Coronavirus: 'My daughter won't go to school till I'm 100% sure'

Lauren Gregson-Evans said she would rather a vaccine was in place before Amelia went back to school

"My daughter is far too precious to have her life put in jeopardy."

For Lauren Gregson-Evans, the idea of her daughter Amelia, five, returning to school any time soon is a complete non-starter.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said on Sunday a phased reopening of schools in Wales could begin three weeks after the coronavirus lockdown is eased.

He has since said he does not want to force parents to send their children back to school.

Education Minister Kirsty Williams said the decision was not "imminent", with pupils, staff and teachers' safety at the heart of government planning.

However, some parents say they need assurances before they will even contemplate a return to school.

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"My daughter will go back to school when I'm certain it is 100% safe for her to do so, whether that be June, September or next year even," mother-of-five Ms Gregson-Evans said.

The dinner lady, who lives in Barry, said her daughter's school had been "brilliant" during lockdown but she did not see how social-distancing measures could be effectively followed there.

"My daughter has a class of 37, so I cannot see how they can in any way, shape or form socially-distance 37 four or five-year-olds."

Coronavirus is believed to be rarely serious for children but they can still carry it and spread it to others through coughs and sneezes.

Experts are currently trying to establish the impact children returning to school might have on the re-infection rate of the virus - known as R - though it is thought to be lower than that for the flu.

Lauren Gregson-Evans and her daughter Amelia, five

Ms Gregson-Evans, 43, said, even if the virus posed a low-risk to her daughter, she would still feel reluctant.

"I'm a single mum," she said. "So, if my daughter goes back to school, she can transfer it to me. If I'm ill then there's nobody else to look after her," she said.

"I would rather wait until there is a vaccine because until then, anybody can still get it and, I think, going back to school there could be a second wave or a third."

Meanwhile, Mark Hughes, from Colwyn Bay, said that, while he was keen for his daughter, Lydia, to finish her A-levels as soon as possible, the conditions for her to return to school had to be right.

"Children's education is so, so important but safety has to take priority, obviously," he said.

"My daughter is having an extended holiday because, obviously there was the very worrying thing of predicted grades but, fortunately for Lydia, she's been given a place at Chester University to study midwifery. But I think that's the big concern for them."

He said he also had concerns for his nephews studying their GCSEs.

"Youngsters who are not going to sit their GCSEs now - are they going to be prepared for A-levels and what's to come over the next couple of years for them?"

However, some parents have said they are hopeful school can resume as soon possible, with fears around delays to children's studies and difficulties for some families whose children have special educational needs difficult to meet at home.

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The first minister told a Welsh Government press conference on Monday he was "not attracted to the idea of compulsion," and preferred "persuasion" when it came to convincing parents a return to school was the right move.

"When we do come to reopen schools it will be done in a careful and measured way," Mr Drakeford said, "where new safeguards are built into the system.

"We will not be asking you to send your child to school until we are confident that we can say to you we have thought about those things and put those measures in place."

Education Minister Kirsty Williams has previously said that pupils will not all return to school at once when restrictions are eased, with "a phased approach" based on five principles.

Responding to the latest concerns, Ms Williams said: "The decision to open schools is not imminent and there continues to be ongoing meetings with unions and local authorities, as well as receiving the latest Wales, UK and international science advice and evidence.

"Most importantly, the safety of pupils, staff and teachers will guide our planning."