to think it's not fair only key workers can get a school place now have to go back into work?

[mywayhighway]

Work are wanting us back in the office. It's been hard enough home schooling whilst wfh, soon we will be in an impossible situation. We are valuable members of society too, paying taxes so why can only key workers send their dc to school?

@KeepYourDistance2m I've already answered your question. I guess you can't see past your own opinions.
There are so many people on here that trust blindly bathe gov direction and believe everything they are being fed by the news.
These people are the ones that benefit for the entire situation and the rest can be left the rot. That's the society we live in.
It's utterly disgusting and it's a new form of hypocrisy

Benefit from*

Sorry @ArcheryAnnie but this is preferential treatment at this stage.

[quote whatshappeninginthisworld]@KeepYourDistance2m nursery children have to adhere to the social distancing, where did you read / hear otherwise?

Yes a full class would be good.

[/quote]
The nursery-year 1 children are almost impossible to get to socially distance unless you superglue them to the floor.

Yeap...that's what I said! Its impossible

I agree that some keyworker roles are 'stretched' I have a couple of friends who work for Sky answering online queries through the chat thing on their website. Their children are in school because they are apparently keyworkers? In what way is that key to society and secondly, why on earth could that not be done from home? I'd expect a company like Sky to have the resources to arrange WFH for people like that.

Schools are only allowed a small number in each group each with 2 children. Schools don't have enough classrooms or teachers so they have to prioritise in someway. They have to follow advice from the government.

I noticed the local pub owner picking her child up from school a couple of weeks ago. How is that key working when they’re shut ?

When I walked past my local primary I noticed that the key workers children were playing together and using the ‘gym’ equipment in the playground.
No social distancing there.
I walked past the park yesterday and saw large groups of teenagers sitting around chatting and playing football.
It’s very frustrating when you’ve got a year 10 sat at home trying to get through hours of self teaching every day.

@SteelyPanther

I noticed the local pub owner picking her child up from school a couple of weeks ago. How is that key working when they’re shut ?

They could be a vulnerable child?

What protected characteristic under the equality act do people think is being discriminated against? 🙄

@SteelyPanther you do know that there are many other reasons why a child may have a place at school don't you? Is the other parent a key worker? Or the child may be disabled or have specific needs? The child may be under the care of social services and school is a safe place? They may be in one of the year groups that are allowed back. It's really none of your business.
Also there is no social distancing needed with younger children. It would be impossible to insist on it and it's in the guidance you don't have to do it.

@BertNErnie you do know that these are the normal space requirements required in an early years setting and it just means how much space you need within a setting for each child? The children don't have to keep to their 2.5metres squared. There is no social distancing in the early years

Lavender: Lives are more important than anything else as they cannot be replaced or caught up on later. Death is it, the end.
Even if it's just a few percent of the population that equals many many lives lost, each one a terrible awful tragedy.

Lavender:. Well put. this - just this. Nothing else needs saying.

The issue is now with more ting opening up more people need childcare. They might not be key workers but their job keeps a roof over their head so yes it's key for them and their children. By us there are key worker parents using the childcare when working from home/days off so that really doesn't help resentment (our council guidance is key worker childcare is last resort).
Yes people can work from home but companies are starting to want people back in the office or losing patience with parents not working fully, kids hijacking meetings, etc. This has gone on for so long know. Parents wfh are also killing them selves to do work, school and childcare working all hours of day and night and reaching breaking point. We're in Pharma industry, not key worker but if people want a vaccine for this and new drugs for the future we need to keep working.

I'm a GP, husband hospital consultant and I also work in education, partly writing covid guidelines. I have sent the kids to school on the days I am in surgery but kept them home on the days I am working from home, even though I'd have got a lot more done without them there. Lots are abusing the system by sending even if working from home or only one keyworker parent. If my kids' schools hadn't opened then I wouldn't have been at work and 30+ patients a day wouldn't have got a GP appt.

@lockdownstress That's not abusing the system when the gov always said only one parent needed to be a keyworker. And its def not abusing the system when recent changes to the gov guidelines urged keyworkers to send their DC to school even if they could be kept at home. I'm surprised you didn't know this as a GP.

@Beatingthisthing right so they send their children into childcare even when they are working from home. How is that not abusing the system? They don't want the hassle to homeschool and WFH like the majority of people are doing. How is this not preferential?

Because it's not abusing the system if you're doing something you've been urged to do 🙄

It's always been the case you only needed one parent to be a keyworker and the 1st June changes to guidelines are below.

"Since 23 March, in line with the scientific advice, nurseries, schools and colleges have remained open only to a priority group of children and young people, children who have a parent who is a critical worker and vulnerable children.
Now that we have made progress in reducing the transmission of coronavirus we are encouraging all eligible children to attend settings (where there are no shielding concerns for the child or their household), even if parents are able to keep their children at home."

DH and I are both keyworkers, and have a DD in Year 8.

I work shifts, husband works early shift only. He also doesn't work weekends. So we decided we could manage keeping DD at home, which was fortunate anyway because we had Covid symptoms shortly after making that decision. On mornings during the week that I'm not home I trust DD to just get on with her school work and make her own food. She's very sensible and independent. I video chat with her all the time, or she calls her dad or grandparents. She knows what to do in an emergency.

We are privileged to have been able to keep working and also that childcare was available if we needed it.

I agree that the government have got it wrong. How are parents supposed to return to non-keyworker jobs in retail and hospitality (among others) if there is no childcare? I don't think they have thought it through properly. I have even written to my MP pointing out this very problem.

But what's the answer?

It's not just KW families. It's also vulnerable children.

We can't open up to everyone under current guidelines. It's why the government has scrapped their idea of having all primary school children back. It's physically not possible. We don't have spare rooms.

We can't even bring back the eligible years as we are full from KW and vulnerable children.

And it was designed really as essential Childcare for critical workers who cannot work from home. Not those who find it difficult - which I know wfh and looking after children is incredibly difficult - but for those who genuinely are unable to perform their job from home and who need to be at work to perform critical and essential services.

One of my kids schools said had to be two keyworker parents as the numbers would be too big otherwise. It seems to be taking the piss for a SAHP to send their kids to school just because their partner is a dr.

Teaching staff are working from home

All out non clinically vulnerable or shovelling staff are at work full time. Those who are clinically vulnerable or clinically extremely vulnerable are working from home to provide home learning for the children not yet in school.

Staffing is not, and never has been, the issue at my school. Physical space is.

Think about it. Every school needs at least double the class space. And ideally every class, especially at primary, really need double the staff to allow the teachers at the very least a toilet break.

And we can't just go and use a local church hall. It doesn't work like that. Besides there isn't enough community halls waiting in the wings to cover all children. Look at the number of schools within a miles radius and then look at the community buildings. The numbers still don't add up. And we can't use offices, as once schools go back, they'll be open too!