My school wants to know tomorrow if my RC is going back 1st June

[ShutUpaYourFace]

I'm torn. My head says send him back, heart says not yet.
I was going to wait until nearer the time to make my decision but the school needs to know numbers which is fair enough.
I know the virus is with us for the long haul.
I know the school will implement the guidelines where possible. I know my child needs to go back, but my child is 4 he's ok at home. He will be mixing with 15 other children plus staff that's 17 plus different households. It won't be like normal, he was often tearful going, I wonder if sending him will be more harmful, he maybe with a different teacher, not with his usual friends.
I already work and have worked through except when my ds had a nasty chest infection going into lockdown so I had to isolate with him. Partner is furloughed not for childcare reasons. He delivers booze to pubs/bars so no chance of him returning until bars and restaurants re-open. So I'm thinking to leave ds with dp until mid June to see how things pan out.
I think writing this I have made my decision but interested to know WWYD?

We have been told if we say no now, there is no guarantee of space at a later date.
So, we have said yes. I'm sure if we ring and day he is coughing or has a temperature they wont want us in, even if we aren't allowed to change our minds in the other direction.

I actually doubt 1 June will happen. We live next to a hot spot, and think the whole country, or us as a hotspot, wont be returning this a academic year.

That seems a bit tough. Surely your school has to offer the space if parents change their mind or if their working situation changes.

I hope it doesn't happen 1st June, not just yet. It needs to be done with all those concerned on board with the plan. It's seems teachers and heads are not convinced. My workplace has strict guidelines in place to protect me but teachers don't seem to matter, well they do, as does my 4year old child & my family.
This is just so stressful for many families.
So many people must be tearing their hair out trying to decide on the right decision.

I wonder when the government will make the final decision, as in the figures are good open 1st June or the figures aren't good enough we can't open! Will this be last minute?

admission, from reading the most recent advice (which is described as being 'written by school leaders for school leaders'), they have very little faith in the 'ambition' that any further primary pupils will return to school before the summer holidays.

It looks as if what they have decided to do is to work up more detailed, universal advice for the 'first phase', and in the unlikely event there is further opening, issue new guidance at that point.

Norest which country is that from?

As in, there were choices they had to make, given there is an inherent contradiction at the heart of the original plan (halve classes AND all pupils return before the summer holidays AND no mention of part time) and they have decided to go down the route of 'halve classes and no part time'.

They could have gone down the route of 'halve classes and all return BUT that means part time', but I suspect they weighed up the genuine likelihood of reaching a point where everyone could return (always given as an 'ambition', not a 'plan') and chose the alternative.

France https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/05/13/schools-start-opening-amid-covid-19-children-nothing/

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-france-schools/french-primary-pupils-trickle-back-to-class-after-eight-week-lockdown-idUKKBN22O1T0

This is from the British Medical Association to one teaching Union

They are making the final decision on 28th May.

I'm a primary teacher. Mine will not be going back. Not until I trust the government want them back for the RIGHT reasons.

I’m a primary teacher and I am lucky enough to be able to keep our 3 DC off for the foreseeable future. This is not because of the risk of them being very ill, which I feel would be unlikely, but as I don’t think they will be missing anything. Also, DH is clinically vulnerable so I don’t want to risk his health more than necessary (I see my going to work as necessary). I do appreciate that they are lucky to have each other to play with and I might feel differently I had one child on their own who was missing having other children to play with.

I really wish people would stop sharing that photo from France as a reason not to send their children back to school. There has been absolutely no indication that the same measures will be taken in England. It is pure scaremongering. Our local authority has said that it will not be enforcing social distancing as it is not possible, just reducing class sizes and taking other measures to reduce mixing. The teachers are very cross about this but it seems they are also cross about what actual social distancing would look like.. which is it that we want?

True it's highly unlikely schools will be able to ensure children maintain social distancing in a classroom with 14 others

What’s an RC?

which is it that we want? I would have thought that was pretty obvious ...to keep children, their families and staff safe.

Sure, I completely agree with you @norestformrz. But what does safe mean? What are the criteria in your opinion?

I'm just confused because I have loads of primary teacher friends (used to be one, hardest job I ever had in my life). Some are up in arms about the effect of social distancing on children (emotionally, socially) but at the same time furious because they won't be able to socially distance and they think it isn't safe if they aren't doing so. Tabloid press seem to also be flip flopping between both sides of this coin.

Absolutely no one is suggesting chalk squares in the playground, incidentally.

I also have some teacher friends who worked in the same setting I did desperate to get back as they work with vulnerable, disadvantaged children for whom school is their safe place. I worked in an area of extreme deprivation and to be honest actually educating the children was a small fraction of my day. They are very concerned about these children as am I.

I have other friends for whom this is the only relative break in terms of workload they have had in years and who openly admit that is very much feeding into their opinions on returning.

I don't know what to make of all the noise. I have a reception child so it's really important issue for me.

The governments own criteria would be a start

Test one: The NHS has adequate capacity

Test two: A sustained and consistent fall in daily deaths

Test three: The R rate falls below 1 before UK lockdown ends

Test four: Testing and PPE capacity is sufficient

Test five: Avoiding a big second wave after end of UK lockdown

We seem to be moving towards creating that big second wave

I think most teachers are desperate to get back to normal (isn't everyone) but not at the cost of putting children and their families at risk

I have said I will keep my daughter at home if the school will educate her remotely but if they can't then I will be sending her in. I think I can justify that approach to my employer too.

Also. I wish their was more caution about the rhetoric used around sending children in. Because for some children even now in the middle of a pandemic school would be the safest place for them (I speak as someone who fled an abusive relationship and who volunteers to support mother's experiencing abuse).

Also it must be grim if you are key worker (or risking the sack if you don't work) parent to read all the comments about how mentally traumatic and physically dangerous it will be to send your children to school.

I’ve just seen this on Facebook-it made me want to cry.

NeverTwerkNaked vulnerable children are already in school as are children of essential workers

@norestformrz Thanks. I can see why you think that, that makes sense. How long would you be prepared to wait for those criteria to be met though? This is what really worries me. What if we don't meet those criteria by the end of the calendar year?

My own daughter has a loving home with outdoor space and I am educating her using the material sent by school, which she is engaging with. So she's really fortunate. But she's struggling emotionally, really missing her friends. There must be some kids really suffering out there. Doesn't there come a point where one risk outweighs another?

I heard someone on the radio the other day say the debate about returning kids to school was a middle class issue. I can really see that.

How do they know which children are vulnerable? SEN? FSM?

@letseargrandma that is shocking. How come current keyworkers kids are being educated in normal looking classrooms with lovely art on walls as usual? Kids seem happy as larry at the school I walk past every day on my walk, I can see in to the classrooms as a pass.

Why are reception kids sitting at socially distanced desks if that is not actually required in the guidelines (correct me if wrong?!) I honestly wonder if some schools are making this look and sound as bad as possible so that it doesn't happen.