Mumsnet users share their thoughts on the return to school with INEOS

[LucyBMumsnet]

This sponsored discussion is now closed. Thank you to everyone who posted on the thread.

Up and down the country, parents are polishing school shoes and getting school bags ready in preparation for sending their children back to school. For many, the return to school this year is likely to result in mixed feelings: whether that’s relief that you no longer need to home educate or anxiety about what it might mean. With this in mind, INEOS want to hear more about your thoughts and feelings about sending your children back to school.

Here’s what INEOS have to say: “Going back to school in 2020 is going to be a bit different - with more emphasis on hygiene, social distancing and keeping safe. INEOS Hygienics Sanitiser contains 75% high purity hospital grade ethanol and kills 99.9% of viruses and bacteria. It has given confidence to thousands of frontline medical staff and care providers, and now offers that same level of protection to you and your family, at home, travelling to and from school and beyond. INEOS would love to hear your thoughts on your children returning to school.*”

How do you feel about sending your children back to school? Do you feel differently now that they've returned? Are you looking forward to getting back into the school routine? Has adapting been easy so far? Perhaps you’re feeling sad about spending less time with your children? Or excited about having time to yourself again? Is this the first year that hand sanitiser has made your list of essential back to school supplies? How are your children managing now they've returned?

Whether you’re feeling excited, relieved or slightly apprehensive, share on the thread below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £100 voucher for a store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

*Use sanitisers carefully. Always read the label and product information before use.

My children are all returning to school - one secondary and one primary. They are keen. I am feeling anxious, but I know it is for their good and I am totally supportive of them retuning.
I don't feel it is 'safe' and the fact they will be sitting close to numerous other people is unsettling, however their social contact with other children / teens is important.
I would prefer a blended / part time learning approach with half numbers in school at a time, but it doesn't seem as though that will be happening yet.

Well, this is the first back to school where the shopping list includes masks and hand sanitiser.

I'll miss having the kids around tbh, but it's better for all of us to try and get some normality back.

I'm only anxious that something will change and my 14 year old won't be able to go back. I'm counting down the days. He's spent far too much time alone over the past 5 months and I'm worried about him. I'm not at all concerned about Covid for either of us.

I was quite matter of fact about it, until all the official school letters started arriving stipulating masks, own hand sanitiser, no lockers, no hot food, no mixing of year groups. My DD is just going into yr7 and it makes me sad it is going to be like this. It also makes me very anxious, I'm not sure exactly why but it puts me on edge thinking about.

Dd starts back in to year 11 and ds starts back in year 3.
I'm not too worried about ds as he's bright and if there's a Covid outbreak that temporarily affects school, then we can deal with homeschooling short term.
Hi am worried about dd. She's had a really bad year with mental health issues affecting the first few months of the year until Covid closed the schools. She's found it really hard to focus on school work at home. She really needs to be in school full time to try and get herself back on track. I worry that potential closures will affect her school work even more.
I also work in a school so I do feel a bit apprehensive about trying to keep the children safe, but I also worry about catching it myself.

My children are very excited to be going back, school have put in as many measures as they can to take take seriously the need to keep people safe while also give the children a full and broad curriculum. The benefits to their mental health and education far outweigh the virus risk at this point.

I am very excited about the idea of having some free time to myself and being able to work without interruptions and also having a routine for the dc. I am nervous about the adjustment period as it will take the dc awhile to get used to everything, and it will be hard getting up for the school runs.

I am sad because I will miss the best time with them, for me that is the morning! Not when they and I are tired after a days work. Sanitiser is on the list for the first time this year, and I reckon they will go through it pretty quickly.

My main concern is not health but actual education- classrooms and teachers are not set up for socially distanced days and learning- what will the effects of this very stationary, detached approach be?

Mine are 4 and 8 - going into year 3 and reception. I am just so glad for them; they are thrilled to be going back! I'm a SAHM and homeschooling went pretty well, we could have kept it going so I'm not desperate for them to go back for my sake (though I will certainly appreciate the peace) but for their sake I am.

My eldest is highly allergic to hand sanitiser - he comes out in itchy red spots on contact with it. This isn't a big deal usually, we wash hands regularly and don't use sanitiser but I am becoming concerned by the number of places starting to insist that it is used before entry.

My children are going into year 2 and year 4. The youngest went back for the last few weeks of the summer term and loved it. We are in the South West where there have been very few Covid cases, so I am fairly relaxed about sending them back, and I know they are looking forward to it, particularly the oldest. Like many others we have been balancing working from home with homeschooling/childcare and while I have loved having the extra time with them I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the school stays open as they need their friends around and a better education than I can give them. I will miss them but WFH means I will see more of them than before anyway. I think the struggle will be getting everyone up and ready in time, we haven't had to be anywhere by 9am for a long time!

I've got D1 just off to university and D2 going into Y11.

I think D2 needs the routine and discipline of school, she has found home learning very difficult. I'm glad she'll be going back because of that, I'm concerned as she's going into GCSE year and they are all going to have done different amounts of work at home. I'm concerned about the teachers and how school is going to work with social distancing etc. I think the handwashing and hygiene is going to be very difficult to maintain.

Very happy they are returning and happy with the schools measures - after 6 months away from routine and education my kids need to return

How do you feel about sending your children back to school?

Not at all satisfied - different starting and finishing times will make it a nightmare,

Are you looking forward to getting back into the school routine?

I still feel it's too early and would want to continue with the home schooling. But once the virus is controlled, I would embrace the new routine.

Perhaps you’re feeling sad about spending less time with your children

Yes and no - loved being with them - but aaah the fighting and quarrels - won't miss them.

Or excited about having time to yourself again?

Yes I am dreaming about having 3 or 4 hours for just me - it's been a very difficult few months.

Is this the first year that hand sanitiser has made your list of essential back to school supplies?

Yes I have a bottle and wipes too for the lunchoxes

I have already written this year off, until vaccine becomes available no one can predict how long children will be back at school and how many times different children would catch it and cause the schools to close down. It would be very confusing for my children if they get told it safe one time and no it’s currently not safe and it safe again and again. My children are primary school age and I’m highly considering de registering them and sending them to a private school. I’m also in the governments vulnerable category. Then again Dh works in a hospital which is worse than a school.

I'm very sceptical about how well school reopening in England is going to go. There's already a massive upswing in cases in Scotland, which seems non-coincidental to their own schools reopening. I'm glad there's been a U-turn about masks, but wish it was at the discretion of parents, not Heads. I also look forward to a U-turn about rota teaching as the norm, which is far more sensible than putting kids in huge bubbles and waiting for it all to go wrong, imo. One of my kids' schools is doing this from the outset anyway but the other is useless and will be a petri dish by the end of week one, I confidently predict. I'm sending my two teenagers in for now, but won't hesitate to pull them out if it all goes tits up again. I preempted the March closure by a week and probably should have pulled the plug sooner with retrospect. I won't make the same mistake again - we have vulnerable family members who really can't risk having Covid and just hoping for the best.

Mainly, I'll just really miss them, though. I've had a houseful of teenagers and twentysomethings since March and it's been lovely, we've all really enjoyed being at home together. There's lots of talk on MN about kids' mental health suffering from missing school and undoubtedly that's true for some but it certainly hasn't been the case in our family. Judging by the study published by Bristol University last week, we're not the only ones.

DD been back at school for since 20th August as we are in Scotland. DD is 16 and couldn’t wait to get back to school (possibly 1st time ever, lol). She has really struggled throughout Lockdown with loneliness. I have felt quite sorry for her as she is on the cusp of life and so much has been taken away. She is a much happier person since starting school so I believe the benefits outweigh the disadvantages at this stage.

She has her masks and hand sanitiser in a bag and another bag for the used masks. It has just become part of her everyday.

I'm really pleased they are going back .our son who attends a special school has been so let down by the lack of work or help from his school !
Our daughters school have been amazing and she can't wait to return and show them how much she's improved her writing .
If we all follow precautions hopefully they will get to be educated in school and won't have too much time at home in the future 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞

I'm looking forward to the children going back to school mainly for the social aspect of it (but of course, also for the learning!). My youngest went back to school before lockdown and it was all very well organised and school were very quick to act as soon as anyone had symptoms so I'm confident that they will be well cared for.

My main concern is that, after all this time apart, there will be many viruses and illnesses flying around as they all get back together so we may be hit by multiple colds / sickness bugs etc which is never fun.

I can't wait! I need some space and with the autumn/ winter coming there's less to do outside. I find it hard to occupy my boys all day and end up resorting to technology

We are looking forward to having some routine back in our lives. My daughter is looking forward to seeing her friends and being back in the classroom. We know it will be different this year but I'm so happy she will be properly reached by a qualified teacher and be able to learn and interact with her peers.

I'm feeling excited for my son to return to school as he desperately needs to spend time with his peers. However, i am concerned about the risks of him making others (more vulnerable members) of our family ill if he were to catch COVID-19.

I’m really worried. My children are both in high school and I’m concerned that they could bring COVID home to us and, or my very vulnerable mother. Their school had excellent online schooling during lockdown and I wish they would continue with it. I don’t believe the children will be able to do any kind of social distancing. Not because they don’t want to, but because they’ll just forget. We’ve had a death in the family from COVID of someone young and completely healthy and I had it. It took me 3 months to be able to get out of bed. I’m 45 and healthy. It’s not always a 7 day illness where you feel really rough but then quickly recover.

I work in a secondary school and have children in secondary school too, I am feeling apprehensive about being back at school but know my children need to be back from both their socialising and learning points of view. I know changes have been made to encourage social distancing but I do not honestly feel that the children will do it.

I'm really glad they're going back to school. Tbh it hadn't occurred to me to buy hand sanitizer to send. The school is quite good at making them wash their hands with soap and water every hour or so.

I'm excited for schools to be going back. So many children need the social interaction it provides. Dss can't wait for things to get (slowly) back to normal.