Is anyone considering keeping their child at home when schools go back?

[Chollok]

Just that really, considering keeping my reception aged DS at home after 8 March for a number of reasons. Wondered if anyone else was doing likewise?

No. My dc are like sponges and soak up what their teacher tells them. It's so much harder with online learning. They aren't getting that in class interaction that makes learning fun. We are reading a lot but we always did that outside of school anyway.

It's the social side that really worries me. So bad for them to be stuck at home not seeing friends.

School is much more physical and active than home.

So in short awful idea unless child is CEV.

So bad for them to be stuck at home not seeing friends.

My son would rather see his grandmother than his peers.

Whether that says something about him I don't know, but that's how he is. He's been in childcare since the age of 1 so has always interacted with kids his age but he just isn't interested, he can take them or leave them.

Yes, our youngest, Y13, will continue to wfh as he has since mid-Feb 2020. Dad is CEV, he himself has asthma. His provision is good and he’s working well.
We all feel that after keeping everyone healthy for this long, for the sake of a couple of months before we’re all hopefully vaccinated (I’m 56, no official underlying issues but I know I have undiagnosed arthritis, so who knows?) it’s just not worth putting the past year of caution at risk.

with no additional measures in place to make schools safer.

You mean like the millions of people being mass vaccinated??? What more do you expect them to do? Especially for primary age children who are largely very very very low risk

I never understand the point of these threads. If you want to homeschool crack on, it’s always been your right to do so.

What more do you expect them to do?

Masks for teachers and students, more money for ventilation and other safety measures, no fines for parents who choose to keep their kids home. I mean I can think of many.

I don't think it is helpful to pretend that only the "vulnerable" have anything to worry about here.

You mean like the millions of people being mass vaccinated??? What more do you expect them to do? Especially for primary age children who are largely very very very low risk

My CEV daughter has not been vaccinated (and won't be). If schools had measures in place - e.g. smaller classes, social distancing, ventilation, air filtration, masks - I would feel far more confident sending her and her 3 siblings back to school. But I recognise it's not about individual/family circumstances - so more important is the likelihood of transmission rates rapidly increasing, leading to greater risks from mutations, new variants (potentially damaging the progress we have made with the vaccination programme), more pressure on NHS and more people suffering from long covid. I'm not asking for schools to stay closed to all except KWV, I'm asking why it's taken 12 months for the government to do absolutely nothing to help schools except encouraging hand washing/opening a few windows where possible/keeping to bubbles of unspecified size (sometimes hundreds). And why us as parents have just accepted it.

@pinkpip100

You mean like the millions of people being mass vaccinated??? What more do you expect them to do? Especially for primary age children who are largely very very very low risk

My CEV daughter has not been vaccinated (and won't be). If schools had measures in place - e.g. smaller classes, social distancing, ventilation, air filtration, masks - I would feel far more confident sending her and her 3 siblings back to school. But I recognise it's not about individual/family circumstances - so more important is the likelihood of transmission rates rapidly increasing, leading to greater risks from mutations, new variants (potentially damaging the progress we have made with the vaccination programme), more pressure on NHS and more people suffering from long covid. I'm not asking for schools to stay closed to all except KWV, I'm asking why it's taken 12 months for the government to do absolutely nothing to help schools except encouraging hand washing/opening a few windows where possible/keeping to bubbles of unspecified size (sometimes hundreds). And why us as parents have just accepted it.

I agree. It would be a very different scenario though if it was affecting more children rather than just the vulnerable. Then people wouldn't accept it. It shouldn't be about personal risk but people have made it about personal risk and as long as it suits these people theres no consideration for anything else. Very frustrating for families like yours and mine, whereby there is just nothing at all in place to reduce the risk so at the very least siblings can attend safer, but while everyone else only thinks that it will be mild for their family it will remain unsafe for ours and it seems that absolutely no one in government even talks about this. If homeschooling isn't good enough for the rest of the children in the country why is it deemed good enough for our children.

Yes, mine will stay home until most adults are vaccinated.

@TheKeatingFive

I never understand the point of these threads. If you want to homeschool crack on, it’s always been your right to do so.

So do you think families with increased vulnerabilities should just be permanently cut adrift from school and lost their places? Nice.

I don’t see the point in being nasty just for the sake of being nasty.

Isn’t the whole point of every post to find like minded people, jog on if you can’t do empathy.

@itallworkedouthorribly

Yes, mine will stay home until most adults are vaccinated.

Snap x

@needadvice54321

Really you need to change your question OP as people are going to assume you mean you feel they're unsafe rather than you are thinking of actually taking them out to home school.

I think only you know your child best. Only you know if you can manage with all of the education and ensuring he has some opportunity to socialise with children his own age, if you can then go for it!

I agree OP needs to change her question, but to answer what she initially asked. I wish I could. My DD is in high school, she has always been behind because of her undiagnosed memory issues (suspected APD). It doesn’t help that her school just has tons of children with behavioural issues. Since working from home, she doesn’t have to travel 45 minutes each way. She is prepared and everyone even RE wants her to do their GCSEs because she’s performing so well. She’s able to focus more on her work and ultimately she prefers it. Annoyingly she is constantly on the phone to her friends after each class. She has managed to monitor herself rather than rely on school to do it for her. I’m extremely proud. Maybe she would have been focused this year anyway, we’ll never know. I’ve just seen a positive change. Only problem is PE as all she wants to do is dance and gave up tennis last year, which she can’t play now. It works for her and I’m afraid of it going back to minimal progress.

@TheKeatingFive

I never understand the point of these threads. If you want to homeschool crack on, it’s always been your right to do so.

Exactly. Keep your children at home if you are that nervous about them or yourself and let the rest of us/our kids crack on.

It's not being nasty - it's peculiarly dog in the mangerish to say schools shouldn't reopen because you don't want to send your children. Why should everyone miss out because you want to miss out?

You won't be fined (despite claims to the contrary on here) and it is also unlikely you will lose your school place. That said how long do you think you should be able to hog a school place you are not using?

it's peculiarly dog in the mangerish to say schools shouldn't reopen because you don't want to send your children

Er, where have I said that?

Sounds like your reasons are great. That’s fantastic that you’ve been able to provide such a positive environment for him to learn in. People and children are different and if you’ve noticed such a positive change then you could consider homeschooling. If you don’t mind doing it! Once you look into it properly, there’s support out there for homeschooling. I’d consider the long term plan though; for example how would you see his schooling progressing. I’d consider homeschooling for my child, but I’d worry that I’d reach my limits with maths and science, once my child reached yr 10. To put him into a normal school at that point might be very difficult so that would influence my decision... I’d look into homeschooling networks because I don’t think you’ll find much support here, but there are lots of benefits and ways to make it work.

@poppycat10
Most people aren't advocating for school closures though. What they do want is safer reopening of schools for all !

No, I'm not designed to be around the same people 24/7 with nothing else to do. Homeschooling was never entertained because I need time out from my kids and I make a rubbish teacher.

I'm finding each day harder and harder so I'm praying he can go back on the 8th, even part time would make a huge difference to me right now.

Yes. I’ve decided to keep my son at home until we see what’s happening with these new mutations.
His dad and I are teachers, so we’ve bought our own masks and will be wearing face shields as well. We will also make far more effort this term to keep our distance. We won’t circulate the class or come over to struggling learners. We’ll do everything from a distance. After three weeks, if cases aren’t appearing we will send our son back.

Lady1576 I definitely don't think I'd home school forever, maybe til he was 6 or 7 at the most.

@poppycat10 there’s a court case for one poor family shielding from covid next week. But I agree with sentiment, the idea of fines is 🤯

Why should medically vulnerable children just have to accept they can’t go to school why everyone else just cracks on though? What about the medically vulnerable children who would like to be in school? What about the people that are sick of locking down only to throw it all away.

We need to suppress properly while we vaccinate and then open up with a working track and trace.

Anything else is short sighted.

@DBML

Yes. I’ve decided to keep my son at home until we see what’s happening with these new mutations. His dad and I are teachers, so we’ve bought our own masks and will be wearing face shields as well. We will also make far more effort this term to keep our distance. We won’t circulate the class or come over to struggling learners. We’ll do everything from a distance. After three weeks, if cases aren’t appearing we will send our son back.

Sounds like a very sensible plan, good luck x

[quote gallbladderpain]@poppycat10
Most people aren't advocating for school closures though. What they do want is safer reopening of schools for all ![/quote]
Exactly!!! But everybody who wants safer schools should instead just lock themselves away apparently 🤨

@DBML

Yes. I’ve decided to keep my son at home until we see what’s happening with these new mutations. His dad and I are teachers, so we’ve bought our own masks and will be wearing face shields as well. We will also make far more effort this term to keep our distance. We won’t circulate the class or come over to struggling learners. We’ll do everything from a distance. After three weeks, if cases aren’t appearing we will send our son back.

How old is he? If he’s a teen will he be fine with it

*It's not being nasty - it's peculiarly dog in the mangerish to say schools shouldn't reopen because you don't want to send your children. Why should everyone miss out because you want to miss out?

You won't be fined (despite claims to the contrary on here) and it is also unlikely you will lose your school place. That said how long do you think you should be able to hog a school place you are not using?*

Isn't it equally 'dog in the mangerish' to say schools should open with no additional measures to make them safer just because you don't have anyone vulnerable to be worried about so don't think it will be a big deal if anyone in your family catches it?

The vast majority of those on here who aren't happy about all schools opening fully on 8th March are asking for more mitigations and for more choice - not for schools to stay closed.

I never said schools shouldn't open anyway so I don't know what that poster was on about.