Schools

That's what I thought too geekesse. I'm still waiting to find out what happens to the International Baccalaureate (IB), which one of my students was supposed to be taking. As it's an international exam, the organisation hasn't said yet whether it's cancelled.

My son's school have said he must self isolate with me as I have had a major operation just last week. So he is off for a while. I'm teaching him basic around the house jobs and it's doing him good to realise I'm not superwoman. Luckily he doesn't do his GCSE's until next year. I feel for those with young children. I can't help my daughter with her young son when his school closes. I'm still trying to get my head around it all x

Excellent summary redgran18..!
My DD is a nurse, but DGC have been refused a place in school because 'their other parent is not a key worker and is expected to care for them'. SIL works from home in IT, taking conferences calls from all over the world - but is expected to look after small children while doing so..?!?
His job pays more, so the NHS will have one less nurse to help care for the sick - and DD will probably lose her job What sense does this make...?

The schools where I live have already closed, so instead of being in school, great hoards of teenagers are lurking in the skate park and outside the local Tesco express. They are giving each other high fives and all the girls have got “Kim Kardashian” contoured makeup- six inches thick. It’s just a holiday to them. They haven’t got a clue that they are going to go home and potentially kill their grandparents.
They obviously don’t understand about social distancing. ?

SueDoku your SIL needs to sort out his priorities or hire a carer if he thinks his time is too valuable to look after his own child.

These are extraordinary times and we have to take extraordinary measures. The schools had to close - large gatherings have to be avoided, and what is a school but a large gathering? Blaming teachers is absurd.

Being separated from our grandkids is agony, but don't we want to live through this and have a future with them? And we are all worrying about how our kids will manage financially, but maybe we should start worrying about their safety. There is a rise in serious cases in the 20-50 age group. They may not be so likely as us to die but they risk lung damage that will disable them for life. Anything that can be done to halt this epidemic must be done, however hard.

Regarding schoolkids, most will go back to school some day and make up for lost time. They will be okay. The ones I worry about are the at risk children. Being cooped up for weeks with neglectful or abusive parents is a grim prospect. Spare a thought for them.

Similar story round here Jillyblom loads of older kids just hanging around . The playpark near me is crammed.

If I'm expected to work, then I can't guarantee what my boy will get up to, left to his own devices for hours on end.

I think many parents will feel the same MissA . Hour after hour, day after day, week after week, month after month with nothing to do and nowhere to go. It doesn't take a genius to work out that there will be trouble.

My DS and DIL have a five year old and a two year old and live 200 miles away. They are both working from home now. The five year olds school has sent a detailed timetable of what the parents should do to educate them. That in itself is lovely but the parents would never get any work done.
My son has already had a phone conference with senior management where the five year old shouted, " Daddy I've done a poo. Come and wipe me." Shortly followed by the younger one coming in with his toy phone saying, repeatedly, "Hello, hello". Productivity down, frayed tempers up!

If I hadn't have been pushed straight back out to work... well, no matter really, because I was, and I never ever want to have to go through the 'joys' of the jobcentre again.

OK here's a suggestion- if you are bothered about childcare and not bothered about cross infection get together with the other parents and organise a care rota. You can do it in each others homes. You can organise trips where half of you go and the other half work.

My lovely gd is ecstatic about not having to sit her GCSE’S, she is thinking about having a wonderful summer, lolling around on her iPad etc., she is in for a rude awakening, my daughter has a completely different plan, being set in motion, many life skills learning will come into play, having been ‘let off’ due to, but I have to revise excuses, my gd will so wish she were back in school?

My daughter works in several schools but not a teacher she is having to go in to work to help the teachers she as two children one at nursery and one at school so there are people still working in schools even though they are closed to most pupils .

So it now transpires that BOTH parents need to be in front line jobs before they qualify for the 'school' place

I thought this a shambles yesterday and nothing has changed my opinion

Just walked the dog and, as we were walking back a group of teenage boys sailed past us on bikes. This is actually going to be happening all over the country so I do share the concern as to what all the older children will do if measures of control aren't put in place.

What "measures of control" are you thinking of?

Let's imagine that there was no NHS, no government health measures, no social distancing, no local authority schools to be closed, no public money of any sort for those affected in any way by the pandemic.

What would be the outlook then? The rich holed up behind barricades with all the food? The roads full of refugees fleeing the "plague" and taking it with them? The bodies of elderly people piling up behind locked doors? Everyone for himself and the devil take the hindermost?

Decisions are being taken because they are thought to be the best actions in an impossible situation - they absolutely cannot be right for everyone

That's the short and long of it, yes.
Certain situations will always have those who are hit hardest, in one way or another.

We just have to grin and bear it, for all our sakes.

'What "measures of control" are you thinking of?'
….I don't know, trisher. I know that in my village and my daughters nearby people will be keeping their children at home and it was only seeing the boys on their bikes that brought it home to me what gillybob was saying about what was happening in her area. I guess I'm somewhat cocooned where I live. I've always said, after seeing what happened in Yugoslavia all those years ago, how easily society can break down and it scares me now.

As I am only early 60s and in good health I'm going to carry on looking after my 2 dgc 3 days a week as long as I'm well. I'm quite looking forward to the challenge of home schooling. As I live on my own I would go crazy just sitting at home!

As a sideline. younger son who is a teacher in an international all age school in SE India has emailed to say they are on complete shut down too. Children have all returned home.
Staff expected to continue teaching online in prep for exams.
As my husband remarked - at least no discipline problems .

This is an unprecedented situation and the Government is having to learn as it develops from other countries who were fighting this virus before it came our way.

I can totally understand the issues regarding childcare ext when children are not at school but they are super spreaders in that, although not affected too badly usually themselves, while they are all together, it will pass from one to another like a forest fire. Look how quickly it has already grown here. We only know the tip of the ice berg as those not in hospital are not being tested, so at present the quoted gov. figures only include the most seriously ill.

If any big group is a real danger, with theatres ext closing down and everybody encouraged to stay away from restaurants even, it seems obvious that leaving the schools totally open would make things considerably worse.

Nobody wants the kids off school at a loose end for weeks/months on end but they don't take these measures lightly. They take advice. The gov. know the effects these issues will have. The economy is spiralling out of control and it will take many years to recover from what is going to be a world wide recession. The measures they are taking are happening all over Europe and indeed the world. I don't know what other choice there is.

Our DD has just explained how it's structured in her school.Out of 400 children about 60 will be in school. The rest are being home school packs and teachers will liase with the children and parents.Normal lessons s such won't be taught to those in school.Some education, but also activities.The head has asked which teachers can come in -DD has no children so will be there every day.An even longer day in fact. Those with their own children won't have to come in if they have no childcare.Some are making arrangements to come in as they can and help.
She's working flat out preparing the packs.Ironically a parent who often fails to attend parents evening and she knows never reads with their child has got very belligerent today because they haven't got their pack yet!Other parents are being lovely and supportive.
It's a school in a quite deprived area and she's very concerned about the ones who don't fit the criteria and basically whose parents let them do whatever.A boy whose parents said they were keeping him off as self isolating 2 days ago was in the playground this afternoon waiting for his mates thinking it's all a big joke.She told him in no uncertain terms to get back home.

My daughter owns a nursery which will close on Friday. She will open for key workers but next month her staff (and herself and her husband) will have to take annual leave and the reduce their hours by 50 percent. She can sustain this for 3 months only. This includes stopping the cleaning - the staff and we will do it ourselves and making the tax man wait a bit longer to be paid. I still work part time (3 x 12 hour shifts) for the NHS so can help a bit with childcare but it's the uncertainty for her, her staff and the parents / children that she provides care for.