Petition to get all children back to school

[ILoveMyMonkey]

Found this petition online calling for all children to be back at school, thought I'd share the link for those who are interested...

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/305525/signatures/thank-you

Yes, children should go back to school. But I think on a partime basis to allow some form of social distancing / bubble teaching. We should continue to protect the vulnerable in our Society. However, parents are slowly returning to work, many in public facing roles not sure why it's so different for teachers to do the same? (I know, you have all been working very hard throughout lockdown.)

At some point we just have to get on with it, Corona is here to stay. Therefore I have singed the petition.

Schools would be happy to open to all, if they had been allowed to have the students in part time. The government said no, they are insisting on "bubbles" and for the students to be 2 metres apart.

@WoWsers16

So if you think they're doing their very best with limited staff, resources and space for key workers - how one earth do you think inviting the whole school back is going to help and realistically be done!

They're doing their best within the guidelines given, if every child was instructed to return to school as normal pre Covid then they wouldn't have to manage because it would be business as usual.

@RuffleCrow given I didn't create the petition I'm not too phased, it was something I shared because of other threads I'd seen where people agree with my view that life needs to return to normal and we need to learn to accept, and live with, this virus rather than hiding away forever over something which won't dramatically affect the vast majority of people.

I'm back now full time and as much as I want my whole class back It's not going to happen this side of summer - September is also iffy at the moment! Schools are doing great round here (some better than others) and we have nearly 100% returned in the 'allowed' years as well as keyworkers.
This is the guidance and while it is the guidance schools should concentrate on them and keyworkers - and if you are that worried get your son in on keyworker status.
A petition now will not change anything - government needs to think about September , not cramming more kids in for schools to babysit x

So many posters just not listening. Social distancing is important for keeping infection as low as possible.

Stamping your feet and saying schools go back full time "end of" is plain stupidity. And isn't going to happen.

If the government stop shifting the goal posts around, schools can plan for an orderly return, part time, in September.

So many posters just not listening. Social distancing is important for keeping infection as low as possible.

So why are they opening pub gardens later this month? Because we all know how great drunk adults are at social distancing.

No one is distancing anyway - every time I've been in a shop people don't care, very few people stand further than a couple of feet away.

And just how long do people think things can continue this way for exactly, when do you think will be a sensible time for things to return to normal? We have to do at some point.

School should return full time for all in September, life needs to be lived and those who want to stay safe indoors could choose to do that while the rest of us choose to take the risk and get back to living our lives.

I know how you feel OP my DC is an only child too and I'm also concerned about the underlying affects this could be having on them.

I'll be signing the petition. Let's hope we get to 100,000 to get our DC back to some normality.

Schools are buildings. Pub gardens are outside where infection is less likely. Ridiculous to compare the two.

@DomDoesWotHeWants so because people are drinking outside, and unlikely to social distance due to alcohol, that's ok but children who are less likely to catch and pass on Covid can't return to school.

Basically adult entertainment is more important than children's education.

Don't put words in my mouth. Neither is safe. I wouldn't want to be drinking in a pub garden. Or in an overcrowded classroom.

The virus hasn't gone away. We have to take precautions. And limit the risk.

I

The virus hasn't gone away. We have to take precautions. And limit the risk.

Which is what people do in every part of life from driving along a motorway to crossing the road, we don't avoid doing those things altogether because something MIGHT happen, we manage the risk and get on with doing it anyway.

But we don't. If crossing the road we don't just walk into traffic we wait for it to be safe.

@AlternativePerspective

I am prepared to be flamed for this but IMO all the talk of MH and children being damaged for life is completely over dramatic in most instances.

I’m not talking about children who already have known MH conditions and are under treatment, but people who say that a child missing their friends is going to damage them for life, or missing out on a few weeks education.

As society generations have come through far worse than this in the past and haven’t sustained lifelong damage because of it.

Children these days have become over entitled and used to always getting their own way and IMO need to learn some resilience.

Yes, it’s tough. It’s tough on everyone.

But in the beginning most were saying that they hoped schools would remain closed until September, and now with just a couple more weeks of the term left keeping them home for a few more weeks is hardly going to lead to lifelong damage.

Hear, hear!

@CallmeAngelina

Everything you've said is absolute bullshit.

For a start, saying "weeks" don't you mean "months"?

There will be an insidious detrimental effect on all DC in the long term. ALL OF THEM!

Nope, it’s weeks.

Bearing in mind that in the time between March/September there are nine weeks of holidays during which time the children wouldn’t be being educated anyway.

Added to which, other parts of life are opening up gradually, and children are already in a position where they can meet up with friends outside, to say that they’re going to be damaged for life is pure projection on the part of mostly adults.

The only exceptions are children currently going into y11/13 due to exams.

Given that in most countries the starting age for children at school is 7 it really isn’t going to take away much from them.

How do you think children managed during wars. Or during extended periods of illness?

What do you think damages a child more, a few weeks of missed school or the loss of a parent?

@AlternativePerspective can we all stop spouting this crap about ‘other countries don’t start education until they are 7’ shit now! Seriously? This is rubbish! The countries that ‘don’t start education until they are 7’ have fucking INCREDIBLE provision for their pre-school children! INCREDIBLE! Their ‘formal’ education starts at 7...sure...but their STATE FUNDED PRE SCHOOL...which is works class and free is available to anyone who wants it...and must want it! Both my girls went to a German kindergarten from 3 years old which was awesome (I taught in Germany at the time) The European kindergarten education is free, from age 3, and is outstanding. So stop with this bullshit ‘they don’t start until they’re 7’ bollocks’. They have outstanding provision from aged 3 and virtually every child attends! When they DO start ‘formal’ education aged 7, it simply means they are MORE ready than our children who are forced to start their ‘formal’ education too young.

** ‘which is world class and free’

Are you quite sure you're a teacher, OP?

Because you sure as hell don't know how to punctuate a sentence.

Signed. It's a fucking virus. We need to move on.

I've signed.

I'm also a teacher and we need to get back to school now. My dc were fine for the first 8 weeks but it has now continued for too long and they are missing social interaction and their education.

Vulnerable children and teachers should be able to stay at home and not be penalised. Schools need additional funding for longer-term supply teachers to cover the shielded if necessary. Parents shouldn't be forced to send their dc but those who want to get back need to have the option.

Signed

I don't sign online petitions anyway but children will be back at school as soon as it is safe and practicable. We've only had our semi-lockdown for three months, that is nothing out of a lifetime, goodness only knows how we would cope if it went on for a year.

Has anyone consulted the children regarding how they feel about being off school?

If you and your child are not vulnerable ehy haven't you volunteered to be teaching bubble at your school then youd child can go back too? I've said it on another thread and I'll say it here too.... I really don't understand how we have spare teachers who are NOT vulnerable at home when so many other schools are short of staff.

Also it's being kept very quiet but there are areas where the R rate is above 1. Our schools havent even opened to R, year 1 and 6 because of this. The virus is still spreading at a higher rate here.

There’s only a couple of weeks of school left, not going to make a huge difference surely to your child’s mental health. When the experts say it’s fine to go back that’s when we should listen, not just when some random on mumsnet gets fed up of entertaining her child at home.