. You are helping by taking your child out of a crowded classroom. You SHOULDN'T have to deregister. Not in a civilized country that cares about the health of children and families.

The risk to health is exceedingly low. Civilised countries care about education, and the risk to education is significant. Unless the OP is arguing that her mother can provide that education in full, in which case the school place is surplus to requirements.

You are feeding hysteria.

No. You are being inhumane and you don't understand the nature of pandemics. This is a very unusual situation with significant risks which are substantially greater for vulnerable people.

We should be thinking very carefully about what the priorities are and also about the acute risks.

In the medium term, education of course is a huge priority. But in the immediate term we need to prioritise preservation of life and health, especially for a vulnerable person, especially where there is a pathogen that is poorly understood.

I suggest that you educate yourself on the situation with coronavirus, since you have a poor understanding of what we are facing, and get yourself some humanity.

@Lumene

The other thing is that this is the 21st century. We have the internet,it is a resource that we are only barely tapping into for education. Schools can learn to use it better,it is a great opportunity.

What sort of society is it, if we are vultures desperate to steal school places from vulnerable children,or children with vulnerable parents, who might be off school for a few months in the middle of a pandemic? We can do better than that.

Our schools are dangerously overcrowded and we should be looking deliberately to thin out attendance to make them safer. Denmark asked parents to home educate wherever possible, to make things safer for everyone else. We should be encouraging this, as a civic action, not penalising vulnerable families who have enough on their plate with the threat of illness.

And if I had my way we would have better schools for EVERYONE as education is a fantastic investment for a society. (and as someone who has paid higher rate taxes for many years, and never voted conservative, I'd be very happy at the thought of my tax money being spent on education)

My son is medically vulnerable and was shielding. He has complex needs and learning disabilities. He was back at school for 8 days, before coming down with a cough and fever....we have tried for 4 days to get a test. 9 other children in his bubble have symptoms, but as they can't get tests the bubble stays open.

On the Friday before he got ill I overheard a parent of another child say, ' well we've got symptoms but can't get a test so what can you do?'

Ds was ill 6 times like this between Sept and March last year - that is a lot of missed school for ds's older sisters and a lot of lost wages for dh, if the testing issue isn't resolved.

On top if that, how can ds be safe? It takes him ages to recover from minor illnesses, I really fear for him. If parents decide they won't quarantine and send in children with symptoms...what then?

But school have said quite categorically that they will fine. How is that fair?

..and I have fought for 7 years for the right support for my child. I am not going to jeopardise that support, and risk a future special school place by deregistering...and neither should I have to.

But people don't WANT to BE they want to send them to somewhere safe .
School is so far from that even the suggestion is funny.
My dc has caught something after only 8 fucking days!!
Had to have the test. Has missed at least 3 days waiting. And that was with getting a test and it being a weekend.
There is no testing. There will be no more bubble closures without testing.
If schools are safe where has this sudden demand for testing come from - dc and their parents.
You are just thinking of youngish parents some people live with the grandparents.
Now is it your opinion that schoolchildren should go into a care home?
How does that help anyone.
We are not talking about young parents being silly for being scared. These people are told to be very careful. It is nothing to do with the child. So they should not be disadvantaged.
Also I have to say the glee with everyone says He so they can get their hands on a better school place is frankly disgusting. Maybe you think if the parent does you' ll get the place too?

It takes ages to get the fines sorted etc. And by the time they have we will be up to 1000 deaths a day and hardly anyone will want their children in school. So just stall as long as possible. Everything will have fallen apart by half term anyway. Just say your child has symptoms but you can’t get a test, that will give you 2 weeks. Then say they are poorly with D&V - that should give you another week. I imagine by then there will be so many children off that it won’t matter.

Don’t deregister. The government are wrong to force children into schools that could endanger the life of their family members and your child shouldn’t lose their place because of it. Just stall until it all turns to shit because it will.

Agree Bupkis it's ridiculous. I think this gov have never met kids!
This is without dc2getting that I'll I thought they had a cough but not sure they met the continuous bit. And I get a cough with everything (asthma)
School don't have to provide any work even. How is it fair?
You up for a trip to downing street maybe we can leave our sickly kids outside?
Unfortunately some kids get a runny nose but for others that's a temp and cough. To force them in is discrimination as they won't be well or in. With no work.

12% were off already earlier in the week. They can't force everyone to deregister.
Forcing everyone in f2f means that many get nothing at all

Full time

The other thing is that this is the 21st century. We have the internet,it is a resource that we are only barely tapping into for education. Schools can learn to use it better,it is a great opportunity.

Great, I look forward to the pilot project you set up to show how this is possible and how you will get the resources to make it happen, so it can be rolled out across the country.

Local authorities here are not giving out fines .

If your DC remain in school role, however , they will have a duty of care regarding your DC welfare. Agencies work together as far as safeguarding is concerned and for school age children, school has first responsibility here . As long as you respond positively to any phone calls , or doorstep visits which school pastoral manager makes they are unlikely to make a referral to social services unless there have been prior concerns . It is when children are unseen that they will be concerned .

and I have fought for 7 years for the right support for my child. I am not going to jeopardise that support, and risk a future special school place by deregistering...and neither should I have to.

That sounds really tough and you are obviously doing an amazing job for your child.

But there are many many others in similar shoes. Why should their child not be offered the place if they judge it in their best interests and your child isn’t in school?