Should we send our child back to school?

 

After months of disrupted education due to the current pandemic, the back-to-school season has started and also the intensifying debate around sending children to school. Having your child’s physical presence in a classroom provides more than just academics. In addition to reading and writing, children learn socio-emotional skills and have access to mental health support and other essential services that cannot be provided with online learning.

There are some households that have a genuine choice of whether they can decide to send their children back to school. This is through wealth or having one parent that is able to work from home or one parent that doesn’t work in the traditional sense. And for the vast majority – even if they were opposed, they have no choice because of the availability/affordability of childcare whilst they work. You only have to look at the numbers of British that have cancelled or returned early from holidays to see how people cannot afford to miss work. Beyond that choice; when Boris Johnson says it is vitally important that they go back to school – it is for the mental development & education of the child and for the long term financial security of the country. Those in secondary education or University, with the farce of exam results this year, in a few years’ time, when competing for jobs, as an employer if you see someone with qualifications gained in 2020 compared to 2019 or 2021, it is clear that 2020 students will be disadvantaged, until their experience outweighs their qualifications.

The reality is the damage has already been done! As for should we send our children back to school – if you care for your child’s future – is there any choice unless you have the skills, time or funds to home school?