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.

@SueEllenMishke like I have - occupy them with school work, TV, iPads, whatever gets you through the day. Set the expectation with your students that you may be called away for a few minutes to help your child. They'll understand. I've done it 3 times this morning with 2 kids. Single mum too.

What a totally dramatic statement "neglecting them". No one who WFH while doing child care is neglecting their child unless they put them out in the cold for the day and don't feed them. Not giving undivided attention is not child neglect 🙄

Well according to this ridiculousness...we are all neglecting our kids. We should all hang our heads in shame, while those who manage to bag a place to send their kids to school..because their jobs are just so very demanding...and one of them happens to squeeze into one of the appropriate jobs...can all sit virtuously happy at home. Knowing that their kids aren’t being neglected...

[quote JamesMiddletonsMarshmallows]@SueEllenMishke like I have - occupy them with school work, TV, iPads, whatever gets you through the day. Set the expectation with your students that you may be called away for a few minutes to help your child. They'll understand. I've done it 3 times this morning with 2 kids. Single mum too.

What a totally dramatic statement "neglecting them". No one who WFH while doing child care is neglecting their child unless they put them out in the cold for the day and don't feed them. Not giving undivided attention is not child neglect 🙄[/quote]
They are paying thousands of pounds to do my course. Believe me they don't understand- not when it's been made clear by my university I'm considered a critical worker. There are days when I'm timetabled to teach all day. I'm the only person at my university who teaches my subject so I can't call on colleagues to help.
They're doing a professional qualification which involves meeting professional standards- I need to be able to teach this effectively.

We clearly have different views on what is considered neglect. I am not prepared to leave my 6 year old in a room on his own for hours on end. Not when school are happy to take him and provide an education.

@Schoolmummmy

Well according to this ridiculousness...we are all neglecting our kids. We should all hang our heads in shame, while those who manage to bag a place to send their kids to school..because their jobs are just so very demanding...and one of them happens to squeeze into one of the appropriate jobs...can all sit virtuously happy at home. Knowing that their kids aren’t being neglected...

I didn't say everyone was neglecting their kids. I said I would be if I kept him at home.

I agree. I have worked from home since 1994. I have never been able to work with young children under my care so had to pay for a full time daily nanny to come to the house 8 am to 6pm so I could work. I would have kept schools open for all. As we seem to have discovered the magic money tree we should be paying parents' child care costs at £10 per hour so they can pay someone to come into their home to look after the children whilst schools are closed.

I cannot even think properly even with just music on when I am doing my legal work. I need absolute silence and a locked door away from the family.

Our financial services are outsourced. If they don't work, police staff don't get paid and nobody keeps us on budget (public money). Financial services doesn't mean banking (although people presumably need access to money and financial advice at a time like this regardless).

Such narrow views of 'essential' on display here. And mostly based on 'I know one person who' anecdotes. Well we all know one person who. And many more who do not.

This is just this weeks stick to beat people with... there's been half a dozen threads on it AT LEAST. Why wouldn't you want the best for your child (which is to be in school) if you possibly could? But let's just pile on even more guilt on top of this shit situation? It seems that this a pure jealousy which is perfectly understandable but at least own it

This. 100%.

[quote JamesMiddletonsMarshmallows]@Ramdogs remotely, yesC but for the most part key worker provision is child care only.

@GloriaSass sorry but that's massively selfish, especially your colleague.[/quote]
lol. No it's not.

[quote Ramdogs]@JamesMiddletonsMarshmallows The last lockdown was childcare only for key worker childcare. This time they are being taught the curriculum. [/quote]
@Ramdogs: I am interested in figuring this out. I know that the government made it compulsory for schools to have a realistic system for delivering actual remote provision with real learning content.

Have they actually said that curricular provision should be taught in the classroom for critical worker children, or simply that the children of critical workers should be able to go to school from where they can access the same remote provision of curriculum as their class mates?

If the children of critical workers are still meant to be receiving standard in-school teaching, just as if nothing is different, then surely schools are not really closed - they are just open to fewer children. If this is the case then lots of children are effectively being excluded from school with a substitute "remote" provision being given.

In that circumstance I can see why people would want their kids to actually be in school if possible as the "remote provision" is likely to be second best, instead of being the only game in town.

Such nasty bitterness, jealousy and resentment on here. If your child is entitled to go in you should feel ZERO guilt about sending them in if you feel it it best for your family. My son is going to school as a vulnerable child and this sniping is really awful to see.

The key worker children in my school are receiving education as well vs. childcare only. Everyone gets the same online provision but home school children are supported by their parent and those in school supported by teachers/TAs.

@alwaysraining123

The key worker children in my school are receiving education as well vs. childcare only. Everyone gets the same online provision but home school children are supported by their parent and those in school supported by teachers/TAs.

Yes but are they supported in school by a teacher or by the teacher (i.e. the one delivering the class). To my mind there is a difference but maybe I am just looking at it strangely.

@SueEllenMishke

Children are getting childcare in school not education.

Not the case everywhere. My DS is getting taught by his usual teacher and it has been made clear that it is education.
The education side of it has been taken far more seriously this time. Those participating in home learning have been told they need to complete the same tasks as those in school.

It’s not the case in my sons primary either.

@GloriaSass lol it really is. If you can look after your child at home you should and same goes for your mate. Utterly selfish, don't moan when come February half term restrictions aren't lifted because transmission rates are the same

@SueEllenMishke parents of my pupils also la thousands of pounds a term too. You must have a load of wankers on your course who don't understand their lecturer isn't a robot.

No having your 6yo in another room to play, do work, eat, have a drink etc is not neglect. Are you always 24/7 around them when you're not working? Do they never go off and play alone?

@SueEllenMishke your university employer sounds harsh. Have they said you are a key worker? If they are treating you like one you need to send them to school. Or, and this is what I'd prefer if I were you, tell them you have your children at home and offer them shorter hours or shorter lectures or gaps or an additional one at the weekend or something... I don't buy it that those doing the course are so inflexible. They know what's happening as much as anyone else?!

@NoToMisogyny - If your child is entitled to go in you should feel ZERO guilt about sending them in if you feel it it best for your family.
Yes - but why are so many people missing the key issue here? Parents should NOT be entitled to send their kids in, where only one parent is the key worker. End of! The list is so extensive...in fact we could even argue that one of us is on the list, just like half our village seemingly have. But it’s plain, selfish wrong. And if that makes us bitter, then so be it. We are sick of this entitled behaviour, let alone the fact that it can only prolong this tortuous situation even further.

Surely it depends what the other parent does. If they are a SAHP or can work flexibly from home (eg catch up in the evenings/weekends) then probably best for the DC to stay at home.

If the other parent cannot fulfil their employment obligations at the same time as home schooling etc then they should be entitled to send them into school.

Government guindace only stipulates one parent needs to be a critical worker.

[quote JamesMiddletonsMarshmallows]@SueEllenMishke parents of my pupils also la thousands of pounds a term too. You must have a load of wankers on your course who don't understand their lecturer isn't a robot.

No having your 6yo in another room to play, do work, eat, have a drink etc is not neglect. Are you always 24/7 around them when you're not working? Do they never go off and play alone?[/quote]
No, my students are lovely but they've already had to put up with a lot of disruption. I want to do a good job and I don't feel I can deliver effective , high quality lectures while caring for and homeschooling a 6 year old. if you can do that then great!
But don't judge others for approaching this differently to you.

Of course my 6 year old can play alone but I am not comfortable leaving him on his own for close to 7 hours some days. He's an only child so doesn't even have siblings to interact with. For us, taking up the critical worker place at school is the best solution for all of us.
You feel differently and that's fine.....why do people feel the need to judge?

[quote Schoolmummmy]@NoToMisogyny - If your child is entitled to go in you should feel ZERO guilt about sending them in if you feel it it best for your family.
Yes - but why are so many people missing the key issue here? Parents should NOT be entitled to send their kids in, where only one parent is the key worker. End of! The list is so extensive...in fact we could even argue that one of us is on the list, just like half our village seemingly have. But it’s plain, selfish wrong. And if that makes us bitter, then so be it. We are sick of this entitled behaviour, let alone the fact that it can only prolong this tortuous situation even further.[/quote]
Why should parents not be entitled to send their kids in where only one parent is a key worker?

What about when the other parent cannot work and provide childcare/supervise education at the same time?

@bob1234bob sorry my original post was unclear.

The online learning is provided to all children. At school the children are setup on the ipad/laptops with the help of a teacher and are supported to complete the exercise by this teacher. In our school for Year One is it either the reception teacher, the year one teacher or year two teacher supporting them with the help of a TA. They are alternating each day to cover the five days a week. On a purely educational level I believe the children at school are getting something home school children are not in as much as they receive support from a teacher and TA who is qualified and isn't stressed out of the mind. They also receive the support of their peers and (hopefully) have a focused learning environment. Clearly there's lots of arguments to be made about the other considerations of sending your children to school.

That’s something to take up with the government. Rather than blaming people taking up the places they’re legally entitled to.

Quite the contrary: for the sake of our children - the most vulnerable and voiceless in our society - absolutely everyone who can argue the toss should be sending their children in to school to show that school education matters and will not be given up willingly.

My two other children aren’t entitled to go into school and I could spend my time wasting energy being resentful about it, or just focus on doing the best for them while I’m trying to work.

@Purpler5 if the other parent isn’t a KW and is at home they should be caring for the child(ten) to keep numbers low at school and reduce risk in the community so that we can all get out of this quicker. All non key worker families have had to do this for months, it’s hard but it has to be done.
I’m not ‘jealous’, my children are technically entitled to a place due to my husbands work, but as I’m a non key worker at home I feel this is very much against the spirit of the provision, as should anyone in this position.