Schools right across England and Wales are set to reopen next week and will welcome children back through the doors for the first time since the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown began.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivered a statement yesterday encouraging parents that it is safe to send children back to school in September.
He emphasised that a swift return to schooling is “vitally important” for children as the risk of contracting the virus is “very small”.
He also added that it could end up being “far more damaging” for children to remain at home and these are claims that are backed up by the official advice of England’s top medical experts, who have expressed that returning to the classroom next month is both safe and necessary.
The UK government has recently issued fresh information for families ahead of institutions reopening – including social distancing measures, face covering rules and exam resits – and an insight into what the typical school day is set to look like post-lockdown was also revealed earlier this month as well to offer as much piece of mind as possible, but how do parents and carers in Greater Manchester really feel about sending their children back to school?
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Naturally, there is some apprehension.
Is it too early to be returning to studies? Or an appropriate time? Do parents/carers feel confident it is as safe as it could be? Have children seemed happier and more willing to learn at home? Or are they eager to return to normality?
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Here at The Manc, we always want to know where you stand.
Ahead of the big day for schools reopening next week, we were keen to gather your views and so we took to our social platforms this morning to ask our loyal audience of Mancunians on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – ‘How do you feel about your kids going back to school?’
Are you comfortable with it, or completely against it? Either way, we asked you to let us know your thoughts.
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This is what you said:
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Facebook
Our growing audience over 580K people on Facebook were keen to share their thoughts on this topic and these are a few of the responses we received.
We also posed the same question to our active audience over over 180K followers on Twitter to gather their thoughts on the situation and invited all manor of response.
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Here are just a few of the viewpoints provided.
How do you feel about your kids going back to school in September? Are you comfortable with/ completely against it? Either way, let us know your thoughts 👇👇
We received a large number of replies to our question across all social platforms, so we unfortunately haven’t been able to include every single one in this article. Instead, we chose to feature a few that seemed to resonate the best with our audience and received the most interactions overall.
Are you keen to have your say?
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Well, there’s still time to chip in, so make sure you head on over to The Manc to read the other responses, leave your thoughts and discuss with other Mancunians in the same or different positions to you.
If you would like to read on how the opinions and attitudes toward schooling amongst Greater Manchester residents amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have changed over time, then you can also have a read our article – ‘The Manc Asked: Would you feel comfortable sending your child to school next month?’– published back in May here.
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For the latest information, guidance and support during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the UK, please do refer to official sources at gov.uk/coronavirus.
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Luke Littler is challenging amateurs to beat him at darts as part of a live Netflix event
Danny Jones
In an unprecedented new sports event in the world of streaming, North West sports star Luke Little is offering people the chance to try and win a game of darts against him live on Netflix.
Best of all, he and the entertainment platform have put up a huge grand prize for anyone who can beat the Warrington wonder.
So, for any of you who fancy yourselves as Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor reincarnated when stepping up to the oche down at the local, or if you’re simply bold enough to throw your name in the hat, you’ll want to pay attention for this one…
Announcing the special one-off sporting event on Netflix later this year, Luke Littler has issued the call-out to see if anyone can best him in a game of 501 in front of millions watching at home.
Quite literally the opportunity of a lifetime for fans of the arrows, this exclusive livestream is like nothing that the media giants have done before.
Having dipped their toes into the likes of live boxing fights over the past few years, they’ve definitely got a few live events under their belt, but this exciting and crucially interactive series of matches feels like something genuinely new for Netflix.
Most notably of all, using the name of the popular darts game played not only live on telly at competitions throughout the year but also at countless pubs across the country to set the prize fee, a prospective winner could potentially win £501k this autumn.
Imagine: half a million pounds for one (admittedly very tough) game of darts.
The only major caveat aside from, you know, him being an absolute phenom and already a serial winner is he also happens to be in the form of his life – his words and virtually everyone else’s.
"This is the best version of myself… I'm playing SO WELL!"
Luke Littler listens to some of the records he's broken in his ridiculous World Matchplay campaign 🤯 pic.twitter.com/EVQSrHxSHf
Having smashed Gerwyn Price to defend his World Matchplay Darts title on Sunday evening, cruising to an 18-9 victory with so many 100+ visits and finishes that he broke the tournament’s record average, which has stood since 2010, anyone who does come up against him is currently praying for a miracle.
Price himself told Sky Sports that the youngster’s performance looked ‘effortless’, quipping, “I hope there’s nobody else like him coming through!”
Still only 19, the local lad is the toughest of tasks for even the best on the pro circuit, but if you still somehow fancy your chances, heats will be taking place in Manchester and London, where the top 20 players will get their shot at the man himself on Friday, 30 October.
You can find out all the important information and sign up right HERE.
For now, why not see just how good Littler is playing at the minute and watch back his highlights from a record-breaking final this weekend?
Not that he’s ever truly cooled off, but he really is on fire at the minute.
Andy Burnham responds to Manchester bride-to-be who begs him not to ‘ruin’ her wedding next month
Emily Sergeant
A woman who is getting married in Manchester next month has taken to social media to beg Andy Burnham not to ‘ruin’ her wedding.
And after the video has gone viral, Andy Burnham has responded.
First off, you’re probably wondering how the new Prime Minister could even ‘ruin’ a wedding to begin with, so let’s bring you up to speed a little bit. In case you hadn’t heard, Number 10 North – the Government’s new northern answer to Westminster – has now opened for business here in Manchester city centre inside Heron House, just off Albert Square.
Heron House isn’t just the home of Number 10 North, though. Before Andy and his ministers arrived last Friday, it was also the home of GCHQ, and popular retailers like Greggs, Slug & Lettuce, Vibean, Matcha Kyoto, and more.
Andy Burnham has responded to a Manchester bride-to-be who has begged him not to ‘ruin’ her wedding next month / Credit: Saz Burwin (via TikTok) | Wikimedia Commons
Oh, and crucially, while Manchester Town Hall has been going through its multi-million-pound restoration these past eight years, Heron House is also where the City Registrar’s Office is based… are you starting to piece things together now?
After seeing the launch of Number 10 North on the news last week, bride-to-be Saz Burwin became a bit concerned about her big day and took to TikTok to speak directly to Andy Burnham himself.
In a video titled ‘Andy Burnham please don’t ruin my wedding’, Saz said: “I saw you set up your new gaff, Number 10 North, at Heron House. I saw it on the news, gorgeous, love what you’ve done with the place. But I’m actually getting married there on 21 August, and on the news today, the place was surrounded with police, bollards, all sorts. A lot of stuff that wasn’t there before.
“My trouble is, I was planning to get nice photos after, like at the registry office, outside, and I’m just a bit worried that all of this is kind of ruining the vibe.
“So I would really appreciate it if you were maybe not there that day. I mean, you’re welcome, you’re invited, but maybe without the police escorts, and the guys with the rifles and s**t, because I’ve got a content creator coming.”
Saz’s plea quickly went viral on TikTok not long after posting, with the video having now amassed a million views and more than 500 comments.
One of those 500+ comments was from Andy Burnham himself.