26 out of 30 children in my daughter's primary 2 class are in as keyworker/vulnerable children. In their normal class, with their normal teacher, getting taught lessons. My dd is ridiculously struggling. She is miserable, angry, frustrated. She's hardly eating, wetting the bed. Please don't tell me to get a grip.
Either get stricter on the keyworker policy and close the schools properly (like the first lockdown), or else open them to all children. This ridiculous half-lockdown will drag on for ages unnecessarily, while the children who are off suffer miserably, and the gap between the education of those in school, and those out of school widens.
I appreciate this isn't an issue across the board at all schools, but I'm perfectly entitled to feel angry at the hand I've been dealt. My daughter is only 1 of 4 in her class that aren't in (the school as a whole has 70% of students still in). Previous to lockdown, not a single one of the school's bubbles had burst and they were managing very well, but yet it had to close it doors because other schools weren't. Dont tell me to "get a grip."
I understand that some children may be coping well with homeschooling, some even thriving, but mine isn't. I also understand that some parents want them to stay closed due to having children/family members/teaching staff who are EV/CEV but my child isn't.
I don't think there is an easy solution, or a fair one for that matter. But I'm sick of people who are coping at home, or who need to be at home, telling those who are suffering at home "to get a grip." Equally when the schools were open, I don't think it was fair for parents who could cope with the risk of them open to tell the parents of those who were worried to "just take your kids out of school then" or "keep the vulnerable shielded and let the rest of us get on with our live." That is equally very selfish.
It's not a black and white issue, it's a grey one of various shades. Keeping the schools closed is unfair and selfish to the children who otherwise are fine and aren't at risk at school, but are now suffering, are miserable and missing out on their education and social life. Keeping them open as they were is ridiculously unfair and selfish to the children who are at risk, or have family members at risk, and teaching staff etc.
I personally want them open, because that is what is best for me and my children. But I'm very aware that my personal circumstances are not the same as everyone else's. There is no right answer when it comes to open/shut. But the government needs to do better to find a balance. And the concerns of those who are homeschooling miserable children has to stop being minimised. There's another thread on the go of parents sharing their experiences of how their children ARE suffering being home.