Non London Tier 4 parents - are you sending your kids back if you don't HAVE to?

[Workyticket]

We're on the North East. Both teaching from home next week so could keep 9 year old ds home.

It'd be tough with us both working, he wants to go back but we could keep him home

I know there's still time for whole Tier 4 closures etc so time to think and decide

Yes definitely. But the question is a little irrelevant as all schools will be shut soon enough

It's not irrelevant for right now planning purposes

I’m very much erring towards no. But I’m shielded.

DD goes to nursery 2 mornings a week. It will be reopening next week. At the moment we are leaning towards waiting a few weeks and then sending her back. We have bubbled with my parents household as we have a baby under the age of 1 but we have now stopped seeing them and definitely won't see them if she does go back. Friends are quite split on it where we live (south east but not in one of the hotspot areas.) Some are keeping them at home indefinitely whilst others are over the moon that they're going back. Difficult to know what to do but I think we will err on the side of caution for now

Nope not sending them in next week. I suspect all tier 4 schools will be closed next week anyway though probably announced on Sunday night

We are. DH is teaching from home but he will be working flat out and I work at the same school the dc go to so we’re all in the same Petri dish anyway.

We’re low risk as a family and not seeing older relatives etc (well, not seeing anyone really).

And the dc were fine at home but about a million times happier once they went back in key worker provision after May half term. So for us, given our exposure anyway though me, it makes sense to keep them in for now.

Yes

I reckon they'll have to close them. London mum here, but our school was due to stay open until the uturn. I wasn't going to send mine back and apparently the local authority weren't going to fine parents anyway.

The government basically had a revolt on their hands.

No. I'm shielding so we had decided that before Christmas that our DC weren't going back on the 4th. We both WFH so we will make it work.

I’m unsure. I hope there is a u turn so I don’t have to make that decision. I definitely don’t feel safe. Our rates are not as bad as London but they are rising and way above 400 per 100k.

Yes. It’s too difficult having them home teaching them whilst working and they get in no way the education they need and deserve at home.
I’m 7 weeks post Covid and still ill and if I could turn back and make the decision knowing the risks I’d still send them. One of my children becomes very upset if he’s not at school and misses his schooling and friends. The other isn’t bothered but it’s more beneficial for them to be there.

Should add rates here at 170 so lower than they have been since summer as we’ve been higher for a long time

I’m not sure what to do. The school have said they won’t provide home learning for children voluntarily staying home (I.e not self isolating). I’m worried they will miss out if not at school, equally I really don’t want to get it/spread it.

Definitely. I'm really hoping school stays open.

I posted this question about nurseries a few days ago and the responses were fairly unanimous that people would send their children back. I wonder whether the consensus is shifting at all with more information coming out and more schools closing?

I’m London tier 4, one of the boroughs where primary schools are closed, and I’m not sending my 4 year old back to preschool even though it’s open as usual next week. If primary schools aren’t safe to open here I don’t see how preschools are- even bigger bubbles as there’s just one room and different children each day (my DD goes every day). I’m ECV (in the shielding group) which makes me more nervous. It will be hard with DH going out to work and me working at home but I think it’s just too risky for DD to go in for the moment.

I'm considering keeping my two dc (year 1 and pre school). It's insane to send them back when cases are surging. I'm furious the government didn't act before Christmas.

I feel the window of opportunity to get on top of things and get the vaccine out has slipped away and now we are destined for another long painful lockdown.

I should say rates here are 1200 so very high.

I think you will find most will.

Our London borough shut schools before Christmas and was ordered to reopen, the WhatsApp group was full of “who would send their kids back” “evil central government etc” in the end 27 of 30 kids in his class turned up for the last two days.

I was surprised myself given the conversation but I honestly think if schools are open most people do their kids.

Im CV and already emailed school to say I wont send primary child in for first 2 weeka. Hoping the situation is clear then. Either all schools shut or rates coming down... or something.

I think school wil fine us 😔

I too agree - most will send back 😔

I would send my dts in.
I work in a school so they have to go regardless(DP is a key worker too) but they would go to school even if I could work from home, unless the schools shut obviously.
I don’t know if I am completely desensitised to the risk of COVID now because I’ve been working in classes around children throughout the pandemic, but I really am not all that worried about catching it.
If we haven’t had it before (I am pretty sure we did in March) we will get it at some point, I just think it’s a given fact and it doesn’t phase me anymore.
I do think the benefits of being in school over weigh the risk, and I think being at home will impact on their mental health and education.
There is no way that I can support their learning as well as their teachers. I can keep them ticking along so that they don’t lose any skills but I can’t teach them anything new.

Tier 4 non London, no not sending mine back to school

Midlands here.

I'm so torn. I really don't want year 2 Dd to go as I also have a 4 month baby at home.

Yes, definitely sending them back