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.

@Watermelon999

“School is liable here - consent not sought from parents of those in school clearly, live lessons should never happen with the rest of the class especially if they can be seen - this is a massive safeguarding issue and should seriously be passed on.”

How is it different from seeing all of the other pupils sitting on their devices being streamed in from home? Parents no where near them as they are having to work in a different room?

High school did this too for isolating students before lockdown. They live streamed into the lesson from home.

I presume parents who are not happy, or vulnerable kids will opt out, as school should know about them.

Parents are supposed to be in charge of their own children - if they are old enough to be left alone with a computer in a live lesson then they are old enough to follow the teacher's instructions to hide their camera and put themselves on mute. Teachers can only "in loco parentis" so far if parentis are at home!!!

[quote blackwych]@Manteo
If resigning is an option you're in a very privileged position and it's a bit harsh to be judging parents who aren't able to afford to do this.

I don't think you know anything about whether I am privileged or not. My choice is between just scraping by on one salary and possibly not being able to work again due to lack of a reference (I am very aware that I would be letting down my HT and colleagues) or risking death for me or my clinically vulnerable partner.[/quote]
It is dreadful, I feel for you blackwych. My husband isn't on the shielding list but he has a compromised immune system amongst other things that means he is on the enhanced PIP so I am his carer too as well as only breadwinner. If anything has to be done I have to find a way to do it. Fortunately I can be at home as KW, and we can manage. I could send them in but we can manage. There may be parents who can't.

So many things are on a knife edge for so many people.

How is it different from seeing all of the other pupils sitting on their devices being streamed in from home? Parents no where near them as they are having to work in a different room?

If my children are sitting in their own room I can decide where in the house that happens, the other people in their homes don’t know my address and couldn’t locate my children from whatever wall in my house they sit in front of. If my children are visible I’m on screen while in class their school, class and teacher are identifiable to anyone who views the screen and I have no control who can see them.

In some cases it’s important that children can’t be identified and traced back to their school and class. Yes I would hope the school are aware of those kids but actually best practice would be that children can’t be viewed remotely in class. There’s no need for children in class to be on screen during online lessons.

I’m not talking about lowly paid NHS workers here..or teachers or other ‘crucial‘ public service employees. I’m talking about the millions of home based workers who now find they or their partner...somehow fits into one of those hugely broad categories of key worker...and jumps on the bandwagon for their place

I agree with this, along with your suggestion of allocating places on a case by case basis. But do you honestly think schools have capacity to do this? How do they find time to sift through every case and identify the ‘lowly NHS workers’ whose non-keyworker partner absolutely cannot do childcare and homeschooling due to being the main earner. Suppose non-keyworker’s job is inflexible and he/she must be on site or in remote meetings all day, but earns 60k, enough to live on. And the NHS worker only brings in 20k? Whose job will they prioritise? If school imposes a blanket rule of ‘must have 2 keyworker parents’ NHS staff will leave in droves (or take unpaid leave) to homeschool the kids.

If school has capacity to look at every case individually your idea is brilliant. It would weed out the parents abusing the system, those who barely fit into the keyworker bracket, without depriving the NHS of keyworkers.

But do they have capacity? We’ve just received another keyworker form to fill in which asks for both parents’ professions and if they’re wfh. If they decide both parents must be keyworkers that’s me and many other HCPs forced to take leave, at a time the NHS desperately need us!

I don’t understand how the Covid rate will go down with so many kids going in? Not saying i don’t understand why so many send them in but especially in London where the nhs can’t cope. Some people need to re-consider but it’s difficult deciding who. And the more kids that go in to school, the less good the online provision as more teachers get sick and then less time to put in to online.
Parents in my school are moaning about the online learning. They have no idea

For the people who are arguing that they are right to send their children to school when only 1 parent is a key worker, do you also think that it's ok for 50% of children to be in school?

No, but a blanket rule of 1 keyworker only will backfire, because families will prioritise their income and keeping a roof over their heads. A lot of keyworkers are low paid so will leave their critical jobs to homeschool their kids.

I think they need to tighten up the keyworker definition not say both parents must be keyworkers to get a place.

We are working at 50% and it’s far safer. You can actually socially distance now. Bubbles have been tightened up and masks are being worn more. My dc in secondary are being Covid tested too.

I really don’t see how you can tighten up the criteria. Everything on there is valid. The fact is need us now greater- more vulnerable children, more job insecurity, a huge increase in mental health issues, more key workers needed in work uninterrupted, more struggling families......

I don’t think jealous MMers or a Facebook parents should be second guessing a large mix of circumstances and deciding what parents should do. It’s turning into a witch hunt.

@EmmetEmma of course you should send your kids in! Ignore the fanatics on here and do what is best for your family.

I can understand 100% why anyone would want their children to be at school if at all possible and therefore take advantage of the provision from key workers.

Government should change the criteria so it really is those who would otherwise be home alone, and this includes the 'work from home if you can' being a stricter instruction and certain professions being obliged to not be in an office.

www.bbc.com/news/amp/education-55579711

Headteachers seeking clarification

The government want to make sure that those who need it can go it but it’s the parents Tami g the p. Our kids schools have just sent out a letter
asking that people take a place if the need it as nearly 40% of kids are in compared to less than 10% last time. In DD class from the kids going in I know one family has two DR parents but the rest of the ‘critical’ worker parents have one qualifying parent and the other WFH in a none critical job.
And some of those ‘criticAl’ worker parents are also WFH too - journalist, tv producer, accountant, recruitment consultant.

My kids are desperate to go in - school looks like fun half empty - and we technically qualify but as we are both home there’s no way my conscience would let me even though it would be so much easier than home schooling.
I know our teachers are finding delivering online learning tougher we half the class needing to be taught in school too.

Wow I’m amazed at the accuracy and details posters think they know about the family circumstances of children at their dc’s school.

‘ I don’t think jealous MMers or a Facebook parents should be second guessing a large ’

It’s not jealously it’s a genuine concern that breaking a lockdown so lazily will mean this goes on for much longer than it should.

And it’s not just ‘jealous’ MN parents when it’s National
News and when schools
Are asking for help, clarification and sending letters to parents asking them to please, please not take the piss.

‘ Wow I’m amazed at the accuracy and details posters think they know about the family circumstances of children at their dc’s school.hmm’

In my DD’s case 8 of the kids in school
are good friends and we socialise and see them a lot ( well,
We did) and have actually talked to them recently and they’ve said how/why their kids are in. We live in a community where we do know each other well. And at first I thought, fair play to them, maybe I would do the same but a week later I’ve changed my mind as it’s been pointed out by the school that too many kids in means that it will start to affect us all, the provision that they can provide to all kids, And maybe the length of the lockdown.
I hope they read what the school have sent out and have a re-think.

I live in a community and chat to friends. I don’t tell them everything- job details and stresses, mental health, family circumstances, details of life events, private details re my dc.....

You do not know every detail about every child who has a place. The places are for the children not for parents to fight over.

If too many go in the transmission rate won’t reduce and the lockdown will continue. There are no winners.

@Larg3Print
I would strongly argue against the suggestion that every occupation is valid. A large proportion of those from our local school work in university administration, fully WFH. If they are considered critical workers then pretty much everyone should be and they may as well open the school completely.
Also I don't think jealously has anything to do with it. 50% of children at my daughters school are being taught actual lessons by their normal teacher and being given the opportunity to socialise, the other 50% have been given a couple of worksheets and will mainly be on screens whilst stressed out parents try to carry out their " non critical" roles from home. And this access to education has been decided on the basis of what their parents do for a living. How about if we exchange that for parents skin colour? Would it still be considered jealousy to be questioning this decision?

disclaimer - not in uk

our primary school has made it clear that school is open for childcare only.
children can go on one of the (very limited) school tablets in the library (most are on loan with children at home) and follow the lessons there.
there is no food provision at lunch.

secondary school is not open for pupils at all.

And this access to education has been decided on the basis of what their parents do for a living. How about if we exchange that for parents skin colour? Would it still be considered jealousy to be questioning this decision?

Skin colour is a ridiculous comparison.

Parents with key worker occupations take priority because their jobs are considered essential in a pandemic! I agree the definition of keyworker is too broad and some parents are taking advantage.

But how do you think hospitals will be staffed, supermarkets stocked with food, deliveries of groceries/medicines made to the vulnerable etc, if keyworkers don’t take priority for school places?

It’s not about ‘accessing education’ it’s about keeping the country running during a pandemic and reducing transmission. The kids without keyworker places have online resources and online teaching, they are not being denied education.

Many of the children in school may be vulnerable and have been offered places on this basis. Do you think this is unfair too, that vulnerable children take priority?

@HikeForward
Yes ok I accept that skin colour is an OTT comparison but it absolutely is about access to education, that's why so many parents are sending their children in, when they could keep them at home if necessary. It is impossible to effectively home educate a primary school aged school whilst working from home. It is not a level playing field between those children learning from home and those in school. Why should so many children be educationally disadvantaged because of their parents occupation.

And no of course I don't think that vulnerable children shouldn't be given a priority. It should only be them and frontline 2 parents key worker families who are in school and they should be completing exactly the same work as those at home.

I live in a community and chat to friends. I don’t tell them everything- job details and stresses, mental health, family circumstances, details of life events, private details re my dc.....

Absolutely. I chat to parents at the school gates, some I consider to be good friends but none of the parents know my children are adopted because it’s private to my children. There are a few children in the school in long term foster placements, I know about them professionally but I know it’s not common knowledge amongst parents in the school. Everyone has a chapter they don’t read aloud - and for some that will influence their child being at school.

It is impossible to effectively home educate a primary school aged school whilst working from home.

I (partly) disagree.
I think most children age 8 and older are well capable to follow online lessons and work independently to some degree.
dc school uses an app that lets dc ask teachers questions and upload their work.

school organised/loaned out tablets for those that didn't have their own and the pta aquired 4g dongles for those without wifi.

I am really impressed with the school's efforts and I can see dc progressing.

Ignore the fanatics on here and do what is best for your family
I wonder how many if those who adhere to this philosophy will run out to be the same wanting to put a complaint when their parent will die from Covid because they couldn't get a bed in ICU or when their cancer won't be found in time because of delays with appointments and diagnostics.

Somehow I suspect they are indeed the sane people, me me me and everyone is to blame when it doesn't go their way.