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It was very difficult initially for my 15-year-old daughter - their peers are very important at that age and going to school and socialising with friends is a significant part of life. In effect she felt like she'd been grounded but she hadn't actually done anything wrong.
It also greatly affected her relationship with her grandmothers. She didn't get to see them and felt nervous about making them ill. This is not something children should feel responsible for.
On the plus side we spent a lot of quality family time which was really lovely - but I was acutely aware that we are a close loving family - many children are not so lucky!
When school was closed my daughter spent far too much time in her room on devices, either doing school lessons or talking to her friends.
I think the children were very poorly treated during the pandemic. Expecting children to be shut in their rooms to isolate is absolutely outrageous. Also, when they were allowed out to meet friends my daughter and her friends were approached by police checking what they were doing. That is very intimidating for anyone especially for children.
The pandemic will have definitely made things worse for some children, making them nervous they might be "asymptomatic" and possibly spreading the virus. Also making them more insular and feeling isolated after spending so long at home without seeing their peers.
I don't know any form of support that has been put in place to help deal with the needs of children.
The return to school was a debacle they started going back the odd afternoon or morning sometimes twice a week other times once a week, it was very sporadic and inconsistent. When they went back after the summer it was even worse with testing healthy children, so they were being sent home (expecting them to isolate in their rooms - food left outside) Is that even legal? I'm sure if they rang childline to say this was happening it would be a case for social services. Also, children are being expected to wear masks all day at school. Another disgraceful disregard to their wellbeing.
No, we don't know what is being done to improve things.
Regarding getting any information about the pandemic, the communication was shocking. I have contacted my headteacher asking who had done any risk assessment on children wearing masks all day, lack of oxygen to the developing brain, breathing back in your stale carbon dioxide? Apparently, he has to wait to get his instructions from STAC. I contacted education and the children's commissioner but nobody could help, I also contacted Ivan Muscat, and the chief minister, who didn't deem to reply, even though I chased them up to ask them to point me in the right direction if they weren't in charge! My daughter has a mask exemption but she is too anxious to use it, she therefore wears a mask to and from school on the bus and all day at school, they even had to sit their mock exams wearing a mask. I really don't think that is acceptable.
I really hope some sense will now prevail and children will never be treated like this again. A very concerned parent
Before I sent this I've just heard that they want to vaccinate children over 12 years of age, this gives me very serious concerns. On the gov.uk website it states that this vaccine has not been tested on under 18's. Would we really put our healthy children at risk for a virus that would have very little or no effect on their health? I implore that whoever makes this decision does some serious research, especially after the swine flu vaccine debacle. This could end up costing the island very dearly, we really need to be putting our children first. Please do not say we are protecting the vulnerable as anyone who feels this way will have already had a vaccine.