Critical workers list is huge

[HappyNewYear2021]

Just received an email from secondary school about which children can attend. The critical worker list they will accept is huge:

• Health and social care
• Education and childcare
• Key public services
• Public safety and national security
• Local and national government
• Food and other necessary goods
• Transport
• Utilities, communication and financial services

I have a feeling school with be pretty busy anyway on the 5th when ours go back!

That goes both ways though. You could say some workers who want the schools open for their childcare are unaware of all those who arent able to work/lost jobs and businesses due to the pandemic (arts and associated industries is huge, notn ust actors/lots of hospitality and retail) and if we can lockdown and get covid under control they'd be able to get their work back...
Its a bit like only seeing your own setnof circumstances to blame sahm....

@Strawberrypancakes Why? What will happen to them?

[quote Bunnybigears]@Strawberrypancakes Why? What will happen to them?[/quote]
Some will be ok and some won't .... The NSPCC guidelines:
"The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) says:
Children under 12 are rarely mature enough to be left alone for a long period of time
children under 16 should not be left alone overnight
babies, toddlers and very young children should never be left alone"

Is it so difficult for you to imagine that some children might not be ok alone age 11 for possibly 10 hours.... well done that yours is fine - big sticker award

My organisation of 4000 is in financial services, so we all theoretically qualify. However our senior management has only deemed a handful of us to be key workers because of our roles, which is quite right. To apply a blanket approach would be wrong and mean that we could all take up key worker school places that should instead be offered to those who genuinely can’t carry out key functions at home. I do think some firms and/or people might be unfairly taking advantage of the exemption to the detriment of others.

A lot of people very vocal about lockdown (on other threads) seem to have no idea how many people actually have to leave the house to go to work.

A lot also appear incapable of understanding how some people can work from home but not have the (primary and below) age kids in the house unless there is another adult to supervise - psychologists asking people if they have made plans for their suicide, discharge coordinators talking wit distressed family members about their now severally unwell relative etc. Critical stuff, and not for little ears or appropriate for little ones to interrupt, yet can safely be done from home.

The list is long because so many industries have critical workers within them, they’re reliant on the parents determining whether their role is critical within the business and whether they require their children out of the home to fulfil it (even if they are wfh).
I.e. A trader for a financial services company may require childcare as their company is requiring them to be in office to fulfil regulatory requirements, but an audit manager working for the same fs company would be unlikely to meet requirements for critical worker and should in most cases keep their child home.

The list was the same during the first lockdown. Our primary school (2 classes per year) had about 60 kids in. Realistically there won’t be that many who need to go in.

I work in transport and my husband is a critical worker as well. I don’t actually go to work until after school ends usually but my kids will be going in. I cannot work until the early hours of the morning, wake up early and home school the kids, then do a days work. It is important that I am rested for the safety of people I am transporting.

I imagine quite a few PRs saying well I am a communications worker!

[quote Bunnybigears]@Strawberrypancakes Why? What will happen to them?[/quote]
I chose not to leave my NT Y7 at home alone during the Spring lockdown, not because I was worried about her physical wellbeing, she would have been perfectly safe, but because I was worried about blher emotional wellbeing - she suffers from anxiety and it wouldn't have been good for her to be alone all day every day. Some kids may be perfectly fine, but don't judge others by your own experience.

@HappyNewYear2021

Is it so difficult for you to imagine that some children might not be ok alone age 11 for possibly 10 hours.... well done that yours is fine - big sticker award

Ok I seem to have touched a nerve. Obviously some people are not happy leaving their secondary school age child alone but no one has answered my question yet which is why not? Genuinely curious as to what the resons are.

Long list I agree. I cannot see how national government other than defence can be such that people cannot wfh.

OP I expect that some children will not go back because of concerns from parents, so perhaps not as busy as you expect.

@DebbieFiderer thamk you for actually providing a reason which is all I wanted but again anxiety is a particularly condition that affects your decision.

@Bunnybigears

I am on the list of critical workers as is DH but DS will still be staying at home. I dont know any secondary age children (except for special needs etc) who can't be left home alone.

So a year 7 student that is still only 11 can be left at home all day 5 days a week? Give over!

@nosswith they may be able to wfh, but not effectively with children there I.e. Ed Balls and his wife Yvette Cooper were both MPs at a point in time and their constituents would expect them to be working effectively from home, not splitting their time looking after their children. There will be many more in less visible jobs that couldn’t carry out their role effectively without childcare such as lawyers working for the government drafting and redrafting bills and contracts etc.

I cannot see how national government other than defence can be such that people cannot wfh.

A friend's DH is a clerk in Parliament. Not sure about you, but trying to transcribe parliamentary debate while wrangling a three year old is to me quite close to the definition of impossible.

I honestly can't imagine why any NT secondary aged child would need childcare, which is what the schools are offering. They should be perfectly capable of spending the day at home.

Maturity levels vary wildly, particularly with younger secondary school pupils. In the current year 7 cohort you will have children who were born in September 2008 who are already 12 and headed for 13 but you will also have children born in August 2009 who only turned 11 a few months ago and have a long wait until they're 12 - as an example, in DS class the oldest in the year was born 2nd September, the youngest was born 31st August so there is just shy of a year - and a years worth of emotional and physical development - between them.

So while some year 7 (or even year 8) children are okay to be left alone, some are not. We all know what our own child can or cannot cope with and just because your child was okay to be left doesn't mean others are too.

I cannot see how national government other than defence can be such that people cannot wfh.

DH old civil service job, before he switched departments, involved accessing paper records. If he was still in that role he wouldn't be able to WFH as it would be impossible to transport the archive to our house.

I work part time around my nursing degree at a well known fast food restaurant, received guidance today stating I'm a critical worker under food category and that no one would be furloughed. Yes people, fries are essential to running this country. Not sure the schools would agree but never mind

Technically I’m a Keyworker but as I can work from home, I don’t get a space. I’m a lone parent btw, but that doesn’t make a difference. The list might be big, but the criteria is tight for accessing spaces. Same as in the first lockdown. Not sure how people are still surprised at this.

The numbers of people able to access spaces at school was ridiculous earlier in the year. The criteria was much stricter locally, and everyone managed.

DH and I are both on that list but are able to work at home. I'm actually forbidden to go to the office without express permission from my manager. DD will be staying at home.

@rainbowunicorn

I honestly can't imagine why any NT secondary aged child would need childcare, which is what the schools are offering. They should be perfectly capable of spending the day at home.

I have a NT secondary school aged child who has severe asthma and life threatening allergies. Should I leave her at home alone?

That's not the government list I have got here.

For example in the key public services it's limited to people essential to the running of the justice system, religious staff, charities and workers delivering key frontline services, those responsible for the management of the deceased, journalists and broadcasters providing public service broadcasting.