I'm so angry right now.

[User3billion]

I'm really angry and upset over the hugely disproportionate number of children being told to isolate.

It's completely ruining their mental health and for what?

I fully expect a whole bunch of catastrophises to come along and tell me how terrible it is and "long covid" but the actual data does not support that narrative and definitely does not show isolation to be in any way effective at preventing spread of the virus.

@MarshaBradyo I dont know. After years of issues we finally got Tutors for dd2.
Although even if it is there is still the issue of arranging and paying a centre to sit exams.

It is a very complex issue. Until you experience it with your child it is impossible to know the stress many families face with threats of fines and court proceedings etc. My child has missed probably the equivalent of way more than 3 years education throughout Secondary School alone.
It does make me a little sensitive when people say their year 1 or 2 childs education is ruined due to Lockdown 1 and 3.
Yes people have said that to me when they know how little Secondary Education my dd has been to access.

[quote Backofbeyond50]@MarshaBradyo I dont know. After years of issues we finally got Tutors for dd2.
Although even if it is there is still the issue of arranging and paying a centre to sit exams.

It is a very complex issue. Until you experience it with your child it is impossible to know the stress many families face with threats of fines and court proceedings etc. My child has missed probably the equivalent of way more than 3 years education throughout Secondary School alone.
It does make me a little sensitive when people say their year 1 or 2 childs education is ruined due to Lockdown 1 and 3.
Yes people have said that to me when they know how little Secondary Education my dd has been to access.[/quote]
I’m glad you’ve found tutors and I’m sure it is stressful. Particularly in secondary where it’s not as easy to teach subjects. I know a couple home schoolers they make it look easy but I’m not sure how they do it.

But yes I do think children have been lost from education due to lockdowns. I have heard similar views on radio from various people in sector.

Life choices will be impacted if their direction has been altered.

Absolutely. My year 2 child missed more education than most as she wouldn't or couldn't engage with home learning. ADHD pathway
She still had a ball during Lockdown though and is not as behind as I expected judging by report.
I meanwhile was driven to drinking wine midweek.
I have far more concerns about dd2 than dd3.

@Backofbeyond50

I don't think anyone should minimise the genuine Mental Health Issues of children whether pre , during or post COVID. Hell I have a self harming school refusing anxious child myself. However it is a stretch to say that the COVID response has ruined the mental health of all children. That is clearly not so. I belong to a group of 17,000 families with children who struggle with school due to SEN, anxiety and unmet needs etc etc. Most of them found Lockdown ans home schooling was a significant improvement for their children.

No-one is saying that it was damaged the MH of all children, I haven't seen that written anywhere. But it's not on to dismiss people's worry and heart ache about their dc's struggles.

It's amazing and wonderful for some of the 17,000 families you are referring to to have seen an improvement in their dc MH and experience, that must have been an incredible sense of relief and provided much needed respite for their families.

However, rather than minimising (not saying that you are but other certainly) the effects of lockdown on so many children, adequate support needs to be provided for all children struggling with MH. Whether that means better provision for those who wish to home school permanently, more support in school, less stressing about missed days due to poor MH and more counselling and youth provision. But Covid lockdown, while having the welcome side effect of having had a positive effect on some families who were already struggling, is hugely damaging on a societal level and the impact on children' mental and physical health and wellbeing and their overall prospects can be devastating.

Well with respect the op is saying or maybe implying that it's ruining the Mental Health of all isolating children. That's pretty strong.

*I'm really angry and upset over the hugely disproportionate number of children being told to isolate.

It's completely ruining their mental health and for what*

@PeterPotter

I've often seen it expressed that way too, but maybe I have spent too much time reading UFT nonsense, I don't know.
It's wrong to claim either that every child suffered or that every child thrived. That much seems obvious. We also cannot ever know know much they might have suffered or thrived if the approach of not isolating or having lockdowns had been taken. Might have been much better, might have been much worse.

There never has been enough support for kids with Mental Health Issues and this should change of course.
My dd is on therapist number 7 in the last 2 years with huge gaps in between.
So if every isolating child has ruined Mental Health than you are rght it doesn't bode well for the future.
Incidentally my anxious child was told by school that his ECV and CV parents would be fined if she didn't attend school. So rather than look at options like online learning the ethos was school is the best place so tough. Hell I remember ECV families being told to give up their school places if they were worried about sending kids in. We sent our two school attending kids in but it was a worry.

Absolutely @Mistressiggi

Not sure what autocorrect did there. Her/she

I just caught a parent talking about taking GSCE child out of school as too worried about Long Covid.

Sad for child. I do think some messaging creates issues like this

If you want to discuss failings around children's mental health in a non-covid context www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/4299984-Childrens-mental-health-services-have-collapsed

Thank you @noblegiraffe

@Backofbeyond50

*I'm really angry and upset over the hugely disproportionate number of children being told to isolate.

It's completely ruining their mental health and for what*

@PeterPotter

The OP wasn't writing a scientific paper so the above sentence reads fine in the context of a discussion forum. It mimics natural speech rather than providing statistics in her opening post, which is very much fair enough.

It depends on how you read the op, doesn't it? Many (most/ a huge proportion / lots of /numerous.................) of us parents will have experienced the adverse effects of lockdown on their dc. School closure, changing goal posts, inconsistent and unplanned e-learning,
restrictions on socialising and prohibiting of extra curricular activities and access to gyms, lack of contact with grandparents, cousins and friends. Many kids will be clued in enough and understand that this is a pandemic, over 100K people have died in the UK and life as we know it is not going back to normal any time soon.

If you compare the number of children having to SI, many repeatedly on top of the national school lockdown to how other population groups are continue enjoining fun events (see Wembley, Wimbledon, G7, Olympics) it seems somewhat unfair and ill thought out.

Well I suppose everyone reads what they will into it.