Anti-lockdowners pretending to care about kids again

[noblegiraffe]

So it's all over the news about how nearly 400,000 kids are having to isolate because of covid cases in schools. Complaints about how disruptive to education it is and to the mental health of the children involved. This disruptive isolation must end as soon as possible.

Contrast to last November when nearly a million kids were self-isolating in a week. Do you remember the headlines, discussions and outrage about that?

No, of course you don't. Because back then, the solution to so many kids isolating was to put more mitigation measures in schools and attempt to stop so many kids catching it.

Now they can argue that it doesn't matter if all kids catch it, they're all over the 'terrible' isolation figures which are less than half of those last year.

I'm SO done with people only caring about kids and education when they think that they can use them for their own benefit.

If these loud voices could be used to talk about things like the cuts to pupil premium, the pitiful covid catch-up funding, the critical shortage of teachers, the unsafe state of schools, the massive waiting lists for CAMHS and SEN services, then maybe I'd believe them when they claim to care about children.

@AfternoonToffee

I'm actually not stupid, believe it or not, and I have never really understood what noble expects from posters on Mumsnet.

My feeling always was that she wanted parents to pull their children out of schools so they closed due to parent pressure rather than teacher / union pressure. The mitigations that were talked about were never going to happen, so the only thing left was to close schools.

nah

I think she actually wants people to understand that it is possible for things to be better in schools, if the government organised things better, and to talk about what that would look like. In a spreading information and constructive discussion manner.

@Delatron

There’s such a disproportionate fear of Covid for children (and themselves) on here. A school isn’t ‘unsafe’ if a child gets a virus that will most likely be mild for them.

You have to accept this and move on now. Schools closed to protect the wider community and mainly the vulnerable. We have effective vaccines and 87% of the adult population have antibodies.

Schools need to drop all these ‘mitigations’ now.

100%

She wants us to understand things can be better and for us all to get campaigning about the shit show that is English schools. She wants us to show some “can do attitude” (as noted up the thread) when some of us are just trying to get through the day!

And absolutely not always in a constructive way. Anyone who doesn’t agree is labelled in a multitude of ways ranging from showing a basic lack of comprehension/lack of critical thinking skills to being accused of belonging to nutty anti vax groups etc etc.

@Chillychangchoo yes let’s hope so!

@Delatron

Well we will wait and see. Some of the current mitigations/restrictions are ridiculous. My year one child has never brought a reading book home from school because of the risk of cross contamination. Just seems bonkers considering he sometimes takes a lunch box into school if he doesn’t like the menu choice that day. I bought a lot of books for him to read with me at home but some of them are too easy/ too hard. I miss having the continuity of the colour coded reading books you first get.

He brought a multi packet of individually wrapped haribos into school last week for his birthday, and I shit you not a teacher literally legged it after him in a hysterical fashion and took them away. I mean it’s just so incredibly over the top and not to mention pointless.

I hope to god common sense will prevail more in September.

Forgot to mention re: the lack of reading books. My son is lucky I bought some books to read at home but the school is in a very poor area. A lot of the parents wouldn’t have bought books and maybe they wouldn’t have read to their children anyway even with a school book, but to have the option taken away is detrimental to some children no doubt.

I could think of other restrictions that in my opinion have been utterly pointless.

You can talk argue about whatever you want on MN till the cows come home it isn't going to effect anything IRL

@Wellbythebloodyhell

I agree but I like to talk! Not been at work this week 🤣

[quote Chillychangchoo]@Wellbythebloodyhell

I agree but I like to talk! Not been at work this week 🤣[/quote]
It was more aimed at others comments that noble just wants to open up conversations about what could be better I schools etc, which is all well and good, but IRL it means nothing at all what random MN opinions are

no one thinks we are deciding the law on here, do they?

But you can discuss ideas.

And people like to talk.

It’s not a discussion of ideas, though. It’s an insistence that you have to follow one very particular set of views or you are stupid and probably paid to post here. That isn’t a discussion.

Re reading books, it depends on the age of the child a bit what they want to read, of course, but we found online libraries like Project Gutenberg useful, also local libraries were making ebooks available.

@cornflowersandpoppies

Got it in one. It’s really quite bizarre.

@herecomesthsun

I’ve been able to source appropriate reading material for him, however I don’t think it was a useful restriction, particularly with the demographic of the school. Some of these parents and children really could have done with a reading book and diary that you sign for continuity.

@cornflowersandpoppies

It’s not a discussion of ideas, though. It’s an insistence that you have to follow one very particular set of views or you are stupid and probably paid to post here. That isn’t a discussion.

I've seen a lot of discussion on here. The data thread, for example.

It's interesting looking at the arguments for and against and seeing what evidence there is either way.

I found out today on another thread that I could probably enter the booster trial Having said that, some of the boosters they offer look a bit experimental. You don't get a choice. So I'm thinking about that one. but it's useful information.

There are also people who would come on and post "Schools Must Not Close" and not much else (when schools were in fact on the verge of closing). Interesting, they were. I think those were the posts where it looked like the poster was part of some sort of group or campaign.

[quote Chillychangchoo]@Delatron

Well we will wait and see. Some of the current mitigations/restrictions are ridiculous. My year one child has never brought a reading book home from school because of the risk of cross contamination. Just seems bonkers considering he sometimes takes a lunch box into school if he doesn’t like the menu choice that day. I bought a lot of books for him to read with me at home but some of them are too easy/ too hard. I miss having the continuity of the colour coded reading books you first get.

He brought a multi packet of individually wrapped haribos into school last week for his birthday, and I shit you not a teacher literally legged it after him in a hysterical fashion and took them away. I mean it’s just so incredibly over the top and not to mention pointless.

I hope to god common sense will prevail more in September.[/quote]
My Year 1 child has been going home with a reading book weekly since before Christmas (give them back Friday, the books ‘quarantine’ all weekend then new book Monday) so I am every so sorry that has not been your experience. I can definitely see why you are angry about that.

[quote herecomesthsun]@beyondstresssedandmore

Thanks that's very helpful. My DC has conditions mentioned in those lists that have changed status over the past year; it is quite difficult to find information about why that is.[/quote]
Yes, it's a changing picture and very nerve-wracking.

Regardless, it seems clear that permitting the virus to spread thus increasing the chances of mutations is not a good move from a public health pov.

@ChloeDecker

Yes the school is very extra. I know all schools have to follow the rules and the guidance set but honestly….it’s just a bit too much. For a whole year now the school newsletter has simply just been a covid update. It would also be quite nice to read about the learning topics the children have been participating in, but it’s all covid, covid, covid and I’m 99 percent sure no one even bothers to open the email anymore.

Do other schools have normal newsletters with news on that is not related to covid?

@cornflowersandpoppies

It’s not a discussion of ideas, though. It’s an insistence that you have to follow one very particular set of views or you are stupid and probably paid to post here. That isn’t a discussion.

Perfectly summarised

[quote Chillychangchoo]@ChloeDecker

Yes the school is very extra. I know all schools have to follow the rules and the guidance set but honestly….it’s just a bit too much. For a whole year now the school newsletter has simply just been a covid update. It would also be quite nice to read about the learning topics the children have been participating in, but it’s all covid, covid, covid and I’m 99 percent sure no one even bothers to open the email anymore.

Do other schools have normal newsletters with news on that is not related to covid?[/quote]
both ours do

though covid is a big topic of discussion

we also have a number of clubs and outside activities in the primary school and village but we are very rural and rates are relatively low here

I think my younger child's experience of school in the summer term has been fairly close to "normal" with music lessons etc. She can't play with children from other years at break and isn't going swimming, that's mainly it. They have had the school library up and running again for some time.

Back in September I posted about how pleased I was with the primary school and how they had already changed things that showed not to be working.

I still got accussed of teacher bashing. (Something about how I must be implying that every school should be doing the same.)

[quote Chillychangchoo]@ChloeDecker

Yes the school is very extra. I know all schools have to follow the rules and the guidance set but honestly….it’s just a bit too much. For a whole year now the school newsletter has simply just been a covid update. It would also be quite nice to read about the learning topics the children have been participating in, but it’s all covid, covid, covid and I’m 99 percent sure no one even bothers to open the email anymore.

Do other schools have normal newsletters with news on that is not related to covid?[/quote]
Yep, my kid goes to a Greenwich school (one of the Greenwich ‘scandal’ pre Christmas and they were hit hard then and I was having to self isolate with my kid for just over a month in total during that time) and they have a normal newsletter every half term but also an app that says what they have done that day, with photos etc.
They currently have all of year 2 self isolating though due to 4 positive cases.

@herecomesthsun

It should be a big topic of discussion but not to discuss anything else at all on a newsletter is a shame.

All school clubs non existent here, nothing has changed since September. I have half an hour between pick ups, which is better than some parents who have to wait 45 minutes. My year 6 comes out at 2:30pm. His start time was the same as before covid so we felt a little short changed with that. Ive always thought that was unreasonable. The area is high crime and not pleasant to hang about in for so long.

My year 6 has had his residential cancelled (fair enough) no other fun day or trip arranged. No party/disco etc. I have a feeling staff morale is rock bottom in the school (couple of things my year six has said). It most probably is.

Well aware I sound like all I am doing is moaning about the school but honestly pre covid it was just lovely. It’s always been no frills to a certain extent but that suited me because I know a lot of schools look “fab” on the surface but I never did judge that book by its cover. I judged it on how happy my children were (and they absolutely were).

Waffling now but honestly I think covid has ripped the soul out of the school and it’s a shame. I guess other schools are different though so we will all have different experiences.

We’ve been so lucky with the kids primary. They’ve tried so hard to keep things normal for the kids. We get a book on a Friday and return on Monday or Friday for Y2 child and get one Monday to Friday for Reception child. Newsletter is minimally covid related & kids are continuing to do lots of arts/crafts (they do have a platinum arts mark), beach school & have had various “virtual” visitors. They’ve even been on a local school trip to some nearby gardens recently.

Well aware I sound like all I am doing is moaning about the school

Sounds like it is perfectly understandable that you are angry. Even the residential at my kid’s school still went ahead, so it must be hard to hear when yours hasn’t. The problem is that every school is different (different funding, buildings, staffing, children etc) which is why every school tried to fit as best they can within the guidance.

I can also see why this causes many people to be wanting all guidance to be dropped asap, even though, plenty of other schools are already operating in a way that is not as restrictive, so don’t have that viewpoint.
But this was a lot of the issue last November/December, when a lot of school staff and some parents were begging for measure/solutions before having to do the last resort and close schools. Cries of ‘but my school has never had a case, so we are fine’ drowned all that out and then ‘boom’.