Return to school

I’m puzzled about sending youngest children back first, but let’s face it, whatever was decided would been wrong.
I have heard lots of suggestions including one saying that school should not start again till Easter and that the whole ‘school starting, school leaving’ age should be pushed forward a year.
Now you can read or see on TV how it’s being done in other countries and we know that if any children die or pass the virus to adults working with them, it won’t just be an added tragedy, but it will cause an uproar. Here’s how they’re doing it in Shanghai for example. turninglifespages.blog/

Here in the UK, the 48 point DfE school guidance is comprehensive. It not only covers in school but also includes directions to minimise contact between adults outside school with only 1 parent/carer bringing child to school if necessary at staggered drop-off collection times and allocated places. Point 26 says that parents/carers cannot enter school site or gather at school gates or doors. I’m worried about the spread of the virus especially if it affects my family, but I’m also worried that children will become paranoid about going anywhere outside their homes.
Who knows what the right answer is?

I don’t pretend this is original, others may have seen it already on Facebook
This pretty much sums up how everyone’s feeling about this I think!? ???‍♀️???‍♀️
“Good news kid, you get to go back to school!”
“Oh great, so the germs are gone?”
“Ummmm yeah, pretty much... I mean technically there’s more deaths per day than there was when they closed the school... but I’m sure it’s fine.”

“I can’t wait to play with my friends!”
“Well yeah, you might see some of your friends, but you won’t be able to touch them or play with them.”
“Why?”
“Because of the germs.”
“But there aren’t any germs now?!”
“Right....but there might be... so you can’t go close to your friends.”

“Oh well, at least I’ll see them.”
“Well, you might not see them all because you might not all be in the same classroom.”
“Oh, but I’ll be in my classroom though right?”
“Well you might not be because you’ll have to spread out a bit.”
“Spread out to where?”
“To the other classrooms.”
“But won’t the other classes be in their rooms?”
“No the other classes won’t be there.”
“Why?”
“Because of the germs.”
“But why am I the only one going back?”
“Ummm..... because you’re small and you can spread out more?... because you don’t take up so much space?!?.... honestly no one knows mate.”

“Oh well, at least I’ll see my teacher... but wait...Mum how will my teacher be in all the classrooms at once?”
“Well, you might not have your teacher.”
“Who will I have?”
“I don’t know...”

“Oh.... if I’m going back to school can we go and get my new school shoes? Remember you said I would have to get new shoes because my feet have grown?!”
“Right... yeah... it’s not safe to open the shops so we can’t get shoes.”
“But it is safe for me to go to school?”
“Yep, maybe... unless there’s a spike in the virus, then we might have to stay home again.”
“How will they know if there’s a spike in the virus though Mum?”
“Hospital admissions... and number of deaths.”
“But what if I’ve already got it by then, from going to school?”
“Well you probably won’t die because you’re young.”
“Do children not die then?”
“Most of them don’t.”
“But grownups do?”
“Some, yes.”
“So what about my teacher?”
“........?”

“Mum is it ok if I don’t go back to school? It doesn’t sound like it’s the right time yet”

“Yes mate that’s fine, you’re right, let’s stay home”

My point GG is that the UK atm is a more infectious place than Denmark. Children in Denmark went back to school in a much safer COVID environment than children will be so doing in the UK. Context is just a tiny bit more important than playing the silly card of having dgc there so knowing all about conditions in Danish schools (which wasn’t my point at all if you’d bothered to read my post)

The UK cannot keep its children home from school indefinitely.

There maybe a vaccine in 12 - 18 months time, totally unrealistic to expect a generation of young people,to miss out on education and social interaction with their peers.

Statistically a child is more likely to be run over on the way to/from school than be seriously ill/die from Covid-19.

What do those of you against schools reopening suggest instead?

For those like GrannyLane who think the infection rate will drop in the warmer months, look at Brazil. I've been there and its always hot. Yet they have huge numbers of infected/dying people, so the virus still thrives there. I've seen TV reports of diggers digging mass graves and tipping bodies into them.

So you’re changing the argument now GG. If your dearly beloved Leader had behaved as he should, we could be in a better position now to send some children back but we’re not. Show me another country with new case numbers like ours who are using their little ones as guinea pigs by returning them to school.

GG13 It might be nice if the decision on children returning to school was left to the experts and only advice given. And actually schools have never been closed. Children at risk and children of key workers have been there all the time. The numbers in schools will differ tremendously and there will be some that are already stretched. Announcing that they will take in Y6, Reception, and Yr 1 children from June 1st is neither true nor helpful.

I thought maybe the Reception/year 1 children were going back as they have missed so much of their 1st and 2nd year in school and I would think would maybe not be doing as much at home (a friend's grandson is in year 1 and will not sit and concentrate to do anything his mum wants to try and teach!). I do think it will be very difficult to social distance them in classrooms and the playground. All respect to the teaching staff.

GG13 the answer is extremely simple... leave and decision about children returning to school until after the summer.

This is logical because
1) there are two many unanswered questions about social distancing, school cleaning (you can’t clean every pencil, Lego brick, book)
2) it’s only 6-7 weeks
3) the majority ?) of parents are not happy for this to happen yet
4) let’s wait to see if there’s a second spike with those returning to work and using public transport

..any decision..

Why is it I keep reading about the kawasaki-like disease associated with covid that children can suffer from?
As anyone else read it, just read 12 cases in this country.

With schools over here end for the summer on the last Friday of June. Our children won't be back until 1st week of Sept. All in all they will be uneducated for just under 13 weeks, this is a very long time for a child with special educational needs. My g/s is autistic, he finds life with no routine extremely hard. His behaviour has become very aggressive and he is lost without that routine. I'm sure there are others like this, but I don't know how we are going to get through this time without someone falling out with everyone else

Our gc in Australia are back at school after Easter holidays and only broke up for Easter albeit a couple of days early and returned a few days later, other gc is back in daycare two days per week.

Yes Jishere I read about it via the link posted earlier this morning further up this thread.

It’s a very serious concern. It has escalated to over 100 children in the New York area in recent days. They had reported 4 cases last week.

In Denmark, children don't start school until they're six, so are more mature than the youngest pupils in British primary schools. They are likely to be able to understand the concept of social distancing.

There's an article in the TES by a teacher in a Danish school about the changes which have been made.

Children are divided into groups of eight and there is strictly no mixing between groups. Their school days are staggered, so there is no mixing during breaks or arriving and leaving times.

Hand sanitiser is provided at the entrance to the school and throughout the school.

Children are expected to bring all their own equipment from home - pens, pencils, etc. There is NO sharing of equipment.

All children (and staff) have to bring their own food and drink from home.

Strategic parts of the school are being thoroughly cleaned twice a day.

I have never been in a Danish primary school, but I suspect that the first year is a little more formal than reception in a British primary school because the children are older.

bongobil I hope your friend's grandson's mother realises what a difficult job teachers do. They have 30 children who don't want to sit still.

I've just seen a clip of a Danish school on the news. The sight of children sitting in the school yard on a kerb with a 2 metre gap between each of them just made me feel really sad. Goodness knows how the children are feeling.

Yes, I think everyone is forgetting working parents. My daughter is trying to work at home with 3 children, 6 and under. Her partner has his own estate agency business, and has been unable to earn anything. Now, he needs to get going again. How can they work, home school, cook, clean, and do everything else? The pressure is tremendous. Being able to send them to school/nursery will be of some help, even if for a few hours.
Also, many schools have been open for key worker children. These are the children of health care workers who are exposed to covid. There is no evidence that the teachers have been more at risk, or those children who have been going to school. The teachers must now have some idea if the children are managing to social distance.

For the Poster who mentioned it, this virus WILL go away if transmission is stopped. If they can get the R rate down to almost 0. This happened with the SARS and the MERS outbreaks in the past. Unfortunately, our Government didn't see and understand what was happening in the first countries, and didn't take the necessary steps e.g. stopping travel into the UK from affected regions, testing, tracking and isolating victims and so on. We are fighting a rearguard, defensive action now, so it will take longer to succeed. Meanwhile good luck to everyone in the four nations and beyond. Keep watching the national and international news, and if the workers in your family are concerned, then why don't they join a union for a bit more Covid Safety in the Workplace support. Yes, it's not going to be easy getting the schools back to functioning.

This is how they do it in France. Looks lke emotional abuse to me
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/world-news/chalk-playground-photo-school-france-18243576

DS (paediatrician) and DiL(midwife) are not sending Y1 DGS back in June. As a primary teacher I absolutely agree with them. Just look at how chicken pox races round a reception class. Every child who hasn’t already had it gets it! Or norovirus or even nits!

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/world-news/chalk-playground-photo-school-france-18243576
children are shown confined to chalk squares - not sure how that will affect their emotional development

That playground scene in France is heartbreaking.

I hope before all the cash falls out of the magic money tree some is kept aside for child psychology services who are going to see an increase in demand for appointments.

Just watched an excellent news report of children back at school in Denmark - we should learn from their example

Caro what exactly could we learn when the deaths, infection and testing rates are so different not to mention how schools are organised and funded.