The winter farm lake is starting to form. Wow it was wet feet trying to take this photo.

So again today the Government is telling parents that they must send their children to school if it’s open. It’s a mess. Some schools have been closed. Some are opening soon. Some partly closed. Some are opening today. The PM again is saying schools are perfectly safe. He must have evidence that shows children, teachers, teaching staff, parents and carers cannot catch the virus. Wish he would share that so it can all be cleared up. Maybe he could share that with his own scientific advisers as well. The Government is again threatening parents with legal action and fines. The teacher unions are taking the Government to court over its failure to operate safe working environments. It’s such a mess.

So where do we stand? Hawklads year group is kind of homeschooling for the next two weeks then after they have had one covid test they are back in the classroom on the 18th. Well not Hawklad.

His call is that he can’t go back yet. He will look again at the end of the this half term. I’m trying to get another medical exemption letter from his Key Health Worker who is due to come and visit him this week. If they won’t issue one or are not allowed to by the Government then they can see me in court. I’ve seen enough Perry Mason episodes to look after myself. I won’t be the only parent there.

Heres the thing. Put the Aspergers severe anxieties to one side. Each parent and child has to make a judgement call on if attending school is safe. Well clearly safety cannot be guaranteed. More so now than ever with this virus. Children, teachers, parents, grand parents are ending up in hospital with it. The Government might try to hide that information, but it is happening. The virus can infect all age ranges. So it is an individual judgment call. Is the benefits of classroom education and socialisation worth the inevitable risk. That’s not a call for Johnson or his inept Education Minister. They have a track record of lying, not caring and making the wrong disastrous calls.

Each family will have a view. All as valid as each other. Even without the anxieties and present fears, OURS would be no it’s not worth the risk. It won’t until the virus is under control and schools are allowed to put in the necessary safety mechanisms. The first has to be opening up home online schooling. That reduces the numbers in school at any one time, creates space, starts to build a safer more inviting learning environment.

46 thoughts on “Lake”

  1. YES, exactly so. I want my kids to attend school, but I know the schools in our community are not over-crammed because families have the option of remaining virtual or going back. You cannot cram 20-30 kids into a single room and not expect germs to fly around, especially if teachers are not being provided any PPE. I hope the visit w/Hawklad’s physician goes well–that would be some good news for you both!

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  2. I don’t think it’s safe to send children to school. I tried to tell this to my daughters-in-law in a round about way, but one was worried about being fined, and the other one said she was a key worker. I’ve decided not to go into work today (I work as a secretary in a hospital), but I can do this as I don’t have a permanent contract. When the infection rate comes down, then I’ll go back. It’s a bit scary at the moment.

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  5. It is a very strange time in the world. Our government too has said that schools are safe and that there’s no evidence of them not being . But how does that make sense with that many children in a room? Thanks for sharing this post. Sending positive vibes your way. Stay safe.

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  6. I really don’t understand the UK government stand on alternatives to classroom learning – there don’t seem to be any. Yet even before the pandemic’s arrival, surely there must have been a demand for alternatives.

    In Aotearoa New Zealand we have several options. Almost 1% of children are home schooled,and all it takes is a simpke procedure to show a curriculum and teaching plan. You can home school by yourself (my daughter home schooled her 3 kids for 4 years) or parents can group together to share resources and facilities.

    Another option is to enroll your child in Te Kura (formerly known as the Correspondence School) which has been providing distance learning for over 100 years. This institution is funded by the government and there are no restrictions or limitations hindering a child from being enrolled in Te Kura instead of a local school.

    Are you sure similar alternatives are not readily available in the UK? If not, I find it absolutely astonishing. Classroom learnig isn’t suitable for every child, and it should be the right of every child to have a learning environment that suits their need.

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  8. Derrick is right. Hawklad will lead.
    Health first, and schools are not safe IMO. The virus is out of control, it can affect anybody of any age, and our so called leaders are ignoring the obvious. Stay home they say, but send your kids to school, contradictory, as is everything else they touch. We, the public, are on our own, be it as parents, teachers, workers, and those on the medical line are not getting the protection they need either. Keep safe Gary. Hope your Key Health Worker can keep her appointment and put Hawklad’s issues first, not some confused political line.

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  9. I totally support and agree not to send children back to school yet. It’s certainly not Boris Johnsons call and he is a hypocrite. He tells is how dangerous it is and I have been reading how they are considering even tougher measures.
    He told pubs and hair salons to make their place ‘Covid secure,’ yet now they can’t be open. Yet he wants to put children in overcrowded schools. I rather have a haircut than expect a child to attend school.
    Has Hawklad thought more about doing home schooling ling term? because its something you are doing now and knowing if permanent you could sort out a more permanent thing. Because after all, you are doing better for your lad then school is.

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  12. Stick to your guns, Gary! The law might not be on your side, but common sense is. You are a single parent, and Hawklad’s only support system. If Hawklad were to bring Covid home from school, and pass it on to you, he might end up being an orphan in no time. Being as he has Asperges, he would not have a good outcome in the short run, and possibly not in the long run either.
    If Your Resident Clown, aptly named BoJo, cannot see that, then he needs to be given a nice home in a house with barred windows. He is an immediate threat to people’s safety, and has no empathy for anyone but himself.

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  16. What a bleepity bleep bleeping mess! I say you just let the farmer’s sheep run the country… they seem to be a bit smarter😉

    What a stunningly beautiful picture BTW!! It’s a shame the “news” is so rotten on such a beautiful day!

    I TOTALLY wanna see you go all Perry Mason and make them confess!😂😂😂

    I think ALL schools, when they open, should permanently offer an online option. Distance learning works for some kids and their families. It would free up time and space for kids like Ben who can’t learn over Zoom or whatever… who NEED to be in a classroom.

    You got this “Perry Mason”!😂😂
    💌💌💌

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  17. I don’t see our Premier doing enough and in a timely manner, putting business over health. Giving big box stores more latitude while forcing small stores to lock down.
    At least parents have full choice whether to homeschool or not. Parents don’t need go through any red tape, no teaching plans to submit, etc. Some schools realized to late into the school year that they couldn’t balance their budget because their grants are allotted on a per student basis according to attendance numbers. School boards weren’t smart enough to anticipate this – educated?

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