Why on earth are so few parents signing the petition to reopen schools?

[canary1]

I am disgusted that children are shut of schools currently. The priority seems to be opening non essential shops and football. Our children are being failed. I am wondering why on earth are so few signatures on the petition to reopen schools? We should be matching on Westminster, not taking this! I can see less than 5000 signatures....

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/305525?fbclid=IwAR04Yrc7kx38uURQ5doNMonlw72-od2RoDXUClyrJdmcnpcVZSckqC2eaFs

Teachers are only allowed one bubble each. Two members of staff per bubble.

So they do need twice the staff*

You don’t if you only have 15 or less like mine do.

I'm not signing the petition because it isn't up to me. We delegated power, in our democracy, to a government and that government is going to have to do the best it can with the best available advice, taken from health and education. I didn't vote for the government but do believe that they are doing what they can and they aren't keeping schools closed because they don't value children. They've taken the best decision they can and it is shit for many of us.

Why do we have the precautions at the moment again?

To protect the nhs...apparently. In which case, mission accomplished.

Corona virus won't disappear. Are we going to wait for a vaccine?

"I guess you don’t have to be a genius to see why they’ve refused. "

Why do you think? Are you implying that they refused simply because they don't want to work? Do you know their personal circumstances?

Signed. One of my two teens has already missed one early GCSE, At this stage in their education this will have a huge impact.

It’s each to their own I’m sure since March parents have changed their mind upto and have considered that COVID is not going anywhere. Others may stand the ground for now we see in September.

I don’t see though how you are going to stay in the house from now till September that’s the only way of not been at risk 100%.

For what is just 5 weeks of school, I cant see the point of sending them now. They won’t be doing anything like the school work they were before. I’d rather keep them home and safe than rush them back only for them to get 5 weeks of weird and paranoid school where you can’t even play properly only for summer to come and change everything again for September.

Agree it’s badly written. But I see the number of signatures is slowly increasing. I’ve signed.

What about clinically vulnerable children and their families? Don’t we need to plan for them if they cannot return to school for some time? Everyone is worried about children not returning until September missing 4 months of school but what about those who will be off even longer?

Done

Scottish children are on their summer holidays? Back on August 11th. So they probably don’t want to sign a petition that doesn’t apply to them.

We're not on summer holidays yet. Our last day of school should have been a week yesterday - 24th June.

There is a separate petition and campaign for Scotland given that education is separate. There has been a huge groundswell of opinion over the part-time learning proposals for the whole of the next year.

There seems to be some movement on this with the scottish government saying that part-time school was always just a contingency plan.

The growing evidence is that the main risk is adult to adult transmission. Children pass it on (either to adults) or each other at a much lower rate. So open schools fully with social distancing for the adults only is what many are lobbying for.

My kids are hugely missing out by not being at school, they've missed exams, a huge chunk of their education, their friends and children are the very last people to be considered in any relaxation of the rules.

@7ofNine
Some schools in England are back for some years (R, Yr1, Yr6). All part time. A few days being offered to other years.

Scotland hasn’t broken up, we still have more than a week left. We’re being offered a four day week from August, with 1/3 of the class in at a time in that four day week.

Because with the current guidance I can't see how they can practically do it. Our school has too many staff shielding to be able to take back pupils. I would like there to be more focus on getting the homeschool provision more consistent. There seems (from posts on here) to be a very wide variation on the amount and quality the work provided for the children to do. If we have to homeschool, or do part time for more time, it should be made so each child is at least getting the opportunity for good homeschooling resource. This is not teacher bashing by the way, I think most teachers are working really hard (ours certainly are !) but there are obviously some gaps judging from posts here.

Oh look more school bashing!!!!!!!!! Weee the other two billion threads not enough for you

Why should social distancing not apply in schools???

Signed and shared .
Still hoping my dd’s school will open to more children on Monday by splitting the week like they’ve suggested

Normally each class of 30 has a teacher and a TA
@MsSlightyConfused - only infant classes have that, round here. At DS' school there is one TA for six classes in juniors, so one covers Y3 & y4, one for Y5 and Y6.
Some schools have one TA per year in juniors, but the schools are all three or four form intake.

@canary1 I do think a new petition with clear points would be a good idea. I would definitely sign.
It’s a disgrace what is happening to our children. The government doesn’t seem to have done any cost v benefit analysis for them at all.
Keeping schools closed when the prevalence of covid is only 0.06% 😡
When will it be ‘safe’ to open schools properly?! What is the government waiting for - a vaccine, or for there to be no cases?

@canary1

Do you know, I did consider it, but felt that I have too much going on at the mo - ironically, that includes home-schooling!

I am selfishly hoping that someone else will start a petition with a more articulate and explanatory opening statement. IMO, it needs to include figures for the v low risk of illness for this age group, figures for risk of abuse of vulnerable children trapped at home, likelihood of mental health issues, cost to economy of many parents not being able to WFH properly, cost to children's education, etc.

And the title needs to be something like: Scrap social distancing in schools, and ensure all children return to school full-time from September.

Sorry, I haven't RTFT since your @ to me, but will catch up later. I don't see why opening Primark and beer gardens is more of a priority than re-opening schools. Yes, people need to go back to work, but education is important, and actually, a lot of people (majority women) cannot return to work, or WFH properly, because their children are at home.

I am frustrated to see more and more people I know claiming very tenuous key worker status all of a sudden, or mental health issues to get their kids back. Not blaming them - I blame the system which regulates it all. I have been watching my child join in with online lessons, which also show kids at school sat right next to each other - not social distancing anyway. Not blaming the school as must be impossible, but it makes me resent the fact that my children are missing out on education and socialisation, in order to follow rules that are not being adhered to anyway.

@GreyishDays my son's school is offering full time, as is the next closest school. Only 25% have gone back by parental choice.
I have colleagues that say they can't get their child into key worker provision, but their children are pre-schoolers mostly. Of course others with children in Y2/3/4/5 are struggling, I understand that.

It’s not about going back to school now, there is no plan even for September. How are mums supposed to go back to work?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53080736

I see there are loads of points for me to catch up on - will def return to thread later.

@Davincitoad

Oh look more school bashing!!!!!!!!! Weee the other two billion threads not enough for you

Why should social distancing not apply in schools???

It’s not bashing. It’s a difference of an opinion. Your frustration is with the government and teaching unions.

Parents who are due to become jobless without a secure school place will obviously complain and rightly so! Wouldn’t you?

Most parents aren’t against SD. As a parent it’s not possible and you know it. Government are not going to spend money on making more classrooms and paying more staff to teach the increase of smaller classes.

Signed.

I'd be more interested in a petition that asks for a plan that includes remote learning because I don't think we are done with this virus by a long shot. We need proper remote learning with kids rotating through to get some face time with teachers. We need proper risk assessments done by each school to figure out how many staff could safely be onsite. People keep citing the risk to children being low but that's not known. We don't know the risk because we've been in lockdown. No one thinks it's a good idea to find out what the risk is by just chucking them all in together and hoping.

People are just stupid they need just to make the decision for themselves not everyone else .
For example if you or someone in your household is vulnerable and shielding .Then they make the personal choice and don't send there kids to school .Instead they campaign to keep the schools shut for everyone.
Politically it's ridiculos just because you are the opostion doesn't mean you have to opposed everything .Being constructive would be more helpful.
Few teacher friend desperate to get back and it's a flat no from the union. CV isn't going away anytime soon there will always be risk it about managing it not wait to if/when it goes away .