Shameful treatment of children

[CottageGardener]

Taster days cancelled, work experience cancelled, sports days cancelled, exams cancelled, fetes cancelled, extra curriculum activities cancelled, end of year school assembly cancelled, transition day cancelled, trips cancelled, proms cancelled, the list goes on....

For a virus that 80% of the population now have antibodies for. The kids will never have a chance to do some of these things again. SHAMEFUL.

'There is a vaccine and yes some people may still die but I’m not sure people realise 1600 people die every day...we cannot prevent death!! I’m so angry today honestly I’m done!!'

Well we can prevent extra deaths when the cause is an infectious disease .

'My children have been stoic'

Ours have too. We've led by example though, they're all out having fun and aren't losing any sleep over a missed prom or trip.

I think last year a lot of people were really worried that it would affect children more severely or that their loved ones would be very ill or die.
Now it’s different and I totally agree that children have suffered long enough. We need to get back to normal for their well being.
FWIW I realised that DS who is an only was really struggling in first lockdown so arranged meet ups outside as soon as I could. We did as many UK days out and holidays as we could fit in last summer!
He went in under key workers in the winter and we are now planning as much fun as we can! He and I have now had Covid and all the family are vaccinated.
Definitely time to live again.

A lot of this is adults putting themselves first, Hamster got it. Just dressed up as we are dealing with it in a superior way.

I remember my first day at secondary school. Turning up to a huge place that I’d never even visited before with 2000 other students. It was terrifying. Forgive me for wanting something a bit gentler for my child. I’ll remember how selfish I am next time I watch 25 thousand people sat in Wembley.

Totally agree with you OP although many don't. I got shot down on our school facebook for even suggesting that some kids might be disappointed about the cancelled prom. It is a very common mindset to minimise the feelings and experiences of young people.

I’d rather mine had an economy left, health care and their family around them than a sports day, assembly or trips.
It’s not all on schools to provide teh extras for children. Parents can do trips, sports, outside clubs with them etc.

'It’s not all on schools to provide teh extras for children. Parents can do trips, sports, outside clubs with them etc.'

Exactly.

End of year assembly! Sports day! Wont someone think of the children!

JaniieJones Are you actually for real? We can’t save everyone most of these people are suffering from other terminal illnesses a cold would push them! Thousands die every year from flu even though we have a flu jab we just don’t lock down because of it we except it in fact we don’t really think about it because we don’t get daily figures every day! There is a vaccine the vulnerable have been offered it we need to get back to life and that means life as normal not this rubbish we are doing now!

It IS shameful that the government has STILL not taken the measures that would make schools Covid-safe enough to stop large numbers of children isolating for each case, and thus missing out on repeated weeks of in-person schooling.

Failed distribution of free laptops and data for online schooling - THAT is shameful too.

Total failure of other services for children - CAMHS, Social services, SaLT, Ed Psychs etc - to resume in-person services even though schools have re-opened, this leaving schools to shoulder more of the burden in terms of mental healthcare, family support and SEN support - that's shameful too.

Failure of the government and exam boards to plan adequately for the summer's exam series for A-levels and GCSEs, taking money from schools while also expecting the teachers in every school to do the exam boards' work for them - absolutely shameful, too.

Not providing budgets for increased cleaning, sanitising, and other Covid-safety provisions in school - shameful.

Rules that proms, alongside all other social events of the same size, are not allowed - that's not shameful, though obviously disappointing. Schools locally have done well with alternative events - daytime outside BBQs in school time and with school staff, under normal school Covid rules, for example. All other events, IME, are either going ahead but without parents as spectators, or are being filmed and broadcast instead.

My DDs friend will be dealing with Fathers Day with no father on Sunday. 52, ran marathons and died of covid. He was a teacher.
So sorry kids if things have been a bit tough, but hopefully your parents are still alive for you to moan at.

Yes it’s sad people have died especially the cases where they was young and healthy but it’s like everyone is not even considering the fact we have a vaccine! Last year we didn’t yet nothing has changed in fact things seem worse! Why have millions and millions of us had the vaccine and yet kids are still being treated this way? I have 2 healthy children home from school once again isolating when there is nothing wrong with them it is wrong!

Well, at least some children, some parents, some grand parents are not dying, isn't that a good thing?
What is a good solution, op? To keep the virus under control, and keep protecting people? Or those who dies or get really ill doesn't worth saving?

Not sure why some of these things can't take place. Dds secondary school is definitely having leeavers assembles. She is still doing a watered down NCS too.

Once all adults are double vaccinated we should be in the clear. But we are not there yet. Many school staff not had one vaccine and most not had 2 (apparently we didn't need to be a priority profession).
Yes it's horrible but COVID is not going away just because we are fed up. 9,000+ cases today. Hospital admissions rising (especially amongst school staff) and long covid in kids is more common that is being reported. It's v sad to see healthy kids now asthmatic or diabetic or lactose intolerant due to covid.

Primary school dd also doing loads of extra curricular clubs both in and out of school and Spirts Dsy happening minus parents.

Name changed for this.

In the past 5 weeks 2 of our pupils have lost a parent to covid. They will not count on figures as they had been past 28 day as younger people are now lasting longer in hospital/ICU. Both parents tested positive after their children had. 1 parent had 1 vaccine, 1 was not old enough until after they had caught it.

This brings our total to 6 parents lost.

Children have lost a lot more than proms and transition days. I am struggling so much to understand the upset here.

CAMHS face to face now too.

Agree with a lot of this! One point though my daughter is really pleased that there won't be a massive crowd of people watching her at sports day and I don't blame her 😂

I also think that most events have not been cancelled, but they are happening in a different form e.g. without parents, or in single year groups.

It's worth remembering that this is often to preserve the core purpose of school - education. As schools are not Covid secure AND have to do their own contact tracing, they are understandably reluctant to e.g. mix all year groups in a school orchestra or team or assembly in an enclosed area without social distancing, as a case within that event could have a very significant impact on the education of many year groups.

@Backofbeyond50

CAMHS face to face now too.

We have almost nothing face to face. Many services - e.g. SaLT - discharged every singe child at the start of the pandemic, and have required every one to be re-referred, often onto a huge waiting list, for online sessions.

@Faffinator

Totally agree with you OP although many don't. I got shot down on our school facebook for even suggesting that some kids might be disappointed about the cancelled prom. It is a very common mindset to minimise the feelings and experiences of young people.

I just wondered, do the children actually try to come up with some alternatives and suggested to school? If they really want it, then isn't it a good initiative to come up with ideas and try to convince the school to do something about it? It maybe not the same, but something maybe possible under the restrictions. If they want prom, they must be old enough to think for themselves? If my dc was complaining about missed opportunity, that's the first thing I would suggest to them.

Fetes being cancelled is a God send for everybody.

We really need people to have had 2 vaccines before we can carry on as normal in school. Every positive case we have had in the teaching staff
since April have had a vaccine and half of them have been ill and off for at least 3-4 weeks. We can't keep up with the staffing issues due to isolating and being signed off. Risking even more spread with events like this just makes no sense.

I'm personally devastated that I can't celebrate with some students I've had for over 5 years but at this point we can't risk them in the building more than necessary and can't find any venue that would allow a prom. We are hoping for something after results day outside at the moment; we need a break in transmission in schools again before we can gather them.

@roguetomato am delighted you suggested that so that I can tell you that our prom cancellation letter specifically states 'do not contact the school to appeal this decision or to suggest alternatives.'

I think that some heads have disappeared so far into the covid fear that they've lost sight of the kids altogether.