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.

I am worried about what school will be like, I think it is a good thing they are going back from a social and education perspective but lessons will not be the same.

Having worked in a people facing role throughout this whole thing and having no choice but to risk contracting Covid and potentially passing it to my children I am personally not seeing that as a concern. I know and respect that for others their situations may be different and that may be a main concern so I am not going to belittle anybody who feels that way.

I am concerned about my daughter's GCSE's she is about to start year 11 and was already fighting tooth and nail just to try and get level 4's. Now I know there is pretty much no chance of this happening and I very much doubt she will be able to go into the field of work she would like to.

However, my asd Son is actually looking forward to school for the first time ever as every single change that has been put into place by the school will make the whole school experience more comfortable for him.

My youngest is going into year 11 and we're in the middle of a local 'hotspot'.. and I'm dreading it. As a family we've all kept to ourselves and kept to the advice so this will be a massive leap for us but she definitely needs to go back. I'm packing plenty of gels, wipes, masks etc plus anything else that makes her feel more confident about her return. All we can do is be as prepared as possible and hope for the best

With my daughter starting school for the first time I am excited for her but so nervous to see how it will go, especially with all the changes meaning she's had no settling in sessions or anything. I'm also worried about getting her settled in school then it closing again, I'm not sure she could cope with that again, she found nursery closing so tough

DD is going into Y4 and I'm pleased the schools are returning. I think it's important children get a good education and develop socially from being with others in school. We can't eliminate risk returning to school brings but, with the correct hygiene measures in place such as using hand sanitizer/washing hands on a regular basis, the risk can be minimized to enable children to return to school and benefit everything school provides them.

I'm glad my daughter will go back to school she will be starting reception her first time in a big school I naively thought lockdown wouldn't affect my children to much but my eldest is 4 and she's been so upset about not having any friends to play with...social interaction is so important for everyone

I feel hugely grateful to all the education professionals. Thank you all. Whilst I'm excited for my DD that she'll see her friends again and progress her learning in a more structured environment, I do worry that she won't be as relaxed and carefree as she has been this past six months. Lockdown suited her rather well in many ways. To summarise: feeling grateful, and cautiously optimistic. Not worried about Covid since we have no vulnerable relatives and life is always going to include an element of risk management.
Good luck, everyone!

I'm in Scotland, so DS8 went back a couple of weeks ago. I wasn't sure how well he'd manage after being off so long but he's been mostly fine. I was worried about parents not being able to distance when they drop-off but lots of parents have stopped dropping off, so there isn't any crowding.

Iam so glad for them they are back. They need stimulation and to catch up on learning however I am grieving them. Want to go to the park and out for ice cream as being a grown up sucks! Iam terrified this is all short lived and in no time at all the day we collect them when schools close again won't be far away.

I am going to struggle as my child normally bikes to school but bikes are not allowed to be left at school because of covid 19 risk assessment!
My child is being monitored for Perthes disease and struggles to walk far, I have a disability that means I cannot drive so I somehow have to walk two miles to school!
Other than that I am glad they are returning as they need to continue their education now the risk is lower.

I'm glad for them due to social aspect (don't think will learn anything as already ahead and school don't challenge academically). Have a DC starting reception with a stay and play for 30 kids in a tiny classroom with parents - makes me nervous about school that is comfortable with that level of unnecessary risk (eg could have staggered groups). Mixed feelings I guess - the whole thing feels a bit Russian roulette. I wouldn't want to be a teacher now, that's for sure!

We are going school shopping today but I feel somewhat apprehensive as I've still yet to learn exactly how things will be running in the school. Thankfully my child is in secondary school so will be able to make judgements on the situation. My younger child has always been home schooled which in these mad times feels like a complete blessings as I would not send her into primary school under these conditions. I am taking the let's see how this goes day by day approach with my teen who will be starting year 11, his exam year. I hope they push the exam dates back.

Mainly happy for my daughter to be starting secondary school tomorrow.It’s been very difficult to persuade her to go out anywhere over the holidays which has been tough on me & my husband too. We are lucky enough to live in Cornwall, an area with one of the lowest rates of Covid 19, so that side of things isn’t too worrying. My daughter isn’t brilliant at handwashing but will use sanitiser & has a mask ready to take to school.

Tomorrow is the big day. I feel slightly apprehensive, mostly sad at not having DD with me all day every day. But so pleased for her that she's going to finally spend time with friends and teachers. She's met up with pals over the past few months, but her resilience and confidence have dropped. Being around 30 other kids, some of whom she isn't close to, will help develop her social skills - kindness, thoughtfulness, negotiating, ignoring the less nice ones, debating, and all the rest.

I'm looking forward to them going back - mostly for interaction with their peers, but also more of a routine and structure to their day. They're both really looking forward to going back too (Y3 & Y8). It's been a long 6 months - now we all need to adapt to a new normal. Personally, I'm selfishly looking forward to returning to work and getting some "me" time back.

My younger two are starting year 12 and year 9. Year 12 is going in for 2 hours this afternoon, year 9 for the morning tomorrow, both in year bubbles and just really to get timetables and go over protocols and rules.
They start back properly on Monday, and I have very mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, after 24 weeks off school, they are desperate for normality and routine, and to see their friends in a familiar environment. On the other hand, I've enjoyed having them at home, with relaxed bedtimes and getting up times, knowing where they are at all times, knowing they are safe and well.... and feeling a little trepidation about sending them back to mix with hundreds of other kids after so long of "just us".

I’m relieved that regular school is finally returning. As a key worker my children attended a hub school which allowed me to keep working but there wasn’t much teaching going on. Since I was working full time there wasn’t a lot of time for home learning. My children need the structure of learning at school and I am so pleased we are back.

I’m glad they are going back really.

Lockdown was really tough and DD8 is desperate to get back into a school routine and see her friends again.

I feel confident that the school have acted to make it a CV safe place.

I’ll miss them at times but am a SAHM so still see plenty of them and am keen to start deep cleaning and decluttering the house.

Very happy for the kids to be going back - a routine and social time with their peers is so important, and they're very excited about it too!

I’m thrilled and relieved my two are going back, and only hope we last till half term before either of them has to stay home due to a cough (school has made it clear, irrespective of negative tests, that it doesn’t want any potentially symptomatic children at school). It’s not going to be the same with class bubbles meaning they can’t see their friends in other classes and it will be strange launching them into school at the gate rather than going in on their first day (they’re still very young), but we’re putting a brave a positive face on things and I know they are both very excited to get back.

My oldest son went back to primary school last week in year 3. My youngest son is due to start year 1 at a special school this week.

Unfortunately despite the best efforts of the school last week with staggered starts, separate entrances, lots of hand washing and lots of wiping down of all surfaces and touch points several times a day and of course class bubbles, my oldest developed symptoms over the weekend. We have had to arrange a test and are all now in isolation. My second has had to miss his settling in sessions and first days of school. I was shielding and I am terrified that despite all I have done to stay safe the minute we go back to school it was all for nothing.

My feelings on the return to school are mixed. I am not denying the kids need school and an education but it needs to be safe. There needs to be provision for children from shielding homes. Even if this turns out not to be covid it bothers me that a bug of any kind managed to get through all these safety measures and it will only be a matter of time before covid does strike and I could catch it and get very very ill. I feel like i am being backed into a corner. I dont know what to do for the best! The news this week has said that they expect schools to be hit and lots of children to be ill and households to be ill. This despite assurances for the last month that schools wil be perfectly safe and there is no danger with all the extra measures in place. So which is it? Are they safe or not? What about shielding households as numbers rise again?

I'm split.

On the one hand his speech and confidence have come on leaps and bounds at home, I'm worried s hook will stiffle that but excited how much easier he might find it.
He's ready to go back but he's nervous to go back.
H needs to go back as his behaviour is slowly skidding bit I'm scared what teachers will think now he's so much louder and more boisterous.
Missing half of reception and going into year 1 is a huge leap, he's still behind on speech and toileting but before lockdown he was midstream in mainstream school and that was something we wouldn't have imagined for when he was tiny so I don't want to lose that.
I'll miss him but I have 9 month old twins and I feel they've been relegated really as I've had a 5 yo to teach and entertain all day every day. They don't have free crawl of the floor because he's always running around and his O2 tubes are a constant source of fascination so I'm hoping actually this will help their development and I can bind with them a bit better too

Im happy they are going back and there will be some form of normality again but I also have my concerns about whether things like handwashing and sanitising will actual be consistent enough to have the desired effect.

2 out of my 3 children will be going to school. First to secondary and second to primary. I know safety measures are in place, however, how teachers are going to social distance primary school aged children, who are desperate to socialise and play with their friends is beyond me.

Ive supplied my children with their own hand sanitisers and tissues. Explained over and over again about hand washing. My 6 year old has asd and suffers with extreme anxiety and ocd so im trying not to worry her too much about coronavirus and germs.

Its a tough one knowing its out of the parent's hands, I removed my children from school earlier than the Government officially closing schools. They have been social distancing since. So extremely apprehensive this morning for my children returning.

My son enjoyed home learning and would have been happy to have stayed at home however some of his subjects are better learned in school. When he first went back (3 weeks ago) he was showering and changing his clothes as soon as he came in (dh is vulnerable) but he has become more complacent and doesn’t bother. If the numbers rise significantly we will take him out.