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?

Exactly @upthewolves

Say yes then don’t take if you change your mind .

I don’t need to send my son but are choosing to. The risk is absolutely minimal, he stands a greater chance of having an evident at home than from coronavirus

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings think this is the right one but there are so many different versions published at odd times

@Norestformrz are you genuinely concerned that there is a level of additional risk to children playing with Lego together when those children are spending the whole school day together?
Or that it is a problem for children to have an individual pot of play dough?
Plastic, wooden and metal resources can be quickly and easily cleaned with ordinary detergent or soapy water - it really isn’t a risk.
Even soft furnishings, toys and dressing up that can be machine washed after use are fine, just more of a hassle to do so easier for settings to just remove.

Or course school and nursery is not going to be 100% sterile and safe

Has anyone suggested that it needs to completely eradicated but with the current death and infection rate were simply putting money before lives

What money? It isn't just about getting kids back in schools, surely.

remove soft furnishings, soft toys and toys that are hard to clean (such as those with intricate parts)

clean surfaces that children and young people are touching, such as toys, books, desks, chairs, doors, sinks, toilets, light switches, bannisters, more regularly than normal

Not sure how you get from that that children should have no toys

Meant to say, it isn't just about getting people back to work, it's about getting kids back to school.

Getting cross now and can't type so will have a break.

The risk to your children is not just under 1% it is just under 0.01%or in another way for a children under 10 the risk from Corona is 1 in 62,000

The normal death risk for young people and children between ages 1-20 years is 1 in 13,000 per year, which equates to 5.6 children dying per day in the uk,

Lego / Duplo machine washes really well in a pillow case in the washing machine (don't ask me how I know this...) though it's also easy to do in a basin of soapy water.

As long as each group has its own set, hands are washed before and after playing with it and it is washed regularly, it actually strikes me as quite a good option - all one material, can be washed in bulk. Dolls' houses would, for example, be much more of a problem.

*:33TeacupDrama

The risk to your children is not just under 1% it is just under 0.01%or in another way for a children under 10 the risk from Corona is 1 in 62,000

The normal death risk for young people and children between ages 1-20 years is 1 in 13,000 per year, which equates to 5.6 children dying per day in the uk,*

And when you bear in mind that this C19 risk figure includes children with serious health conditions (like my son) then the actual risk to healthy non vulnerable children is actually lower.

I am so shocked by the Facebook post @Letseatgrandma** posted.

It's utterly irresponsible of a school to post something like this on their officia Facebook page. The guidance to schools doesn't suggest anything like what these photos represent (yes I've read them) and they will firstly spread fear amongst parents and secondly, if they follow through and actually have classrooms like this for reception children, do damage to the children when they return, for NO reason. For what? To make a point? It's absolutely outrageous.

I would be livid if my children went to that school. Thankfully my children's school is being excellent. Very clear on the limitations as laid out in the guidance, clear that things aren't going to look or feel the same, but doing everything to welcome the children back in something as close to the norm as possible.

Mine too @snowballer. I'm actually finding it reassuring to read posters on this page seeing things in the same way as I felt quite lost with it all earlier today.

Our HT says they have a plan to welcome the children back and will ensure they have a happy and positive return to school. He has consistently acknowledged parents anxieties but reassured us that they will take the best possible care of the children if we choose to send them and give them a "new normal" that we can all live with. They have been meeting and planning for this since the first week of lockdown. He has not once suggested that sending the children back would be in any way damaging to them or given a hint that he thinks it is dangerous to open. He may well feel it, but he is doing what is needed to move forward positively. I'm looking forward to finding out the full details next week so I can make a decision about whether it works for us.

And I don't take for granted the fact that we can make that decision for DD, once we have all the info, as a family. We have the option and it's a luxury.

Cary do you expect the teacher to take soft furnishings and dress up clothes that possibly carry the virus home each night to wash?
Who do you think is available to wash plastic and wooden toys during the school day?
I don't know about your child's school but the settings I know are stuffed full of such items and to thoroughly clean them even once a day would take hours and definitely isn't a quick and easy job.
Young children simply don't play with their own pot of play dough ...within minutes of handing it out it will be mixed and one child will have the bulk in front of them.
Young children put things in their mouths, they lick things, they hug each other and their teachers, they simply don't understand social distancing.
I'm thankful that I don't have a child this age but if I did I would not put them at risk and I've advised family members with young children not to either.
The British Medical Association and the NHS have advised against a June return and even the governments own experts have said we simply don't know how safe it is at this point. The office of National Statistics has said that, based on tests done, those in the 2-19 age group have a similar infection rate to 50-69 age range and higher than in those over 70.

I wouldn't send him, not because of the risk of the virus which is non existent for small children but for the other reasons. If a four year old boy can spend the time with his dad them much better as long as your DP is doing things interactively with him, getting him to mend things, make a kite and fly it, bake, do housework etc then will be massively beneficial for him , give him confidence and and create an enviable bond.

@upthewolves your HT sounds like a true professional with the attitude I would expect any leader to take. Some parents won't have a choice but to send their children when schools open, so the schools and teachers using manipulate rhetoric will be causing huge distress to those parents.

My children have coped and adapted better than adults to the 2 metre rule. When out and about they always try and follow it. We have talked about the science behind it so they aren't scared because they know it is about protecting the NHS.
They have invented ways to play with he other children on our close while they all stay in their own front gardens (watched by parents). So they have made new friends rather than be traumatised by the rules.

So let's give children some credit for how adaptable they can be if parents and teachers set the right example.

I've had to communicate risk in a balanced way to my children since they were in nappies, because they both have life threatening allergies. It's possible to live with risk and live with the measures needed to mitigate it and still have a lovely time as a child.

"It isn't just about getting kids back in schools," no it's about providing free childcare in order to get parents back to work or able to work from home without the added responsibility of juggling home schooling.

This is a great blog from a teacher if anyone wants to read it https://achemicalorthodoxy.wordpress.com/2020/05/14/i-want-to-go-back-to-school/l/*^

It's not just about the economy @Norestformrz there are children in homes with DV ( I have lived this - school/nursery was their safe place). There are children with a parent who is struggling with mental illness.... And I know and am supporting people in both these situations who have heard nothing from their children's schools since lockdown began.

I understand that teachers might be miffed at the idea that they are expected to 'just' be 'free childcare' right now but as I have explained in my previous posts, many many children need to be in a safe, nurturing environment away from their friends where they are, yes, cared for. If you look at the year groups that are being reintroduced we are talking 4-6 year Olds who still strongly benefit from learning through play anyway and year 6 who let's be honest at this point in the year aren't doing a great deal of formal learning even in a normal situation. (Might be skewed by my own experience when we would just breathe a sigh of relief at getting them through sats which involved every teacher in the school tutoring small groups from Christmas onwards to give kids any hope of hitting floor targets so June onwards was art, drama and playing on the field! Which again - all learning!)

I agree kids will find new ways to play. They don't need the soft toys. Of course they can't be expected to keep to their own individual pots of playdoh... Just don't have it! No need to look for problems that don't need to be problems!

Meant to say 'away from their family'. I have a teething 2 year old that hasn't slept all week and my brain is fried, apologies!

I understand you feel let down by your child's school but I've seen many parents saying that they are receiving daily/weekly wellbeing checks from their child's school.

Sorry @norestformrz was that directed at me? Apologies if I gave that impression, I've had brilliant support from my child's teachers couldn't be happier with them.