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.

if you’re parent and you’re worried you can keep your child at home.
What if you’re a member of staff and you are worried?

@VashtaNerada

It is clearly a balancing act without any easy answers. Anyone confident that opening all schools is the best thing for all children, or anyone confident that closing all schools is the best thing for all children, is wrong.

Absolutely this. I have been strongly on the side of schools remaining open, but seeing how rapidly the situation has changed recently, I just don’t know.

YANBU

YANBU

I agree with you but as you can see from this thread you’ll be shouted down.

It’s going to be shocking the amount of women that were pushed out of work this year.

This new variant is more contagious than the main one, if schools go back there is a good chance that infection will spread throughout each school fast. That's taking infection home to parents / grandparents quickly. So everything else is locked down tier 4 because this is so contagious, but schools should stay open?! Disaster waiting to happen.

I guess you dont work in a risk environment op? So it's an I'm alright jack situation. Yeah just throw teachers under the bus op. Nice one

YABU (and quite patronising) to say you are 'standing up for parents and children'. It's hardly a homogeneous group that needs you to act as spokesperson.

YANBU to say that you believe the statements made in your post to be true.

74,125 deaths have been recorded to date in the uk of covid.

Today the DAILY recorded cases are 57,725.

No, I do not think that keeping schools open is the most important thing right now.

No teacher should be forced back into the classroom until they've been vaccinated.

I agree Allispretty, if the unions get what they want with schools shut then it'll be months and months before they reopen. People are so naive not to see that and be rejoicing at the prospect of all these kids missing school.

I look at my y2 son who is bright and motivated, but is probably just about where you'd expect a year 1 to have finished up. If the unions get what they want, his education will have stood still from December until whatever point they deem it 'safe' to to return (Easter?? May??) and he will be practically starting year 3. In what world that is ok I have no idea.

I really hope if they do shut schools they will decide that this entire school year is repeated.

It’s widely known that so many teachers on mumsnet seem to really dislike their jobs and really ideally wouldn’t be teachers, so would probably love schools to shut

I am finding this too among my teacher friends sadly.

What if you’re a member of staff and you are worried?

Phone in sick/resign.

We’ve had two cases since September and both were when we were in school holidays so not actually in schools. No class closures either. Mass school closures is not warranted.

YABU. I am a parent and I do not want this.

I think keep them closed for a week or too to get testing organised and space from christmas bubbling.

Then get them open for every reason you have listed.

YANBU. Children are being failed because they don’t lose any income if their ‘workplace’, I.e. school, shuts. So it’s fine to throw them under a bus because the economy is all that matters. It’s not fair and it’s not right. I would be very glad to see Gavin Williamson replaced by someone who can be proactive and actually keep schools open, improving safety where needed.
I think it would be preferable to have primary classes split so that they can go in the morning or afternoon to learn, and skip much of the time when larger numbers mix such as break time and lunch time. At least they would get some proper teaching each day.

Yanbu

You did not dare to enable voting, did you? Here is my YABU.

Yabu and very selfish for not caring about teachers.

You're not standing up for me, and you're not standing up for my children.

Given that my daughter had to self isolate just before Christmas, because her close friend contracted covid (and has been extremely unwell with it - healthy teen, no underlying conditions), and the school closed early because of lack of healthy, non-affected students and teachers, you most certainly do not speak for us.

@ArtemisBean

I'm sad that early years staff and children rarely get a mention. Preschool kids need even more supervision than primary, which means EY staff are even more hands on and parents are even more screwed if nurseries close because there's no way in hell you can work from home, let alone go out to work, and look after a two year old at the same time. The government is at fault for all of this. They've let us all down here, kids, parents and teachers alike.

I agree with this.

But EY staff seem far, far less vocal about their safety than teachers are? Maybe it is something to do with it being primarily a private sector job. Shut nurseries and they may go out of business if they can’t collect fees. That won’t happen with teachers.

YANBU

It’s widely known that so many teachers on mumsnet seem to really dislike their jobs and really ideally wouldn’t be teachers, so would probably love schools to shut

I am finding this too among my teacher friends sadly.

I’m not, so I guess that cancels your opinion out.

Given you are only talking about parents of primary school children who will need childcare, the numbers are actually quite small.

We can all stamp our feet and say schools need to be open, and accept more people will get Covid, more deaths will happen, and we’ll all be locked down longer, or we can accept that extraordinary times need extraordinary measures. Arguing that some parents will struggle financially isn’t an argument to keep schools open, it is an argument to support parents better.

I really question, given the level of mistrust, contempt, hostility and dislike some people seem to have for teachers, why the hell they're prepared to entrust the welfare and education of their presumably much loved children to these individuals?

@alwaysraining123 what about the children that will loose their parents if schools stay open you given any thought to them?
What about the parents who will loose their partner if schools stay open?
What about teachers who are parents?
Or the children I know who have spent 4 x 14 days self isolating as a bubble burst instead of safely learning at home.
Education can happen at home and even if it doesn’t and children learn absolutely nothing ,other people with not experience bereavement, long Covid, no treatment for cancer eg because hospitals are over run.

I really don't want schools to close. It is really bad for the kids and the parents. We need something in-between these two extremes. I just got diagnosed with Fibro which started during the first lockdown when I had to have kids at home with me and WFH, probably due to the stress of it. I think some parents are really naïve and think it's all baking and crafting when the schools are closed. It isn't, and people's jobs will be on the line if schools close, regardless of furlough.

I'm not sure what the answer is though. I really don't understand why homeschooling isn't an option for those that want it. It would at least reduce the numbers. Agree teachers should be vaccinated after frontline staff. Not enough has been done to protect teachers who are at a higher risk.