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.

@HikeForward, that is not that dissimilar to our position. Different professions but huge disparity in income between us and I am front line NHS. DH's role falls under KW due to the industry he is in but the work needs to be done during working hours. No it absolutely cannot be done whilst minding young children and I am not at home to help juggle it. He out earns me significantly and if he were to lose his income, we would not have a roof over our heads. It would also not be straightforward to walk into a new role in current climate.

My role is essential in keeping NHS services running, especially with current sickness and isolation rates amongst staff but if no childcare, I'll happily stay at home and look after my children. Risk to my family is lower and I will walk into a job whenever I want down the line. May need to lower my pay a little and work back up but it's a sacrifice worth taking as loss to our budget without my income is negligible. Its not a case of him being too precious to watch the children, we work as a team to protect what we need to.

I wouldnt have argued if there were no space for my children, just would have quietly left.

Overall loss would be to society and that's why only 1 parent needs to be keyworker in many cases.

@riddles26 and yet if every couple where there is only one key worker follows your lead, you’ll be extremely busy (and at risk) in your frontline nhs job for many months to come, because it turns out so many of us fit into that category, so schools will be full, and there will be an inevitable impact on the level of already extremely high covid in the community.

The school I’m a governor at has rejected children from families with one key worker has they don’t have the staffing to manage more.

It’s going to defeat the aim for reducing transmission if too many children continue going to school.

And if a number of key workers have to give up their jobs because they can’t have a school place because their partner isn’t a key worker then there will be less key workers to run the services that we all need, some of which are already badly understaffed. It’s a fine line.

So @NCstaythefuckathome are you proposing we risk our home and livelihood?
I've risked enough health wise by continuing patient facing work through this pandemic, and I am not going to take the blame for being underpaid for the job I do.

It's not the numbers in same boat as me that are so high, its once all the others who are eligible for one reason or another being added it that put it together.

But ultimately I will not be risking my financial security if there is no childcare and I will not apologise for that

the point is if there is a non KW parent at home why can they not care for their child, like all the other non KW couples where there is a parent at home. I guarantee despite what you believe, their jobs are not any more difficult to do with a child in the next room, than any other home workers.
You have the option of a place so you’re taking it. I understand but I don’t agree, and I’m not doing the same because I want this to be over as soon as possible and that doesn’t happen with full schools whilst we have over 1m people with this virus currently.

I’m sure most people can and will struggle to look after their children when WFH key worker or not. My points are that some non key workers can’t WFH and some people are still arguing they shouldn’t be allowed a place, and therefore should take unpaid leave for however long which in some cases will be literally impossible.

Having just heard from a friend who works as a GP, and whose DH is a hospital consultant...they were refused a place as their child's school had sent the request forms out with a 4 hour window to reply..on a first come first serve basis. Due to excess demand..there were no places left

That’s totally infuriating

I can see this is a divisive and emotive topic
And I have my own bias and emotions at play , I know that

And frankly at least we are all 3 at home

I wrote a list today of people I’m close to who have problems right now
Problems where you think ‘I just message so and so to see if their are okay’
And that list has mushroomed enormously recently

So I’m sure everyone else is handling a lot , and have their own strong feelings

I know #bekind is a load of shite
But I do regret when it’s an emotive topic and I post angrily , always regret it

@Thisisworsethananticpated

Having just heard from a friend who works as a GP, and whose DH is a hospital consultant...they were refused a place as their child's school had sent the request forms out with a 4 hour window to reply..on a first come first serve basis. Due to excess demand..there were no places left

That’s totally infuriating

I can see this is a divisive and emotive topic
And I have my own bias and emotions at play , I know that

And frankly at least we are all 3 at home

I wrote a list today of people I’m close to who have problems right now
Problems where you think ‘I just message so and so to see if their are okay’
And that list has mushroomed enormously recently

So I’m sure everyone else is handling a lot , and have their own strong feelings

Very true

My DH is a key worker and I am not. I have a FULL ON job but I’m not a key worker and rules are rules!! One of the schools classes have more than 50% kids in, they’re taking the piss!

There's a lot of schools on here breaking the law. Despite what schools may tell you!

Crikey, alot of feelings.

Personal opinion that if you can avoid putting your child's at risk do it. Also the teachers need protecting too, less kids in school, less chance they'll catch it.

My husband ex sent their child in because she didn't want him homeschooling here because.... who knows.... And he made jam sandwiches and colouring in - he is 9.

The key worker places are trying to keep everything going but don't feel you should take them up on it if you don't have to.

35 out of 60 in my daughter's year apparently and I've heard that it's a similar story in other local schools. In the meantime my child isn't even able to play with a friend. It's absolute bullshit quite frankly. The schools aren't shut at all.

This thread is depressing. So many people with short sighted me me me attitudes. I bet those of you unnecessarily sticking your child in with a teacher who's in school risking their health for YOUR child, are the first to treat them like shit and complain when Precious didn't get a speaking role in the nativity.

In the meantime my child isn't even able to play with a friend. It’s absolute bullshit

You and your child are at less risk being at home. I’d much rather be working from home and keeping my child home too instead of having to send her to school and going out to work facing hundreds of random people a day 🤷‍♀️.

I'm a key worker but dh is not. We may not get a school place as we both are not key workers yet dh is the higher earner and will have to take unpaid leave so I can go and do my low paid part time job. Absolute madness.

@NCstaythefuckathome

the point is if there is a non KW parent at home why can they not care for their child, like all the other non KW couples where there is a parent at home. I guarantee despite what you believe, their jobs are not any more difficult to do with a child in the next room, than any other home workers. You have the option of a place so you’re taking it. I understand but I don’t agree, and I’m not doing the same because I want this to be over as soon as possible and that doesn’t happen with full schools whilst we have over 1m people with this virus currently.

But he is a KW because of the industry he works in, it is just that he works from home. I don't believe his job is more difficult but it is time critical so simply catching up late in the evening is not an option. If it were possible for us both to work either end of the day and split shifts as many friends do, we would take it and keep children at home.

So the alternative is I stay at home. As I said, I am happy to do this - far from those SAHP who want to send the children anyway, I will do the homeschooling with no complaints but of course, my skills would be greatly missed in workplace...

I find it incredible it has not occurred to you there are households where one parent works from home but both parents are keyworkers.

My wife is a nurse and works in the community. I am a lawyer who usually works from an office three days per week but because of lockdown have essentially been working from home full-time for the last ten months. Last lockdown was absolutely terrible, having to mind, feed, discipline and interact with four children under 19 and homeschool one while juggling a very difficult and stressful caseload - as big a caseload as others without kids had. I said then, when we came out of lockdown, I had survived but couldn’t go through it again. To hear head teachers talk as if working from home was some sort of blissful doddle easily combined with home schooling (a job none of us non-teachers are trained or experienced in) just sickens me I’m afraid.

@AmateurDad that is exactly our situation, just different professions and he works full time. When we realised it wasn't going to work last lockdown, we moved in with his parents from early April and stayed for most of the summer. As they were fuloughed, they were able to help with childcare and I cut hours where I could.

Changes in circumstances means that is not an option this time

So many don’t seem to understand why the schools are closed.

Surely no one can disagree that the current uptake of places we are hearing about is ridiculous. How can they be shut if 50% of the children are in? It completely defeats the point of the lockdown and many lives are going to be lost.If there is any way that your children can stay at home, that's where they should be. Most people managed it in the last lockdown. It was absolutely shit but what else can we do.

@riddles26 I missed the bit where you said your DH is a KW. The thread is about families with only one KW is it not, so this doesn’t apply to you.

@AmateurDad

I find it incredible it has not occurred to you there are households where one parent works from home but both parents are keyworkers.

My wife is a nurse and works in the community. I am a lawyer who usually works from an office three days per week but because of lockdown have essentially been working from home full-time for the last ten months. Last lockdown was absolutely terrible, having to mind, feed, discipline and interact with four children under 19 and homeschool one while juggling a very difficult and stressful caseload - as big a caseload as others without kids had. I said then, when we came out of lockdown, I had survived but couldn’t go through it again. To hear head teachers talk as if working from home was some sort of blissful doddle easily combined with home schooling (a job none of us non-teachers are trained or experienced in) just sickens me I’m afraid.

@AmateurDad the thread is about households with only one key worker, this doesn’t apply to you. Incidentally I’ve not heard a single headteacher, or anyone anywhere, suggest home working is a doddle. At all. At any time.

From a school perspective, this is a total nightmare. We really want to support all familied who need us but the numbers are ridiculous. I have one class where 60% of children have parents are both front line workers or a single parent front line worker and there are a couple of children who must be in school for safeguarding reasons. The teacher has got to manage this AND provide online learning which, if parents don't feel is good enough, they should complain to Ofsted about. According to Gavin Williamson, the incompetent idiot who put schools in this position in the first place.