Webchat with Vicky Ford MP, Minister for Children, Friday 15 May at 2.15pm

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello

We're pleased to announce a webchat about COVID-19 and schools with Vicky Ford, Conservative MP for Chelmsford and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families, at 2.15pm on Friday May 15.

As lots of you will already know, the government has recently announced plans to start sending Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 children, as well as nursery children, back to school and nursery settings from June 1. We know lots of you have questions about this, and about policy and plans for schools and schoolchildren in the COVID era more broadly. Vicky will be coming along to give us the government’s response to your concerns and questions.

Vicky was elected MP for Chelmsford in 2017, and has been Minister for Children since February 2020. Before joining Parliament she was an MEP for the East of England constituency in the European Parliament. In a previous life she worked in finance.

Please join us here on Friday at 2.15pm. If you can’t join us on the day, please post up your question in advance.

As always, please remember our guidelines - one question per user, follow-ups only if there’s time and most questions have been answered, and please keep it civil. Also if one topic is dominating a thread, mods might request that people don't continue to post what's effectively the same question or point. (We may suspend the accounts of anyone who continues after we've posted to ask people to stop, so please take note.) Rest assured we will ALWAYS let the guest know that it's an area of concern to multiple users and will encourage them to engage with those questions.

Many thanks,
MNHQ

Given that every work place other than schools have been given the guidance to socially distance and wear face masks, can you please explain how my severely disabled teenager could possibly be safe in an environment with no social distancing and no PPE? Staff breathing on him whilst they fulfil all his personal care needs and feeding etc. A special school room full of children with no understanding or awareness who slobber, cough, splutter, sneeze at will? Neither staff or pupils will be safe.

Could return back to school not be delayed until September for all children and they repeat a year?

Hi,
I’d like to know what the implications of distancing in the classroom and around school would have on my child’s mental health. He is in reception and being asked to return on June 1st. The normal transitions have such a big effect on children never mind having to transition into a whole new set up and seeing teachers in masks keeping their distance. Surely this will impact on a child mentally and psychologically. How will this be taken care of?

What are the specific scientific evidence around transmission of the virus from children to adults. Contradictories in the press and it appears no modelling has been undertaken to understand impact of prematurely returning our smallest to nurseries/schools

Can you release the government's scientific evidence that it is safe to reopen schools?Teaching unions have asked to see this repeatedly, you have not provided it. You expect us to make decisions on children's safety without the evidence. Secondly the r rate in my region in England is the same as Northern Ireland. They aren't reopening so why are we? Thirdly why do you continually compare us to Denmark regarding opening schools when they have so few cases compared to us and have put different measures in place in school such as extra sinks. No where on the guidance published to schools does it suggest this.

I would like to know how the school's plan to help children with additional needs when they have tactile depencies. My son relies on a hug from his teacher and taking his stuffed toy to school, surely that will be considered a risk of infection. I'm not sure anyone's prepared for how this will affect children's mental health.

Is the government planning to make scientific evidence available that supports the recommendations made to primary schools? (E.g the “bubble” concept) if so, when?

What science have you used to consider the emotional impact of returning to school in such an alien environment? This will be much more emotionally damaging than continuing with home learning.

When,please,will a decision be made about Y6 children. We need certainty and to be able to plan for transition. We are told 1st June but with no contact from school or any sign of a plan these children are in limbo when it should be a really happy time for them as they finish their primary schools.

I work in a primary school and my son who is also at the same school has type 1 diabetes. Diabetics are on the clinically vulnerable list however if you are an adult with diabetes, you must work from home where possible yet children with diabetes are expected to go into school. This means that when I go back to work on June 1st, he has no choice but to come with me to school. Why is this acceptable?
Two people from the same household could be diabetic yet one has to stay home and the other not therefore putting both of them at risk anyway.

Im just wonder our they are go to keep 3 and 4 year old school children from not playing with each other from 2 meter apart, because that age they what play together and some will not understand, example 45 nursery kids in one room thank you

Hi, childminder here. I would love to know how on earth you think it is safe for us to have potentially 10 + children coming into our homes.
No separate playroom for many - our very own living rooms, kitchens and bathrooms. Our soft furnishings that provide comfort for our own families including very young children can't be removed, I also can't do clean them every day, it's just not possible.
A large proportion of us have our own children at home or on limited timetable at school and many have a partner working from home, who is also following government advice.
Have you really thought this through?

Watching with interest.

Gavin Williamson said that the government had been consulting with the teaching unions about plans to reopen schools, but the NEU says that their communications have not been answered.

Can you advise how many meetings have taken place between the government and the unions?

I have read the cleaning advice that has been released today, that all childcare and school settings, including childminders, are supposed to follow.

It looks very similar to the advice previously given for deep cleaning after a case of Coronavirus has been confirmed.
It also says that, at a minimum, we need specific PPE and must discard that PPE following a 72 hour period of being wrapped in a plastic bag.

The PPE advised is impossible for many of us to source at present and the cleaning advice seems to contradict the Government's advice that the virus will be killed by simply washing our hands for 20 seconds with soap and water.

Please can you confirm which is the more suitable advice and, if we need this PPE and additional cleaning items, where we can obtain them?

Can you please explain how you envisage the government ‘ambition’ to have all primary children in school a month before the summer holidays will be achieved?

Especially in light of the new guidance today emphasising that children must be offered full-time places, no rota system.

Is the government‘s actual plan that 2/3 weeks maximum after a few year groups return to school in small groups, schools open to every single child at once and full time? Will this be in their usual classes of 30 or will smaller groups of 15 still be expected? If smaller groups, how will this be staffed and where will all the groups be accommodated?

Can you guarantee this will be safe, given it will happen too soon after the initial phased return to have fully judged the impact of that on rates of corona virus?

Considering the govt ‘guidelines’ are saying we cannot wear PPE (I am glad of this as it would make things worse for the children), they know we cannot socially distance children, they are asking us to remove (of course, with the caveat ‘where possible’) most of the tools necessary to actually run any given EYFS setting, how are we supposed to A) keep the children, their families and ourselves safe B) feel as though this is a learning environment and not a holding pen C) Feel like we are anything besides disposable guinea pigs D) Ignore the new, covid linked illness targeting children.

Why are EYFS children’s lives, their families lives and our lives not as important as yours? How many of these lives is this govt willing to sacrifice to start the economy back up?

I realise that will probably count as too many questions so to summarise, my question is:

Can you please explain whether the government ‘ambition’ to have all primary pupils back for a month before the summer will be expected to be under the same conditions as published in today’s guidance for the phased opening to some year groups? (Ie all full time, in groups of 15)

And my follow up:

Can you guarantee this will be safe, given it will need to happen just 2-3 weeks after the initial phased return?

Given there is a low confidence in the scientific evidence to support the low transmission of Covid-19 within reception and year 1 children and given the Guidamce issued by DfE this evening does not allow for schools to keep children and staff safe would you send your child to school?

Hi I run a not for profit pre school in Yorkshire. We have stayed open for key worker children and vulnerable families.
My questions
Why are we not treated the same as maintained school? Extra funding upwards of £25000 has been made available per school to fund PPE and offer support.
Why are local authorities allowed to vary what happens some authorities are helping settings that have stayed open by giving a small bonus with money saved from settings that are closed,My LA are not we are open running at a daily lose and there is no help no incentive.
Why is early years never considered important it is always the maintained sector when frankly our not for profit pre school is run by 2 early years degree holders yet we ar not classed as equal to a maintained nursery in the help and support we can get.
My list could on but u less something is done quickly there will be NO childcare for early years as the sector won’t survive it was struggling before this has made it worse, funding does not cover minimum wage increases each year, funding if we are lucky increases by 3-7p an hour yet minimum wage goes up 51p per hour
This country is lacking when it comes to early years the people who could rectify it are the people working in it not the people sat behind a desk the ones who get dirty in paint and mud.
I also won’t be able to join the discussion as I’ll be at work looking after children

We will be wearing ppe and masks

I've read all the much mentioned 'science' on the return to school. Well, the science that's available. None of it addresses the specific issue of:

I get that transmission between children and children, and children and adults, in households/family groups is low. What none of the 'science' tells me is what the viral load of 15 asymptomatic children might do to the transmission of COVID to an adult who is spending 6 hours a day with them, in a situation where they are unable to socially distance.

Has this research been done? Where is the 'science'? Why are we being shown simple graphs that tell us nothing, when some of us are very capable of reading the actual scientific evidence.

Can you clarify what is happening with years 10 and 12 please as there is much conflicting information here : DfE guidance says 1st June. Daily briefings and published infographics don't mention this date at all.

Many children with a tough start in life struggle with transitions. Normally schools try to support children moving up a year, changing teachers or schools. Lockdown forced an unsupported term end and many vulnerable kids will have a really hard time transitioning back when schools restart, whenever that is for them. My daughter is adopted and needs to understand where she's going, who with, when and why, or all her loss and separation anxiety is triggered. An abrupt restart in strange circumstances seems very likely to trigger a rash of school refusals and exclusions in SEND, care-experienced and adopted children. Please can you outline your thoughts on how to support vulnerable children to transition back to school?

My question is simple: would YOU send YOUR children back to school on June 1st? (I understand you have three, but I’m not sure of their ages).