Friend claiming to be key worker

[lockdownrules]

So my friend and her husband work but aren't key workers. Here in Scotland after Christmas nurseries and schools closed unless key workers.
She says she's been told she can still send child to nursery so the nursery is lying for her and claiming she's a key worker to get place. It's a council nursery.
AIBU to be annoyed my child can't get a place. My husband is a key worker but I'm not but wfh full time with a toddler and my nursery say no place! Obviously I'm just jealous but it's so unfair some can play the system like this

Banking and admin roles. Not key workers.

Banking is a key worker role.
Banks have been open all the way through this year (even if on reduced hours.)
So not sure what you're annoyed about when they're clearly doing nothing wrong.

Working for a Bank, even from home, makes many a key worker.
Regardless I wouldn’t be jealous, be angry with your own situation yes but I don’t begrudge others.
If your friend relishes you suffering however then I’d rethink the friendship

I’m an investment banker, our HR sent an e mail to all staff saying if we needed them to verify our key worker status to allow us to take up nursery/school places etc they would. I didn’t take them up as I was able to manage, but many did. As a PP said, the definition is very broad.

Financial services is pretty key really, not all roles I agree, but processing CBIL’s loans for small firms, mortgage holidays, increased overdrafts, payroll BACS, refunds from cancelled holidays, etc is pretty important isn’t it?

I’m in banking, and classed as a key worker. We’ve all been provided with letters. Although I don’t need access to schools etc, but just to let you know bank workers are classed as key workers.

Possibly use holidays, childcare services, friends and relatives like most of us.

Im going to have to take unpaid leave to homeschool my kids not something i planned for when.having them! Counter that with sleepless nights on how im going to pay the bills and feed my kids id fake being a key worker to get them.in school.

@VanGoghsDog

Cannot WFH and dish out bank notes.

Regardless of whether the bank employee is working from home or not, they are still a key worker and as such entitled to the school or nursery place. The need to do their work, not supervise their children.

surely a key worker is someone who’s company has to stay open as they provide a service that the public needs?

Not necessarily, no.

Bank staff are financial institutions and are absolutely considered key workers. If banks closed, folk would go in to melt down if they couldn’t pay their £14 cheque in (to their savings accounts consisting of £50,000 🤦‍♀️)

@VanGoghsDog

That wasn’t aimed at you btw - must have clicked on reply by accident

@MadameButterface

Only on mn do you find such a plethora of people who are apparently ‘friends’ with, and know all the financial and other intimate details of people they seem to actively dislike, and who do and say outlandishly cheeky things.

It does seem especially rife on here..

Not this one obviously, but most benefit threads, I find it baffling that the posters know the exact income and outgoings, and often then turn to 'but they told me' or have even seen once..that the 'friend' was asking for help with budgeting so got out all her bank statements and went through it all penny by penny and thats how the OP knew. However, the friend was not a close friend, just an aqcuaintence realy, and she had also showed her bank statements to half the street too, so they were gossiping among themselves

Another interesting one is 'I know all of this as the person I am talking about is my sister ad we are close, should I report though?!'
I am close to my sister, but I don't know her financial details besides knowing she appears to manage well on what she gets. She doesn't know mine either. Knows job, but not the fact that I 'wasted' a quid on a sausage roll last week, so clearly shouldnt be entitled to child tax credit because 'its not meant for luxuries like sausage rolls, you can make your own for 12p, what a kick in the face for hardworking people!!!11' or similar.

You don't know their circumstances. You only know what she has told you. Maybe they are under social services and she doesn't want you to know that.

It will cause you much less pain if you concentrate on yourself and your family and get through it the best you can

@lockdownrules

She's told me they aren't key workers. The nursery know their occupations She's just friends with the staff and they sorted it! It's called playing the system. I can't get nursery as both parents need to be key workers to qualify. She's proud as punch! Think she told me to annoy me as knew I struggled so much last time. If it only for a week it will be fine. I think it's going to be much longer sadly and not sure I have the strength to do it all again.

I understand you being so annoyed.

Sadly , always there are people who know how to play the system.

They often gloat about it , to thinking how clever they are, to buck the system.

However, this is often how they get caught out.

@Woeismypants

In dc school there were children who kept attending due to having autism. I think its cheeky to take up a place not meant for you.

I think it's cheeky to spout complete rubbish about kids with autism. Children with this diagnosis are usually classed as having Special Educational Needs (SEN) and are vulnerable, hence their attendance at school during lockdowns.

Financial service workers, where it’s not possible to WFH, are key workers. Cat 3. I don’t think it likely that a local authority early years centre would lie to give a place to a child who wasn’t entitled to attend during level 4 restrictions. Vulnerable children will attend also, and there are many vulnerabilities. If you are that concerned, fire off an email to your local authority. You won’t be privy to anything regarding who gets places in ELC settings, but if you don’t take into account what has been said thus far on this thread, take it to the authority concerned and have them tell you what the categories.

This is exactly the problem, isn't it?

You're angry at someone else 'playing the system' instead of the government for fucking things up. Your friend may well qualify, but you've fallen into the trap. Over the past months there has been a very unpleasant narrative that the government are fuelling of, 'people aren't sticking to the rules' and suggesting that we're only in this mess because people haven't behaved themselves.

I know this as my DS was entitled to a school place throughout lockdowns. Now if I could just get him to go to school.....

What on earth do they do during the 6 week holidays? I've often wondered what people do with their kids during the holidays. Surely they don't have to go to a nursery every day for the whole year? Makes you wonder why they have them really.

What a judgemental post. People have children but can't necessarily afford to have a SAHP. Most afterschools run during school holidays and most parents have circa 4 or 5 weeks of per year plus weekend.

Banking is a key worker role, the admin could also be. Depends what admin they are doing but there are lots of admin roles at local authorities, civil service, in hospitals etc that would be essential.

@lockdownrules

Banking staff are key workers? I'll tell my bro and sis in law who both work for bank (working from home) and juggled a baby and toddler through last lockdown! Sadly my sis in law jacked in her job as they couldn't cope.

At that she's doing what she needs to support her family. I would rather lie and play the system a bit otherwise it will screw you over. Good on her for putting her family first!

@Bikingbear

What on earth do they do during the 6 week holidays? I've often wondered what people do with their kids during the holidays. Surely they don't have to go to a nursery every day for the whole year? Makes you wonder why they have them really.

What a judgemental post. People have children but can't necessarily afford to have a SAHP. Most afterschools run during school holidays and most parents have circa 4 or 5 weeks of per year plus weekend.

I’m a single parent in the emergency services, as is my child’s dad so we both work shifts. In the holidays our child stays with their grandparents who live in a different part of the country for most of it but we try to take two weeks leave before school starts up again, our child had to stay with them for the first lockdown as we had to work and there was morning or afterschool clubs and didn’t want to risk bringing the virus back into the home at the time when everything was in the news about potential Kawasaki disease etc. But seems like from that posts I shouldn’t have bothered having a child at all 🙄

‘Only on mn do you find such a plethora of people who are apparently ‘friends’ with, and know all the financial and other intimate details of people they seem to actively dislike, and who do and say outlandishly cheeky things.’
^This

OP - She’s not your friend and it’s not her fault that you do not have keyworker status.

I’m a keyworker who’s been WFH since March. We reluctantly decided not to send out two primary aged DC to school during the 1st lockdown, but we sure as hell will be sending them to school in future if need be. Our youngest DC was in Year 1 during the 1st lockdown. It was impossible to homeschool the youngest and keep on top of emails (time sensitive referrals).

Don’t be a hater. Grass her up if it’ll make you feel better 😄

If its a public school nursery she will not have got a place doesn't matter who her friends are. unless child is vulnerable vulnerable child does not mean special needs it means vulnerable at home mum/dad suffering mental health needs the break not enough food things like that.

What on earth do they do during the 6 week holidays? I've often wondered what people do with their kids during the holidays. Surely they don't have to go to a nursery every day for the whole year? Makes you wonder why they have them really.

How judgemental. In this day and age there are very few people who have the luxury of being a SAHP, not having to rely on two wages to run a household, oh how the other half live...

Bikingbear
‘What on earth do they do during the 6 week holidays? I've often wondered what people do with their kids during the holidays. Surely they don't have to go to a nursery every day for the whole year? Makes you wonder why they have them really.’

What do you think people do!?
Have you never heard of nurseries, childminders, au pairs, nannies, Grandparents, other family members, school breakfast clubs and after-school clubs, school holiday clubs, holiday camps, both Mothers and Fathers using their annual leave, etc?

A very judgmental and insensitive post. Not everyone can afford to be a SAHP or wants to be a SAHP. You should just concentrate on doing you 🙄

@lockdownrules

She's told me they aren't key workers. The nursery know their occupations She's just friends with the staff and they sorted it! It's called playing the system. I can't get nursery as both parents need to be key workers to qualify. She's proud as punch! Think she told me to annoy me as knew I struggled so much last time. If it only for a week it will be fine. I think it's going to be much longer sadly and not sure I have the strength to do it all again.

If she told you just to annoy you, she has certainly achieved her goal! However I have heard various versions of similar conversations from both sides and generally, the person who has a bit of good luck, is just pleased and wants to share with her friend.

You are her friend, aren't you?

@lockdownrules

Not a vulnerable child. No special needs.

That you know of.

I know someone who loudly bragged about pulling a fast one in the last lockdown and said she “persuaded” school and nursery to take her kids.

She just rather people thought she was a CF than people realised they had places because of SS involvement due to DV in the home. Vulnerable children are not always obviously vulnerable.