School dilemma

[PerfectPearl]

Anyone else facing the do I, dont I, send them back this morning?

What do you want to do OP?

I would absolutely not send them back. It seems a huge risk when it’s pretty certain all schools will be closing shortly anyway.

I do not want to send mine in, I am just wondering what to say to the school.
Obviously I dont want a fine, but health has to come first

Yes. Wish our school had closed. Local authority rates are approx 450 per 100k and local council lobbied county council to get schools to close but no joy. Parent of child in my kid’s class has covid. All feels too close to home but DD is distraught at the thought of school closing so off to school we go. Parents have been told to stay away from school grounds if possible and children to be dressed in several layers. Breaks my heart really. I’d prefer not to send her but am doing so for her mental health. Will be v.anxious about covid. I don’t care about people saying individual risk to me or to DC might be low; I don’t want it in this house and I don’t want long covid. We know people younger than us who have been hospitalised so people saying we are not in a high risk group means nothing to me.

DD is secondary so don't apply but I would not be sending mine back just yet if I were in that situation.

Oh and I work in a school and have been asked to help out running the testing.

I am sending mine. It’s almost no risk to them and I am willing to take risk for their future and education,

The data shows school age pupils are the most likely source of infection (7x more likely than adults) entering the home, it isn't about the risk to the child alone, it is about the risk to the family.

I would not return for this week anyway - mine are older so I don't have this concern myself.

I feel it must be the case that if teachers are using H&S to not attend, a fine for pupil non-attendance would be unenforceable - but of course that risk still remains, there has to be a fine, then a fine challenged in court for this to be known. I am not a lawyer so this is just my musing!

@PerfectPearl

Anyone else facing the do I, dont I, send them back this morning?

I'm so angry for parents in this position. Mine are in secondary and we're in a tier 4 area with schools closed in any case. I work in a sen school that will be open tomorrow but few students are expected to go in. In your position if you can stay home I would. The government should have made the decision to keep all schools closed nationally as they are in most areas of the south east. The NHS are calling for this, SAGE has advised the same but the government are fucking diabolical.

If you don’t want to send them back, just tell the schools the truth, you are isolating.

I haven't sent my youngest in. My eldest is in year 8 and off anyway but I'm not taking the risk with primary as I'm one of the disposable people with health conditions.

Thankyou mrshoho
Iv litrally been waiting and hoping for an email from the school, but nothing, the last we got was on the 31st saying we will open as normal.
I have decided to stop pulling myself apart and take it day by day, I will phone up the school today and tell them my children wont be in, and then will await further news

My DC's school is open and I'm sending them in. Their education is more important than the tiny risk of them getting the virus seriously.

Borderterrierpuppy
Can we isolate by choice

Op it's awful isn't it to think you could be facing a fine, that stress and pressure!

Obviously don't know where you are but I'm south east and not in official close area, but many schools around us (not ours yet) are closing...

And ewo officer said its a process to go through, and you don't just get fined immediately.

Personally I'd buy time say they looking under the weather and to be on the safe side yiu will keep them off... By then we maybe in another lock down.

Buy yourself time, it's chaos out there, you won't be alone...

Yep. Me and my dh have spent hours talking about it.
As it is he thinks he should go and I don't.
I'm finding it really hard to negotiate because I have health anxiety so don't want to overreact. He's meant to be there in an hour and I'm still considering calling in saying he won't be in.

One of my children tested positive before Christmas, caught from school, I do not want that happening again, it was absolutely awful, I do not agree that the risk is tiny

I think that there will be a U turn on this before the end of this week, at least in T4 areas. I think if it wasn't a problem to have them off I would be tempted to keep them off for a few days while I saw where the land lies. Otherwise they've gone back and mixed for the sake of a few days, when they may all be shut by Wednesday.

@PacificOcean

My DC's school is open and I'm sending them in. Their education is more important than the tiny risk of them getting the virus seriously.

Their risk may be tiny, it may not be tiny to the family members they could infect

I am in the same boat, as in husband thinks the should go in and I dont.
But like I said,one of them tested positive from school and it was very scary, we were lucky it was mild, but what if next time it is not

@PerfectPearl

I do not want to send mine in, I am just wondering what to say to the school. Obviously I dont want a fine, but health has to come first

If you're not sure, don't send them in. Either lie to the school (even if they see through it, they will understand) or just be honest and say you're very worried about the virus and are taking a few days to let the Govt sort themselves out; my guess is that ALL schools, definitely all schools in T4, will be closed by the end of the week. I'm hopeful that even Year 11 will be out by next Monday when DD is due back (we live in one of the worst affected areas in the London).

No, it’s an inset day (set right back at the start of the academic year, so not a Covid response)

But I’m CEV, and do have been living with the perpetual risk (even when rates low, and shielding suspended) that she could bring it home from school,

I’d generally get pretty short shrift on MM and told to just de-reg my DC if school attendance is too risky.

Nothing’s really changed for me this term.

Me.
I'm twisting myself in circles about it... There are so many strands of arguments going around my head that I'm driving myself crazy with it.
Literally no clue what to do

My children's primary made a last minute unturn but i had already planned on keeping them off anyway due to risk of my family being infected with covid. Our numbers here on the rise, above 450 per 100k and our council says it's unsafe anyway. They are the people that issue fines so aslong as your particular council says it's unsafe you cannot possibly be fined.

What people don't get it's not necessarily down to worrying about children catching it, it's about the spread to teachers, parents and then on into the wider community as parents work and peoples bubbles affected. This is going to be catastrophic and the government will have blood on it's hands. The NHS is in dire crisis.

Nope. My kids are going back tomorrow.

Same
But I think I am going to be honest and say how worried I am