"The hardest job in the world is trying to work full time and attempting to home school my children" - Sheffield Star readers share their views

Some welcomed the decision.

Diane Cider Barrett said: "My children's health and well being is what's important to me. I'm sure I can find plenty of things to keep them occupied and learn at the same time."

Kirsty Knight added: "Same as we cope with every half term. Make sure kids are safe and make sure you have plenty of activities they love and time will fly by."

Toni Anne Foster said: "I'm a mother if I can't cope with my child at home or feed her am I even a mom. Hearing these posts of kids need school for food and mothers saying they better be back they are doing my head in makes me feel sick. Kids come first."

Lyndsey Allison added: "It means the risk to my clinically extremely vulnerable husband, is substantially reduced."

Pam Robey said: "Less stressful having my child home and safe rather than at school."

But for many parents the shutdown caused issues.

Jill Manley said: "Most of these comments seem to be coming from stay at home parents or parents who would be furloughed again. The comments about “same way you cope at a weekend and school holidays”. The difference here being some people are still having to do a full time demanding job working from home whilst caring and homeschooling children so no, sorry, it is not the same."

Lisa Green added: "I can’t just not go into work I won’t get paid. me and my husband work in the health service so we need schools to stay open so our daughter can go and we can do our jobs."

Jenni Wallen said: "My kids will have to go to school as I’m a key worker - added stress and anxiety for me and my children, these last few months back have seen kids thrive and shows how important school is to their education, social, emotional and behavioural development, with very very few children/teachers dying from covid and when isolation has had to happen, it’s been handled well - why are they being closed again?"

Sara Elizabeth added: "When you are a front line worker and you are trying to do the right thing for your own children it's impossible! I for one find it the hardest job in the world trying to work full time and attempt to home school my children!"

Abbie Bullivant said: "My child has special needs and he needs to be in the school environment or he starts going into meltdown I think schools should stay open my daughters school has only had a couple of cases its so unfair for them."