Anyone else considering not sending primary school children back next week?

[Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady]

Me and OH both CV.

DD in year 5. Before Xmas every single class in very small primary school had to isolate due to cases.

We both WFH and I'm part time so plenty of time to help with schooling and can get out for walks and fresh air.

I don't want to send DD back into school next week. Cases were coming down in my area but now are shooting back up.

I don't want to de register (and don't feel I should have to in these circumstances) she loves her school as do I.

This is not a dig at the SLT or the teachers. They have all tried really hard to make the school safe but obviously it's not possible.

Anyone else in the same boat?

Yes, I am in exactly the same boat, except my dd is year 1.

She has had to isolate twice since mid november! It's so unhealthy for her to be stuck in the house all that time. Like you, I have the time to help her with school work. I'd rather not send her back.

My dd said today that she wants to go back though, so that makes me think I shouldn't keep her off unless they close. Very difficult.

Nope DH and I both work outside the home as keyworkers (although not the type of keywords they were bothered about in the first school lockdown) hence DS having to stay at home with his 13 year old brother and do his school work in the evening when we got back from work. He needs to stay in school as long as possible so we don't all reach breaking point sooner than necessary.

I've already decided, yes. I pulled him out 2 weeks before Christmas and won't be sending him back. He's nearly 5.

Cases are 900 per 100k in my area, I'm a carer for my CV mother and more to the point there is limited information on the long term effects of this illness. I understand many parents have no choice, but I do and I'm not willing to risk it.

It's hard isn't it. My DD is very mature for her age and I know she would understand if she had to stay home for a while.

I feel like the govt. will have to move primaries to online learning soon. SAGE have told them to, all the numbers show primary school children ate testing positive in large numbers

Maybe we could just buy a couple of weeks and see where we are by then?

I agree about the long term effects. There's so much we don't know.

I realise there are parents who don't have this option. But surely if those of us who can, keep our children off (without having to deregister) it lowers class sizes and makes school safer for the teachers and children still in school. (And their parents!)

My view is that I will keep him off for the first two weeks, by which point I strongly suspect they'll close anyway if they don't close by the 4th.

With the numbers as they are, there are no other options.

Considering it. My eldest will be at home at least the first week as he's secondary. Seems mad to send the Y4 in. I'm CEV and DH is mid fifties so at slightly higher risk. We're only tier 3 at the moment but in a city and can't see it staying that way. Don't know what to do!

We've managed to get an authorised absence form the first week back. Can't see us sending her back the week after to be honest. Husband is CEV.

Dd primary also did really well with windows open, getting them outside as much as possible.

But with the cases rocketing around me, and hospitals bursting at the seams I am not sending her back next week.
I may try and tread water for a further week and see where we are then

I have battled with it as he enjoys school and is an only child so it is important for him to have contract with other children, but OTOH he is also quite happy at home, and he is extremely close to his grandmother - he was beside himself during the first lockdown when he couldn't see her (my sister was caring for her then but she has a newborn now).

Nope... We are at a 1/3 the rate we were a few months ago locally. Our hospitals are not like other regions.

As I didn't pull kids out then don't see why need now

I’d like to see the teachers in school at primary but teaching online, with only key worker/vunerable children in the classroom experiencing the same lessons being taught online but in with the teacher. My sister is a teacher in the states and has taught online since March. Since summer she has been in her classroom teaching this way with no students My children would have to attend in the key worker bubble and I’d prefer them if possible to have the same learning experience as the other children in their class. Last time they were in a key worker bubble with other ages with little learning, although I do understand the expectations were for this to be childcare not school in lockdown 1.

Mine will be staying at school as long as possible because I fear for their MH for keeping them off again - more than I fear getting covid.

Mine won't go back. We have currently over 900 cases per 100 000 in our local area. I'm CEV and husband CV. I'm able to teach DC at home. I just really hope school will support this and don't put it down as unauthorised absence!

I don't see how the (small) school my children go to can offer decent home learning (they didn't in the first lockdown as they were all in school with the keyworker bubbles) and support vulnerable and keyworker children so, on balance, I will send mine in as long as I can.

Anyone considering sending them back this week and hope someone opens the gate to take them?

Yes, considering not sending mine back for the time being.

I feel sad for them, but will keep mine off for 1st week, educate them from home, and see how it goes. No confidence in anything the government says or does anymore.

Me

Me, I think just for the first week. If people have mixed on Christmas day then I'd like to wait for 2 weeks to pass before my children are back.
We haven't seen anyone over Christmas so I really don't want them sharing a classroom with children who have seen family members over Christmas.

If the schools are open my kids will be going back.
I'm CEV and chose never to shield. I've also taught throughout in SEN. Our school remains open irrespective of other closures.
I would make sure I could go into work (ie if some parents of medically vulnerable didn't send their kids in so our class sizes were smaller and needed less start) and offer myself to go as then I can continue to work, which I love, and my kids get to see other key worker children friends at school and nursery

They love school so much and I don't consider it taking a risk me working as CEV either and I love working and will continue. For me there are other very common and way more infectious illnesses than covid in schools that will and have had me hospitalised and I still work and my kids still go to school, so covid doesn't really cross my mind

Our rates are over 1k. DS isn't yet 5 and DH is ECV... We're not risking it. Especially not this close to a vaccine. We want DS to go to school but the flu has landed DH in ITU before. Not worth risking it right now, no way, especially as DH getting sick is a logistical nightmare, as well as an emotional one.

T2 here and will be sending DC to school in Jan.

Me. Definitely for the first 2 weeks and will see after that. We have not mixed with anyone and don't intend to, I know families who have mixed and are away and coming back a few days before school which terrifies me.

@Utterlyshafted

T2 here and will be sending DC to school in Jan.

Same