Refusing to send my child to school...

[StealthBoaster]

I know there are lots of threads about the rights and wrongs of opening schools on 4th January. I am in Tier 3 area so our schools are opening as per the general guidance. We are in a small rural village but one which attracts a lot of visitors and I am aware of a number of locals who have tested positive and at least one in hospital.

DS is primary aged. He is prone to chest infections and probably had Covid right at the beginning of March - it wasn't dangerous but it was a bit worrying as he got quite wheezy. I am inclined not to send him back for a number of reasons. (1) His own health, (2) The fewer children in school presumably reduces the risk for everyone else, (3) I no longer trust the government to make the right decisions (I was generally willing to be supportive in the early months - no one was going to get it right 100% of the time - but there is absolutely no leadership and every decision seems to be the result of panic rather than planning).

Is this the right thing to do? It would be inconvenient but we are fortunate that we both work from home so can manage it. DS is ASD so in some ways prefers it, although he misses his mates.

Obviously they could legally fine me but I really don't care and would be quite happy to be a legal test case if necessary.

Someone tell me why this is the wrong thing to do. DH is not convinced and I want to understand if there's a really important argument I've missed.

@FluffyMcWuffy

Tier 4 here and seriously considering pulling our child out of year 1. We're projected to reach 800 cases per 100,000 next week in our area when school reopens. It's not necessarily the fear of covid, rather if something happens and he or one of us or his sibling needs urgent medical treatment, will our hospitals be able to give that? We're also on the list for top 10 trusts with the highest bed occupancy so it really feels like a huge gamble sending him in.

@FluffyMcWuffy how do you find out how many cases your area is projected to have in a week? Also the bed occupancy thing? Would be interested to know this for my area - thanks!

As a general principle I desperately want my child to be in school. Her mental health suffered hugely during lockdown (as did mine) and I'm worried about her education.

However she also has asthma. I'm in an area of London with a case rate of well over 700 per 100,000.With London hospitals at capacity and reports of low oxygen I am not prepared to take the risk right now. This is a short-term thing rather than a longer term fear of COVID. If I could be confident that any respiratory issue could be properly treated in hospital I wouldn't have any worries about sending her in. Right now the risks outweigh the benefits for me.

We are Tier 4 in an area with numbers higher than some of those where primary schools have been shut. Not sure how that has been allowed to happen.

We will not be sending our Y6 child back to school before the 18th and even then, only if the situation is improving. Mainly because too many families in our area have blatantly ignored the Tier 4 rules over Christmas and New Year and we are not happy for our child to mix with their children in school. I expect the school will shut in the first week anyway due to positive cases among pupils.

The more I think about this, the more it seems to be a no-brainer. Has anyone actually been fined in these circumstances? I think it would need to be a week by week basis and my DH will be furious because unfortunately he's the one who's most present and so he will be doing the bulk of the homeschooling...

Now I just have to convince him...

@StealthBoaster Things may be different this term but before Christmas parents were being fined, yes. Which is pretty bloody awful in my opinion.

StealthBoaster. You have listed the reasons why you don't want to send your son to school but have you considered what your son would be missing if you didn't send him? What he would miss is not insignificant.

the people
The oxygen issue is also my worry, I've also experienced a ward short of equipment years ago when every child had the same issues and needed the same equipment.

Stealth, how old is he?.

I managed to make such huge progress with my dd with only 20 mins a day and strongly suspected sen.

Quality over quantity but I guess it depends on the age.

I'm 33 weeks pregnant with a bmi of 45. I don't know what to do.

Petition to close all nurseries and education settings till the 14th January

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/561988/signatures/thank-you

@Jacquelineinabox we are getting regular updates from the leader of our council. They are working with our NHS trust so I trust the figures.

The problem with ‘letting parents decide’ is that it’s extremely hard for teachers to teach. Half the class is in. Half at home. Those parents who decide to keep their kids off will expect home learning. Those who send them in expect 100% attention classroom teaching. Those at home will inevitably fall behind. Leaving a class of very uneven learning to be dealt with later in the year/next year. Parents will probably also change their minds after a couple weeks when they remember who shit lockdown one was. So schools preparing resources for fewer kids suddenly have little Jimmy turning up as the parents can’t be dealing with homeschooling & working. And they get an earful from their kids who are missing their mates. And they see that oh, Hannah’s sent her kids in and it’s been fine. We’ll just do it.. (that happened in summer with nursery. I sent DD back straight away in June. There were 5 children the first week, 10 the second & by July they had full attendance! Parents saying oh, I just hung on to check it’s be safe. Oh, I got a bit jealous of my friend sending her kids and being able to work in peace..)

It needs to be more clear cut. Either shut. Or part time officially planned out. No chopping & changing.

Sorry this is the link I hope: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/551740

And it’s been changed to:

Suspend fines for school non-attendance during Covid-19 & allow parental choice
The government must remove the threat of fines and further action and allow parental choice based on individual circumstances. Currently a blanket policy applies regardless of individual family risk levels from Covid-19 (for example to those who are clinically vulnerable or single parent families).

Last time I link to a petition. Never had so much trouble with one before!

DD1 school is not opening but we had considered at least delaying a week or 2. The first weeks will show whether it is right of very wrong to open schools...

I mean I think kids should be in school. Mine can't be and I'm absolutely gutted as hers are only taking kids with two key worker parents. I'll be at work come Monday as I work in SEN so we stay open. I'm CEV and definately should be shielding but never have and I've worked throughout this. Schools being shut is ridiculous - kids need an education in school with their peers and teachers.
No one on this thread agrees as I can see but I've written threads on this previously. Schools needs to stay open, the damage done when they're not has the potential to be catastrophic in so many ways and I'm afraid I think all of you pulling your children out are doing them a massive disservice.

@MoirasRoses DD's school already has at home learning packs for kids who have to isolate (not video classroom but worksheets and stuff). To keep a child at home (especially by choice!) means you have to do the work!!

Op- I would say to school you are self isolating/ your dc is ill and that gives you at least a week to see what happens with schools. I think if primaries in London are close and levels are the same in other areas, government can't justify keeping them open elsewhere.

Some children going into school others not is happening already as children and families self isolate for 2 weeks. When I had covid, teacher sent across the home learning for my dd and sending work across for 1 child or 10, isn't much different. Though the level of teacher input is rightly less than if the class bubble closed.

Petition is at petition.parliament.uk/petitions/561988/

You had it correct the first time

@OpheliasCrayon

I mean I think kids should be in school. Mine can't be and I'm absolutely gutted as hers are only taking kids with two key worker parents. I'll be at work come Monday as I work in SEN so we stay open. I'm CEV and definately should be shielding but never have and I've worked throughout this. Schools being shut is ridiculous - kids need an education in school with their peers and teachers. No one on this thread agrees as I can see but I've written threads on this previously. Schools needs to stay open, the damage done when they're not has the potential to be catastrophic in so many ways and I'm afraid I think all of you pulling your children out are doing them a massive disservice.

Kids could go part time, reduce class numbers, as a bare minimum. That would be a start.

But a lockdown won't work effectively enough, if children are in school, as we are seeing!

The mental anguish comes from being in a pandemic, like us all, not just from out of school.

We knew there would be a second wave, school have been made to be able to switch to home learning, so what will it take to actually shut down all schools. Some schools and classes are having repeat self isolation periods, putting them at a disadvantage to other schools, a 2/3/4 week national school lockdown would be fairer and more effective.