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.

It's astounding that parents have been complicit in allowing this situation develop for their children

Always strikes me that it is the selfishness of the parents that comes out - they are always worried about themselves rather than their children (i.e. their own health when it comes to coronavirus)

I agree with you wholeheartedly OP. I’ve been banging on about our appalling, borderline abusive, treatment of children since last April and have often felt like I’ve been shouting into the void, especially on MN where the disdain for children and young parents is often only too clear.

These arguments have been done to death now, and I’ve long since concluded that for a scarily large proportion of society children’s needs and futures will always come a distant second to short term adult self-interest, so I’ll just say that I agree with @hamstersarse that there is clearly a lot of thinly veiled self-preservation motivating some posters’ (and indeed some influential public figures’) calls for the ongoing measures that are damaging our children.

@Faffinator, are they asking parents not to contact? Then that is sad but understandable. Do they told children not to as well? Just wondered that sort of thing should come from children, and if it did, and if the school totally ignored it, then the school isn't really a good school. Though current situation of the school may be a big factor, if the school is riddled with cases, then blatant ban of events is quite reasonable.

@DolphinFC

Fetes being cancelled is a God send for everybody.

Very true. Sports days too. There are parents silently cheering all over the country

Millions of adults are working incredibly hard to keep life as normal and full as possible for millions of children. Nobody wants children to miserable. Nearly everyone is doing their best.

Rules are tighter in Scotland and Wales, I know but, in my experience, English schools are not cancelling these events. They are altering them in a way that fits their school. Many don't even need to alter them. We don't. We never expected June 21st lifting to happen so everything was planned on the capacity limits in step 3.

We have:
Sports Day - divided into 4 age ranges at different times/days and only parents and siblings allowed, no extended family.

School Productions and Concerts - only 2 tickets per family, 50% capacity in the theatre, masks.

Speech Day/Prize giving - leaving year group and their parents only. Virtual for everyone else.

Transition - outside talks and activities. No parents.

Rules are tighter in Scotland and Wales, I know but, in my experience, English schools are not cancelling these events

Former teacher, lots of current teachers and former colleagues among family and friends - summer events (sports’ days, residentials, drama productions, transition days, proms) largely cancelled across the board locally. Outer London borough.

I also have 4 close friends living outside London whose DC are due to start Reception this September - all transition days/settling in socials cancelled or moved to Zoom.

So clearly extremely variable to say the least.

@roguetomato yes they've asked for no contact at all, parents and kids. I agree it really isn't a good school at present, it's covid and absolutely nothing else.

They had dozens of covid cases in October and November, which I admit was a acary time, but none since reopening in March.

Temps yes absolutely. I still notice a difference between mn and rl, not sure if that’s even any help however

@blameitonthecaffeine all events are cancelled in our secondary and neighbouring primary. This is down to the LA i believe. So yes clearly very variable.

@MarshaBradyo Agreed; all of my friends (and former teacher colleagues) irl are becoming increasingly distressed and angry but it’s impotent anger and no one has any idea how to channel it.

Completed agree and Im so fed up of it.

DC16, missed half if Yr 10 last year (no work online between March 2020 & Sept 2020).

No open evenings for colleges- could only watch short clips on youtube put on by colleges to describe courses and life at college - had to apply based on these only.

No practical for sports course in school, no trip to cover outdoor sport curriculum

No work experience- had to watch YouTube videos on how to do a cv etc.

Year group divided into 2 different bubbles due to size which meant all classes & teachers changed between year 10 & 11 (but all still allowed to freely mix at lunchtimes etc so very pointless).

To keep movement to a minimum within school most lessons were 2hr 30 mins long (one day had 2 hr 30 maths followed by 2 hr 30 English- utter shit).

Had 3 weeks notice of teacher assessed exams after Easter- up until then was told that it was e extremely unlikely to have to sit any exams this year

No leavers celebrations as social distancing means can't do it with whole year group

And now they've cancelled taster days as college.

It's just so fucking shit for those in year 10 & 11 now and I genuinely don't give a fuck about the covid stats anymore. Let those who want to return to normal again do so (many of my friends are teachers who share this viewpoint) and everyone else can stay at home.

I'm just so completely bored by this whole thing and the awful way it's been handled. People are going to die of covid fot the rest of time like they die of heart disease etc but that can't stop us living life anymore.

'Let those who want to return to normal again do so (many of my friends are teachers who share this viewpoint) and everyone else can stay at home. I'm just so completely bored by this whole thing'

You're 'bored' of it. Yes it has been so dreadfully boring hasn't it 🙄.

Thing is many people last year did stay at home, have you heard of shielding? Yet still hospitalisations soared.

Obviously now we have vaccines but for the trillionth time they need actual data to prove hospitalisations aren't rising as cases are now 9k a day. It's looking positive so far but why on earth can't you see that they can't rush the final stage!?

"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."

Disgusting behaviour by SALT. You can't blame covid for this. One had to question the logic of this. Talk about delaying, and increasing unnecessary admin!

@ineedaholidaynow

Children coped years ago before these events were a thing. Now they are made to be a huge thing. If there wasn't such a hype about them (usually by the adults) and they didn't happen many children would just get on with it and not mind that they are not happening.

But they are a thing and have been for years. My Daughter has seen leavers events and fun days happening since yr. she watched year after year leavers assemblies and lots of lovely memories / messages/ school trip/ performance to parents and school (singing and stage is her favourite) During y5 and the first half of Y6 they were told repeatedly by teachers to work really hard now and then after May they get to have lots of fun. She was told of all the fun activities planned. Lots of meetings with her new school, a day to spend there with lunch, things to help with her apprehension into secondary school. She was almost there and then March 2020 happened and the whole lot was gone. 6 years of waiting. That a hard thing for an adult to swollow let alone a 10 year old. You can’t get these things back and what May seem small to one person is huge to another. It’s not as if this year has been better- her first year in secondary school with no meetings or transition, all the fun stripped out- no practical music, no dance, no food tec, no science practicals very dry form room based lessons, no choir or assemblies, no y7 trip that was planned.

@cantkeepawayforever at the start we lost therapist and it has been a rocky time getting treatment in place but we are now back on weekly face to face sessions which is better than ore pandemic. Took alot of effort to get this in place. I hope you get the support you need.
Meanwhile dd3 on diagnosis pathway and looking at a 10 month wait but again not much worse than pre pandemic

Totally agree, OP.

@RolloTomassi

Totally agree, OP.

This is the one and only post by the OP - who hasn't been back since posting.

Wind up than sit back and watch!

Children coped years ago with bouts of quarantine for a variety of childhood ailments that they had or someone else had. They didn't live with it, they stayed at home for the recommended number of days or sometimes towns stayed inside for a whole summer in the event of a polio outbreak, and there were still deaths. This vaccine era where our lives are unaffected by pathogens, not by sickness, quarantine, fear or death, is not the norm. It has been great but we have no right to it and we survived before it.

@deathbypostitnote

Children coped years ago with bouts of quarantine for a variety of childhood ailments that they had or someone else had. They didn't live with it, they stayed at home for the recommended number of days or sometimes towns stayed inside for a whole summer in the event of a polio outbreak, and there were still deaths. This vaccine era where our lives are unaffected by pathogens, not by sickness, quarantine, fear or death, is not the norm. It has been great but we have no right to it and we survived before it.

What misery people type.

Children coped years ago with bouts of quarantine for a variety of childhood ailments that they had or someone else had. They didn't live with it, they stayed at home for the recommended number of days or sometimes towns stayed inside for a whole summer in the event of a polio outbreak, and there were still deaths. This vaccine era where our lives are unaffected by pathogens, not by sickness, quarantine, fear or death, is not the norm. It has been great but we have no right to it and we survived before it.

Yes, children did that for serious illnesses which had the potential to kill and disable them.

What misery people type.

🤣🤣🤣

Until this virus, I had no idea of the perpetual misery, pessimism and anxiety that a lot of people exist in

Yeah! A kid that is dead from cholera or who is working alone up a chimney is no Covid risk to anyone!

@deathbypostitnote

Children coped years ago with bouts of quarantine for a variety of childhood ailments that they had or someone else had. They didn't live with it, they stayed at home for the recommended number of days or sometimes towns stayed inside for a whole summer in the event of a polio outbreak, and there were still deaths. This vaccine era where our lives are unaffected by pathogens, not by sickness, quarantine, fear or death, is not the norm. It has been great but we have no right to it and we survived before it.

It’s still crap though! You’re back to the ‘it’s not as bad as the war’!

I think it’s mostly been necessary, but that doesn’t mean it’s not totally totally shit.

I do feel really sorry for a lovely year 11 class I had 18/19. I’d had them for three years.

Their sixth form college experience has been ruined, really. Pretty shit.

@hamstersarse

What misery people type.

🤣🤣🤣

Until this virus, I had no idea of the perpetual misery, pessimism and anxiety that a lot of people exist in

Until this virus, I had no idea of the scale of scientific ignorance and utter consipracy theory drivel that existed in people's minds.

Those branded as pessimistic are probably just looking at the maths. It is easy to be optimistic when you don't engage with reality.

I have been surprised by how immature many people are. They are approaching this whole situation from the childlike position of 'I want this to be over'.

It feels like there is quite a discrepancy in schools. My daughter’s primary has done two school trips for her year and it feels quite normal other than keeping the year group bubbles separate. They have offered tours to prospective parents out of hours and made films to show the school during the admissions process. We’ve had a nativity that they filmed, there has been outside speakers in etc and I’m sure they’ll do something to mark year 6 leaving as they managed to do something last summer for the children.

These sorts of transitions and milestones are important for children and their families but some schools are managing to do more than others.