Separate thread as it’s a slightly separate issue and don’t want it to get lost in the massive Covid thread as I am genuinely interested in people’s pov.

What’s your thoughts on sending kids back to school? My wife and I are disagreeing. We have a 4yr old in last year of nursery and a 9yr old in yr 4.
I’m happy for both kids to go back. I’m happy that the establishments will do everything they can to mitigate the chances of my kids getting anything or passing anything around. My wife is not so keen and is concerned they’ll bring Covid home increasing our chances of an early death. I’m like well if we get it we get it, we can’t stay in our house forever, we will all have to get IT at some point, right? And if we don’t send them back now then when? A month from now, 6 months? Just get on with it.
Thoughts please? And I’m not just looking for backup. Wondering if my thoughts are out of step with others. Thanks.

We don’t have kids so no vested interest.

However, I think your argument falls down at

I’m happy that the establishments will do everything they can to mitigate the chances of my kids getting anything or passing anything around.

I read somewhere that the elite Public Schools, Eton, Harrow etc. are not reopening until September at the earliest.

However, I don’t know if it was internet fake news bolloxs or if it’s actually true.

If it is true, I find that pretty shocking.

I am in the same place as your wife. If we knew more about the virus and also the current threat of infection plus a government that appeared to be on top of it, then I would be able to make a less emotional judgement call. But because the government appears to be a bit shit at advising us, and the teachers unions are up in arms about it, I would rather give it until the new school year.

Now just to add context to my situation as it will be different for others. My wife and I can easily work from home and so far have been completely unaffected work wise by Covid. This coupled with the fact my daughter is transitioning to 6th form college so has no school until then, and my son is in yr 8 so it is not the end of the world for him to miss some schooling. Others will be in a lot less convenient situation than us which may drive their need to get the kids back to school asap

Primary teachers & parents: what’s so essential about Year 6? (lockdown easing)

We’ve one in year 4 and one in year 6. So, our eldest is meant to be going back to school on the 1st, but it’s not like that changes anything at home as we still have another child to look after.

The school wrote to us last week saying that they’ve effectively had nine working days notice for reopening and guidance as to how to keep everyone safe is still updating daily. They outright said they’re not opening on the 1st as there isn’t enough time to prepare and provisionally said they’ll open on the 8th. They’re asking for numbers of people who will send their kids in.

My thinking is that we don’t send our eldest in. At some point the schools will reopen, yes. But right now the infection rate is still pretty bad, I think it’s too early to start this, the government doesn’t really know how it wants schools to manage this, and we don’t need to send them in to get back to work.

I’m happy the schools will do *their best*. I’m not happy the government is doing their best to protect the kids though. The schools can do better the less kids there are to deal with, so I’ll do my bit by giving them on less kid to worry about.

Both myself and the wife are secondary teachers and have a preschooler and a Yr1, both of whom are eligible to return when nurseries and school reopen.

We’re currently not happy about them returning, unless we have no other option, i.e. We both have to go in to school full-time to teach yr10 (and maybe other year groups).

Lack of govt advice to schools, no requiremebt for PPE (as other EU countries are insisting on), lack of room to properly socially distance in class, and other reasons.

Make of this what you will.

If you are not in a at risk group your risk is low even if you do catch it.

We can not wait this out. Come up with solutions and ways of living with this new situation.

My son is at a small village school. There are 7 out of 39 eligible children whose parents said they would send them back.

I think the risk is pretty low because of the demographic of the school and it looks like only a few will be going. I am also not convinced that much will change by September so to a certain extent we are going to have to start making our own decisions on what level of risk we are prepared to accept and not relying on the government.

I don’t have kids but am a teacher. Kids have already missed 8 weeks so what difference will a few more make? And if only some attend there will be a big divide next term.

Ask yourself this question. Would you spend the day in a small room with people who you have no idea who they have been in contact with?

I certainly wouldn’t. The kids will probably be fine but the staff and parents who will inevitably become infected will not be fine.

It only takes one person who has been in contact with someone else who has been in contact with someone else etc.

Tiddly school, reception year is being split into small groups with part time attendance – he is going back. Yr3, not this term.

Wife’s out of work. Currently. So she is sort of ok with continuing to home school. Although I think she would very very very much like the eldest to also go in for a couple of days a week, for sanity reasons. No idea how this plays out when she starts working again.

Splitting classes into smaller groups wont work if it’s the same teacher for all groups. The virus could spread to all groups if one person is a carrier.

I’m worried about Mr Dubs going back to school, and she’s a PE teacher so has most of the time outside.

They are festering germ factories at the best of times.

Far too early. Badly thought out.

Teachers have a legal right to refuse to go in if safety is comprised

Much better to plan properly for an early return for the new term

As we’re key workers, ours have been going anyway….

I guess working in and around hospitals during all this, we’ve probably normalised living around COVID to some extent now and so are perhaps also further down the line in our feelings and approach to it but can see the argument that there’s not a lot to be gained from rushing a re-start through.

Our reception age boy isn’t going back until Sept.
I agree that we need to learn to live with the new normal but the sad reality is no one knows what that is, and the schools who need to know seem not to have been given help.
he can go back in Sept when hopefully there is more awareness or idea as to how this will be done

People saying ‘delay’ – how much better do you think transmission and infection counts of this thing will be in September?

(not trying to troll)

Infection rate is far too high and the ‘test / track / trace’ system is nowhere near ready. Given the shambolic efforts so far I think it will be some time before there’s a system in place that people can trust.

So not sending our 5 year old back on the 1st, and it’s September at the earliest for both our kids.

There is a report going round about a teacher in Bristol testing positive
Ends up with 200 folk isolating

Mrmonkfinger – I would expect infection rates to be lower. But the main thing is that schools hopefully will have had the time and support to put in good strategies. Sending them all back and crossing fingers (which some in the media seem to think is good)is a stupid idea.
The way we fight this virus is with knowledge and it is limited currently

we are going to have to start making our own decisions on what level of risk we are prepared to accept

As a teacher with asthma I appreciate your concern of the risks I’ll be taking 🤨

I read somewhere that the elite Public Schools, Eton, Harrow etc. are not reopening until September at the earliest.

My friends son goes to Eton and this is what they have told me. The reasoning being that the kids who attend are from a huge graphical area, so it wouldn’t be easy to get them back part time. There are also issues with accommodation etc. My friends son is probably one of the few who could easily attend on a daily basis.

My daughter is YR6 and should be going back in June. The school’s plans seem fairly sensible, and will only let the kids mix in very small groups. She is desperate to go back.

WE had the option of sending our 11 year old back to school. Purely for the social aspect. However reading the rules laid down by the school he won’t be able to do much socialising so he’s decided to sack it off and stay at home.

My wife works in a primary school as a TA. They don’t have any PPE so we’re very much of the mindset of when she’ll get Covid rather than if she’ll get Covid.

As of 1st June she’ll be in charge of 15 3-5 year old children who won’t be in their normal classroom. The chances of social distancing being enforced are minimal. She fully expects the kids to be licking each other and anything else for that matter.

My understanding from my wife is that guidance from LEAs and in turn Central Government has been minimal. It’s a case of JFDI.

Will be interesting to see if the school does open on 1st June based on the R value/rate and also if local councils kick off and revolt against the Westminster Government. As far as I can see it’s fundamentally a test to see what happens to the infection rate as I’m not aware of any science being shared to back up the decision.

Wife’s a teacher getting ready to go back after maternity leave

I am concerned about the whole thing but at the same time it’s her job.

What is more concerning than the school’s going back across the uk is that the numbers suggest that the virus hasn’t really arrived here yet and we are just going to be resetting the clock on the numbers.

The over all picture for the UK when you include London looks rosy. Break it down into regions and you see that many are just coming too and or are still on the way to the peak.

I’m a teacher in a state secondary my other half works as a teacher in a private primary and secondary. So although I’m in sometimes for key worker baby sitting nothing much is changing for me, other halfs primary is going back a week or 2 after the state schools so they can get everything ready. Son is in year 4 so doesn’t need to go back yet.

I’m very torn and confused.
Should year 4 be asked back in a few weeks I expect ours would go, but, I worry about the teachers more so if I’m not at work I might keep him home for there sake, who knows.
I think it may be too soon, I’d like to see the death rate and therefore virus load in the country drop more but this is no more than a personal response to the numbers. I’d go back to work if asked, but have no idea if that would be the right thing. I dont worry about myself too much or my other half, we are both pretty fit and well and the boy should be fine but is it right for the country, is it right for the vulnerable.
This post sums it up for me though;

plus a government that appeared to be on top of it, then I would be able to make a less emotional judgement call. But because the government appears to be a bit shit at advising us,

How can we trust the advice of an administration who have failed us so many times over the last few months even with the foresight of other countries during the pandemic, broken promises day after day and our children are in your hands with your clueless leadership.
They are not fit to run the country and been proved we cannot trust what they say

The reasoning being that the kids who attend are from a huge Geographical area

Hold on, so it’s NOT all about a class war on poorer kids???????

Seriously I think ideally Families should choose, if fit and healthy why not go back?
Teachers in high risk groups should also obv have option to not return.

This will mean some schools short staffed obv, case by case common sense required.

Tough one for me I’ve one in high school who is on the laptop every day working and one in yr6 primary that’s a ball ache to try teach and hes desperate to go back tbh

Me and the mrs work as key workers and we kept them off as we managed to juggle shifts and as thought it was safer for them and us rather than them sat all day with other key workers kids catching something and passing it on to us, but I caught it at work unfortunately and gave it to my mrs so we’ve both had it now and the kids were off it for a few days so they probably have had it too

My mrs is back on the wards and in the care homes and I’m waiting on doc letting me back to work, it’s now going to be harder to juggle shifts as so many are off work ill now so we might have to send them in as key worker kids anyway even if schools dont open, but they have already been exposed to it so in theory may be immune

But it’s a tough one

How can we trust the advice of an administration who have failed us

Agreed make your own decisions, nanny state can’t work in practice

My wife is both a hospital consultant and head governor for daughters school, and the guidance they have from Government to re-open is wishy-washy at best.

My daughter is Type 1 diabetic so also in the vulnerable category, we have discussed whether we could send her back and don’t feel comfortable at all doing so.

Personally i don’t think we can start opening up the country as a whole until we have mass testing, track and trace running well and are well on way to vaccine, my daughters school is a tiny rural primary school of only 79 pupils, it is impossible for them to socially distance even if they tried, and the whole point is that it only takes only child or one teacher to be carrying the virus, think how quickly any other bug or illness gets carried through a school.

Seriously I think ideally Families should choose, if fit and healthy why not go back?

Because you, me, them, anyone could pass it to the vulnerable, the more that have it, the bigger the chance of this happening. Covid risks for most individuals are very small but, a very small risk x 65million will still give a very big number.

People saying ‘delay’ – how much better do you think transmission and infection counts of this thing will be in September?

Even if R is under 0.5, you’re going to have to socially isolate 5 years olds.

Consider a 1 form entry school. It will have 6 or 7 classrooms for its 6 or 7 year groups, maybe a sports hall or gym which doubles up as an assembly hall and canteen.

Each classroom is going to have a 3rd to maybe 4/10ths capacity once you put 2m lines on the floor so for the 3 years they want to send back you need 8-9 classrooms. Or you use the gym, which is also the canteen…

None if this is insurmountable, but planning it and working out safe procedures etc (on a skeleton staff ) isn’t something that can be done in the 10 minutes it’s taken me to define the initial problem statement…

Scud, the mass testing, antibody testing and tracing was promised 5 weeks ago still nothing, rabbits in the headlights come to mind… I crave a leader!

Seriously I think ideally Families should choose, if fit and healthy why not go back?

It only takes one family to think their kid isn’t a carrier…

As a teacher with asthma I appreciate your concern of the risks I’ll be taking

Initial data is showing asthma is not as big an issue as expected. CoPD etc yes but not so much asthma.

What level of risk is exceptable?

By March 30, the Marist College cluster had 47 cases and was the largest in the country. It has since grown to infect a total of 94 people, the second-largest in New Zealand after a wedding which led to 98 cases.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.smh.com.au/national/a-virus-cluster-at-an-auckland-school-has-australian-parents-worried-should-they-be-20200430-p54orw.html

I’m married to a primary school teacher, and have a daughter in year 4 who won’t be going back before September. The guidance for commencing educational provision states that PPE isn’t required, but then if a child starts exhibiting symptoms of the virus PPE should be worn. Isn’t that a little bit too late?

I cycled past the village pond on Saturday and it was full of families mixing, with kids playing together – these same kids will be in my daughter’s school, and some will be in my wife’s classroom. While there seems to be some evidence that children aren’t hit symptomatically as hard as adults, there’s far less – if any – evidence that they can’t pass the virus on.

Additionally there is talk about the sociopsychological effects of children being kept away from their friends, but in a socially distant school environment will that not be worse? Seeing your friends but not able to interact with them fully?

@ajandtom

My wife is asthmatic so I appreciate it is difficult and I am not saying I have the answers. It was more of a general response about everything. The government advice is lacking and I feel that we will have to take our own decisions about levels of risk for a lot of things – schooling, seeing family etc.

Personally I would rather that I was allowed to see a small group of my family than the schools reopen but my family is 180 miles away. We cant sit in a bubble for ever as this isn’t going away. I don’t think it is unreasonable that people make their own decisions related to the level of risk that is tolerable. We do every day anyway – crossing the road, driving etc. That includes at risk teachers. If being in the school isn’t an option then I feel the school should be looking more seriously at other ways of providing some form of education.

Yes there are lots of resources out there but to be honest the number is overwhelming. I could spend weeks looking at all the online content and still not decide what is the best way to go. If the school could provide a home learning schedule then that would be great with clear direction as to what the child should be doing. That has been lacking from our perspective so if it isn’t safe for schools to return and the unions support that then they could support parents in other ways.

following,

Mine is in reception. I honestly dont know what to do. I feel like i am being pressured into returning to work (rightly) while my daughter gets potentially put at risk. I dont think the schools are happy either.

No one knows what to do really.

The guidance for commencing educational provision states that PPE isn’t required, but then if a child starts exhibiting symptoms of the virus PPE should be worn. Isn’t that a little bit too late?

A very good point. Symptoms mean you probably have something. However plenty of people can carry the germs with no symptoms which is why social distancing is essential.