If you took your DC out of school before lockdown in March....

[THATbasicWITCH]

So i know a fair few people took their dc out of school before schools were told to close

What triggered you to do this?

Would you do it again?

When?

[MoirasRoses]

I’d be pulling my kid out of school if they were forced to wear coats & hats and be freezing. It’s inhumane. I can tell you as an ex teacher, it is extremely unpleasant to be cold indoors all day. Reception classrooms with open doors were so cold. I used to wear multiple layers & still felt cold & rubbish. Children never concentrated well until they were closed & the room warmed up.

I pulled DD out of nursery early as I was pregnant & back in March I was quite scared it was deadly to everyone. I now know that’s not the case & I’m not longer particularly worried about it. I sent her back as soon as we could in June & she’ll remain in unless they are told to close. We work & I’ve had to go back early. I can just about juggle working & a 7 month old but not a 3 year old as well. No chance. Plus, she thrives in nursery with her friends. I won’t take that away from her for anything bar severely overwhelmed hospitals.

[No91]

Hospital told me to take daughter out the week before and she is still at home now and will be most of this academic year I would imagine.

[BluebellsGreenbells]

I did.

I’d watched the news about China for months. They don’t lock down cities for nothing.

We had cases locally.

It was 3/4 days before schools shut anyway so no harm done

[Beebityboo]

I pulled them out a week early and wouldn't hesitate now if we wouldn't be fined/prosecuted or lose their (much fought for) school places. As a disabled parent having them in school is hugely stressful and worrying but we've not been given any choice.

[cologne4711]

@Beebityboo

I pulled them out a week early and wouldn't hesitate now if we wouldn't be fined/prosecuted or lose their (much fought for) school places. As a disabled parent having them in school is hugely stressful and worrying but we've not been given any choice.

Has anyone actually been fined?

[herecomesthsun]

So (having discussed this with some people from BRTUS yesterday) apparently the authorities have been holding off punitive action - letters with varying degrees of assertiveness in their tone went out and I think some notices of fines just began to go out in October. However, even the most pressing letters haven't been followed up yet. LAs so far have baulked at taking further action against parents (who have a very reasonable human rights case).

The important thing is not to de-register and there is support available for parents in this situation.

[pinkpip100]

I took mine out 3 days before they announced schools closing as youngest dd is clinically vulnerable. She was then added to the shielding list, but no longer meets the criteria (although is still vulnerable). All 4 dc have been in school this term; the school dd1 & ds2 attend closed completely the week before half term on PHE advice due to multiple cases across year groups & staff. To be honest, I am terrified about them all going back next week and would keep them off if I could, but I am an early years practitioner and have to be in work.

[Idroppedthescrewinthetuna]

@cologne4711 yes, a single parent was fined as she couldn't leave her isolating child to take her other child to school. She was fined. By all accounts she was fined quickly too. It seems they are hot on it at the moment. So I think pulling them out without deregistration will cause a stink

[KitKatastrophe]

I took mine out a week early. I was 39 weeks pregnant and pregnant women were considered high risk at the time. We also didn't know anything about covid, how bad or not it could be for kids and the mortality rate was expect to be much higher.

Knowing what we know now, I probably wouldnt have pulled her out, and I certainly wouldnt now. But at the time we didnt have much information.

[GreenPlum]

On Monday 16th March Boris said in the press briefing that those over 70 and those with certain health conditions plus some other stuff should stay at home where possible, or words to that effect.

DF is 87 and very disabled and I look after him. I'm asthmatic, have a very high BMI and type 2 diabetes. DS has a high bmi and asthma.

Him getting on a bus and going to school didn't make sense for our family. That Monday was his last day.

The school closed on the Thursday due to staff having to isolate and then every school closed on the Friday (apart from children of key workers).

I was comfortable making the decision then because I knew schools were on the brink of closing anyway. I'm not sure I'd rush to do it again now. Though where I am, our figures are much higher than they were then. I'm not sure why I feel differently. I've been desensitized I guess.

[QueenStromba]

@Porcupineinwaiting

Yes and yes. When the figures look like they're getting to the same point (mwasured using the death rates).

Deaths are already well above what they were when we went into lockdown (170 on the 23rd of March).

[Porcupineinwaiting]

Not locally to me.

[HasaDigaEebowai]

I took mine out two weeks before they closed the schools. I could see it coming and didn't want to take the risk.

Now we know more about it as an illness I would keep them in though for as long as possible.

[FourTeaFallOut]

I took them out of school a week early when people started to make grave noises about the safety of steroids

[EndoplasmicReticulum]

Mine didn't go in for the last week. As it happened the school wasn't fully open for the last week anyway (secondary) as they didn't have enough staff, different year groups were supposed to be in on different days so I think they only missed a couple of days each.

At the time, no tests were available. The school had run a ski trip to Northern Italy in half term (although not the very specific part that was being mentioned as dangerous at that time). We live with my parents who although otherwise in good health are over 70.

As to what to do now - it's a bit more complicated as they are now year 10 and year 11. We're in tier 1 and up until half term only had one case (that we knew of) in school. If local numbers rose a lot I'd rethink but if the year 11 needs to be there then his brother might as well go too.

[EndoplasmicReticulum]

My worry with the year 11 is - what happens if exams are cancelled again and CAGs are used again, and if he hasn't been in school they may not give one - as happened to many home-schooled students last year.

So I'm balancing potential effect on his GCSE results with his potentially bringing home the virus to his grandparents.

[Ijustcantcope]

I pulled mine out about 10 days before lockdown last time as I didn’t want any of us to be caught up in swamped hospitals as the NHS is shit at the best of times.

I don’t think I’ll be sending mine back now after half term. I think we will be locking down in the next few weeks as the tone of the news stories has changed and Boris always follows the media. So I’ll wait until we have been in lockdown for 2 weeks then send them if they are still open as I feel cases will be much lower then.

[Ormally]

Yes. Very shortly before official lockdown, DC off with a temperature. Did not develop into further symptoms.
I would consider deregistering for the remainder of primary school (yr 6). I don't believe schools are safe; nowhere can be, but at least there are ways of managing your own activity, clothing, and numbers of people that you spend hours of time with, in almost all other regular situations.

[Crunchymum]

Mine were last in on 18th March (the Wednesday) and I pulled them out as the 5yo developed another cough [she is a child who has numerous coughs from Oct - Mar)

It was like last man standing though. On the Monday 5 of the reception class was missing (about the same for my Y2 as well) Tues about 10 were missing from each class. Wednesday both classes were both down to half capacity!!

• I asked both teachers each day at pick up how many kids were not in.

[Applebloss0m]

Yes we did because we work from home and felt school was out weak point. Would do it again and feeling quite close to that point again.

[Loveable1]

Yes I took mine out a week before as 2 of us are high risk.

I will not be taking mine out again as they really need to be in school. One suffered with hugely with their mental health, they have gone back and are doing amazing being back at school, pulling them out again would be a huge worry especially in the long term.

[pontypridd]

Fear of DC getting the virus triggered it.

I didn’t know then that some people/kids could get it mildly.

I didn’t know what being away from school would do to them mentally.

I would do it again. Not right at this moment though.

[2intraining]

I took mine out and am ready to do it again. I am currently shielding and think it is wrong of the government to completely ignore speaking on the previously shielded even know it is clear we are very much in a crisis and us vulnerable are expected to send our children to school.

[2intraining]

*was shielding not am currently shielding sorry