My children are fine with being at home...

[HmmSureJan]

And were happy they didn't have to go back to school yet. Dd doesn't like the on line work but days it's better than being at school so grins and bears it. Anyone else? I only ask because I see so many threads on here speaking of ruined childhoods and devastated children who have been abandoned to their fate. I just wondered if anyone had children like mine 🤷🏼‍♀️

Mine are pleased as well. The school is superb and work is continuing as normal. They had to isolate loads last term so this is actually more consistent and less stressful for all of us.

DD (13) hasn't seen her school friends since mid-November thanks to her own infection and then the school closed on the 8th December as they had not enough staff to ensure safety and decent teaching.

The school is good with providing lessons but they are in no way a 1-2-1 substitute for real classroom learning. Subjects like arts, dance and drama are pushed to the side or moved to just theory instead of practical lessons.

She is also on the ADHD spectrum and needs a routine to work best, she had this more in school than at home but copes enough to make the best out of it.

She will need tutors for maths and science by the time she is back at school unfortunately as the online teaching is just not for her in these subjects and there is only so much DH and I can help with.

So, despite me knowing that lockdown is necessary, I feel for the children loosing out. At least we have the equipment and resources to ensure DD can do everything but I do know that this is definitely not the case for all of her year or school. Despite in a leafy London borough the percentage of FSM children or children just above it is high in her school.

Mine are older, Uni. One went back yesterday because she needs silence to be able to concentrate and with DH WFH and dogs, and not living in the wilderness. it’s not possible to maintain silence. Her sibling needs background music to concentrate.

Mine are fine - we have enough devices and a table for them to share in a pleasant working environment and the quality of online teaching has improved.

Fine isnt the same as loving it though - DD (Yr 7) misses her friends and the walk she does to and from with her friends. Fortuntately for her a term of high school meant she has bonded well with the class and gets on well. She will be ok with the 6 weeks but will I think also miss her extra curricular activities. A lot of being in the house.

DS (Yr 3) loves being in the house and has expressed joy at it. Though today admitted he misses his friends and playtime and the structure. We have enough teams lessons from his school to get him through and thankfully I wfh PT and my parents can be in a childcare bubble to enable me to work 2-5:30 every day to cover my work

We did ok in the first lockdown, dd2 refused to do any school work so we decided to learn life skills instead (she has ASD and learning to cook, clean and fix things is probably more important). This time will be harder as we can’t be outside as much and I have her sister who’s in her first year of A levels and needs quiet to work. Today we are preparing the house for home schooling but I have no idea how much school work will get done. As long as the kids are happy, healthy and fed then I count that as success.

My 5 year old doesn't seem fussed either way, whatever we say he's doing he does along with happily. I do believe that school is the best place for him, he needs to see his friends, he needs the structure and I'm not a teacher, I can do my best but I don't believe it's good enough.

I wouldn't say "pleased" resigned and fine and this year has been a massive improvement from last lockdown with teaching form their school.

All the additional school things groups and trips they miss aren't happening anyway at school and they're stuck with preset seating plans and limited interaction time with friends anyway plus older two have lost weeks of face to face teaching due to self isolation of year groups anyway.

Both my DC have ASD (1 suspected, 1 diagnosed) and are handling it differently. DS1 is a bit disappointed not to be at school with friends, and today is a little stressed — I think it’s the sudden change in expectation. But last lockdown, he thrived. His eczema cleared up almost completely, the tics he had developed in term time vanished, and he happily had Zoom chats with his little friendship group, and he got all the home learning done with relish. So hoping it’s just a question of getting used to it this time.

DS2 is ecstatic as he says daily “I never want to go back to school in my life” even before lockdown. But last spring, he was really challenging behaviour-wise and refused to engage in almost all the school’s home learning materials. I dragged him to BBC Bitesize most days, but he wouldn’t write, resisted reading etc. So although he’s happy with lockdown, he’s the one I’m most concerned about.

But we’ll just have to get through it. Both DH and I can work from home in non-keyworker roles luckily so we’re setting up a timetable tonight and we’ll muddle through as best we can. Roll on the bloody vaccines.

@junglepie

Well, my 12 yr old is delighted. In his head he thinks he will be spending all day on his x box, or on his phone whilst me and dh are out at work(both critical keyworkers) . In reality he is going to be taking up his keyworker place from next week because the effects of him being left to his own devices all day for months on end last time were just disastrous.

''He thinks'' vs the harsh reality 😂

surely as a parent can't you see it's detrimental and that they should be in a school setting with their friends?

Is that what you say to the parents of home educated children?

Mine dont mind it, but im relieved the home learning is better this lockdown as nothing got done last time

My kids are fine..... me? Not so much... :)

My school hater is delighted. She has on-line counselling starting soon. The lockdown might bridge the gap and make going back in spring a lot easier for her. And me.
Teen is plodding through and delighted he's set himself up a second screen.

I'm trying to be a bit military about it. Work, cook, exercise and something decent on tv. It's boring but should see us through.

Year 2 and year 13. Both were thrilled the first time and again now.

They are both homebodies anyway though and my eldest was home Educated all though primary and loved it.

Mine getting on with things and making the best of it, but those who go to school would rather be at school.

They're not devastated and things aren't ruined, but it puts many barriers than I think I can truly understand. Last month, I was talking to DD1's form tutor about how she's developing socially & emotionally - she's had a lot of challenges, and ways we can help that we can't do right now. As much as I love that she currently has her nose in a book she got for New Year's, I worry she's going to withdraw again. I worry about how my Y7 child is settling with everything changing so much, and my Y11 DS was upset last night at the news, is worried about these 'alternative arrangements' and what it's going to mean for his BTEC results and September (and is annoyed that he finally got to do practicals on the cool equipment in November and now this...so I've set him to find projects he can do at home).

My 9-year-old who is already full-time home educated would also prefer they were at school This disruption of his routine and everyone else needing devices all the time is not best pleasing him. He's used to be able to take his time and now has to squeeze in around the others' live lessons and work.

I wondered about this as, when my children were young, I feel they would have coped very well with being home educated. I provided a good deal of their education anyway as I was a stay at home mum who put a great deal of effort into widening their knowledge.

Both mine have excellent provisions though. Ds btec is actually better online. He's cracked though it.

Dds primary is doing online lessons and setting great work.

So that helps.

that should be I don't think I can truly understand. While there were some frustrating things about school and problems, the benefits they were getting and how to help support them without that at their current ages is a struggle.

I'm glad yours and other kids are doing well

but surely you know that's because of the privileged (sorry it always come up) situation you're in? Decent internet, devices for them to work on, enough space, parents who have the ability/time to supervise home learning, money to keep your house/flat warm, maybe even a garden?

Our school is already clearly going to do so much better with remote learning this time. Last time it was just worksheets. I can see how much better it's going to be already and we're going to make it better here too - have made space for older DD to put a repurposed old computer so she has her own and not sharing.

I hated school and was a school refuser. If this has happened when I was growing up I’d have thought I’d died and gone to heaven 😂

Mine are the same. All three were pleased not to have to go back to school yet. None of them make a fuss about going to school normally but given the chance they would rather be at home and I can totally understand it. They have plenty of friends but none of them are sad about not seeing them, maybe because they have each other for company. They're not keen on doing the online work but we are ploughing through it the best we can. This situation isnt ideal for us but at the same time its not horrendous either so we are fortunate in that respect.

My ds was over the moon but only because to him it's more x box time 🙄 he actually loves school when he's there though

School is a funny thing it is ordered but busy, stimulating, required energy, sociable, demanding and so many other things all at the same time. And all these things can be brilliant or awful. Some children need it and love it, some hate it and some are in between. Most days fine, others can't deal with it.

I guess like a lot of us in our jobs.

Nah, they don’t like it at all. I am a teacher but I teach FE which is a totally different kettle of fish to primary aged children. I also only teach English and have good knowledge in modern history but that’s as far as it goes. DH is an engineer so he covered maths and some science during the first lockdown but he’s WFH this time so unable to help much. They’re different ages with different abilities and I’m only one person, I can’t split myself into pieces.

I’ve hired a private maths tutor because I’m honestly useless and I’m desperate for them not to fall behind. I can help with the rest to an extent but I’m not as effective as their teachers. For starters, they’re at home and I’m their Mum. I’m on mat leave so I should be spending quality time with my baby but that’s now falling slightly by the wayside so I can teach my DC. It’s a struggle and my MH isn’t great right now.