Scottish schools opening

[chocciechocface]

I was ready for schools opening, but this new research has given me pause for thought. I think this came out after Sturgeon's decision. What do you all think?

www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/07/31/georgia-children-covid-outbreak/#click=t.co/Y9gSG9zENz

Quote from the article:

"A new report suggests that children of all ages are susceptible to coronavirus infection and may also spread it to others — a finding likely to intensify an already fraught discussion about the risks of sending children back to school this fall.

The analysis, released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, details an outbreak at a sleep-away camp in Georgia last month in which 260 children and staffers — more than three-quarters of the 344 tested — contracted the virus less than a week after spending time together in close quarters. The children had a median age of 12. The camp had required all 597 campers and staff members to provide documentation that they had tested negative for the virus before coming. Staff were required to wear masks, but children were not."

Good luck @nonameme. ❤ I'm sure the school will be understanding.

Twice the number that has officially died of Covid in Scotland. 8.5k people joined.
Well aren't you clever to come up with that statistic. I'm pretty sure those people don't include folk who have relatives affected by Covid, or who are suffering from it months after diagnosis.
Do remember the figures also include a lot of us who just want to see what is being said on there (a bit like the people from TFU who pop up on the teaching unions' dedicated pages to put their tuppence in)

Risk assessments for staff don't take any account of who you live with, just your own personal risk.
I'm sure they will be more understanding for students though.

@MumofHunter

Children have been able to play with others for months and the we've had nearly two months of summer holidays. Even if children don't go out to play with others nearby, outdoor kids clubs have been open. It's hard to see why it's the fault of schools if a child has been at home the whole summer.

Kids clubs only opened three weeks ago. Any usually held on school premed is or grounds (so most round here) haven’t been allowed to happen. We managed to get two days. And yes, I have been hosting play dates, in our small house with two adults both wfh on calls etc as we’ve used all our leave up. We have had just under six weeks of holiday and the first weeks were still under lockdown so that’s not “nearly two months” of summer holiday.

Children have been exempt from social distancing for one month and two days only.

I’m sorry if I sound defensive but the PP tone suggested that the lack of social opportunities for small children is in the hands of parents. I reject all suggestions that we’re not doing everything we can to try to mitigate the situation and care for our children’s social and emotional health and wellbeing. Having no school and no clubs (due to not being able to use school grounds) IS the issue.

My child is 12 so still SD and nothing at all open for him to do here.

@Blueberryham

I wonder if NS is possibly doing full time school due to the pressure she has been put under for this to happen. But is fully intending to switch to blended when enough local closures are needed. Maybe it’s political move so she can say they tried full time but it just was too risky in the end.

I think she’s definitely politicised it. When that idiot Swinney said part time for a year people went nuts and she saw her seats in Holyrood walking out the door and with it an Indyref 2. I do think she should have stuck with it for a wee while though, my only hope is that she’s not been reckless so far and she won’t want to risk Scotland looking worse than England so hopefully it will be OK.

@nonameme the school might refer you to the council as that’s what happened when he homeschooled for a bit - they were easy as pie to deal with and it makes sense in your case so hopefully they’ll see that.

I do really understand people's concerns about schools going back full time, there's an uptick in cases and people are worried about a second wave. However, I do really think that kids have been left behind quite badly by what is going on and unless there's a commitment to redo this entire academic year, then kids really do need to get back to full time education, with whatever protection teachers need to try to keep them safe.

I was one of the people who filled out the questionnaire on blending learning and tbh I think the Scottish government took the responses to this into account as much as Us for Them. In the survey I stated my mental health has been really impacted as a lone parent trying to work full time and homeschool a 7 year old. Honestly blended learning just won't be possible for me and lots of other people who don't have the privilege of being a SAHP or working part time and have younger kids. The attainment gap for those kids will just get wider and wider.

My daughter is behind in her education, her social skills have been impacted, as has her behavior. It's not hyperbolic to say that if blended learning, with a couple of days in school a week is introduced, i'll likely have some sort of break down.

Having no school and no clubs (due to not being able to use school grounds) IS the issue
Actually THE issue is that we're living through a pandemic. There's an undercurrent in some groups of 'if we make everything look the way it was before then it will be the way it was before' ... but it won't.
Schools aren't going to be the same. If you have an older child, they're going to be aware of the risks of catching and carrying the infection.
There is no conclusive or extensive research into the psychological effects of putting DCs into a school environment that seems familiar but has irrevocably changed; of the impact of feeling they are both at risk and could bring risk home.
None of this is straightforward but I find the emotional blackmailing approach of various groups to be unhelpful as well as the gleeful handrubbing over politicising our DC's health and education. The pressure groups aligning with UK govt policies have pushed for reopening and if there are spikes on schools reopening- which there will be because every country has had them and other countries had much more robust processes than us - they are then going to try to exploit that as being the SNP's fault.
Ultimately as parents we're being left to try to risk-assess on our own because goverments and lobby groups are pretending they can't see the risks inherent in re-opening schools even though it sits at odds with all their other advice about social distancing, compulsory masks, etc.

Pubs and restaurants shut in Aberdeen again - 54 cases now. Right decision with schools about to return.

I agree Anne.

It does seem there hasn’t been much thought given to flexibility for parents and teachers who are in high risk groups for covid.

@chocciechocface I'd assume from what little I know of the area there is a fair amount of school provided transport/reliance on buses that would make staggering start times less effective because pupils would be arriving as usual then hanging around...

My 4 year old is definitely struggling more because with all the will in the world I can't provide as much company as she wants. Not found any outdoor kids clubs near me either, despite googling and asking on Facebook.

I've assumed we will have to suck up some blended learning/burst bubbles this winter by not actively job hunting as I doubt I'll manage to keep a job if I did by some miracle get one! DH can't exactly self isolate for me!

"Actually THE issue is that we're living through a pandemic. "

This is really truly the main point. Mental health issues, personal problems, stress, all the awfulness etc, are directly attributable to this. It's a fucking terrible situation, but no matter how much we wish it was different, the virus is going to do what the virus is going to do. It doesn't give a damn about mental health, jobs, the economy etc. It doesn't matter either if every single person in the country cares deeply about jobs, economy, stress etc - the virus still won't give two shits and do what it is going to do.

I grew up in a war zone. My parents sent me to school on a school bus that had an armed soldier protecting us. We had gun drills and rehearsed scenarios if the school was attacked etc. Parents could have objected to this as affecting our mental health, but they didn't, because ... we were in a war! No one could ignore or deny that.

COVID has killed more people in the UK than those who died during the WWII blitz. This utterly blows my mind. But somehow we can dissociate ourselves from that reality. The idea that somehow we can push this to one side and think we can just go back to normal in the middle of it all is just incredible to me.

I am sending my children back to school, because they want to go and the numbers are currently very very low. But the moment one school anywhere in Scotland has an outbreak I'm whipping them out. I've warned them of this.

I feel like I'm playing Russian Roulette though. I just hope like hell that it isn't their school that has the outbreak and that they don't bring home a virus that kills their father.

That is very eloquent, choccy. I feel the same.

This is interesting, thanks, dolly "The guidance allows for clinically vulnerable children and staff to be able to stay off (with online education provided) in the event of local outbreaks as a precaution. It’s paragraph 113 of the most recent guidance."

Our DS, 15, is vulnerable. He needs to be in school, with his pals, learning so he's ready for prelims and exams. He also needs not to get covid because the consequences for him are unthinkable.

I asked school if he could sit next to a window, wear a mask and/or leave the class 5 mins early so he's not in the crush between classes. No response.

I know that the HT is going to be very busy and under a huge amount of pressure - but, I could really do with an answer. There's only a week left!

Vivarium he can absolutely wear a mask in a Scottish state school, anyone can this is in the guidance.

I feel like I'm playing Russian Roulette though
This is how I feel too. DS is prone to illness and always has been. His consultant hasn't managed to identify an underlying cause yet. So there's no medical diagnosis to justify keeping him at home ... but yy it feels exactly like Russian Roulette.
He's also prone to anxiety. He's loved lockdown because we've worked so hard to maintain a pretense of normality at home and a very pragmatic approach but it might all tumble down for him as soon as he walks back into school. Because it isn't school like he knows it and we don't even have enough detail to prepare him for it.

kids who wear masks could be in the minority and get questioned / mocked by their peers.

I've already said to DD to keep a mask in her bag in case she wants to wear one or a teacher tells her to.

and I've said not to laugh at any pupil who wants to wear one all day because they might have a health issue etc.

I'm increasingly concerned there will be school closures again later this year. Looking at Aberdeen - who is to say one of the pub goers doesn't have a teacher partner or indeed is a teacher themselves?

I wanted DD back at school, and still do, but now I'm worried

Yes, I expect he'll be in the minority with a mask on = but we are lucky in that DS does not give a single jot about what anyone else thinks. He is very secure in his own wants - which makes for interesting parenting, but, will be useful for this!

I ordered some with clear inserts - due here mid-september. That will help, it's not being able to see faces which causes me communication challenges, and I'm not deaf, just can't seem to hear as well without seeing the mouth move!

Can I just say I'm grateful this is a reasoned discussion about the issues ... the thread elsewhere on MN about schools reopening has very quickly descended into swearing and name calling.

I've just seen on school Facebook group, parents going on about coughs and colds and how that should be accepted as normal... Good god! Are they SERIOUSLY thinking their children should be allowed at school coughing?!

Anneofqueensabbles - do you have to justify keeping him at home? Can't you apply for homeschooling on the basis of ongoing unresolved health concerns?

If anyone in my class laughs at a pupil for wearing a mask or even hints at an eye roll, words will be had. I really hope they don't, I believe pupils will be empathetic and supportive and my intervention not required . I think the majority of parents will be like Brit and be preparing the kids to consider other pupils and teachers. I am nervy about the COVID is exaggerated, masks are more harm than good and you're not allowed to tell me ... crew but I think they'll be the minority .