Return to school

Caro57did we watch the same report? Lots of positivity from the staff, but the children's faces!!! At least they didn't try to pretend it was about anything except helping parents go back to work. Which the proposals here won't do because only selected years will be in school.

Whether it’s now or September, I don’t think the situation will change. Unfortunately until schools go back, parents can’t go back to work, but life has to carry on.
I think this is long term, so we’ve got to find a way to live with it. We can’t all stay locked up forever.

I imagine that primary school age children are going back first because they are the most dependent ones, thus freeing up mum or dad to return to work. I haven't seen any scientific or educational evidence to prove that they should be chosen rather than secondary school kids. As many people have pointed out, little ones are the least likely to be capable of social distancing and need the closest attention. Seems to me to be another move to protect the economy, rather than people's lives.

65 educational staff dead so far, including 26 teachers, and that doesn't include anyone over 65 years of age. How many more when the schools open up? Is there scientific evidence that children don't transmit this virus, unlike other infections? If so, what is it? How reliable are the findings? Can we be sure that children aren't, in fact, "super spreaders", carrying it back to their families?

Then there are the risks to the children themselves. As well as the probable link to Kawasaki Syndrome, how much do we know about the long term effects of the virus? In serious cases, it ravages the lungs - in the USA, doctors looking at X-rays of young adults with the disease said they couldn't believe they showed the lungs of young people, the damage was so bad. Are we sure that, even if children don't die, their health won't be seriously damaged?

I love my Year 6 granddaughter very dearly. The government evidently wants to see if it is safe to go back into the water, and small children will be doing the testing.

Caro57 See above for my comments about Danish primary schools. English schools aren't even going to be provided with hand sanitiser.

The children are younger in the UK and are used to sharing equipment. They are less easy to train to keep their distance.

“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”

Maremia I feel like I'm a lone voice on here. The R rate could be brought down to 0, but that would require strong, decisive action by a leader who doesn't just waffle and isn't so concerned about watching himself in the popularity ratings.

Just looked up Danish education, class sizes average 19 and the pupil to teacher ratio is 10.4. That really doesn't compare with this country where classes are 30 with a shared TA if they are lucky. Any extra staff have been cut back as schools tried to stay within their budget. It just won't work here.

If parents can keep their children at home, why would they want to risk sending them in to school next month? They won't be fined if they choose not to. The numbers will be very low so any formal learning will have to be repeated in September. Social distancing will mean close co operation and interaction won't be possible anyway. All summer term events like sports days, plays, proms, prize days, school trips etc won't now take place.
There really seems to be very little benefit here to the children, so it must be that the economy is being put first.

A Cambridge virologist, that is often on the TV, was saying children do transmit it, don't usually get the virus badly and can spread it.
I saw the French schoolchildren picture too, it made me feel sad, particularly the child sitting on the floor in their square with their head in their hands.

Just a quick thought. Most reception/Y1 children, are more responsive to commands from an adult than some older primary, especially Y6 because they think they know everything. A Y6 class is a bit like looking at the general population. Some listen and obey, some listen and think it doesn’t really matter and some just don’t listen.

i think its too soon to send the children back to school .maybe they can discinfect the whole school first .get the children to sanitize hands on entering the school. teachers too. not sure my daughter sending hers back till september.just hope we dont get a 2nd wave though.

This won't be far from the truth will it?

I don't envy teachers.

My GS is in year 1 and as much as he wants to go back I am not convinced this is the time. Children might not be affected as badly as adults but they can pass it on, to their teachers, other school staff and then back into their household. I dread to see the spoke on cases in a couple of months.

We had a email from the head. She said if they open we don't have to send them.
There will be smaller class groups. Staggered break times. The social distancing instilled. Regular washing of door handles etc. Also regular hand washing and wiping encouraged.
If any child or teacher in a group become infected the whole group will be sent home to self isolate along with their families.

My son is year 4. He is already behind academically. Hasn't been keen on home schooling so I've been sneaking it in.
He is worried about going out and mixing. If he had to go back on the 1st of June and things were like they are now then i wouldn't be sending him.

I’ve been thinking since the start thank God children appear to be relatively unaffected and those that are have only mild symptoms.

However the info in recent days about a very serious inflammatory disease emerging in children is very concerning.

Fortunately rare so far but is potentially fatal. Great Ormond St doctor on BBC news earlier said there have been 100 cases reported.

Many needed admission to ICU to go on a ventilator. Tragically an 8 month old baby and 14 yr old boy have died.

It’s thought to happen 2 weeks post covid infection and related to a severe inflammatory response to covid antibodies

This is so well thought out. Announce the date of reopening and then let the unions and scientists meet to work out how it can be done. Cart before horse or what?

The disgusting Daily Mail headline today was all so predictable. Teachers don't want to be "heroes"!!

The head of some academy chain, who no doubt has a nice desk in a nice office, is opening all the chain's schools and talked about "short term pain". I wonder what he means by that. How many deaths will be an acceptable level of pain?

It's a shambles and the right wing are using it as a political football.

It is a huge joke as well that they are all talking about "children at risk" and "children from poor backgrounds" the very children who should have been in school all the time. If they haven't been it is largely because they don't want to be, and as a return to school is optional many will simply not go. I don't mean all poor families by the way there are those who value education and will send their children. Of course the other thing we do know is that it is those families who are at the greatest risk from the virus.

I think the schools opening is totally wrong, maybe open it for the older children but certainly not the young ones. After all the government isn't opening shops and cafes until later so why do they think its safe to return.

They don't think it's safe to return. Some policy wonks will have worked out that X number of school staff and pupils will be infected and Y number will die.

However, they can say a few words about heroes and thank them for their service to the greater good, because it will have appeased the anti-lockdown brigade to an extent … and X+Y were worth it.

trisher The policy wonks will know all about the "children and families at risk". They are using them as tools for emotional blackmail. They don't give a stuff about them and a few more of them dying and being uneducated probably suits anybody who's a fan of eugenics.

From local knowledge of pre-school groups only 4 families have signed up and registered for their child to return back after the Whitsun holidays out of a 35 children placement setting.
Most have contacted the manager to say that their child will be returning in September, witha few more prefaring a start back date of 1st July, just in time for their child to receive support to transition into mainstream School Reception class in September.

The Schools can’t control the spread of nits. How will they control Covid 19?

Just heard the BMA are backing the teaching unions.

OK, so if reception don’t go back until September as now seems likely, that means they’ll be going straight into Year One. Won’t that be a terribly big jump for them? Surely they can’t hope to catch up the lost six months of reception in time for the jump to Year Two?

What are the Unions suggesting?