School attendance should be optional

[AldiAisleOfCrap]

My dh won’t be attending school and will be on code y as we need to shield as a family. Those with vulnerable people in the households should have the same choice. Even those with healthy families should not be forced to send their dc to school without risking their child school place.
If you agree please take a minute to sign this.
chng.it/vDWRZM6Xx7

Your DH is still at school?
There's no compulsion to attend school even without covid19- the law says you must educate your child. It doesn't say you have to send them to school.

dc! Sorry tired typing.

If you read the rest of my post it says “without risking their school place” . I am well aware deregistering is an option.

I am sure it will be optional to start with, will help with social distancing if nothing else.

@krakowdawn Yes you can teach your child at home - but in the long term for most children school is the best place but not when the government are using our children as an experiment during a global pandemic with a killer virus.

They say children are resilient to the virus and many will say that is why they are going back but an alert was sent out to GPs regarding the climbing number of children being admitted to ICU with symptoms that are mimicking Kawasaki disease and TSS and they are ruminating over whether this is triggered by the virus.

So in these circumstances a parent/guardian ought to be given the chance to keep their child at home without fear of repercussion be that a fine, prosecution or the child losing their school place.

Probably would be best anyway. Those who have to will send them in, those who can afford to look after them at home will and that will help social distancing.

Well that would be the common sense approach, but the government aren’t known for that!

It would make social distancing easier in schools if it was optional.

Already signed OP. I’m hoping the guidance to be issued this afternoon will say that it is optional anyway, but who knows after the shambles that has taken place this morning. I’m not sure the ministers understand their own rules!

If it was made optional, I don't think those choosing not to send their kids in should get any further online support like they are (probably) getting now. It should be 100% be on the parent to keep the education up. Also, I worry about some vulnerable kids who need the safety (and meals) of school not getting sent back in if it was optional.

I think it should be made optional. I need to send my DS to school for childcare reasons unfortunately, my job isn't possible to do from home so I can't work at the moment. If people who want to keep their children off are allowed to do so it would be easier for those who don't have the choice.

I’d they made school attendance optional for the rest of 2020, that would enable shielding families to shield, working families to work, families who are both shielding & working to invent a solution as best they can, and save a LOT of administrative hassle. Hopefully the missing students will also balance out with the missing staff.

So, all that considered, I’d support it. If only out of pragmatism.

@toolatetooearly
If it was made optional, I don't think those choosing not to send their kids in should get any further online support like they are
It’s not really a choice for many , as I said I am shielding - I could choose to send my dc to school but as we need to shield as a family due to my personal care needs and the dc own disabilities , the choice could result in my death.
Children who are vulnerable but not shielding or their families are. Again is it really a choice ?

@Waxonwaxoff0 yes the less children there, the safer school would be for your child.

I was saying the same thing before schools closed. Those able to keep their kid at home, do so and make it safer for those who.have to work. If staffing were flexible, some staff could be in and teach and some supporting on line learning. I suspect that some staff need to be shielding or are on the vulnerable list themselves.

We need less rigidity and more flexibility, lots of businesses are managing that.

Also, I worry about some vulnerable kids who need the safety (and meals) of school not getting sent back in if it was optional.

This is what concerns me too. There are 2million children in this position.

I agree there needs to be different guidance for children who are in shielding families though.

Hi OP,

Thanks for sharing this. We're going to move it over to our Petitions and Activism board now.

Ok thanks, wasn’t sure as it was coronavirus related where to put it.

There is also another parliament petition on this subject. If you have similar concerns, then pls sign.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/300399