A MUM from Worcester says she feels distraught over sending her 14-year-old son back to school after the holidays.

Sarah Cook said she feels sending children back to school, when coronavirus is still present in society, is nothing more than "a massive experiment".

“There has not been enough research done on this. I am deeply upset and disgusted by the decision to chuck 30-plus children in a classroom together,” said the mother-of-one.

“It only takes one child to be a carrier and that’s it. The knock on effect will be huge. My mother suffers with COPD and my father had pneumonia last year – I don’t want to have to stop seeing them again because my son is mixing with 200 kids at school.

“It’s not just about me either, my son is old enough to know what this pandemic is and make his own decision. He is terrified to go to school. He knows it doesn’t feel right, it’s not like primary school children who can be easily reassured.

“My son needs me to reassure him, but I don’t know how to, not when I believe he is in danger. We have seen local lockdowns and further restrictions put in such as masks, so why on earth should we put our children together in classrooms with no social distancing and no masks. It just doesn’t make any sense.”

In May, when schools first started to re-open, Worcester MP Robin Walker said: “I think it is important to stress that if people don’t want their children to return to school, nobody has to. It is a matter of choice. If people are sheltering or isolating to protect family members, there won’t be any repercussions if they decide to keep their children away. That is the sensible approach.”

However, Mark Johnston, a Worcester dad, thinks sending children back to school is imperative for their mental health. He said: “Children should go back to school so they can interact with other kids, learn, discuss and have fun. I know my daughter is missing out on school life. If we have to we should shut pubs, gyms and other leisure venues. Children should be the priority.”