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?

I must say apart from the working issue I can't understand why primary kids are prioritised.

@itonyah if you read the thread it has been discussed at length. In addition to protecting at risk young children, I would imagine the government is aware that primary school children are being 'home educated' by their parents right now, many of whom are teaching early read and writing without experience or qualifications in doing so, often while also working a job themselves.

Secondary children are able to be more responsible for their own learning.

I am not surprised the medical professionals would rather wait. The virus is still out there. They cannot tell us it is totally safe and don't want an increase in cases on their watch if they approve reopening. Furthermore, any even slight increase in risk is a burden to them and they do not have to balance that risk with any possible benefits. There are only cons for the medical community.

On the contrary, the head of Ofsted has advised reopening must happen. She is only looking at the cons from the point of view of the education sector, of not reopening. They are balancing the small medical risks against the larger risks of widening the attainment gap and putting children at risk.

@upthewolves why do you think the head of Ofsted is weighing the "small" medical risks any more correctly than medical professionals are weighing the non-medical risks?

You go ahead make your own decision based on your own situation. But don't pretend the head of Ofsted is any wiser or that her preference is any more correct simply because she confirms your preferences.

user That isn't what I said. At all.

I did not say that the head of Ofsted was weighing anything more correctly. Or that anyone was more correct than anyone else. I was saying that the head of Ofsted was mainly concerned with the risk to the education and welfare of the children and was balancing that with the medical risk to children which IS small. That is an objective fact. The point is that a small medical risk is still a risk and the medical community will obviously be very concerned about that and about reopening schools spreading the infection further, so will want to reduce that risk as much as possible before pupils return. They aren't concerned about the education/ welfare issue because that part isn't their job.

It's really frustrating that some people just hear what they want so there is no way of furthering the debate on here. Just a total wall of "no, we can't".

Unfortunately there is absolutely nothing I can do about the situation as a whole, all I can do is make the decision for my own child. On reading the information from my own school which was released today (thankfully bears little resemblance to any of the scaremongering posts about what reopening will look like that I have seen on social media and heard described on MN) I have decided to send her.

It's no about reading and writing, it's not about parents working, it's about the mitigating the huge harm that weeks of isolation have been forced on them. I don't think any 4 and 5 year olds have been in isolation, they will be with at least one adult, they should have been out for a walk every day, probably out to the shops as well.

It might not be ideal but lets not pretend it is more than it is.

My 4 year old hasn't been in a shop since mid March?! Who is taking 4 year Olds to shops unless they have no option?

My best friend is a single parent, working from home with one 5 year old. She lives in a flat which has no outdoor space. They go for a walk to the local rec area once a day. 5 year old has seen no one other than mum. That's the kind of isolation people are talking about. Obviously they aren't in prison cells.

Does your 4 year old or your best friends 5 year old live in isolation? No they don't. That isn't the sort of isolation you are talking about? Well it isn't isolation then is it.

I have a RC, have replied to school that we are not sending her in for summer term. Hope it helps you to know that not everyone will be.

@1forsorrow I'm sorry, I really don't understand the point you are making. Is it that because it isn't isolation, by the dictionary definition of the word, it is fine and dandy for them? Or is it that because others are worse off they shouldn't be sad about it? I know that one is an MN favourite.

I don't even know which post you were referring to. I imagine it was someone saying that the lifestyle many 4/5 year Olds are currently living, such as my friends 5 year old, is really very hard on them and not great for their mental wellbeing. Are you disputing that?

Seems like more arguing for arguing's sake.

I'm sure some people could feel isolated even when surrounded by people.
You can be isolated or feel isolated.
All children are different and will be affected differently by the current situation. Each parent has to make the decision regarding their own child. Some children will be desperate to return others not. My son seems ok, he also has a brother to fight play with. I would rather keep him home but I completely understand a child desperately needing school and a parents decision to send them.
I really don't think there is a wrong or right on this.

"By The Associated Press
The Associated Press
PARIS (AP) — Just one week after a third of French schoolchildren went back to school in an easing ofthe coronavirus lockdown, there’s been a worrying flareup of about 70 COVID-19 cases linked to schools.
Some schools were opened last week and a further 150,000 junior high students went back to the classroom Monday as further restrictions were loosened by the government. The move initially spelled relief: the end of homeschooling for many hundreds of thousands of exhausted French parents, many whom were also working from home.
But French Education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer sounded the alarm Monday, telling French radio RTL that the return has put some children in new danger of contamination. He said the affected schools are being closed immediately. French media reported that seven schools in northern France were closed."

Our school emailed today and said there would be no pressure for children to attend from June 1st. They have outlined the plan and will send full details soon. It will be a nightmare as you can't even walk them in, just kind of usher them through the gate. No way is that going to work for nursery and reception. Parents can not go into school at all. Scheduled drop off and collection.

@bercows. I think it's possible to work for reception, I dont know about nursery, do you mean the preschool year nursery?

At my child's school parents have never gone into classrooms for drop off. I've always 'ushered' her in. Never been a problem, the kids know the deal. I wouldn't be too concerned about that.

Just received ours too. Bubbles of 15, social distancing between bubbles but not within. Kids placed with friends where possible. Lots of outdoor time. Packed lunches. Byo stationery if you can. An introductory curriculum focussed on connection / mindfulness/ Social emotional development. To be honest lots of parents aren't sending because of logistics with kids in years that aren't going back/ don't like the risk. Army count less than half of DD's class will be in so she will be with her regular teacher.

@nirestformrz that's obviously shit. I mean not connected to the reopening due to not enough time lag, but clearly shows numbers can rise again without warning.

I have heard several experts say they predict the recovery won't be linear and that we will have new peaks, particularly in the run up to winter.

It may be the case that schools will be reopening and shutting a fair bit over the next couple of years.

@upthewolves that sounds really lovely for the children. I bet they will really enjoy it after all the weeks at home.

Totally. So agree with this.

of course it can work without parents going into school it has worked at DD's school in Scotland for years, for younger children who don't walk to school on their own you take them to gate they run into playground and play until bell goes, from 8.45 there's a TA in playground so kids can't leave through gate, at home time the youngest 2 classes wait beside teacher when they see whoever is collecting them they leave, the older kids just leave