If so many people wanted schools closed then why are some schools seeing up to 75% of children in?

[Waxonwaxoff0]

I have never wanted schools closed although I do recognise why they need to and that they need to be made safer.

Yet it seemed like I was in the minority, all over the internet people wanted schools closed and their children safely at home.

So why are so many trying to send their children in? Is it a case of "schools should be closed except for my child?"

@MarshaBradyo

But according to a delightful teacher on another post I only wanted free child care.

There’s one poster that repeats this on nearly every thread. Ridiculous.

I suspect it might be the same poster I keep seeing on these discussions. As well as parroting that school isn't childcare, parents should have had a back up plan for the pandemic

Cornish yep highly irritating

It wasn't the unions who closed the schools. Such a stupid thing to say.

The unions supported the advice of SAGE to close the schools. That's a totally different thing. Science said the schools should close.

The attempts to blame the teaching unions by some on MN get more and more pathetic as time goes by. Lies add nothing to the debate.

I understand a child’s education is a worry, so hopefully some of you may find this reassuring.

I have taught children/teens who have come over to the UK as a refugee, from war torn countries.
Many of those children have gone on to get GCSEs, A Levels and we have had some go on to university and get degrees. One ex-pupil works for a huge global company as an engineer and about once a year comes back to talk to and inspire other children.

Some of these children didn’t have an education for years. Some children started their education unable to speak the English language.
If they can catch up, for most of your children, this won’t make much of a difference.

@DecemberSun

It wasn't the unions who closed the schools. Such a stupid thing to say.

The unions supported the advice of SAGE to close the schools. That's a totally different thing. Science said the schools should close.

The attempts to blame the teaching unions by some on MN get more and more pathetic as time goes by. Lies add nothing to the debate.

December do you think the walk out had any impact?

@DBML

I understand a child’s education is a worry, so hopefully some of you may find this reassuring.

I have taught children/teens who have come over to the UK as a refugee, from war torn countries.
Many of those children have gone on to get GCSEs, A Levels and we have had some go on to university and get degrees. One ex-pupil works for a huge global company as an engineer and about once a year comes back to talk to and inspire other children.

Some of these children didn’t have an education for years. Some children started their education unable to speak the English language.
If they can catch up, for most of your children, this won’t make much of a difference.

But it's not all of those children, we have a whole nation, in fact a whole world of kids missing a huge chunk. Maybe dumb them down generationally, but I still don't think using stand out pupils who have survivor instinct is comparable.

December do you think the walk out had any impact?

There was no walk out. I saw no reports. If you have evidence that there was, please post a link.

@DecemberSun

December do you think the walk out had any impact?

There was no walk out. I saw no reports. If you have evidence that there was, please post a link.

I do not know what you are talking about, genuinely

Look at the thread with schools closing on that first day. What is your interpretation?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4124666-school-closures-coming-in-thick-and-fast?pg=8

Didn’t 70,000 maybe more join the NEU meeting? Are you saying no one used the letter?

Even the people on here who said they did?

@whittystitties

I think that it would be a very good thing if more of our nation’s children could come out of this with a bit of ‘survivor instinct’. This might be a turning point for children enabling them to build resilience and desire for personal achievement.

I work in education and admit that we have become a bit of a grade factory. We often spoon feed the children until they get their exams and then we send them out into the world ill equipped to deal with work and the associated stresses, demands etc.

Perhaps this will pandemic will really highlight those children with that survivor instinct you speak of and give them the chance they’ve never had before as they’ve always been lost in the crowd.
Pupils will no doubt have to work harder than ever and more independently, to do well...important life skills if you ask me.

[quote DBML]@whittystitties

I think that it would be a very good thing if more of our nation’s children could come out of this with a bit of ‘survivor instinct’. This might be a turning point for children enabling them to build resilience and desire for personal achievement.

I work in education and admit that we have become a bit of a grade factory. We often spoon feed the children until they get their exams and then we send them out into the world ill equipped to deal with work and the associated stresses, demands etc.

Perhaps this will pandemic will really highlight those children with that survivor instinct you speak of and give them the chance they’ve never had before as they’ve always been lost in the crowd.
Pupils will no doubt have to work harder than ever and more independently, to do well...important life skills if you ask me.[/quote]
Kind of prefer not to play that kind of weird experiment with our children.

@whittystitties

Prefer to stick with the guaranteed grade factory would you and pupils not having to work too hard?

Anyway, it’s hardly an experiment. It’s a pandemic. Slightly different.

[quote DBML]@whittystitties

Prefer to stick with the guaranteed grade factory would you and pupils not having to work too hard?[/quote]
No, I'd prefer a normal education.

Putting people through prolonged hardship to build their resilience isn't really a thing I like the sound off as a plan. Especially in these awful times where remote schooling brings some children even closer to hunger and abuse than when schools were open.

It doesn't always work out that way, I have personal experience, many, most, fall by the wayside.

But Whitty you are forgetting...people haven’t just made some random decision to close schools and put people through hardship for the fun of it. It’s a test that Mother Nature (well) has sprung on us. And we have no choice but to respond.

So, you have two options...complain and use it as an excuse for failure...or encourage your children to embrace the challenge. They might surprise you.

And what will we do with all the teachers once we've embraced something new and decided we'll keep it?

I mean, you can get a monkey to upload worksheets to a repository, and you can pay it peanuts.

That's not teaching.

We can then give the excess slush fund to the NUS maybe

@whittystitties

And what will we do with all the teachers once we've embraced something new and decided we'll keep it?

I mean, you can get a monkey to upload worksheets to a repository, and you can pay it peanuts.

That's not teaching.

We can then give the excess slush fund to the NUS maybe

NHS*

I'm just so angry right now. My 5yo DD loves school, she desperately wants to be in school, she misses her friends and her teacher. All of her friends have key worker parents so they will all be in school together and my DD is missing out. I really didn't want the schools to close. They will be starting live lessons next week and the children in school will be on the live lessons so she will see all of her friends together in school and be upset.

70% of her class are in school, so closing was pretty much pointless. But my DD and the rest of that 30% are missing out on structure, social interaction and education from a proper teacher all because they are unlucky with what jobs their parents have. It's disgusting! I'm just so bloody angry and gutted for her. Honestly all of you shouting that schools should close, we'll they haven't closed enough to make a difference but it has fucked up a some kids lives. Well done, are you happy now?

Schools will return. Hopefully next month! Definitely this quarter.

Schools are needed for childcare, I admit that and I’m not too proud to say it. Schools are needed for socialising, making friends etc. They have a really important purpose that I don’t deny.

However, when the children can’t go to school, you have to make it an opportunity! Because if you don’t, we fail them even more.

I’m trying to stress to you that as bad as this is, there is an end point; it could be worse and the are positives that we can take from it to encourage and motivate our kids to do better. It can be a learning opportunity in itself...you just have to find the positivity as a parent to see that.

I’m a parent too and some days I feel like I could end it. I’m often miserable and worried and stressed and bored and concerned about my son.

But what my son has to know is that it’s an opportunity and that he has a chance to really stand out from the crowd now and that he must be resilient and self motivated and he will come out on top.

If you can’t see that we have to make the best of a bad situation, I do feel really sorry for you.

Don't blame people who wanted schools to close for the fact they haven't really closed .

Do you think this is some dystopia where if you ask for your government to act on something, they do something quite different which punishes children unfairly? Most people on here were saying that school reopening should be delayed by a couple of weeks, not closed to a select unlucky few for months! Blame the inept, stupid wankers in government. They deserve to lose their jobs and more. Bunch of rancid shits.

Of course once they close it’s more than a couple of weeks. Surely people got the hint last time.

MyNephew so galling. One thing that I couldn’t stand is this live from 75% classroom thing some schools are doing. Thankfully Ds doesn’t know who is in (bar one who posted she was at school).

@MarshaBradyo

Of course once they close it’s more than a couple of weeks. Surely people got the hint last time.

MyNephew so galling. One thing that I couldn’t stand is this live from 75% classroom thing some schools are doing. Thankfully Ds doesn’t know who is in (bar one who posted she was at school).

Well no, actually. In NI they had a two week circuit breaker where schools closed early.

Obviously, it is difficult to specify a time period for closures as it will depend on the rates of infection, however, my point is that as few children being in school as possible for a shorter time would be far preferable to most children being in and a few home learning for a longer time.

I also think if the government had properly considered a rota system for children before now, our dcs could all be having some time at school. Instead there is a really terrible disparity between children who qualify for a place and those who don't.

@DBML

Schools will return. Hopefully next month! Definitely this quarter.

Schools are needed for childcare, I admit that and I’m not too proud to say it. Schools are needed for socialising, making friends etc. They have a really important purpose that I don’t deny.

However, when the children can’t go to school, you have to make it an opportunity! Because if you don’t, we fail them even more.

I’m trying to stress to you that as bad as this is, there is an end point; it could be worse and the are positives that we can take from it to encourage and motivate our kids to do better. It can be a learning opportunity in itself...you just have to find the positivity as a parent to see that.

I’m a parent too and some days I feel like I could end it. I’m often miserable and worried and stressed and bored and concerned about my son.

But what my son has to know is that it’s an opportunity and that he has a chance to really stand out from the crowd now and that he must be resilient and self motivated and he will come out on top.

If you can’t see that we have to make the best of a bad situation, I do feel really sorry for you.

Don't feel sorry for people like me, I'm sorry but not everyone has the ability, skills or wherewithal to do this lovely tee home schooling, character building bollocks!

Then that’s a shame whitty, because that’s exactly what children need right now, regardless of the demands on us as adults.

Every parent is their child’s first and most important teacher.

Every parent is their child’s first and most important teacher.

Well that’s great and all, but we made mass schooling by professionals compulsory for a reason. And we throw enormous amounts of tax payer money at it. If all parents we up to the job we wouldn’t have to do that.