Schools going back.

My GD’s nursery is reopening on 1st June and she’s going back for a couple of days a week, if nothing changes for the worse. School is also opening but not for my GS’s year.

Given that the teaching staff have done almost nothing to help children through this time, just one generic email a week with one task that comes without guidance, there’s a lot of catching up to be done.

My son works on the fringes of the Covid scientific world and he feels the risk is minimal.

My DD is not sending either of hers back to school until September- 4YO, and 8YO with asthma. She’s lucky in that she has been a stay at home mum. But I fully endorse her decision, we both have read extensively round the issue and have concluded that the risks are too high just as an experiment for a few weeks.

Private schools not going back? but ok for state School
Infants to be exposed to the risks, what has happened to our Society. This is so wrong! ( Sad)

My 5yr old GC is due to go back to school on June 1st - but her mum is a teaching assistant at a different school and doesn't yet know whether she'll be going back. If she does, the other 2 children (9 and 12) will need to go to another school (I believe SOME schools are offering places for pupils whose parents are key workers. The father is already back at work.

As several people have said, I can understand letting year 6s go back - there would be physical space in a whole Primary school to teach very small groups, and that last few weeks before they go to Secondary school could be handled as it usually is, with visits to their school, familiarisation with how things will be in that school etc. Similarly, I could understand years 10 and 12 returning - space for them to socially distance and a chance to get on with vital work for next year's exams.

I used to be a TA in a Secondary school and now volunteer with reception and years 1 and 2 - I just can't see how the latter can socially distance - maybe for a while, until the novelty wears off, let along if all Primary children return, as the Government would like. The mind boggles!

Just read that 5 schools in one small area have closed for deep-clean because in each one, someone's been diagnosed with COVID19. (Sorry don't know where)

It is indeed an experiment, with people's lives at stake. It is wholly unacceptable. How can the government fly in the face of BMA advice?

Putting "safeguards" in place has been a gargantuan task for school heads - the directives from government are verbose, and based purely on supposition. They have no idea at all whether these measures will work. I find it utterly horrifying - it is the government playing Russian roulette with children and their families and school staff. It is madness round here as there is a new spike in cases and we should be increasing measures, not lifting them here.

I feel very angry indeed about this.

If we let Children of any age go back to school and one is a super spreader or even if one passes on the Coronavirus. Then they will take it back home and infect the whole household!
It won't show immediately so the family may go out shopping and spread the Coronavirus to others and so it goes on.
So don't use our Children and Teachers as Guinea Pigs please

If it were so important to return why such a small number of year groups? An experiment.
France have had 70 new cases in schools on re opening. These will have impacted on pupils and all the adults involved in running a school.
Let’s see parliament return and MPs sent their own children back.
It is so wrong.

None of our GC are returning to school until September, their parents and their choice. For the sake of a few weeks it's not worth the risk.

At least 65 teaching staff had died up to April 20th according ONS.
schoolsweek.co.uk/ons-figures-reveal-65-covid-related-deaths-in-education/
Several schools have closed for deep cleaning due to have people testing positive

Somebody else asked that question dayvidg. There can't really be a comparison because very few children have actually been turning up for school over the last few weeks, so it's been much easier to keep them apart.

What are the statistics of key workers' children, vulnerable children or teachers contracting the virus over the past 7 weeks? I'm sure that if it was significant, it would have been in the media as part of the fear campaign.

Lemon It is highly unlikely that any primary school could accommodate all the children on its register if they are social distancing and in smaller classes. They just don't have the space. It is most likely that, like inFrance the children will only attend for two days.

If the behaviours of some parents aren't nipped in the bud there's going to be a nation of very scarred children.
This lockdown has definitely been a test for those with children whose lives must be turned upside down in many ways but also a learning curve on years ago when many of us knew what it was like to struggle with far less of everything than there is now. Without the drink and drugs-----which cost money !

With the family support systems we have in this country there should be no need for a child to suffer in silence, or suffer at all if he or she is old enough to explain their case.

Lemongrove I find it difficult to imagine that teachers don't recognise those who " fall through the net " as the first port of call is usually a teacher who recognises changes in a child's appearance or behaviour ?
Why aren't social services contacted in these cases ?

TheOddBird yes, I agree, children from awful homes, chaotic homes, dysfunctional homes, homes where food is a bit of grabbed cereal, homes where parents are often drunk etc need their days at school.The holidays can be fearful for them.Months stuck at home, unendurable.
After this first phased group of children go back, I really hope that all primary age children go back very soon.I also think there should only be two weeks Summer holidays, to make up for it.

Most schools have canvassed parents for their opinions and about whether they will send their children in. One I know said about 6/60 would send reception-2 more than the key worker children and similar for Y1. Y6 has more-about 14/60. Actually that’s about the same total as key workers currently. Add the KW children from other year groups and that’s several more than the current total.
That’s from a medium suburban school. I don’t know about totals from bigger schools, but I wonder if there will be a lot more if a school is in a big city area or more if it’s a small country school?

People talk about the advice of the scientists BUT we do not know what the advice is as the government will not publish the minutes of the meetings . There is no transparency at all.
Interesting to hear Gordon Brown this morning. He had a lot of sensible comments

Which scientific advice OP?

That nagging thing always in the back of my mind - herd immunity- has now come to the fore! Honestly how anyone can think it’s ok for children of that age to go back to school safely? Year 6, 10 and 12 yes but 4-5 years old absolutely not. Beyond ridiculous!

Teachers are working from home delivering lessons and keeping in contact with their pupils not sitting at home doing nothing. They are doing this while caring for dependants both young and elderly as their care providers are closed.

I would not be happy with my child being used in this experiment. Maybe the private schools could start the return as they as mentioned can probably manage the social distancing more easily.

I still can't understand why it is the very youngest children who are to return to school first. I can understand year 6 finishing primary school and they are able to manage social distancing. Surely it is the older ones who should go back first, in particular those in year 10 who have vital exams next year and who have missed far too much important coursework already. They can do their best at home but it is not the same as being in a class with a teacher.

Theoddbird, I fully understand your concern in that many children will be only too glad to get back into school away from abusive homes, but there are other circumstances too in which some children are in no hurry to return.

My D is looking after 3 of her GC because their father died in March just before the lockdown and their mother had a breakdown so the schools pulled out all the stops to support the children and provide what was necessary in schoolwork during this time.

My D had the hardest job in settling the children due to their loss and also helping them come to terms with not having a dad, but also as I said, the schools have helped enormously .