Boris Johnson had barely finished announcing the phased reopening of primary schools on Sunday night when my phone started buzzing with messages from concerned parents in our Year 1 WhatsApp group. The consensus was clear: to send your child back in June would be irresponsible parenting. Several said they refused to let their child be used as a ‘guinea pig’ for the virus and many emailed the headteacher to say so.
There were, however, a few lone dissenters – parents for whom the decision could not have come soon enough. It was clear a rapid class divide was emerging between middle class parents with work from home jobs for whom keeping their kids at home had little financial consequences and working class parents for whom the school hours would be a game changer when it came to going back to work.
Whilst the middle class parents were busy dressing up their decision as the responsible thing to do as a parent, there were a handful of more muted messages from less well off parents quietly reminding them that not everyone has the luxury to take such a mightier than thou attitude towards the government.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in