AIBU to stand up for children and parents...

[alwaysraining123]

... and say that closing schools is not an option. Some observations.

(1) millions of children will suffer poorer mental health, educational deficits and be at risk of physical harm.
(2) if schools close now the government will struggle to get them back open.
(3) the unions are playing a highly political game preying shamelessly on people’s fears.
(4) online learning is of no use for most of the primary school years. Parents basically need to be available all day to support children.
(5) more parents are going to find themselves unable to work causing more financial hardship. This won’t affect your middle class sahps or people who can work from home as much- there are people who actually have to go out of their house to earn a living.
(6) if you’re parent and you’re worried you can keep your child at home.
(7) educational transmission of the virus is low and infection control standards can be escalated where needed.

Whatever is done we need to place maintaining educational provision for children at the heart of it. We need to make it work...there’s no other option.

Oh, and I've got one GCSE year, and one A level year.

Well looking at the way the figures soared when the children went back to school I'd say sending them to school is not an option.
At least when adults get the virus they are more likely to get symptoms and therefore isolate. So many children and students have been wandering around asymptomatically.

Seasaltyhair

It wouldn't raise a concern as who would link them together apart from the school? No doctors are going to ask which schools the kids go to to record it.

Who is doing the job of linking deaths to schools? No one as far as I'm aware.

@mbosnz 'palm them off' no - children need an education there has been so much disruption. Many schools have only had a couple of cases so no need to close all.

A lesson pool would be good. If it could be orchestrated by a reputable site around the core curriculum, then every child could access good resources. It's not a substitute for the pastoral element, but if teachers weren't writing lessons for three ability levels, they might have a bit of time to talk 1-2-1.

[quote DuckPancakesWithHoisinSauce]@Abraxan can you explain further what a re one learning plan is please? I can then bring it up if need be. Also the cover point?

(I am aware that unfortunately our school appears to be an outlier and other schools in the area have provided much better online resources).[/quote]
Sorry - my typing tonight in my iPad is rubbish!
That should have read Remote Learning plan - what the school now said it will do in the case of closures, be it whole school, class/bubble or individual self isolation.

cannot believe how many parents want schools to close. Children need an education there is no need to close the school
Both my children had excellent online learning tools and work provided by their schools, which I'm sure all schools are doing. Plus BBC Bitesize, etc. There is so much they can do in the safety of their own home.

@Tangledtresses

We've had not 1 case since sept if they close our school I think there will be a riot!

As I've said, my daughter's school went from not a single case, to having to close for two weeks because Covid ran through it like a dose of salts. It literally took three days for that to happen.

I posted a chart further up showing what's happened to the rates in the last few weeks. In four weeks the rate in my area has increased sevenfold. And for half of that, kids were at home for the holidays. If you think your school is going to remain covid-free, you're deluding yourself.

I'm a teacher, I really think primary children need to be back as soon as possible. I think that the testing being set up in secondary schools should be used for primary children, it's far from perfect, but as a test before going back it will pick up some asymptomatic cases and reassure teachers and parents a little.
I think that while the infection rate in primary children is above 1% (currently 2%) we should move to rotas, allowing distancing and some face to face learning. My cousins in the US have their children in 2 days a week, a day for cleaning and the other 50% in for 2 days, I don't see why it's got to be open or closed.

The current situation, with no adequate leadership, no support for schools, all decisions happening at the last possible minute is just awful.

@mbosnz

Oh, and I've got one GCSE year, and one A level year.

Happy to feck your child's GCSE's then??

@Awalkintime

Seasaltyhair

It wouldn't raise a concern as who would link them together apart from the school? No doctors are going to ask which schools the kids go to to record it.

Who is doing the job of linking deaths to schools? No one as far as I'm aware.

I think it would raise a concern that 8 people with direct links to the school died. Was it proven that the virus came from the school? Did the LA not close the school down?

And cover should be October!

Told you my typing is rubbish tonight. I need to review before hitting post way more. Luckily I do review my remote learning better than I have done on mumsnet tonight, lol!

@AlwaysLatte mine didnt learn a thing from live online lessons.

When you say 'safety of their own home' your child are 'safe' even if they catch it.

My Y11 DS would rather be home with remote provision at the moment. They had a good 'live' timetable in the summer term and he would be happy with that again for a few weeks

@ArcheryAnnie yes, it's risk. I'm willing to work in a school. But can't afford childcare. If you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen. Kids need us. They can't do without socialisation, attention and freedom. They'll become depressed. Like a lot of adults that are suffering right now. The rest of you are slow to catch up but you will.

Of course covid is a terrible disease and every single death is a tragedy. But this is life, if we want to live fully, it comes with personal risks.

I'm young, fit and willing to educate our young kids. If the rest of you don't. You can stay indoors and I'll do my best to help you too. But don't drag me down with you it's too much.

@Tangledtresses

We've had not 1 case since sept if they close our school I think there will be a riot!

Yep. Same here.

[quote Remmy123]@mbosnz

Oh, and I've got one GCSE year, and one A level year.

Happy to feck your child's GCSE's then??[/quote]
LOL, I didn't feck 'em.

A global fucking pandemic and totally corrupt and incompetent governance did that on my behalf!

YABU
Many children and parents want schools to properly close because they feel the risk to teachers and the community us too high from the way this is spreading in schools

I agree with you OP except for (7) which is that covid will spread through schools. I dont think it's an issue though, no different to chickenpox or flu. Get it and be done with. I understand not everyone is in normal health though so there should be remote provisions for those who choose to, staff and students alike. Our primary school and teacher has been absolutely wonderful and I bump into her in the local park, she would much rather go back as she spent a whole term getting the class up to speed. Teachers like her should get so much more support from the government.

This won’t affect....people who can work from home as much- there are people who actually have to go out of their house to earn a living.

You show a staggering ignorance of what it's like to actually wfh and homeschool a primary aged child whilst simultaneously caring for a 3yo. I'd have rather been furloughed. For this comment yabu.

I agree with the rest, but genuinely cannot see another way atm.

@mbosnz

I understand that for some parents it must be very upsetting not to be able to palm off all responsibility for their kid's learning onto the schools and teachers. However, the reality is, that as their parents, ultimately the responsibility for their learning in somewhat unprecedented times, may end up lying in front of our doors.

Whether they achieve their learning or not, is going to sometimes be up to you, and up to them. Outsourcing the responsibility and culpability may temporarily be less possible.

Yes I want to palm my kids off so I can laze around on my chaise lounge in my silk PJs

Not really. I run my own business so if I don’t work they don’t eat it really is as basic as that. No lovely bloke that goes out to work for me or benefits or a handsome pension pot. Just me.

and my sons primary closed because a pupil had covid... I also got it, my husband got it, four of his team at work got it, my sons friend and his to brothers got it, their parents got it, another of my sons friends parents got it... basically from the school it spread like wildfire throughout my community.. and this is despite us being very cautious I dont see anyone.. but its the school... they are hotbeds. And now the numbers are going up again... im very worried about it tbh I dont think its safe at all

Can I check wrt this

They aren’t being totally closed though. They are being shut to most children to allow for set up of testing and application of further safety measures to address the new variant

Do you mean set up for testing in primary?

The infection rates are high and rising v closing schools to some children isn’t good either.

My concern is how long it takes to lower rates and how long some children won’t be able to go in.

It’s a tough situation atm

I think the testing is only happening n Secondary schools at the moment (well if they get the tests) but the plan is to roll it out to Primary schools later this term