Children.

[twinkletoesimnot]

Coronavirus: Young people warn of long Covid amid jab drive www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58301011

Article pushing younger people to get jabbed.
Sajid Javid even saying it's a risk for us all.....

We as a family have been lucky enough to avoid Covid so far. The new rules and school return make me feel very uneasy.

Is everyone REALLY ok with this headlong rush to infect our children that the government seem so hell bent on?

Nope. Not at all. I more had in mind investing in some sort of gazebos or similar that would work on the nicer days, of which there are normally lots in September and early October, so that those schools where there is space (like the one my DC go to) would have the option of teaching outdoors then. On the basis that if they spend eg two days a week outside that's a lower risk than five days in the classroom.

I hadn't thought about the tech though, that's a very good point. The bit about people suggesting it wanting their children not to be their problem is fucking risible though. I'm prepared to accept I'm being naive. But wanting doable mitigations aimed at allowing as many children as possible to stay in school, when this is without question the best thing for kids as a cohort, is the precise opposite. Imbecilic to claim otherwise.

@Legoninjago1

I am very scared of schools closing ever again. I am no more worried about my children getting Covid than I am about them getting norovirus / tonsillitis etc etc.

This

Outside lessons won't work very well when the expensive interactive whiteboard and tech gets wet. Or should we all chant and copy off the board all day in lower primary? I don't think anyone would be minded to suggest outdoor GP surgeries or a bit of outdoor old school dentistry, and it's just as ridiculous to assume teaching can go on in a marquee or tent indefinitely without the technology it requires in the modern world. If you didn't stop to think of this, you need to start thinking about whether you really know enough to help find solutions or whether, as pp have said, your aim is rather different.

Sorry if this thread is intended to be about primary schools only, but for secondary schools surely a big part of the answer is to offer vaccination for everyone aged 12+ as some other countries have been doing for some time.

Slates would stand up to the rain.

Yes. I'm absolutely fine with the risk. In the same way I accept the risk off dd catching glandular fever, which I had and suffered the impact of for years. Everything has a risk.

People in richer countries are incredibly lucky. We rarely have to face severe illness in the young and we did this through having a well educated population who were supported in staying well by a functioning society. This obsession with Covid has deepened every crack in society, worsened every disadvantage and will shorten the life of the most vulnerable through increased exposure to adverse childhood experiences. Schools are a key mitigation against this. They need to be fully open.

I have a vulnerable child who was reception age in September 2020....the last time the child attended school of any sort was pre school in March 2020...due to covid and the fact that we are just allowing it to spread without any attempt at mitigations in school therefore rendering it completely unsafe for CEV children and their siblings to attend.
My child can read and write and is completely level and in some cases ahead of their peers, so I just can't see how it seems every single young child on mumsnet hasn't learnt to read or write and no we didn't spend hours doing remote learning because young children do not need to spend hours learning how to read and write everyday but a small bit of input from parents does really go a long way rather than just complaining that schools were closed and they were 'done with homeschooling.'

@twinkletoesimnot

Or best case scenario disruption while Covid works it way through schools.

But why though? The vast vast majority of children won’t know they even have it or would just be very mildly unwell for a day or two. Every teacher will very soon have had the chance to be double vaccinated reducing their chance to catch and vastly reducing illness. The only disruption comes from the restrictions ie isolating. Cut out isolations and schools will manage just fine!

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot bloody hell you really are clueless!

@jumpbounce

I have a vulnerable child who was reception age in September 2020....the last time the child attended school of any sort was pre school in March 2020...due to covid and the fact that we are just allowing it to spread without any attempt at mitigations in school therefore rendering it completely unsafe for CEV children and their siblings to attend. My child can read and write and is completely level and in some cases ahead of their peers, so I just can't see how it seems every single young child on mumsnet hasn't learnt to read or write and no we didn't spend hours doing remote learning because young children do not need to spend hours learning how to read and write everyday but a small bit of input from parents does really go a long way rather than just complaining that schools were closed and they were 'done with homeschooling.'

Because not all children are the same, and they need the separation of ‘home’ and ‘school’.

They don’t want to be taught by their parents in the living room.

Other parents also need to work. They can’t both work a full time job from their dining room table whilst also teaching their kids.

Also, not all schools equipped parents exactly the same. Some schools provided full lessons. Other schools you were lucky to get some worksheets.

You also have the families where they lacked the time, energy, resources, ability.

Not all family circumstances are exactly the same.

Agree somewhat with that but it didn’t have to be formal schooling at home. Like I said upthread my DD and DS were ignored lockdown 1 as I taught live to timetable and DH was in school supervising keyworker children. They spent all day on Roblox and YouTube. They were provided with 3 worksheets a day. Lockdown 2 they were in school but supervised by a TA as their teachers were at home teaching one lesson per day. They spent most time playing.

This is what we did/do/have always done ... read! DS is a reluctant reader but will happily sit and listen to me at bedtime. DD reads for at least an hour before bed. She also reads during the day. I’m sure I’ll get someone tell me that some children don’t have books and libraries were shut but I’d these same children sit and watch Netflix (or anything that needs internet) then they can get a kindle app (free) and download a (free) book.

(I maybe over invested as I’m an English teacher and hate secondary kids telling me reading is ‘boring’ but it’s because reading is alien to them).

I have a different view to many above. I think the risk of long covid (I've recently seen quoted as 7-13% of cases for children) far outweighs the risks of remote learning.
Even if 7% of cases in children resulted in long covid - that's a lot of young lives who would experience disruption, not just to schooling, but to all aspects of their lives. Hopefully many cases will be resolved within a short period of say 3-6 months. What about the ones that last over a year?
Why can't masks be mandatory at school? Though with the rules that now mean child A can be in school when their entire family has covid , not sure small measures like masks will be enough.
Why are they not vaccinating 12+ which seems acceptable all around the world?
Whilst the majority of children may be fine 3 months post covid, there will be a small but significant number whose lives will be badly affected by it. I just hope none of us fall into that latter camp.

I'm not happy with then heading back to secondary school. I'm hoping the 12-15yr old vaccines will be announced soon.
They might not get seriously ill but the more of them who catch it only drags it out for everyone else.

Given the vast majority of children have nothing more than a cold and adults who want it have now been vaccinated, we need to just crack on. Punishing entire classes with crappy, hokey pokey home learning is not acceptable for a third year. There are children who will suffer for a lifetime due to lack of education now. Our generation will be asked in the future why we did not stand up for our kids. No one has spoken out for them except the small group usforthem. It's disgusting.

Serious illness in children from COVID is very rare.

Mental ill health, anxIety, eating disorders, self harming, depression is not only not rare but is exploding among children as a result of covid. That's before you even consider the effects on development, social skills, confidence, resilience and education.

That is why children need to go to school. The risks to them from COVID a very low but the other risks are alarmingly high.

gintymcginty agree

@FourTeaFallOut

I'd rather roll the dice with long covid than the cascade of unintended consequences from a decimated education.

Why does it have to be all or nothing?

Why is is i would rather risk my child getting covid as they probably won't get covid that bad or long covid and they can't attend school.

Most parents want thier kids to attend school and so do lots of kids.
But if we refuse to vaccinate which I think is wrong by the way.
We also refusing any other measures.

Every family is different.
We get the mantra everyone vulnerable has had jab lots cen kids had issues accessing the jab and may not be jabbed for start of term.
The stress of kids with medically vulnerable parents or grandparents that maybe look after them or live with them must be bad for their mental health.
Remember Hancock telling young people don't kill granny!
Sadly some teachers have lost their lives.
They never were priority 1st jabs.
Look lies no priority for boosters
No safety measures the last year to keep them safe.
Sadly some teachers have died imagine how upsetting that has been for some kids who's teachers died.
Also really horrible excuse some people reel out about covid deaths.
Well they had underlying conditions so that makes their death acceptable / explainable.
Many of the small amount kids who Sadly lost their lives were medically vulnerable but I had read odd cases in paper where the you person appeared have no underlying conditions conditions.
A few posters on acceptable deaths thread argued that hardly any kids got sick and the fact over 1000kids plus were admitted to hospital covid linked in the month of July.
It was true a tiny number considering how many kids there are in the UK.
Schools were open well open shut here most July 147 school outbreaks in 1 week In my area.
August is lower but still high.
I am worried about the new year with household contacts not isolating as know loads people where spread to other household members .
If its 1000 in July and we were sending bubbles home.
What if its 2000 in September.
3 to 4k by Oct and reaches 5k child hospital admissions just civid not other illness too.
How would the NHS cope with mass amount kids.
Does anyone know how many kids icu beds we have?

In other countries even parts usa they di ventilation system hepa filters smaller classes , jabs and masks.
USA seems be giving parents real choice of I person school , online school or hybrid mix of both .
Which seems be working in uk workplace.
I would be happy with smaller classes and sending mine in part time.

I don't live lockdown ,I don't love home school.
But I just want teachers, kids and their families to be reasonably safe.

Vaccines for some children are starting - I'm in Gloucestershire and my DC have just been booked in for jabs - aged 16 and 13. Reason apparently is because there's someone immune suppressed in the household. (me, though I've both had covid and I am double jabbed)

Why does it have to be all or nothing?

Why is is i would rather risk my child getting covid as they probably won't get covid that bad or long covid and they can't attend school.

Because the original op was...are you happy for your kids to go to school? Not, what is your Mickey mouse wish list for their return?

@chillied

Vaccines for some children are starting - I'm in Gloucestershire and my DC have just been booked in for jabs - aged 16 and 13. Reason apparently is because there's someone immune suppressed in the household. (me, though I've both had covid and I am double jabbed)

yes it's good isn't it

seems there are starting to be some options @FourTeaFallOut

All kids ARE going to get covid. Fact.

It would be easier if you started from that point of view. Almost all kids will sail through with a runny nose, the CEV will have been offered a jab time to get back to normal folks. I am happy for my kids to sit with anyone, we are relaxed about covid, everyone that can be is vaccinated. The rest will get antibodies through infection - it is a personal choice - as Patrick Vallance said we will all get there eventually through vaccine or infection until lovely covid runs out of hosts (or the next strain emerges)

My dc (16) also invited for a jab and we are not CV or anything like it. Also south west.

We all just had Covid and my daughter suffered very badly with diaharrea and sickness... I have never seen her so ill before.

So take all precautions that you can, this new delta version is NO joke.