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?

I think what some schools aren't ascertaining is that some children of key workers are taking a full time place when a parent works very few hours. One I know works one shift a weekend day. Her child has attended full time since lockdown while she's enjoyed the peace and quiet at home ( as she loudly states)

Btw the parent in question is a single parent

Spot on neddle

Sorry but some jobs are more important than others. Those jobs that teach our children, save lives and look after the sick, old and vulnerable are more important. They are classed as key workers because they simply cannot work from home home and if they didn't work the s**t would hit the fan. They were needed to get us through this. I agree with the person who said how quickly we have forgotten how vital these people were a few weeks ago. They were there in the height of this, on the front line, whilst everyone else was tucked up safely at home. But now things have calmed down a bit it's suddenly discrimination because we don't 'need' them so much now. What a shame!

Other jobs might be important but they are not essential. You have obviously been working from home so far and there is a difference between it being difficult to absolutely not being able to do it.

Also, if you get into the minefield of how important jobs are, everyone will argue they need a school place. Who will decide who gets one and who doesn't? There are limited places, it's best to keep it as one blanket rule for now.

Isn't the key point that there isn't room for everyone, with social distancing in place.

Therefore there has to be a system in place for saying who can come in.

Lots of people are disappointed their kids can't go in.....but understand the reality is there's not room for all. It's not designed to be unfair and to discriminate and favour but to deal with limited space.

A system had to be created. Any system is a blunt instrument to cover the millions involved and won't have the nuances to recognise all the different little situations which end up helping some people and not others. It's just the reality for now. A system was designed and it can't be perfect. Until there is space for all children when social distancing is dropped, there will be people whose kids can't go. They might be your kids or someone else's, but someone will be disappointed.

Try to see the bigger picture of actually organising this and operating it, rather than just your own individual circumstances.

I think it was quite clear who was a key worker to start with. As my kids school has started to reopen I know one key worker (medical) who’s kids started back in key worker hubs the days she works but as they enjoyed school they’ve agreed to have them in on the other days - so they are at school on her 3days off during the week. Another school mum works for local gov and her & her partner (non key worker) are both working from home but their kids (not in returning years )are at school ft. It is just a bit galling that some people can access school provision for their kids while millions of others are still juggling both at home. Yes the system will be imperfect as they can’t fit everyone but you can’t blame people for venting their frustrations as they are frazzled trying to keep hold of jobs and make sure their kids get some kind of education at home.

Priority for key workers is changing anyway, so this will all be a moot point soon.

I'm frontline NHS, as is their dad. Up until now we've been able to access 8-5:30 childcare and all who qualify have been able to attend. As of next week it's dropping to 9-3 and only 15 children allowed so some will definitely be turned away each week at short notice.

I'm due to restart face to face clinics next week but have had to notify all my patients that there is a chance they will be cancelled on the day without notice as I may not be able to be there due to childcare. I'm sure that's going to be really popular after us being closed since March and with a huge backlog but there's nothing I can do about it.

So justchecking, would you then not be paid (and have to consider paying for an emergency daily nanny for days schools are shut)?

Old buildings, leisure centres etc cannot be used what about safeguarding????

Why is your employer wanting you back in the office? I thought you were only supposed to go to work if you CAN'T work from home and you have been so I don't understand.

@xenia I'd have to use short notice annual leave and unpaid emergency childcare. I would hope my employer will be flexible, but people's patience will only go so far so it depends how much of an issue it proves to be

But yes, potentially I'd have to book extended unpaid parental leave if it was a problem every week

DH and I both have outdoors based jobs, me in agriculture/food production so classed as a key worker and him in golf so not a key worker. When lockdown happened my office closed and we all worked from home when we could, doing paperwork and taking calls. My DH was one of only two staff not furloughed to do part time essential maintenance on the golf course. We tag teamed childcare and muddled through.Then the Scottish government specifically allowed golf courses to open again and yet we were still not entitled to childcare spaces. We have a 7 year old who would need to go to the local hub primary school and a 2 year old who is normally at a private nursery which is still open but only for children of 2 key workers or sp key workers as per the council rules. Some days there are 4 kids there, that's it. Now both of us need to be working as normal as this is the time of year when our sites need us most but we are stuck for childcare. My work have been great and are paying for a part time nanny for me as we are a small team working flat out during harvest season and there is nobody who could take over from me at short notice However in the long term they could easily get a younger cheaper more than likely male replacement who would cost less and not have the complications of a young family. To say I am worried about the future is an understatement.

The solution to this is to reopen the schools to all pupils, and accept that social distancing is not realistic.

Here's a petition about it:
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/305525

I agree that schools should open for all. I also agree that school places should be reserved for key worker children where both parents are working (at home or elsewhere). Those with a sahp or furloughed parent shouldn’t take a place but I don’t know of any of these who have taken a place. The reason key workers need to get priority is that if all the parents take leave in those key industries things would get very serious very quickly for everyone in the country. We need these key industries to keep providing us food and healthcare etc. They provide the absolute basics that are needed by everyone. So yes let’s reopen the schools for everyone but failing that lets let the key workers keep their childcare.

I think anyone who is working and needs school for childcare, should have school opened to them. In order to minimise groups, only those whose parent(s) are working or are vulnerable should be in, regardless of year group.

Why are some employers forcing their staff back to the office when they can wfh? That’s where your anger should be directed OP, not the fact that key workers who can’t wfh are entitled to school places

^^
This

Unfortunately schools who are following the guidance from government have their hands tied.

They can only take 15 children per class/bubble/group, whatever you want to call it. That immediately halves the number of children that can attend.

Then, they must prioritise key worker/vulnerable/looked after/SEND children, followed by those in years R, 1 and 6. If they have any capacity after that, they may be able to offer additional places.

It’s, frankly, a completely unfair balls up of a system. Our primary has seven classes/teachers. One is pregnant so remaining at home, but we have managed to cover her with our only full time HLTA. All other TAs are part time or 1:1 with children with severe SEND, so cannot ‘lead’ a bubble. We have a key worker bubble, plus two bubbles for each year group in R, 1 and 6. That is all of our teachers and rooms taken up. We have a long list of parents who now qualify as key workers, so we may have to close the Year 6 bubbles and convert them to key worker bubbles to meet demand.

To be honest, the children cannot socially distance in our tiny Victorian classrooms in groups of 15, so we may as well have 30 in each room again - it would be considerably easier than trying to teach a bubble full time and record videos/plan for/resource/communicate with parents/mark online work for our own classes! I’d happily sign a petition at this point. If we’ve got to have schools open, we may as well make it as equitable as we can!

We are opening up further to yrs 2-5. Parents have been asked if they are interested. About 55% have said yes, so we're on a rota system as we cannot and will not go above 15 in a room. However, we have large classroom and can't even fit 15 in with one metre distancing, let alone 2. I think 10 is the maximum.
The more people who want a place, the less time they will get in school for now.

Schools should not be open to all as that would defeat the entire point of why they closed temporarily in the first place.

FFS.

YABU, your anger should be aimed at your employer. You can obviously work from home and guidance is still - if you can work from home then do so.

You should be able to continue WFH, what is your employers motivation for having people back in? Schools should open fully anyway.

I wish more schools would do a rota. I have a year 6 in 4 days a week but would gladly have them do 2 days if my Yr3 could have 2 days at school. All primary school kids deserve some proper educational contact at school. In fact even one or 2 keeping in touch days for yrs 3-5 would be better than a total 6 month void from being at school. Just because they are not given keyworker status doesn’t mean other jobs aren’t important or that they are easier to manage from home while attempting to homeschool.

Some jobs are more important though 🤷🏻‍♀️ The clue is in the title.

Iggly you are quite right some jobs are more important in managing the pandemic. I think i’ve just hit the wall this week. I cried tonight through frustration, burn out & tedium. I know others have it worse - wfh without any access to school for kids, those with frontline jobs or those with precarious jobs. However knowing someone who has kids back at school because of where they work rather than the role they do (their words) has just made me massively fed up. I know no-ones having a rosy time of it but I think it’s fair after wfh for 11 weeks trying to homeschool with no end in sight to be knackered, worried about my kids (lack of) education and to think that other jobs do actually matter too.