Delaying sending DC back to school due to covid - thoughts?

[bubblesaway]

Just that really. Thinking of not sending DC (4) back to school this week and waiting until we know more about the data re Omicron post Christmas. Not sure if I can legally do it but as she's under 5 and only in reception thinking it may be okay but also not sure if I should. Wondering if any other people thinking of doing the same.?

Personally, probably not. But for the op concerns definitely. Would I keep a child off for a plethora of other reasons yes.

I'm more worried about the D&V bug coming round again. I have two in full time nursery and that's far more worrying than Covid!!

We are keeping ours off.
One child is CEV through, although the condition wasnt found until child was 5 and in the hospital there were children of all ages some who parents found out at bith but many who were unknown until alot later 8, 12, even as old as 18 so i always advise to follow your gut and do what you feel best.

Also, things are going to be very unpredictable in schools this month with staff and children off with covid. With talk about cover being done by any non qualified body i would thing very little education is gping to be happening.
Counting aloud, phonics, running around, colouring and drawing can be done at home. Lots of educational programes aimed at this age too

Quite shocked at some of the rude comments to the OP here! She’s talking about keeping her kid off school for a week or 2, not locking them in a dungeon! If our government had made any attempt to make schools a safer environment for the children, and, by extension, their families (many of whom will include CEV people) and of course the teachers and support staff, then she wouldn’t have to think twice about it!

Do what feels right for you, OP.

@bubblesaway

Also this whole ‘well it’s inevitable’ approach makes me a bit cross. We could have vaccinated at least young people, if not primary school age children, by now. We could have invested massively in ventilation in classrooms. We could have had some restrictions to reduce spread over the holidays. We could have resourced and supported schools better to make plans locally that are right for their circumstances and staffing levels. Those were all things the govt chose not to do - the current situation is not inevitable.

@ActonBell - Totally agree.

This. Do what works for your family OP.

[quote Lacedwithgrace]@Borland Thank you for your concern but we've got it sorted. She'll either have a place at one of the 3 good schools near us or she'll stay homeschooled until one is available.

@summertimerolls but... why not? We don't want her in school in a pandemic and as we know we can keep her healthy, happy and educated at home, we've chosen to.

@Blubells Exactly, and her school has a system of sharing work with home anyway so no teachers will be negatively impacted. It is a shame that some who want to home-ed can't.[/quote]
I wouldn't have the mental fortitude or skills to homeschool long term, plus both DH and I work full-time, so it wouldn't be an option for us. I would be nervous to deregister my child in any case as schools near us so over subscribed. But if you don't have that worry then good luck :)

No. My two will be going. They've missed enough they don't need to miss anymore if I can help it.

No, covid will be an issue for at least January and February so I’ve accepted they’ll likely catch it. 2 out of 3 had it pre Christmas - one in October and one in December.

What is this data going to show you at the end of the week? Are you an armchair virologist? It's certainly not showing that young dc are at risk. All the signs point to omicron being mild.

You could keep her off and catch up with phonics etc yourself, bit it would be exceptionally neurotic and unnecessary.

@zennudist
Well the extra week will give the data on cases (although likely to be far higher due to testing limitations), hospitalisation how have they increased in a week etc also how the people are recovering that have already been hospitalised.
It will also give some idea on the absenses schools and other industries are facing and will face. If a school is functioning by getting a nin qualified lunchyime supervisor in to watch 3 classes colour in the school hall some people may feel the children are better off at home or schools may close due to lack of staff anyway.
Or boris may need to u turn again of the data matches the predictions some experts have made.

Rember last ur when schools when back for a day. Imagine this happening after a week this yr. Is it really worth the extra risks for a few days ?

[quote Covidworries]@zennudist
Well the extra week will give the data on cases (although likely to be far higher due to testing limitations), hospitalisation how have they increased in a week etc also how the people are recovering that have already been hospitalised.
It will also give some idea on the absenses schools and other industries are facing and will face. If a school is functioning by getting a nin qualified lunchyime supervisor in to watch 3 classes colour in the school hall some people may feel the children are better off at home or schools may close due to lack of staff anyway.
Or boris may need to u turn again of the data matches the predictions some experts have made.

Rember last ur when schools when back for a day. Imagine this happening after a week this yr. Is it really worth the extra risks for a few days ?[/quote]
@ZenNudist - I am neither a practicing, qualified virologist nor an armchair one and certainly have no pretensions of thinking that I know very much about all of this. My point about data is fairly basic and I'm sure something most people can grasp, including yourself - that once the government is having to publish what is really going on and we are a bit further along the road - we will all know more about hospitalisation, spread, workforce availability, severity. We can then make proper informed choices for ourselves at an individual level - and the government may well have to do a U Turn as they did last year.

@Covidworres - This - this is exactly it.

OP yes very few commenting on any threads are genuine "experts". We are all doing our best to interpret this situation and equally all perfectly able to make our own choices. We are thinking along similar lines to your last post above, but have further complications with our SEND child and extended family (CEV) members against the backdrop of living in one of the UK's hotspots with a school who even prior to Christmas made it clear that their ability to deliver learning in January was going to "exceedingly limited".
We will make final decisions tomorrow but very much leaning towards sitting this week out at home.
I really feel that h the he case for parents being permitted the choice on attendance has never been so strong. If parents are willing and able to facilitate and deliver earning at home to ease pressures on schools I don't see why anybody should or would judge negatively. It's extremely tough to place any trust in a government whose only consistent theme has been failure to manage or be truthful to date from day one of this pandemic-which we all desperately want to see the end to.

I really feel that h the he case for parents being permitted the choice on attendance has never been so strong. If parents are willing and able to facilitate and deliver earning at home to ease pressures on schools I don't see why anybody should or would judge negatively. @DoubleSHotEspresso - that's such an interesting addition to the debate - ie if those that can do keep kids at home they could be helping a system that will undoubtedly be stretched to its limits by staff absences.
Our DC's school gave us a choice for the last two days of term. I've got everything crossed that they do the same for the three days this week that we'd be required to go in. Thanks for your post. We too are waiting until tomorrow for final decision. This pandemic is so hard on everyone - and ultimately everyone is trying to make the right decision.

1. You are passing your anxieties on to your child. It’s irrational as the risk to your DD is so low. Don’t do that. Don’t pass your worries on to her and make her miss out on something she should be having fun at and learning at.
2. Your reasoning doesn’t make sense? You want to wait 3 weeks but by then there will be far more covid cases than there are now because all the schools abs clubs will have gone back.
3. You are going to get it. Your DD will get it and every single member of your family and every single friend will get it unless they are literally a hermit.

Don’t make your daughter pay for your unreasonable anxiety

@silverswirl
Why would her child have to be made anxious here? Surely the child would not a. be aware what day she was going back or b. Be involved in adults decisions that parents make for their child.
Do you make your child anxious about seatbelts?

1. Well if in 3 weeks cases are even higher it is likely boris will have been forced to uturn or otherwise school is the least of our worries.
2. Not everyone is garenteed to get it. And if we do get it i would like to know ive at least tried to avoid it. Hopefully if or when we get it hospitals will be more likely to be able to treat one of us if the need arrises than what is looking currently likely in next few weeks.

And the increase in children being hospitalised due to covid that is being seen in data, i am also seeing im personal contacts

Legally OP there's nothing school can do. They might be cross but they're not going to exclude her and they can't fine you.

As for all those citing damage to her from missing out, it's 3 days. DS is having to miss that as I have covid. It isn't irreplaceable time.

Those who are keeping children off school - have you isolated from others over the holidays, and will continue to do so going forward?

My kids will be going back. I wouldn't consider denying them any more education/life than they've lost already.

@summertimerolls

We have seen limited family who are also cautious. We have been on country walks.
We avoid shops. No other places.
We will continue to be cautious until such time as we no longer feel the need.
We have done both limited mixing and mixing at different times during pandemic depending on cases and risk at the time.

Looking at data at the moment which is still beingngathered we prefer to air on the side of caution

And the increase in children being hospitalised due to covid that is being seen in data, i am also seeing im personal contacts

What's the source for this? The ONS says that the most recent hospitalisation rate for 5-14 year olds is 1.20 in 100,000 people, or 0.0012%. Those seem like pretty low odds to me.

Omicron is so mild and can provide Immunity from Delta and other variants

The Government wont close schools

@Silverswirl

1. You are passing your anxieties on to your child. It’s irrational as the risk to your DD is so low. Don’t do that. Don’t pass your worries on to her and make her miss out on something she should be having fun at and learning at.

1. Your reasoning doesn’t make sense? You want to wait 3 weeks but by then there will be far more covid cases than there are now because all the schools abs clubs will have gone back.
2. You are going to get it. Your DD will get it and every single member of your family and every single friend will get it unless they are literally a hermit.

Don’t make your daughter pay for your unreasonable anxiety

OP's child is 4. Don't pass such utter codswallop , it's perfectly possible to make decisions and ensure children's anxiety is not impacted. Stop levellingvsuch utter nonsense just due to a view different to yours. Jesus

@summertimerolls

Those who are keeping children off school - have you isolated from others over the holidays, and will continue to do so going forward?

We have yes

This graph shows covid hospitalisations are higher right now than than at any other point during pandemic.

This is from about a week ago so we are waiting for data update

@summertimerolls

Those who are keeping children off school - have you isolated from others over the holidays, and will continue to do so going forward?

Yes, shielding doesn't stop for Christmas