For families lucky enough to be safe in their bubble at home during the past couple of months, it has been a hard transition easing out of lockdown. Now the government is letting schools re-open and teachers are reporting that the new normal in the classroom is working well but many parents have found it really hard to make the decision whether to send their kids back to school.
The constant but confusing stream of news, social media and parent Whatsapp groups have compounded the situation. One local parent reports,”although my heart didn’t want to send the kids back to school, my head was telling me otherwise. And having two kids in Year 1 and 6 who were the first to go back it was a double whammy as they are very different ages and have different needs.”
“Some parents were very vocal in what they had decided and were very keen to give the reasons behind their decision and dismiss the counter argument. To say this made my anxiety about the situation go through the roof is an understatement! But ultimately what I learnt was that everyone’s situation is unique to them, and what we do as parents is a personal, family choice and I learnt to have confidence in my decision making. It really doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing!”
Author: Penny Post
Penny Post is a community notice board serving West Berkshire, Wantage, Swindon, Marlborough and surrounding areas so there
