As schools across England begin making plans to open their doors, many parents remain divided on whether to send their children back while the pandemic is still very much raging.
Boris Johnson’s announcement on Sunday that he planned to ask schools to be a phased reopening on June 1 – starting with three primary year groups – has led to schools surveying parents on whether they wish their offspring to return.
School leaders and unions have already voiced their fears about plans to let Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 children re-start their education and much of the power remains with parents.
With schools not planning to fine people whose children don’t attend the remainder of the summer term, there is little to stop parents keeping children at home.
Here, we speak to six families – with opposing views – on the decisions they’ll make when the school bell rings once more.
THE ‘NO’ CAMP
Chelsey Gordon, 29, a full-time mother who lives with her husband Soloman, in Bedford, and their four children, Kyla, 12, Harvey, 9 , Leilah, 5, and Tilly, 1
Chelsey Gordon, 29, a full-time mother from Bedford admits that health will come before education for the four children she shares with husband Soloman
She says while her children ‘drive me crazy some days’ she won’t put them back into formal education until the pandemic has eased
Chelsey says she fears another peak if parents try and return to normal before the virus is fully under control
Daughter Leilah, five, would be in the year group expected to return to school in June
‘I will be keeping all my children home if the schools return on the 1st June as I just think it’s too soon after the pandemic.
‘If there is a rush of people going straight back to some form of normality then there will end up another peak in the virus.
‘As much as it is hard on me, homeschooling three different school years, and the children driving me crazy some days, I would rather them be safe and healthy.
‘I’m not willing to risk that to send them back for just six weeks, then it’s the school summer holiday.
‘I think there will be a lot of parents making the same decision as me.
‘The only consequence would be that they fall behind a little with school work. But so long as I keep up the homeschooling and show them the best I can, they’ll be able to catch up once they go back to school.
‘Yes they will be returning in September. It’s hard being so out of routine but as long as my children are safe that’s all that matters.’
Sadie-Marie Murray, 44, is a part-time accounting student, who lives with her husband Dean in Preston, Lancashire, with their children Samson, 9, Charlie, 7, and Elias, 4
School governer Sadie-Marie Murray says she won’t be letting her boys Samson, 9, Charlie, 7, and Elias, 4 return to school until she had ‘100 per cent assurance that schools can maintain the social distancing measures required to keep my children safe’
One of Sadie-Marie’s sons, Elias, has Tuberous Sclerosis Complex – a rare genetic complex which means benign tumours grow in his body – and she says she can’t risk sending his siblings back to school and getting Covid-19 as ‘I don’t know what the impact would be on my family’
‘I’m a school governor, and I will keep all three of my children at home until either a vaccine is realised that has been proven to combat Covid 19.
‘Or until I can be given 100 per cent assurance that schools can maintain the social distancing measures required to keep my children safe.
‘I’m also not happy that school staff are also putting themselves at increased risk.
Having taught in a primary school for 12 years, I know you can tell children about social distancing, but they are wonderfully spontaneous and excitement takes over…
Mother-of-three, Sadie-Marie Murray
‘Elias is on the extremely vulnerable list due to having Tuberous Sclerosis Complex – a rare genetic complex which means benign tumours grow in his body.
‘He’s not due to start school until September, but I can’t risk sending his siblings back to school and getting Covid-19 as I don’t know what the impact would be on my family.
‘I don’t want to rush back to ‘normality’ just for the sake of it.
‘I know of many people who agree as they are shielding a spouse, or elderly parents or those who have lost a relative. People don’t want to put themselves or their families at risk.
‘Long term I worry about the impact on their education and physical abilities as we live in a terraced house which opens straight onto the street and the tiny yard doesn’t allow much room for exercise.
‘I also worry for the staff too. Having taught in a primary school for 12 years, I know you can tell children about social distancing, but they are wonderfully spontaneous and excitement takes over.’
Married Helen Hosick, 37, a fine art undergraduate student, who lives in Bolton, with her two children Emilee, 7, and Nate, 4
Bolton mum Helen Hosick says she’s quite comfortable teaching her two children at home for the foreseeable future until the pandemic abates
Emilee, 7, and Nate, 4, could put Helen, who’s high-risk, into contact with the virus if they returned to education, she says
‘I’m one of the 1.5 million people who have been told by the government to shield in their homes due to being high-risk.
‘I will not be taking a chance with sending either of my children to school, and risking bringing the coronavirus into the house and catching it.
‘I’ve already heard of fatalities within my wider network.
I won’t be sending Emilee back before September…
‘So Boris Johnson announcing he hopes to reopen some primary school years as of June 1, with the rest to follow isn’t a guideline I will be following. I won’t be sending Emilee back before September.
‘I am sure there will be other parents who also don’t allow their kids to return to school until September – this is when Nate is due to start school officially.
‘I am not worried about any consequences in regards to them missing out on aspects of education. The children are young and I can quite comfortably continue teaching them at home.
‘I do hope the government doesn’t say they have to return any sooner than September and I also hope to go into the second year of my degree too. However whatever happens we will prevail.’
THE ‘YES’ CAMP
Jennifer Bailey, 42, CEO of Calla Shoes, who lives in Warrington, with her daughters, Emily, five and Charlotte, seven
Jennifer Bailey, 42, who is CEO of Carla shoes, wants to keep her two daughters, who have five and seven, in education without disruption and is looking forward to the girls going back to school
Jennifer revealed she fears she’s doing ‘everything at a mediocre level’ while balancing her own business with childcare
‘I’m a mother of two girls, aged Emily, 5, and Charlotte, 7, both in primary school. Normally my husband and I both work full-time, I have my own business selling my own brand of footwear online and my husband works for his father’s family business.
‘My husband has been going to work every day except for once a week when he worked from home because most of his staff were furloughed but now most of the staff are back in work so he’s back to normal and he leaves at 6.30am and isn’t home until 6.30pm.’
‘We used to rely on school and grandparent support for childcare to help us do our jobs, but obviously both are out of the question for now.
I feel like I’m doing everything at a mediocre level at the moment and I’ve told my husband that the pressures could break me!
‘I have put many years and a lot of money in to starting up my business, as well as employing four members of staff and I’d be devastated if it were to fail now.’
‘I am consciously trying to keep my children on top of the school work that their school have kindly been putting together each day to guide their learning but it’s incredibly hard when I’m trying to also keep the business going.
‘I feel like I’m doing everything at a mediocre level at the moment and I’ve told my husband that the pressures could break me.
‘The week before lockdown I was quite ill, with all the symptoms of coronavirus, however I didn’t need to hospitalised so was never tested.
‘My daughters were a little bit ill (a sore throat and temperature) for about 24 hours each and my husband ended up being completely fine.
‘I believe we have all had the illness and as a youngish healthy family am confident that they will not be spreading the illness to others and that even if they bring something home we will be able to cope.’
Sarah Lloyd, is a PR manager, who lives in Farmborough, with her daughters, Lucy, six and Amy, four,
Mother-of-two Sarah Llyod, said she was looking forward to sending her daughters back to school, where they could interact with their friends
Sarah revealed how her daughters had settled into a routine at home, both Lucy, six, and Emily, four, miss their friends
‘I’m planning on sending both my girls in on 1 June if schools are open. My husband has been working from home throughout, and I run my own business so have been working round the children.
‘We will probably send our girls in, for a few reasons, whilst it’s been great having the girls home and we’ve got into a routine, they are missing their friends.
‘Our youngest is due to start reception in September (her pre school is opening), so I wanted to try and introduce a little bit of routine, she is very sociable and whilst she enjoys playing with big sister, she misses her friends.
‘My eldest misses school. She loves learning, but has struggled with mummy and daddy teaching her. She is in year 1 and also misses her friends.
The mother-of-two went on to say that the experience of lockdown had been overwhelming for her daughters, and the family are looking forward to returning to a form of normality
‘I feel ok about them going back to school as they are in small classes, and before we went into lockdown I couldn’t fault how the children and teachers where managing.
‘It has been a gift having them home, we’ve done so many lovely things and have grown as a family.
‘Even though they miss their friends, they refuse to talk to them on video, I think it’s been overwhelming for them, so I can see both girls having anxiety over going back so I hope that school takes that into account – perhaps a more staggered approach/ shorter days – less rigid in approach certainly between June and summer break could help with managing the virus and the kids mental health.’
Faye Czajkowski-Davis, 40, Therapeutic Coach, from Gloucestershire, has three children, Ashtyn, 14, Fenton, 8, Jaycob, 7
Faye Czajkowski-Davis, 40, Therapeutic Coach, from Gloucestershire, has three children, Ashtyn, 14, Fenton, 8, Jaycob, 7 (pictured). She said she will be putting her faith in the scientists, and would follow their advice on when to return her children to school
‘I am not a scientist so I choose to put my faith in those who are. That’s all we can base any of our decisions on when we are not the experts ourselves so if it is recommended children go back to school then I am happy to go with that decision as I know it will have not been made without reason.
‘Other than this, there are a multitude of reasons but primarily, for me is the effect on my children’s social development and education.
‘We are lucky in the sense that they have each other to interact with at home. However, familial interaction is very different to social interaction. Being with other people outside of the family setting allows children to develop important aspects of social and emotional development.
I am not a scientist so I choose to put my faith in those who are
‘They learn how to respond to and control their own emotions as well as building an understanding of how others respond to them. The more people they are exposed to the greater this development is. With out this for any prolonged period of time I worry about the long lasting effects it could pose.
‘Secondly is their education. I am not a teacher. I am not ashamed to say that I struggle with homeschooling three children of different ages and do have concerns about the more time they have away from skilled teaching.
‘I realise and hope that the work we are being sent by the schools will be revisited once the children return to school, however, with so much emphasis on the impact of a child who misses one week of school for a family holiday, I do question the massive effect it will have on children after months of missed formal education.
‘Even if they cover everything that would have been taught, children are still going to be 2/3/4 however many months behind the education experienced by the previous years. Other than making this time up in school holidays over several years I don’t understand how this can ever be caught up?’