Do you think schools will close again?

[Beebityboo]

I'm disabled and considering removing my DC's from school in the near future. There are various reasons for this but obviously the number one thing I'm worried about is Covid. My DD was terribly unwell last year and I'm terrified to put her at risk again I also don't want to leave them without a mum. Numbers are rising, there is no testing and there are multiple children off in each of their classes. We also live close to an area that has absoloutely exploded in cases this week. I'm completely petrified.
After begging for flexibility and support from the school I've been told their hands are tied. Either send them in or deregister them altogether.
However I'm concerned I'll deregister, then the schools will close anyway and we'll have given up their places at a good school for no reason.
I'm massively struggling at the moment and just really need some advice. Every day I send them in I just feel sick to my stomach.
Please be gentle with me. I don't want schools to close, I just want some flexibility over the winter months.

I can’t see many parents happily waving their children off to school when we have over 1000 deaths a day (although this is Mumsnet and lots on here would try to squeeze in a few extra days with their little darlings out of the way if there was a comet speeding towards earth). I think the government will wait until it’s like it was in March with parents pulling their children out and then close all schools as ‘it’s what the parents want’.

Worried I think youre right.

My year 8 son told me how his friend’s family could close down his secondary school if one of them was infected. His friend is in year 8 like him and they have siblings in y9, 10 and 11. Only the year 7 bubble would survive.

The kids at school find this hilarious. Ah, to be a teenager in the age of Corona!

You say some really unpleasant things worriedmum99.

I could retort with something about your total aversion to letting your kids have an education/existence beyond the confines of your house but I refuse to stoop to your level so I'm just going to ignore you.

They live very full lives thanks. We just take sensible steps to limit things during a pandemic

It must feel great to be such a perfect mum in every way.

@Worriedmum999 given Vallance/Whitty said it could reach 200 1000 is a bit of a stretch

And is an awful way of looking at it - I dont think any parent is sending their child off to school because they want alone time

I imagine most of us are because we know for now the best thing we can do for them is let them have as much normality as they can. Socialising and being with their peers alongside learning. At the moment it is clear it doesn't affect them badly (not 1 single healthy child has died in the UK) and my area has fairly low and steady transmission

@Kingsley08 I dont think that is how it works - only year/class group of the infected child would go down. The siblings would also isolate

"Presumably because there are dozens of instances of one isolated case, that is dealt with, and then everything gets back to normal but yet still those instances are being used by those making the case for "SHUT SCHOOLS THEY'RE NOT SAFE"

I mean - the cumulative number isnt going to decrease is it?!"

Completely agree with this. The majority are one isolated case but the way people go on about it on here is like over 1000 schools have had covid wiping out full bubbles.

I don’t think they will shut the schools while hospitality is still open - they will close everything but schools first or there will be an outcry.
I think what is possible is that if they don’t sort out testing individual schools might have to close or close to particular year groups because of lack of staff. But as a secondary teacher I think we would have to be in real dire straits before we let year 10 or 11 miss even a day. The other year groups might end up rotating.

@Quartz2208

Do you have a source for your assertion that "not 1 single healthy child has died in the UK" please??

I don't think that's true. I think people are getting mixed up and quoting a hospitalisation study.

Generally, I think emotions are running high and so people are attacking other people's choices. It's sad it's come to that. I do think it's an utter disgrace that parents are not allowed to choose to temporarily homeschool without losing their school places, during a pandemic. Also disgraceful how the government kept making out schools are 'covid secure' like workplaces, when that's a blatant lie. The pillars they had for reopening - low community transmission, adequate test and trace - were not and still are not met.

I think lots of parents were very glad to get their child back to school full time in September as they’d had a tough time homeschooling them alongside working from home (as had we all). Many couldn’t wait to get back to their ‘normal’ lives.

But now, thanks to all those who pushed for school as normal we will more than likely end up on lockdown again rather than having a sensible, more socially distanced return to school.

My children are back at school. I’m just pissed off that it will probably be too unsafe to send them soon.

And I do not believe at all that we will be seeing only 200 deaths a day. Treatments have improved but even if they save 50% more than they would it would still be more than 200.

We have 10k new infections now. It doubles every week. By half term that’s 160k infections a day. That’s a hell of a lot more than 200 deaths a day

@cambrianexplosion

www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m3249
Six (1%) children and young people died in hospital. Three were neonates (age

@Quartz2208

That's the study I was talking about that people are getting confused with.

That study is not inclusive of all children hospitalised.

Also, the figures were 1% sadly died, 89% discharged, and 10% still in hospital receiving treatment at the studies end (presumably since it was quite a long study, some had been being treated for a while).

There have been 20 deaths in the 0-19 age group in England, according to NHS England statistics.

But as a secondary teacher I think we would have to be in real dire straits before we let year 10 or 11 miss even a day

What if someone in Year 10 or 11 tests positive Fallulah? This has just happened in our school. Whole year’s been sent home for 2 weeks.

@Worriedmum999 or some of us need to work to keep a roof over our heads and can't do that if school is shut.

I don't know anyone who pulled their children out of school in March.

‘Completely agree with this. The majority are one isolated case but the way people go on about it on here is like over 1000 schools have had covid wiping out full bubbles.’

I think it’s over a 1000 bubbles. And as for not closing exam classes. 2 y10, 3 y11 and 2 6th form bubbles popped near me.

Yes you are right - but it is still very low numbers and has to be balanced out against risks as well.

And given there has been no publicised account of a healthy child dying I suspect they have not either.

That said I do wonder if they may decide it is better for the economy to have a short sharp lockdown to artificially drop numbers down (2-3 weeks end October/early November) so we can miraculously open up for Christmas and then have to shutdown again in January.

I think they will shit down in October and again at Christmas. So no big Christmas.

Shit down....🙄😳

And l was working in a school in March. 1/2 the classes were pulled out. Tiny classes left.

I dont think Christmas - I think the economy needs us to be "OK" at Christmas I think if we do it will be for 2-3 end October beginning Nov and then again in January which is a slow month anyway

I think they're going to find themselves in a very tricky situation - because as much as it would be incredibly difficult to close schools due to childcare issues, at the same time there would be little point in increasing the restrictions for everyone else if such huge groups of children are meeting on a daily basis anyway.

There's no winner with all of this now, honestly. No right answer.

Our school issued a very clear 4 stage plan. It was stage 1 all schools open, stage 2 high schools move to two weeks on two weeks off to halve the size of bubbles, can’t remember stage 3 but only stage 4 was shutting schools to all but the most vulnerable children and those of key workers.
I do believe the government are doing all they can to keep as many children in school as they can. Maybe if less people were flaunting the other rules they might be able to achieve that.

Parents are pulling children out now. Attendance figures, (large LA) have dropped over this week to 74%.

Schools are struggling with staffing. No adults, no children.

Where did you get that information from Blossom?