Anyone else awake wondering what to do?

[hystericaljellyfish]

Whether to send their child to primary school in the morning?!

We are tier 4 although not as bad as London/SE yet. DS loves going to school and is desperate to go back, I felt fine about it all day but I'm having doubts now.

Lockdown looking more likely or schools to close soon anyway and for the sake of the going back potentially just for a few days it seems crazy to have all that mixing going on. But if I say no in the morning he will be so upset

@blazinglightonthehill I'm assuming you're from up north. Its all bs and I imagine it's a bit like how they decide to fund flood defences aka if the defences cost more than the town is worth we won't bother.
I am born and bred Londoner and the first time I went anywhere north was Hull when I was buying my car. I couldn't believe the state of the train stations. The gov don't care about it if it doesn't give them money and I feel that's why they've been using them all as guinea pigs.
Similarly they won't close London for ages because it gives them so much money. Out rates were low because we had absolutely no tests available.

I’m a secondary teacher and expected at school tomorrow, not a problem as the students are all learning remotely. My DC are both primary, their school is open and they are expected in. My DH is CEV and has received the text to resume shielding, with the new variant being more transmissible I’m terrified. He’s going to be at risk from our DC but then once the secondary schools return he will also be at risk from me.

We’ve considered him moving out, he doesn’t want to go because of so many reasons but mainly because we won’t know when it’s safe for him to come home.

If Boris closes schools in a few days I dread to think how many CEV people he will have put at risk. If he doesn’t close them at all I can’t even imagine the effect it will have.

I’m truly heartbroken for primary teachers today, the way they’ve been attacked and villainised for being scared for their safety just shows how many horrible people there are out there. If schools closed then I’d be happy, if I don’t send them in whilst schools are open then we will have consequences that I don’t want, including no work from school. Boris has got this so wrong.

I’m also doubting myself and DH is following blindly what the government are telling him to do. If he suggested the children stayed home then I know I’d agree but he won’t. He believes the government.

I can't sleep and I'm a teacher! Woke up and was lying there brooding so came down for a cup of tea.

Tomorrow I'm teaching a group of 16 KW children across 2 year groups (nearly all from other schools in our small group so I know nothing about them yet) as well as online teaching to my own class with some live bits. I'm not in my own school so won't have any of my resources to hand. I can only do my best!

Happy days! Thermals are at the ready for a classroom that's been empty over Christmas and doors and windows will be open all day.

If you are sending your children in, don't forget plenty of layers!

And yes, we had a good few months of a lot of freedom. The high streets were packed even in our so called December lockdown or whatever that called it. Summer was like any other minus lido's. Might all sounds selfish but it was all within guidance. We were practically begged to eat in restaurants, the eat out scheme was plastered all over the tubes and busses.

@EmilyEmmabob
What a horrible situation for you. I'm scared enough being asthmatic and well over 50. Boris has well and truly messed up!

@emilyemmabob Goodness me how awful for you!
@wasgoingmadinthecountry that sounds really stressful for you and those kids.

@wasgoingmadinthecountry that sounds like a nightmare for you, good luck and hopefully you can at least distance as much as possible with less children in the class, it's such a worry for teachers, the government have treated them disgracefully.

@wasgoingmadinthecountry re layers. My DD goes to a new build school and they have a very fancy air conditioning/heating system that, instead of reusing the air in the room, replaces it with fresh air from the vents outside. When the head explained this we were a bit confused why until all the other schools were describing what they're having to teach in!

@EmilyEmmabob that's an awful situation for you, I really feel for the people who have vulnerable people to worry about in the household.

I don't know whether to go to work tomorrow. Tossing and turning. I'm a TA.

Really worried about DD as our school/ local authority has just announced they are closing schools, they "may open" for kids of key workers & those with specific needs. We may qualify, need to check. It took us all autumn term to get DD (8) calm enough to stop wetting the bed from stress, & throwing up on Sunday evenings due to meltdowns. We've been waiting 3 years for ASD diagnosis. I'm disabled & she did no home learning last year as she needs the school environment. I don't know what we're going to do if they won't take her. She virtually stopped speaking for a few weeks, normally an absolute chatterbox. We've only just gone up to tier 3. I could just cry about it, she doesn't even know yet. It's going to break DH as he has to do everything when I'm ill.

@foxesandsquirrels you've hit the nail on the head. In the north we get minimal funding. I've derailed the thread here so I'm bowing out but it's hard.

I'm also not judging or berating for any tier 2 mixing or otherwise. I "ate out to help out" in Lancashire's brief reprieve back in august.

I think the government should be held to account for their handling of this though.

DH is a key worker. We can keep the kids in school. But I’m worried. My DS is in a class where 9 families tested positive. Our kids had high temperatures and other symptoms so we got them tested. Negative. I’m in two hearts: I could send them into school but is that the best option?

Yes, I am awake and worrying, just like last night and the night before that. The complication is my husband is CEV and we have shielded since March. But now....was hoping and praying all day for the schools to close, although I know of course most people will disagree with me. But it really feels like life v education, and no matter what Boris may say, three children in separate schools/bubbles coming home each evening has got to be a risk for my husband.

For those with ECV concerns, I too received the shielding email recently and have been worried all over xmas about dc’s going back. DS is off until 18th anyway but DD due back this week. In the end I emailed her head to explain my circumstances and she agreed I should keep her home this week & she can do online learning. She did say she can’t make it an ‘authorised’ absence but is still fine for her to be off. I feel that this buys me some more time & hopefully schools will then close anyway. Just wanted to say I know how scary it is and it’s worth emailing your head as I would hope they would be understanding about this.

Lying awake worrying about sending DS2(9) in as a key worker place. I work in a school so will be in but DH is at home but disabled. DS1(12) will be at home but DH won't be able to manage with them both due to his own pain and also DS2 had asd and adhd so is a lot of work. Feel guilty DS2 will be in but can't see an alternative

For those with ECV concerns, I too received the shielding email recently and have been worried all over xmas about dc’s going back. DS is off until 18th anyway but DD due back this week. In the end I emailed her head to explain my circumstances and she agreed I should keep her home this week & she can do online learning. She did say she can’t make it an ‘authorised’ absence but is still fine for her to be off. I feel that this buys me some more time & hopefully schools will then close anyway. Just wanted to say I know how scary it is and it’s worth emailing your head as I would hope they would be understanding about this

Thank you for this LittleMiss74 and that is exactly what I did in September. The schools have been great. However we are foster carers to three of the children and they are part of the family (have lived with us for many years and will stay here until they are adults and beyond). Obviously we do not have parental responsibility and in our case it is their social worker who insists they return to school, despite the fact that they actually thrived, emotionally and educationally, during last year's lockdown. So it's complicated for us....

Thanks for replying and I echo your words absolutely....it's just so horrible being ECV isn't it? I have found most people believe anyone who receives the letter must be seriously ill already, but in my husband's case he can live a perfectly normal life usually, just his lung condition means it would be devastating for him to catch COVID. I really wish you and your family well.

We've had confirmation that at the moment there will be 4 kids in my DDs bubble at school with one teacher helping them with online work so we have decided to take it up. They are all in the same year so doing the same things pretty much. The timetable sounds fun and I think upon weighing up the pros and cons we will send her in.
All the best to everyone. I hope you managed to get some rest.