To think these parents should not be able to send their kids to school

[Dubdubdubtub]

Dad works in a takeaway
Mum does not work. No disabilities
They are sending their child to school as the dad is a key worker and this has been accepted.

To think this is not on and a lot of kids will be sent to school that actually don’t need to be there

@voddiekeepsmesane because people are taking the piss and putting genuine key worker children and school staff at risk

And are dubious key workers the new benefit scroungers on MN now? Yawn. Personally I'm not seeing what isn't "key" about offering prepared food amidst widely documented food shortages but there you go.

It's a difficult balancing act. I work in childcare and am a key worker. My ex isn't a key worker and in theory could look after the children but he's a lazy bastard, so doesn't want to do it. My kids would probably be better off in school than with him but that's not going to happen given we're meant to be co-parenting, so they have to be with him. Also, I probably will hardly get to see my kids at all over the next few weeks. It's depressing.

There's also the impact that this will have on the long term economy - if you can still make money without relying on the government that's the optimal outcome.

Whilst I fully agree with the notion if you can look after your own children, you should I think it does make the assumption that one parent will have to stay at home and look after the kids all day whilst the other works.

This is the way my LA is working it but we're in Wales:

Applications must be resubmitted every two weeks. This will allow those who are exiting social isolation to potentially access a place and enable schools to adjust their provision as their own staffing availability changes.

Eligibility is:
Single parents who are employed as specific key workers
Where both parents are employed as specific key workers

Due to the limited capacity of schools, initially places will only be considered for the following key worker groups:
Health and Social Care
Education and Childcare
Public Safety and National Security

I think this is definitely the best way!

Not many children expected next week at the school where I teach. Roughly a couple per class. Sounds like some schools have more CFs than others, maybe once one takes the piss everyone else thinks if they’ve got away with it, I can as well.

I totally understand that parents don't want to loose income but this is about protecting health and essential services not incomes

Totally agree.

And are dubious key workers the new benefit scroungers on MN now? Yawn. Personally I'm not seeing what isn't "key" about offering prepared food amidst widely documented food shortages but there you go.

The point is that there is a SAHM as well, so this is not an essential need. Not hard to comprehend really.

@stuffedpeppers - that's terrible of them! I'd be pushing this one. How can an ex who, I'm guessing, has your child 0% of the time, be included when considering your case? Can you get your manager to write a letter stating you are s single parent who MUST be in work?

It is not just if one parent is a key worker. The guidance clearly says: if one person is a key worker and there is no one else to look after them, so your SIL should be refused.

SLTeams will be losing a lot of good will with school staff if they allow parents who don't need childcare to still bring their children to school. We're putting our own health on the line, here, and already on skeleton staffing amounts due to illnesses/isolation ourselves.

Someone had insisted they are a key worker because they are a recruitment worker. It is obscene. I'm happy to go into school and look after kids of frontline staff, but it boils my piss that people exploit this. My dh is self employed. He has lost £3500 so far. I'm a teacher, so a key worker. However, he can work from home for a part of his job, so our kids will stay at home whilst dh works from home and I'll go in to work. It pisses me off when people wont make sacrifices. Professionally, my sacrifice has been huge. Personally, we've sacrificed too. Other people need to do their bit, especially now the government is protecting 80% of salary.

There are jobs which don’t look like key workers jobs but are. We are both key workers and have a letter for employer for school but I’m sure people are a bit as we’re neither medics nor teachers. Employer is v clear if school will take kids we have to send them due to work and will get no flexibility if we don’t.

There will be reasons unknown to you.

My DD is going to school and I am not a keyworker. Decision made in her best interest.

Both DH and I are key workers, but our son is in private nursery, so as they aren't closing like the schools, he's still going to nursery. Otherwise we'd be effed as we have no one else to look after him and we both don't have the liberty of working from home.
I do feel a bit guilty but the nursery have put extra measures in place to try and protect the children and staff.

My place of work has come into the key worker category. Food manufacturer.
We actually make cake, so not key to me.

DD age 2.5 is in private nursery.
Nursery emailed this morning asking for parents to contact them and there was a link with the government guide re: key workers and told us to email back immediately if it applied.
I didn’t because I had already put things in place. Can work from home part week/Mother in law and dh doing bits.
The nursery actually rang me and enquired what job I did and told me to bring her in next week.
I’m paying full fees so I’m taking her in.
Have told them if short of staff to ring me and send my dd home first to prioritise children who’s parent(s) are nhs staff
Etc.
By the end of the day a lot more colleagues had got their childcare sorted with schools due to falling into the key worker category.

But really doesn’t feel right for us. We aren’t key.

@Everyexitisanentrance, your headteacher sounds fab!

it is not just children from key workers, it is vulnerable children,

Donkeykong - what reasons

Someone had insisted they are a key worker because they are a recruitment worker

In what sector? If they work in recruitment for health and social care then they would most likely be considered a key worker.

DH and I are both teachers at the same school. Cover at our school was going to be on a voluntary rota, so we had volunteered to cover different weeks. Because there are now so many parents requesting childcare, we've been told that all staff who aren't self-isolating need to come in next week.

Which means that our DC are going to have to go to school/nursery, adding two more kids into the system who could otherwise be at home.

Our parents have been told that if they send their kids on Monday, and they haven't been allocated an emergency place, they'll be sent packing so not to bother. Our head is a very mild bloke who is all for community spirit. He hates confrontation but I think some people are going to get a shock when he doesn't just let their kids attend.

@vulpine she has SEN, we were in the process of an EHCP. I'm a single parent of two with both SEN. She doesn't sleep at all, maybe 3 hours a night, she has very violent behaviour particularly towards her brother. We are the level below a social worker and it's quite well known by school that I am barely coping as it is. The school and our family worker both feel it is a safeguarding issue for her brother and that the impact of no school will be massively detrimental to DD beyond 99% of children.

My husband is a key worker and we would have qualified in our area. I am a SAHM though and wouldn’t dream of sending them in when we don’t need to.

This crisis has shown though that many people cannot be trusted to do the right thing or take the course of action that helps & protects others rather than just themselves.

They don't. They are rightly worried about their income. But, that isnt why schools are providing childcare. They need to take the hit like other people have had to - the government measures will protect them to some extent. My dh has had to take a hit. We qualify, we could send dd8 to school and dd2 to nursery so dh could wfh more productively, but, we wont. Dh will wfh whilst running around after two kids. Because social distancing is the only way to get us out of this shit.

Donkeykong- this is her sil. Surely she would know that kind of thing