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.

First lockdown neither my husband or myself were working full duties at work so could survive work, home schooling and no sleep, it was also supposed to be short term, which made it easier to bear. Home schooling was a slog, my kids fell even further behind than they already were and ended up going in Part time after the May ‘half term’. This time we’re both working full, normal duties. My kids school has agreed that they will benefit from the places at school we are entitled to use as both key workers and the parents of vulnerable children (adopted children). Again,if it was short term then we’d try to slog it out again, but having been very close to a breakdown last time I chose to put my mental health, and my children first and take up the places we are entitled to.

First lockdown we had a very understanding employer.

This time around all key workers who work for our company are expected to take up school places. There is no more leniency or flexibility. Furlough requests are refused. We wfh but cannot keep our children safe at the same time because of the demands of our roles which contribute to increase and often involve conversations that young children should not be around.

My child did not have a EHCP and now does

My dc are in school as due to numbers of children in my school I cannot do any wfh and must be onsite as usual for my job. Previously I could manage to wfh.

As I am not at home die to significant mental health / anxiety issues older dc shal not be home alone, therefore you der dc can't stay home alone. Its all a big cluster fuck tbh and I'm feeling like I will buckle at any moment

My son is severely autistic. In the first lockdown his school only offered ‘respite’ which was a mix of youngsters from different years and no guaranteed consistency of staff. There is no way he would have coped with or benefitted from this so we kept him at home. He coped very well for the first few months but by the summer had become very anxious and controlling and we were on our knees. This time he is in a classroom he knows with a very few peers and his usual staff, three days a week starting Monday. We are being very very careful about infection risk from our end and staff and those children who can administer their own tests, are being tested regularly. On balance, we feel the benefit to us all of him being there outweighs the risk.

Lack of imagination, OP? It's quite simple to understand from just reading MN.
Many people struggled during first lock down juggling wfh and home school. Employer wanting workers to come in, rather than letting them wfh unlike first lockdown.
People don't think covid is real. Or not afraid of it like used to. All the mixture of it, I assume.

If I could, I would have one for my teenager who is having panic attacks, not sleeping, constantly anxious and feels like something awful is going to happen but can't say what.
They are devastated that there's the potential for no face to face contact until mid Feb.

Instead they have an appointment with the gp, hoping for a referral to someone to talk with and hoping that they don't jump straight to medication for something that is situational.

If they change things so that DS can’t go to school and DH has to do the home school thing on my work days, I also won’t be able to do my volunteer role as a Covid vaccinator. I have to go to work but I don’t have to do that. I want to but DS comes first.

They got on with things very matter of factly in first lockdown despite all the horrible uncertainty over GCSEs. This latest thing has just been too much.

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

That’s the bit I’ve never understood of the teachers argument @Wakeupin2022 (and I think teachers are doing a great job, like so many others)

The point they raise about not being able to teach and homeschool at the same time. Of course they can’t.... but others can’t work and homeschool at the same time either!

I had to reduce my hours last time and share childcare with a friend, I lost a lot of money and am currently in rent arrears.
Also the spaces for taking up by vulnerable children and nhs staff.

I got in first this time as I can’t afford to reduce my hours again so dd is in school 3 days a week.
I’m a community carer.

Lots of teachers, myself included, are having to teach and homeschool. My DCs school will only allow them in when I physically have to be in my school (which I do 3 days a week to be there for key worker children).

I only sent mine 2 days last time because I used teenage daughter to help with childcare but this time her school insist she logs on at correct time and can't miss it. So maybe others have the same problem.

Last time covid in our area was very low so me and DH could juggle our way through. Both HCPs... covid now rife.... having to work extra shifts to cover colleague sickness and meet demand.

I'm a teacher. First lockdown I didn't have to teach live lessons, so I was able to work early mornings and evenings, and supervise/home school 6yo dd during the day while dp working. Now I am online doing live lessons all day so dd is going to school.

I know I'm very lucky as if I was in meetings all day in a non- key worker role I'd just have to suck it up and leave dd in front of the TV all day (dp not a key worker but also in meetings all day).

We didn't send ours initially last time as we could both wfh for a lot of our working hours and our childminder was able to help at points too0(were both keyworkers). I got redeployed into clinical work though and had to do shifts and so ours needed to go back so I could get enough sleep during the day for eg and then there were no spaces for them because we hadn't applied at the start. The school juggled things and got them spaces after a while but the stress of trying to do my bit in a clinical role, shift work and care for the dc while dh kept working too was utterly destroying.

This time, we know we cannot possibly manage again. I'm on more hours and work out of the house from early to late, the children are anxious about being back in lockdown and require input and stimulation, and I'm so worried that school places will go if we don't take them up from the start. Whilst dh can still work from home, it is highly likely I will be asked to take on even more unsocial hours and I can't sleep with 3 dc careering around the place.

The guilt is huge in every direction.

I know I'm very lucky as if I was in meetings all day in a non- key worker role I'd just have to suck it up and leave dd in front of the TV all day (dp not a key worker but also in meetings all day).

2 Key worker family here although I am working from home.

This is exactly what I am doing because teachers have said for months that the school environment is incredibly unsafe.

I am keeping my kids away from school to keep teachers and the wider community safe, even though we are not vulnerable..........