Anyone else finding it hard watching other children go to school?

[Uptonogoodtoo]

I understand that children of key workers and selected years are back at school and have been back a while. But it’s difficult watching them go past in their school uniform when my 6yo has been stuck at home. She can even hear them playing at playtime from out garden. I do hope when schools go back in September, there is a level playing field again. So key workers no longer get priority, particularly now only one parent has to be a key worker regardless of whether their partner works or not.

I don’t understand how it’s selfish to send your children if you are a KW who is working from home? why wouldn’t you if you could? I’m a teacher and my bubble children have some right random reason for being at school. The year group classes have nothing to do with what jobs parents do.

I’m with @RosieLemonade on this one. We had to make some really difficult decisions about which children to invite in to fill up spaces after R 1 and 6 had opted in/out. And I’m sure there is a lot of WhatsApp chatter about why so-and-so gets a space and somebody else doesn’t.

We know all children are suffering hugely and want them all back, but we physically don’t have the space or the teachers/TAs (5 staff shielding) even if I could magically create another classroom to put them in. Roll on September!

My DDs are now the only children on our street not in school. (The children all go to different schools as we aren't in catchment for any school). There's double KW been in throughout- but school has created one bubble per year group on a priority system so they are now full time. Those in the 'right' year groups. Those at Private school. And us... Single KW but no space as their school is at capacity.
September can't come soon enough. They can't have priority year groups come September.

Our school stipulated both must be keyworkers and when allowed found some kind of schooling for anyone who wanted. I’m not sure how keyworker children have had more though. Some have struggled without friends and the changes to how school operates. They still do the same work..although I get that this is easier because of the environment. It’s a case of grass greener for everyone. We are both keyworkers and high risk because of where we work. Some of these kids have had their own issues. My DH contracted
Covid and was unwell, my youngest DD had nightmares for a week and sobbed thinking her daddy was going to die. So I would say realistically there has been bad and good for everyone.

My nursery age DD is back in her class bubble. I do feel a bit guilty, as her school followed guidance and prioritised nursery and Reception so didn't have space for year 1. (Infant school so no year 6 and less other classes to spread between). Less than half the nursery are back and I wonder if arguably year 1 would have benefittted more. However me not sending my DD wouldn't mean the year 1's could go. I am also a key worker (NHS), but wasn't offered a space on that basis, as I work opposite days to DH.

Rosielemonade our school has so many supposedly key workers’ children that they haven’t been able to bring the priority year groups back! I personally think it’s very selfish to send kids to school if you are a SAHM who happens to be married to a doctor or whatever, or if you have fictionalised/exaggerated your key worker status meaning that R and Y1 now can’t go back (and took away any slim chance of other year groups attending even on a part time basis)

Yes, and shielding families not only get to watch those going past on the way to school, but also those going past just about to anywhere.

Though at least we can go out for daily exercise outdoors

Unfortunately as so many people have abandoned the idea that you spend to be 2m away from strangers, this means a heck of a lot of places, that would have been workable, are no longer safe enough. So it!/ still even more restricted than many families were even at the heightoff restrictions.

It's that last twist, that's getting to me. If people did observe the advice of 2m (less only with mitigations) then there would be so much more available outdoors

A month or so ago I would have wavered over sending my year 3 back. However, she had the opportunity to go back for 2 full days this week and we jumped at it. Oh my God, the difference. She was nervous going in but buzzing coming out. I knew she was frustrated at home but I didn't realise just how much.

Before this I was on the 'meh, they'll catch up' side. Not anymore.

In Wales, we’ve got ‘all year groups back in school’.

What this actually means is each child gets 5 hours in school, once a fortnight! 😂

My child was going back on the 1st June to then be told a few days before that key-workers children have now filled all the bubbles so cannot welcome back any children in Reception. I have no choice but to return to work and my mum has had to be my childcare. Yet parents in my child's class who are claiming a key-worker's place work weekends in a supermarket or a SAHM who's partner is an electrician but is furloughed.. I understand if both parents are key-worker's or one parent works on the frontline but there are families who have no choice but to go to work!
My DD was so excited to return to school after struggling being at home, telling her that she could no longer go back broke her heart.

I do hope when schools go back in September, there is a level playing field again.

I'm with you on that. I totally get why keyworker children were prioritised early on. But now more and more people are coming off furlough and required back at work.

All jobs are important, we need people working to keep the economy moving and keep funding the NHS and other services. All children are important.

Millions of children are being neglected stuck in front of TV so parents can get work done.

I live very close to our school so am regularly reminded of the inequality. The sound of children playing on the field is bitter-sweet. Half the school go trotting past the house in various shifts through the day. But still my y2 and y4 are excluded at home.

I've been having difficulty making any social arrangements for them. At the weekend in a freshly opened playground, DS1 finally spoke to another child that is not DS2 for the first time since Easter.

It's been more annoying that the school was running half empty bubbles of split classes but no space for my DCs to get an age appropriate education. It was angering in early June to be deprived of the chance to send my children in while others squandered theirs

I could have put up a fight for DS1 as vulnerable early on for his ASD, dyslexia and dyspraxia- home school has inevitably been a shit show. But the provision avaliable wasn't what he needed. He needs a safe space with his trusted peers and learning. Being babysat with a mixed cohort would have been the hardest combination for his social needs.
But its DS2 who's missed it more. Who spent June listlessly moping around quite depressed and is now asserting his sense of control on the world by being rude and defiant. A tough one because really, he's just being an unhappy little 7 year old for nearly 4 months and hasn't been to school since he was 6, but he can't be indulged in it because that's not teaching him useful life lessons.

It's hard when people forget that your children are the forgotten years and that life hasn't changed substantially in months although in the last 10 days we are now FINALLY being able to to something that is not yet another fucking walk which is now begining to pick up that exhausted week 5 of the summer holidays vibe 3 weeks before that even begins rather than just a groundhog day limbo.

@YardleyX

In Wales, we’ve got ‘all year groups back in school’.

What this actually means is each child gets 5 hours in school, once a fortnight! 😂

It's crap, but I'd take that. (But not the rest if the Welsh civil rights restrictions)

I sobbed when the news headlines came on announcing that Westminster was giving up on trying to get the rest of the year groups in.

Our school's capacity of staffing and rooms was full to accommodate N, yR, y1, y6 & KW. The only way to get y2, 3, 4 & 5 in would have been to ditch bubbles or go p/t which needed a change of policy.

That loss of hope of any kind of punctuation in life from March 21st to 3rd (?) September was a hard blow, and that was my week of random sobbing.

It feels strange and sad seeing children in uniform going off to school when my two are still at home (year 2 and year 4). They had two mornings in school to meet next year's teacher, but now that's it until September. It feels a long time to me since they were at school, so it must feel an age for children their age.

Both mine are in a key worker bubble but year 4 DC is doing year R work essentially. She was drawing pictures of the north pole yesterday which was in year R DC's homework for at home children. There are no end of school activities. I know some children didn't like going back, but some do.

I mean mine are back but you see other of her friends on facebook going to amusement parks, beaches, watching films. They reckon the friends at home are having more fun.

Mine have recently been.going to a hub cos.i've been doing days in.work. They're gutted that they can't be in.class with their mates. I'm worried that they won't be allowed back.into class in.sept if the school operates a rota and mine still have to be in a kw bubble. Lockdown hasn't really bothered them, because they've actually seen.their parents more than fleetingly, but that will (Wales).

I have friends whose kids have had to go to school throughout because they are nhs. Not only have they faced the danger of bringing illness home with them, they have had to deal with some heart breaking stuff but on top of this their primary age kids have had to go to school. School that is very different and unsettling. Be with children from very different year groups,not with their friends. Different teachers on rotation. Then when year groups came back, still segregated as "key worker" children like they had the plague.
The grass isn't always greener. They would have preferred to stay at home and keep their kids safe.

Yeah I find it shit especially as my youngest is in Reception (school chose not to take any Reception back) and I'm also a key worker, as is my husband (school will only take key workers working outside of the home, like its OK to manage kids at home and work for 6 months).

So we've been very unlucky as every other reception class in the area is back.

I've chosen to sack off the school work a long time ago and treat it like an extended holiday. We're having fun every day so I'd hate for my kids to be missing out on this now. We see their school friends frequently as well.

I always thought it was odd they only required one parent to be a key worker, I know kids in school outside year 1 and 6 with a working parent at home.

I do hope when schools go back in September, there is a level playing field again. So key workers no longer get priority

Really. So will you be okay if the key workers are unable to go to work and we don't have their services
what do you do op?

I’m in NI and none of our schools are back at all, and my DS’ school (primary) have said that he will only be in 2 days a week from Sept. I’m so jealous when I hear of friends in England whose children are already getting this provision now.

@MrsWhitty

I do hope when schools go back in September, there is a level playing field again. So key workers no longer get priority

Really. So will you be okay if the key workers are unable to go to work and we don't have their services
what do you do op?

Personally I think that if places need to be restricted then the guidance needs to change to prioritise

1. Two key worker parents (Or single parent key worker)
2. two working parents (or single working parents Key workers with a stay at home partner should not be prioritised

The list of key working occupations needs to be more strictly defined as too many people are exaggerating their role eg accountant pretending they are part of the key financial services infrastructure...

An awful lot of kids are being failed.
Corona virus has messed with a lot of them, through being babysit by TV, worried about frontline parents, isolation from other kids. Yes, there will some that the stress of the school day being removed have thrived, but I guess those are in the minority.

Let's not make this a race to the bottom. Most kids have suffered sonehow through this lock down and seem to be pretty low on the governments agenda. Do I wish my Y4 was back on school? Yes. Do I think other kids have had it equally bad, and in many cases worse, at school or at home? Absolutely.

I agree it is such a shame that some children are not able to go when they want too. I also think it should be 2 key workers not just one. However, I think this was done because often the key worker parent is lower paid so if one parent took time off/carers leave (unpaid) families would choose the parent who earned the least. Both dh and myself are teachers and we managed to keep our children (nursery and yr2) at home until half-term because SLT did all of the in-school days in my school whereas dh has been in regularly throughout (he’s a deputy head). However, since half-term I’ve had to go into school much more so our children have returned to school and nursery. There seems to be an exceptionally high number of key workers at dc school and I think the government has largely caused this problem by having such an ambiguous and extensive list. In my child’s class there are definitely some who I would say are really pushing the rules e.g makes computers and some end up in hospitals, another who works in HR marginally linked to a possible key area. But what are school supposed to do about it? They can’t really police it. The list should have been much smaller and less ambiguous.