Since Boris announced that he was hoping for schools to get back as soon as 1st June this subject has been big on my mind. As a mum of a reception child it was a huge shock hearing the age groups they decided to send back. Most parents of a child around 4-5 years old will agree they don’t like to keep still for long and you need eyes in the back of your head to watch what they are up to. I can’t even fathom the pressure teachers are going to feel to keep these distancing measures in place.

I’m not up to speed on all the science etc behind this awful virus. I don’t know all the figures or details of age groups mostly affected, all I know is my view as a mother of my children. As I currently write this I am about 90% sure that I won’t be sending Joey to school. Our school has yet to share any detail of their plans on how they will keep the children and staff safe in school. Obviously I want to hear it before I make the best choice for us. I have a little boy who is really wanting to return to all his friends. He also isn’t old enough to comprehend what it will be like to have to try and stay two meters away from them. I mean I’ve seen grown adults who don’t seem to be able to grasp the concept. I want to make an informed choice not just on my wishes but also on his. My sole job is to protect him the best way I can.

I know many key worker children have had no choice but to be in school. This must be so difficult for their wonderful Parents. I also feel that by returning more children to school, that really don’t need to be there, will be placing more risk on those children that don’t have a choice. I am also aware that if we send our children back their core learning is going to be focused on social and emotional well being. They are not going to be able to share toys or take a book out the library to learn to read. I am such a big fan of working on children’s emotional well being, do I feel this is the right way to go about it? No!

The other argument in the topic is that things may not be any better by September. I agree with this completely so why not wait? why not have the time to create proper plans structures etc instead of causing potential distress and upset for around 5 weeks. God forbid Joey became ill and ended up on oxygen or worse a ventilator. Would those 5 weeks of learning social skills from a distance be worth it? NO!

I am speaking only on my own thoughts for my child personally. Every child is different and every parent will have different views. It will be an impossible task to keep everyone happy but I believe this is a time to trust yourself, maybe go against the grain.