Are dc safe at school or are you considering taking them out to teach at home?

[SistemaAddict]

I'm in Greater Manchester and my area is now in the red zone. I'm extremely clinically vulnerable and was shielding from March to August but was told to continue being extremely careful regarding social distancing, hand washing etc.
I have 3dc and am a single/lone parent with no one to help out. One dc at primary school with no social distancing anywhere, a two-way one-way way system that means queuing for around 30 minutes at drop off and pick up mixing with all year groups. The other two dc are in bubbles of around 360 each but their school has taken better measures as far as possible.
Ds at primary managed 3 days before falling ill and passing it to me resulting in 2 courses of steroids and antibiotics as I got a secondary infection 10 days into the virus. We couldn't get tests in the first 5 days.
We are now at the end of the 14 day isolation period. I am still unwell, ds still coughing, sneezing and has a mild fever. Both dds ok but mild fevers. Nothing I would keep them off for normally.
Now that we are in the red zone I am seriously thinking of taking them out of school and using online resources to keep them up to date with their education. I'd rather them be in school but with the local rates and the fact ds and I got ill so quickly after going back and the testing situation I'm thinking we are safer at home.
Is anyone else in a similar position? Have school been supportive?

Also, what will schools do when the winter weather sets in? How will wet play work? Surely the cold, rain plus then being all shut indoors in crowded classrooms is a recipe for disaster??

Our secondary school is outside lunch. Great once it's cold! They have said the younger ones will be allowed to sit induce if possible in bad weather.
I've had an email saying they support my decision but it would be a case of deregistering. I asked for a temporary solution as they have work set daily online for isolating students anyway so they could continue to follow that. I think things will change in the next few weeks anyway as we already have one year group isolating.

Government will close schools soon, I think.

I feel mad sending mine in every morning- especially now lots of teachers are off waiting to be tested.

But both are so happy to be back. It’s a risk I have to take. IMO schools will be shut soon and kids will have months of not seeing their friends again.

I'm going to take them out very soon. Trying to just buy time right now. One school being very supportive, the other not supportive at all. My two youngest will be "self isolating" for two weeks before half term which will buy us four weeks to see what the numbers do. I don't enjoy being dishonest but I'm being left with no choice. If schools are still open after half term I will be deregistering for the rest of the year. That's my plan right now anyway. Getting increasingly worried by the day as there are quite a few pupils off in one of the DC's classes.

Apparently the guidance has now changed to only sending home close contacts of someone who has tested positive (children who have sat next to the person). The rest of the bubble goes back in. I don't understand how this is safe to do if it's airborne?

I feel sick thinking about it. I still seem to be in a tiny minority of people worried about it.

Where did you read that @Satsunday?

It's on the gov.uk page but I'm not sure how to copy it in here. A child sat in the same room all day with another child is now not considered a close contact. I think the guidance changed from whole bubbles to this on the 15th September.

I don't feel any of you should be deregistering. Can you not buy yourselves time and just have the children off. Who knows what will be happening in a few weeks, things are always changing. To lose a school place is huge and may be unnecessary.

@Satsunday can you screenshot and upload a pic of it saying that? I couldn't see it.

I suspect the head at my DC's primary will know I'm being dishonest and there will probably be repurcussions but I'm an overweight, disabled parent and being left with absoloutely no choice. I don't want to leave my DC's without a mother. It's just such a mess. All I do all day is cry and worry. I can't go on like this.

I'm far more concerned about the severe uptick in harassment and violent incidents at my DDs' school. There were a couple small issues in previous years, but since going back it's non-stop reports. My DDs got chased home for the first time ever, and my DD1 is Y9 and we've had our fair share of park bullies. I'm not quite at the stage of pulling, but I'm the most tempted I've ever been and looking at other local schools for the first time.

It hasn't helped that it feels like leave time has turned into a free-for-all, but there is silence on it while we're getting emails on how puncutality is important for their future careers so it's now an automatic detention for any lateness. Doesn't effect mine as we're in walking distance, but as they admit it's a really busy area still running on reduced public transport. All it takes is one bad accident and everything is gridlocked at busy times. Feels like a new HT making her mark in the wrong place.

I've wondered if others are noticing changed in behaviour issues since going back, or if this school is a weird blip.

Mind are in and happy to be there so I’ll take the days, but I understand if people are ECV and want to take them out.

@Beebityboo even if they know that they can't outright accuse you. These arent circumstances where you are keeping them home on a jolly but significant concerns to protect life in a pandemic situation.

Hope this works. It was whole bubbles before the 15th Sept. Would love to be corrected but I do think this is the case now.

@Satsunday

Apparently the guidance has now changed to only sending home close contacts of someone who has tested positive (children who have sat next to the person). The rest of the bubble goes back in. I don't understand how this is safe to do if it's airborne?

I feel sick thinking about it. I still seem to be in a tiny minority of people worried about it.

Sat it has always been close contacts. But often this is determined to be the whole bubble.

[quote Understandingnotignorance]@Beebityboo even if they know that they can't outright accuse you. These arent circumstances where you are keeping them home on a jolly but significant concerns to protect life in a pandemic situation.[/quote]
I agree as a teacher. If you want to just take them out and isolate.. in two weeks things will change a lot for schools, it's unsustainable what is happening at the moment.

I don't think my DC are at risk at all by being in school, nor are DH and I (but then none of us are vulnerable). I won't be pulling them out of school, they are happy to be back. Whilst we had success with home schooling over lockdown I wouldn't choose to do it long term and so won't keep them home unless all schools close (which I think it very very unlikely).

@WatchoutfortheROUS do you think they're safe from catching it or just that they (and you) will be ok if you do? I do have a vulnerable DC but I have read so many things about healthy people being extremely ill with it that I really want to avoid getting it myself as well. I would love to not be worried though.

I do think it must be area dependent though. No one I know locally is even considering taking their DC out of school (I'd get some very odd looks if I said I was).

Even if we had much higher cases I don't think I would consider it though. I'm happy to follow the social distancing rules etc, and are taking sensible steps to reduce the risk, but am okay with living with a certain level of risk now.

I actually loved homeschooling and my SEN child did very well out of it. But the way they've taken to school since going back has made my heart sing.

There's loads of teachers off though and they're not being taught a lot from what I can tell. The kids are going wild and school isn't doing a huge amount to stop them. It just feels like a free for all.

I'm OK with this because my kids saw barely anyone but their mum and dad for 6 months - so for me, now, education is not a priority.

But I do also feel ridiculous every day for sending them into the Covid pit.

DH thinks we should wait until the end of next week which would buy us three weeks or four depending on if half term gets extended to two weeks. He's usually very stoic and practical but even he is getting increasingly concerned about me catching it. Also, my 5yo DD got so sick last year they thought she had cancer so we're terrified to see her get that sick again. It's just a mess. DS loves it there though so we just want to try to hang on. We don't even expect work, we just want a few weeks of flexibility so we can make an informed decision.

@Satsunday both I think. We have relatively low rates compared to other parts of the country so it doesn't feel like an imminent threat.

As for our personal risk, we are all lucky to be fit and healthy with no underlying issues. Would I rather avoid any of us catching what would likely be an unpleasant but not life threatening illness? Of course. Would I keep my DC home from school just to minimise the risk a bit more? No, for us personally I definitely won't be.

It's a balance of risk and benefit, and obviously varies depending on people's circumstances. Were any of us vulnerable I might feel very very different, and I don't envy those in that category for the much trickier decision they are faced with.

@Beebityboo I'm the same. I worry constantly about it and feel so upset. There is no winning. I just want to keep my family safe. But they loved being back with their friends and the guilt and doubt is then so upsetting. I then question if I'm going mad when I see how few people at our school are worried about it. The teachers aren't worried either.

Thanks @WatchoutfortheROUS. It's helpful to hear from someone who isn't so worried.

I wish I could be less worried but as a disabled person it's just not possible. If I die ill be listed as someone who had "pre existing conditions" even though my disability generally is not life threatening. I should have the choice to keep them at home. They shouldn't lose out because their mum is disabled, it isn't fair .