You’re right it’s a very balanced and sensible read. I think in London the risks are low due to the low infection rate but can definitely see why other parts of UK have reservations. Also having read through what our school is going to do in terms of following guidelines to keep children safe I’m very reassured - I’m pretty sure a lot of children will be safer at school following the Govt guidelines than they are on the Common where no such guidelines are being followed! It really is very thorough but again realise some of the guidelines may not be possible in some schools but the important thing is schools at least try to make the guidelines work and children are not being used for political gain by certain unions....

Hi,

There is an opinion piece in the Guardian today by scientists Prof. Devi Shridar and Ines Hassan which I think is well balanced on whether and how schools should be reopened.

Hi,
Just letting people know that the government has decided not to fine parents whose children will not attend school. (If you are hesitating for that reason).
Best

Hi,
Just letting people know that the government has decided not to fine parents whose children will not attend school. (If you are hesitating for that reason).
Best

I think it’s important to note that many of the countries able to emerge safely from lockdown sooner have much better systems for testing, tracing and isolating than we do. Plus scientists can’t even agree on this so yes, as others have noted, you have to choose who you believe... https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/17/scientists-divided-over-coronavirus-risk-to-children-if-schools-reopen

Most other European countries have already reopened some of their schools.

They have taken the view that  damage to children from being outside the educational system is greater than the risks of them being in it. Obviously they will be continuing to monitor changes in infection rates.

There can be no certainties. Nobody knows what is going to happen in the future. We are all going to have to balance the risks. No politician anywhere can offer guarantees.
People are going to have to take mature decisions about whether to send their children back to school or to home school them. I suspect that most of the people on this site will be well educated, have decent housing and be able to access online educational resources. So home schooling is more of an option than it is for 

 

I'm amazed by the level of fear. The R rate in London is ~ 0.4 which means the virus is dying out. Children typically get it v mildly or are asymptomatic. Two children under the age of 15 have died from the coronavirus - nationwide. The media has made us all absolutely terrified by focusing on the outliers. Yes the coronavirus can be horrible (I've had it - I've had an antibody test) and yes it can be lethal for certain categories of people. Those people - the elderly and the immunity-compromised - must be asked to continue to isolate. But if the rest of us don't get back to school and to work (the two are obviously closely linked), the recession which will hit will claim many, many more lives. And think of the emotional, psychological, academic damage this is wreaking on our children - deprived of the company of their peers and forced to stare at Zoom lessons / endless printouts all day. Roll on 1 June! I just wish all my children could go back then.

Asmac, thanks for your generosity, and useful take. Do you have any links to the transmission in children? 

Given what we know, I'm inclined to send my year 1 child back (and more worried for the staff than the kids), but still hoping that there's much more of a consensus among scientists and teaching unions as we approach 1st June. 

I guess at the moment, when given the choice between trusting Gove and Williamson (who, having already been sacked from one cabinet role, has absolutely no business being education secretary) and the BMA, I know which way I'm leaning..... 

[url]https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/15/bma-backs-teaching-unions-in-opposing-reopening-of-schools[/url] 

I agree, the hysteria they created to keep people at home is now backfiring. The risk is low, the point was always to manage infections so that no one died because of lack of healthcare provision. It was never to stop everyone from getting it.
The risk and damage from keeping people at home for longer is now outweighing the risk from the virus. Cancelled operations, tests, the impact of poverty from economic problems etc. Is much more real than the risk of healthy adults and children dying of Coronavirus.

It’s estimated that only 14% of vulnerable children have attended school since lockdown. That’s a lot of kids at home facing abuse, parents with drug problems or mental health issues. They are at so much more risk the longer that schools are closed.

I will definitely send our child back to school in June.  There is a risk but it is a price worth paying.  I accept the fact that my family, like one of our neighbours back in March, might contract covid-19 and have to self-isolate for two weeks.  My expectation is to feel very ill for a few days and then recover - just like the flu I seem to get every year or two.  The strategy should be to make special arrangements for people who have underlying health conditions and maintain no-contact rules for older people.  A third of infections are in care homes (we have a relative in one, so are well aware of the issue) and most risk is born by people who have exposure to those with a high viral load of the disease like the healthcare sector as well as key workers like security guards and postmen etc.  If the economy does not work, there will not be enough taxes generated to pay for the healthcare we all take for granted, let alone the improved broadband, transport and education we all want for our children.  Thousands of people still die every year on our roads, does that mean we should not drive or cycle?  Same goes for flu.  You have to accept that we are all going to die of something and if the risk of infection is low, then life must go on.  London should start as we're well past the peak and then phase in the rest of the country as it progresses.

I agree [url=./memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=34456]SW11er[/url]


We feel need to now change this hysterical fear about this Virus. Deaths happen every day, we will all die obviously, but the chances of dying from Covid is slim especially for under 60's.

If you look at section 5 of the ONS link below, you will find that the chance of a child, teacher (most are under 50) or person under 60 (most parents) dying is very low.


https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsinvolvingcovid19englandandwales/deathsoccurringinapril2020


Yes children may (or may not) carry Covid, but we cant hypothesise any longer. If a teacher lives with someone that has an underlying condition and they are concerned, then they need to work on how to do that isolation at home, like nurses do - they should not use this as an excuse to affect numerous childrens education. 

I am more concerned about the people who haven't immunised they children for say MMR (and others due to the liberal brigade sharing their distorted views) - a proven killer bunch of diseases.

We also have massive free capacity in the NHS now.  We can't shut our world down, there would no point in living.

Many of you might currently feel financially insulated, or even better off. BUT, the delayed effects will blow a chill across everyones lives - it will be the children that have to pay for this in their futures.

So yes, social distance when your out and about, but get back to work, get the schools running and get the economy running.

The unemployment that will be coming our way when Furlough ends, will be even more chilling if this drags on.

Children need education and parents mental health needs to be thought about as well - home schooling is not good for many. My children will be going back as soon as they can.

Unfortunately financial impact often leads directly to lives too and if we don’t restart society as best we can many more lives will be lost as a result of that than the virus itself. I think the important thing is parents and staff have the choice and everyone can make their own risk assessment.

A couple of comments.  I note that few of the comments consider the teachers and other school staff - all of whom may live with families of their own and would, therefore, be putting them at risk.  Many teachers live at quite a distance from their schools and will have to travel, possibly on public transport.  

It is also the case that at the current time the effect of the virus on young children is not understood and children could be showing no signs, whilst being a carrier.

I cannot see how in most schools distancing can be observed.  Even in primary schools where children may spend most of the day in the same classroom, they will still probably need to get to their classroom by way of a narrow corridor - although some school building will allow that to be avoided.  They will need to be using the toilets.

How much of the discussion around opening schools is about financial impacts, rather than lives.

The last R rate [color=#000000]announced by the Government[/color] was 0.7 last week, and it is not even a reliable number as testing (and tracing) is still not widely available, won't be for a while and depending on how it's modelled different results are obtained, plus as there is no long term data available it cannot be used to compare against previous R rates
People still travel up and down the country everyday so looking at the R rate in London is useful but not sufficient.

Personally, I’m keeping my children home on June 1st to see what the school does. I don’t want them to become overwhelmed by these new procedures and put them off school. I know that our teachers will make the environment as friendly and comfortable as possible, but they have had no more warning than us about the reopening and have a massive task on their hands. It’s a big ask on their staff too, and I resent the tone that’s been adopted in the media. Our teachers have families and underlying health conditions too.