One key worker, child should stay home

[Areyouactuallyseriousrightnow]

Not sure if there has already been a thread but AIBU to think that if only one parent is key worker and other is WFH, child should be staying home as school provision is for key workers who cannot complete their important role if they have to look after child at home, not so that the other parent can continue with work without interruption?

My partner is a key worker, but I don’t consider us eligible as I am home and therefore technically can be with the children.

YABU- if there’s one key worker take that opportunity to send the child in.
YANBU- if there’s another parent at home, child should stay home.

My DSS does a mixture of both. His mum is a key worker and is in school half the week when he’s with her. Me and my partner are not key workers but I am working from home and therefore DSS stays with me on our days. DH is unable to work from home (Construction).
Just got to wing whatever works. We could send DSS into school on our days if we wanted/needed to but it’s safer at home (and saves us doing the school run - woohoo)

The whole system as they have it is very unfair, they should just keep the schools open. It was a full lockdown the last time, more people were on furlough. Now most people have to go out and work. The whole keyworker system is being abused. If your a fecking sahm you look after your kids, not send them to school because your to feckin lazy to look after them yourself. People are having to take unpaid leave for childcare reasons then others are going into school. Keep all primary schools open shut high schools.

[quote TheNortherner]@ofgavin what do you mean 'people like me'?
My point is not about what the key worker should/shouldnt do, but with the non-keyworkers attitude of not being able to help out with childcare at all because they 'work'. I wonder how many actual formal requests to reduce/modify their hours to help accommodate their key worker spouse there have been.[/quote]
It's not "attitude". It's an assessment that our family makes that if we don't get a school place, I will stop doing my KW role. We can survive without my wage, but not without my husbands. I don't expect to get paid but I'm not allowing my kids to be neglected like they were before.

Our school put a letter out saying they will only offer a space if both parents are key workers or if a single parent is a key worker.

@myotherusernameisonholiday

When schools and childcare closed in the lockdown in March, for many key workers the 'choice' of childcare wasn't their child's usual nursery or school. For many babies and young children this meant a hub of children from all different ages and settings bought together in a different building with totally new staff, changing regularly. It wasn't school learning for school aged children, it was basic childcare. Add to this the fact that these parents don't get to keep their children safe at home while there is a new virus going round... I don't think many would be taking advantage of the situation. I don't envy those parents who had no choice but to put their young child in totally unfamiliar settings with no notice.

I am a key worker (p/t), DH is not. Our DC stayed home, we could both wfh luckily so muddled through and they watched tv and played on their tablets too much.

There isn’t a ‘New virus, going around’ it’s a mutation that spreads easier and that is the only difference.

AlwaysLatte

Our school put a letter out saying they will only offer a space if both parents are key workers or if a single parent is a key worker.

Same here, that makes sense and fair for everyone else. Why should some get away with taking unpaid leave and others can send children to school? It will also stop some lazy sahm sending their kids in to school.

@Moonbabyskalimba

My DP is a keyworker. I WFH. We have a young child who can't just be left to their own devices. Why on earth should my job suffer if it doesn't have to?

Because certain poster have an agenda and want to level us all out, preferably bringing us all into poverty and women without jobs preferably

I think even if one parent is wfh the keyworker status of the other should ensure a school place!

Keyworkers often work shifts, nights, can’t take turns with home schooling like 2 wfh parents.

@Feministicon I think that pp was talking about march, when covid very much was a new virus (still pretty new now really, variant or no)

[quote OverTheRubicon]@Feministicon I think that pp was talking about march, when covid very much was a new virus (still pretty new now really, variant or no)[/quote]
Ah I see, my apologies @myotherusernameisonholiday

@Blueeyesparkle

AlwaysLatte

Our school put a letter out saying they will only offer a space if both parents are key workers or if a single parent is a key worker.

Same here, that makes sense and fair for everyone else. Why should some get away with taking unpaid leave and others can send children to school? It will also stop some lazy sahm sending their kids in to school.

As plenty of people have explained, that will often mean that the keyworker stops working to maintain the job of the (usually) higher paid partner. Is that a desirable outcome?

Thank you @OverTheRubicon you're right, I was talking about March, @Feministicon no problem, alas I can see I mixed up my tenses appallingly! sorry about that I really need to read before posting!

@Blueeyesparkle It's not about making it fair for all working parents.

Are you happy not to have your bins emptied, medical care, benefits paid, supermarkets stocked etc just because that person doing any of those jobs was lower paid than their OH non key worker and therefore they were the one who had to take unpaid leave and not provide these critical services?

“If your a fecking sahm you look after your kids, not send them to school because your to feckin lazy to look after them yourself”

Did this actually happen? I agree is appalling if true.

When they say they'll only offer a space if both parents are keyworkers or single parents. What happens in the case of divorced or separated parents, if the resident parent is a keyworker but the non resident parent isn't but has to go out to work? Will the resident parent count as a 'single parent' keyworker?

BOTH my husband and I are key workers and we have opted NOT to send my primary school age child in or my lower secondary school child in. I work outside the home in my job, and my husband is able to WFH but is really busy. It is going to be a massive juggle. Everyone’s circumstances are different. Unless there are special circumstances (SEN, mental health issues, illness etc) I don’t agree with children being sent in under the key worker provision if one parent is a SAHP. But it happens.

@NothingIsWrong

“It's not "attitude". It's an assessment that our family makes that if we don't get a school place, I will stop doing my KW role. We can survive without my wage, but not without my husbands. I don't expect to get paid but I'm not allowing my kids to be neglected like they were before.”

I agree, I feel the same. It’s ironic to me that us key workers are among the lower paid, but actually more crucial for society to run smoothly!

@HikeForward

I think even if one parent is wfh the keyworker status of the other should ensure a school place!

Keyworkers often work shifts, nights, can’t take turns with home schooling like 2 wfh parents.

Schools would be more a less at full capacity if things worked like this!

@ForThou

When they say they'll only offer a space if both parents are keyworkers or single parents. What happens in the case of divorced or separated parents, if the resident parent is a keyworker but the non resident parent isn't but has to go out to work? Will the resident parent count as a 'single parent' keyworker?

Your a single parent if you are separated.

DH is a key worker WFH, I’m in healthcare but part time. If schools close DS will go in on my work days but be at home with me doing home learning on the other days. It’s an independent school and we have paid our fees! Last time as long as one parent was a key worker (even if WFH) they were allowed in.

@Autumnnightsaredrawingin

BOTH my husband and I are key workers and we have opted NOT to send my primary school age child in or my lower secondary school child in. I work outside the home in my job, and my husband is able to WFH but is really busy. It is going to be a massive juggle. Everyone’s circumstances are different. Unless there are special circumstances (SEN, mental health issues, illness etc) I don’t agree with children being sent in under the key worker provision if one parent is a SAHP. But it happens.

That was how I felt in the first lockdown, but it was a massive struggle and I’m not sure we can do it again. I felt that others were in the same boat and struggling too, but it transpired many had managed to get their kids a school place....

I think you’re right if there is a sahp, but that’s very different to a parent who is working from home and spending hours on the phone/meetings etc. Especially when you have younger primary aged children like we have. We relied a lot on tv and PlayStation and a, not willing to do that again.

Your a single parent if you are separated

I had thought so but wanted to check it wasn't just if the other parent wasn't involved!

Unless there are special circumstances (SEN, mental health issues, illness etc) I don’t agree with children being sent in under the key worker provision if one parent is a SAHP. But it happens.

How would you know if particular circumstances apply to individual families though? My daughter has complex additional needs but you wouldn’t know that unless you knew her personally - it’s not obvious to folk who don’t know us. Folks medical information is private and rightly so, so you could be judging all those SAHP who have taken up a place with reasonable cause.

Sorry pressed too soon.

Am not willing to do that again, especially as most children get it very mildly, and most teachers are in the lower risk age bracket.

With regular testing and isolating, it could be managed effectively.

I’m inclined to say that if one parent isn’t a key worker than the child should stay home however that would be hypocritical of me because if one of us were a key worker then I’d absolutely be sending the children to school. Or at least attempting to.