If you didn’t send your kids to school in the summer term but are sending them now, please explain why?

[Bvop]

There was a tiny handful of dc at the primary school during lockdown one, some days just one child. Now almost half the school are there. I haven’t been able to make sense of it from the other mn threads where there are lots of people explaining why they need places. I get that people need places but don’t see why the numbers have shifted so much. This isn’t meant to be goady btw: I’m curious, and understand that people really need the provision schools offer.

1st lockdown DH asked to be furloughed to assist with looking after dd. Resulted in him losing his job when the inevitable redundancies came. Im a keyworker and cannot be furloughed.

This lockdown he cannot be furloughed as his new job started 2nd November and therfore missed the cut off date by 3 days to be eligible.

So dd is having to go to school this time.

My ds has asd and an ehcp so is classed as a vulnerable child. I wasn’t allowed to send him during first lockdown as I was working from home. He didnt access any work from
Home and he massively struggled with the change of routine which effected his behaviour. This time the rules around vulnerable children allowed in seem to have been relaxed.

DS's dad is a critical worker. I'm not but I work in a factory (non essential goods) so I can't work from home. I was furloughed when school was shut last time so I didn't need to send DS in. I'm working now and furlough not an option as we are incredibly busy so I am sending him to school.

DH is a key worker and is working a lot of overtime due to 2 of his colleagues dying very suddenly - he works out of the home, 12 hour shifts plus travel to work so minimum 14 hours a day/night
My DD with ASD was completely traumatised by all the chopping and changing of rules and flat out couldn’t do the work at home last time, but is due to go to high school in Sep so I can’t afford her to be out of school this year
I work full time in a global role that requires me to be on calls for minimum 8hours a day

@mnahmnah

I’m a secondary teacher. Last time we set all work for them to do at home, but didn’t do actual online lessons. So DC stayed home with me. This time I have to live teach all my lessons online. I can’t ignore DC all day, leave them to their own devices and not do any school work. I’m not sending them every day, just on my busiest days.

But that's exactly what so many of us have to do!

2 keyworkers and 2 dc, one age 2 one now age 6.

Didn’t send eldest last summer because

• she has a health condition making her slightly more vulnerable and I was very concerned we weren’t being told the full effect on children. Actually took her out of school a few days before they closed.
• nurseries were closed so DC2 couldn’t attend so one of us had to be home anyway so it was easier to have both of them
• work offered flexibility and we could juggle shifts and use special leave
• DC6 was then 5 and in reception and had only done one full term. I was concerned it would be very disruptive for her and she’d be upset going into a mixed year bubble. I was also concerned her education would suffer as it was childcare provision only

I have sent her now because

• I am less concerned about the impact catching covid would cause DC6
• although work offered flexibility it was made clear it wasn’t approved of and I had little support with managing workload and considered on more than one occasion of going off sick from the pressure
• childcare bubbles are now allowed and nursery is open meaning I have childcare for DC2
• last summer put a huge strain on us as parents and that was with the kids being able to get out everyday. Doing the same in the middle of winter would mean out mental health and relationship being strained more than it already is.

I'm a teacher, and DH a key worker. DCs at home last time, in 3 days this time. DH has to be in work FT. I'm having to be in 3 days per week to cover key worker children as we have almost half the school in.

Because...

I now have 4 children in school as opposed to 3.

The home learning is completely different and I cannot imagine being able to manage it.

I'm now pregnant and shattered (28 weeks)

I also have a toddler who is like a chimpanzee if she's not supervised.

I've barely left the house at all year but really need some fresh air and exercise so the school run is providing that at least.

Soz

Because this time round everyone's a keyworker.

First lockdown I was furloughed and DH a key worker who cant work from home. I was bought back into work in June to do a different role which is a key worker role which also cant be done from home. 10 year old going to school. 13 year old staying at home.

I didn't have to be in school last time. I do now...

No disrespect but you will be alot more shattered if one of your 4 brings Covid home.

First lockdown gave my teen MH issues. So he's now classed as vulnerable and rightly so

In our case, our schools are encouraging those to come in that need to be there. Those that won’t progress at home or are vulnerable, in particular. First time round, it seemed like a temporary one off closure. Now certain children have really fallen behind and really do need to be in. It is not just about parents’ work/childcare/long list of keyworkers.

DHs work closed last time, so he could look after them. This time it hasn't. I can send them in due to being a keyworker (social worker).

The school are ok numbers wise but if they struggle I'll take them out and try and manage.

I didn't send during 1st lockdown but did send eligible child back in June.

I am not sending now because rates are too high & everyone & their granny sending children to school ain't going to help rates come down. Lots of bubbles will pop and lots of proper critical workers are going to be impacted.

My children won't always be taught in the normal school time, and lots will be done in the evening at weekends. It will be shit for us & shit for them. But really what is the alternative!

I could get them in school but it's not what I should be doing because I am at home & can see to their basics needs.

DD2 (13, ASD) didn't cope with online learning in the first lockdown. She was a quivering wreck, yelling and screaming, unable to speak during live lessons, and her brain completely shut down (couldn't answer '1+3=?'). So this time, I asked for her to have a place at school.

DD1 & DD3 are both at home.

I think people have decided it's just too difficult this time round, so they cba

The Head said no when I asked in the first lockdown, he didn't agree that both me and DH were Keyworkers. We managed through me WFH until DH came home from work then I went into the office for a few hours (can't do all of my job at home). DH was having a conversation with the head towards to end of the last lockdown (he's a school governor) and the Head said we could have sent the kids in! I am a cirital worker as is DH, I asked for 1 day this time and was given a place.

Problem is its difficult for everyone. Small children at home are very time consuming. Teenagers are lazy, hard to motivate to do school work. Struggle without their friends - we could all say this! But we need to to keep numbers down in school. My class is nearly all in. I work all day supervising other peoples children then have to go home and help/chase up mine four children. Oh and we've already had two bubbles burst in the first week.

It won’t last OP. The list of workers eligible for a school place will be soon modified.

My kids went in last time 2 days a week- we were both critical workers (then and now) although I can wfh most days. This time the school have said all or nothing so they are in 5 days even though we only need 2. If nursery closes as well my husband will probably have to give up work (his role is more critical so to speak, but I earn more) and then we will obviously have the kids at home. Neither employer will be keen to give us time off this time.

I didnt send my vulnerable son during the first lockdown because covid was very much an unknown and I didnt know how much risk there was with his asthma.

This time round hos consultant has said that he is possibly at lower risk now than he has ever been in his life as people are keeping their snotty children at home.

I also have experience at trying to teach him at home at the same time as teaching his younger NT brother. It doesn't work, home is the safe place where he doesn't have to do school work. At home I literally have to spend the whole day trying to get him to write one sentence. He lost even more ground compared to his cohort and I had no time to help his little brother.

I think there is simply less trust that the schools will open again quickly when the Government ask them to. We all saw what happened in May last year and we’re less prepared to risk the same thing happening again.

1st lockdown I was furloughed as we were only able to provide eye care in emergency situation. This time I'm not furloughed. We need to keep working at the moment as eye health needs to be taken care of. 1st time we thought it was going to be 3 months, but we are coming up to a year and people need to be looked after, we still have a huge backlog. We now have PPE which we didn't initially.
I would normally work 2 longer days but school are only doing after school club until 4.15 so I've managed to change my hours to 3 school length days.
Its my understanding that my daughters will have use of an ipad and complete the work at school as they would at home.