Are you keeping your kids off school yet?

[mistletoemolly]

Dc school has had a huge number of cases recently. Almost half the class are off either positive or awaiting results.

Had a PCR test over the weekend (as all parents have been advised were advised to do so on Friday) and we are negative. Precautions have been taken in school with bubbles and deep cleaning. But quite a lot of parents are still saying that they aren't sending their kids back next week even if they are negative because they don't want to ruin Christmas.

My thoughts are that dc have missed enough school already this year but I feel sad they'll be going into an almost empty class. Is anyone else keeping them off at this stage?

Absolutely not, my kids are much better off in school.

There is so much more to school than education.

I’m considering it. I don’t want Christmas ruined. I may take him out at the end of next week. Certainly pulling him out of the carol service and then if I do that there’s not much point sending him back to mingle with the rest of them.

Only because they have noro. They'll be back on Wednesday.

I'd rather my kids missed Christmas dinner than yet another couple of weeks of school.

No why would I do that?

No. I have to work to keep a roof over our heads. The DC have missed enough education. Taking them out to not 'spoil' one day is ludicrous.

DD13 is covid vaccinated (as am I, DP and my DM) and they are wearing masks in school. We'll be at home anyway for Christmas so if isolation is needed, the impact will be minimal.

No. Half of DDs class are off. Not because they have covid but because they are worried they might get it, despite the whole class, apart from 1 having PCRd negative

Similar situation here. A lot of cases in DS2 class last week meaning school asked everyone to test and that has found even more cases so the class now is very small. Haven’t heard anyone talk about keeping them off between now and xmas though, I mean it’s still 2 2 and a half weeks away here. I could understand the few days before but not this early. No one wants to be isolating at Christmas BUT they have missed so much education and this virus isn’t going anywhere…

No. We and the DC always stay at home for Christmas, no guests, so only worried about how we would pick up Christmas food orders if required to isolate beforehand! No one else to do it.

When ds's class was down to 50% they actually closed it for a long weekend to try to reduce the spread. Both kids have had it. Both asymptomatic. Both picked up on lft and confirmed on pcr. One post- festival lft. The other because all his mates were +ve so we tested him too. Dh and I haven't had it. I work NHS. He works in school.

No way would I pull them out of school.

Covid is rife in my school, and some classes have gone back to online learning either due to the high number of children isolating or because the teacher is isolating. So kids being kept at home aren't really missing anything.

Many parents are catching it too in spite of being double jabbed. I'm not aware of anyone being seriously ill but some are feeling pretty shit, confined to bed for days etc. I wouldn't blame anyone for wanting to swerve that over Xmas.

No. Never would. But there are incredibly low cases here in Surrey.

I will be doing everything possible to help stop the spread and I will be sending our DS in while the school is open and allows it, as others have said, their education is more important than one day.

Nope everyone coming for Xmas is vaccinated and had COVID including us! Would rather he got a education than worry about what was a cold for all of us

I'm torn. I actually kept my youngest dc off on Thursday & Friday last week because 5 children in her class had tested positive in the previous 48 hrs. I'm not sure whether to send her back in tomorrow or not. But she is vulnerable, so I guess it's a bit more complicated. I'm particularly wary because of reports than the new variant might be causing more hospitalisations in young children.

Nope, both my DC had covid in October and I have just had it too, finish my 10 days tomorrow. Whilst the risk of reinfection is bigger with the new varient, it’s still pretty a small risk.

No. If they're isolating over Christmas we will have it at home and then see family for the big Christmas later on. We are only meeting one other household at a time so easy to rearrange.