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.

I am a keyworker who can wfh but has to go out on visits and my non keyworker DH sometimes wfh but is out a lot even in lockdown.

I was going to take a place but in the end we have worked out with annual leave and a bit of help from my mum (bubble) who can sometimes have DC when I go on a visit - so we decided to try to manage.

This is only viable for us if DC can go back to school after half term. After that we run out of leave and my mum can't have DC every time as she's not too well herself. (This is another reason not to send them to school as if they were going to school I'd keep them away from mum).

DC do get school work done but just cos I'm there it doesn't mean I can help all the time as I'm taking urgent calls all day. They refuse to work without my help and I can't always help on demand!

So they are physically safe but missing out some. I do try to do what I can but it's been a few days and I'm so stressed and hating it. They are hating it too.

I do think that places should be limited to people who literally cannot work from home- both parents - especially with kids above 5/6 who are safe in the home without being watched all the time. It's something we are sucking up to keep ourselves and school staff etc safer and to reduce the spread!

I think people are over complicating this and trying to compare against thousands of people in different circumstances, locations etc.
If you qualify for a key worker place and feel you need it but feel guilty or are not sure: email the school, be honest about your personal circumstances and your level of need, and the depending on the school you might get a place anyway. Some schools have 200 children in, some 40. Some are sprawling schools in the countryside and some are old Victorian buildings in the centre of town. It’s impossible to have a blanket policy, so let the school apply its discretion.
If they have lots of space and can help a struggling sahm with a newborn just let them. All this random sniping at each other doesn’t help anyone

@dontdisturbmenow but it's not black and white, the lady I was replying to works on a Covid ward and helps with Covid vaccinations and may have to give up her job if they don't take the keyworker that they are entitled to, even though her husband WFH.
If the NHS collapses because all the nurse, HCA, MH staff. Admin and cleaning staff- most of whom are largely female have to stop working then the NHS really will collapse and then I bet you would be the first to complain!!!
I'm not talking about people talking about taking keyworker places who don't need it, most people I know are using keyworker places are in very difficult situations making very difficult decisions, and to be frank sanctimonious attitudes such as yours do not help

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

I agree it’s not a level playing field. But parents in non key-worker jobs need to do the best they can to homeschool and prevent educational disadvantage, even if that means using up annual leave or taking unpaid leave. Obviously the lower earner is better placed to take unpaid leave.

The country’s in crisis, the NHS is overwhelmed and understaffed. Hospitals are desperately trying to draft in nurses and HCAs from other sites due to so many staff off sick with covid or isolating. If schools insist both parents must be keyworkers to access a school place, more NHS staff will leave their jobs to homeschool.

NHS staff are often the lower earner so if their partner isn’t a key-worker yet earns 3x more... the family is going to prioritise his/her job over that of the keyworker, so they stay afloat.

@HikeForward
Do you not feel that key worker parents, also need to do their very best to educate their children at home if they possibly can?
I see no reason why their should be any more children in school than their were last lock down. In fact they have now introduced the opportunity to make a childcare bubble which people could be utilising rather than sending their kids into schools.
As has been stated many times, no one is talking about frontline NHS workers here, clearly they need a school place, if their is no one else at home to supervise the kids.

[quote CakeQueen87]@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?[/quote]
I work in university administration from home. I'm on an inbound phone line dealing with sixth formers, their parents and their teachers. GCSEs have been cancelled, A Levels have been cancelled and I'm on the end of the phone to advise and reassure.

My DD will still be going to school on Monday.

She was as in last lockdown too.

@Manteo
How old is your DD? Is there another adult also WFH? If the answer is over 8 and yes, then you're taking the piss and you know you are. I've worked in pretty much exactly the same job and it does not warrant using a school place in the middle of a pandemic

I'm a critical worker WFH and DH is not but he is out of the home 7-7 earning 5x as much as me. We're using the school place because I know I couldn't do my job and homeschool the kids at same time. Regardless, this week my employer (government) issued clarification that we should either be taking up a school place or using unpaid parental leave. They have specifically said it is not acceptable for us to work from home and look after our children. I see their point and agree but if the government do not even support their own employees to WFH and home school then it is right that the kids are in school. If the policy changes and only 2 keyworker parent kids are allowed then I, like most others in my department, will be forced to take the unpaid leave and where will my department be then? My job is critical to the COVID response by the way.

[quote CakeQueen87]@Manteo
How old is your DD? Is there another adult also WFH? If the answer is over 8 and yes, then you're taking the piss and you know you are. I've worked in pretty much exactly the same job and it does not warrant using a school place in the middle of a pandemic [/quote]
She's 6 and DH is also a keyworker working out of the home, ridiculous hours, sometimes overnight, sometimes away for a few days.

Do you not feel that key worker parents, also need to do their very best to educate their children at home if they possibly can?

Of course, and I’m sure many are doing their best to home-educate whilst WFH. I personally know several mums who are WFH keyworkers but have chosen not to request keyworker places, as they can fit their work flexibly around home-schooling.

But a lot of keyworkers are unable to WFH, and their jobs are considered critical to getting the country through this pandemic.

If the policy changes and only 2 keyworker parent kids are allowed then I, like most others in my department, will be forced to take the unpaid leave and where will my department be then? My job is critical to the COVID response by the way

Same here!

@Manteo
You're two key worker parents then. So not what is being talked about. Although I remain baffled by how any job in a university can be considered to be critical to the fight against coronavirus. University students are old enough to be relatively self sufficient and understand that staff will be delivering a service around their childcare commitments.
@HikeForward
I also know plenty of key worker parents who have not sent their kids in. Interestingly all NHS staff ( who are only fully aware of the dire situation in hospitals) and school staff, who don't want to put even more pressure/ risk on teachers.
However if 50% of children are in school it is clear that there are many, many parents who are not critical to the fight against coronavirus and/ or have another childcare option that are using a school place. These are the parents we are talking about.
They need to massively reduce the list of jobs considered critical to the bare minimum

there needs to be a call to men to take up their parental responsibility and take part of the burden.

[quote CakeQueen87]@Manteo
You're two key worker parents then. So not what is being talked about. Although I remain baffled by how any job in a university can be considered to be critical to the fight against coronavirus. University students are old enough to be relatively self sufficient and understand that staff will be delivering a service around their childcare commitments.
@HikeForward
I also know plenty of key worker parents who have not sent their kids in. Interestingly all NHS staff ( who are only fully aware of the dire situation in hospitals) and school staff, who don't want to put even more pressure/ risk on teachers.
However if 50% of children are in school it is clear that there are many, many parents who are not critical to the fight against coronavirus and/ or have another childcare option that are using a school place. These are the parents we are talking about.
They need to massively reduce the list of jobs considered critical to the bare minimum
[/quote]
Lots of critical jobs aren't dealing directly with coronavirus though. A lot of NHS staff wouldn't be critical if the criteria was that narrow.

Who made you arbiter of whether a parent is making an appropriate decision for their family @CakeQueen87?

It's not the households with nurses and GPs and frontline workers that are causing the problem though is it? It's the households with WFH parents who are working in recruitment, or finance, or journalism, or universities or education of ANY kind etc etc that are causing the massive numbers in schools...

Exactly @redcandlelight

The nurse upthread saying "He really can’t supervise the children and work - his work is very pressured and he already works crazy hours."

Yes. He can. That's his job in the pandemic. I am doing this, for example. A nurse must go in and do punishing awful shifts. A university person must support vulnerable young people and juggle that with children around. A person working in a capitalist sort of job must do crazy hours, do a worse job, push work to those on their team with no kids. Those with no kids must take up the slack for parents at work and deal with often horrible loneliness and related issues. It is SHIT for us all. But we all have a duty, it's like a war.

Employers must be pushed to recognise all this. A slower economy and less productivity rather than a stalled economy and many more deaths. Children safe at home to get the lockdown over with.

Then in the summer we all turn on the government and demand answers and resignations. We vote for politicians who promise to put resilience into the system and who believe that social democracy needs a strong public sector with plenty of give in the system.

@Jellycatspyjamas
Do you think 50% of children in schools is acceptable then?
@Manteo
Absolutely lots of jobs are critical without having anything to do with coronavirus. Do you genuinely believe that yours is?

@Guineapig99

It's not the households with nurses and GPs and frontline workers that are causing the problem though is it? It's the households with WFH parents who are working in recruitment, or finance, or journalism, or universities or education of ANY kind etc etc that are causing the massive numbers in schools...

I work at a university, my DD was in school last time so she hasn't contributed towards numbers in schools rising.

I work at a university, my DD was in school last time so she hasn't contributed towards numbers in schools rising.'

Taking an unnecessary place last time as well doesn't make it any better. We're all busy. No-one working has "time' to home school.
But how on earth will this lockdown actually help with so many children mingling in school.

DP and I in education and have 'critical worker' status, WFH, all online, endless video calls etc.
Wouldn't dream of taking up school places for the kids but everyone has their own standards/morals I suppose.

My husband is an Architect at Associate level so he is accountable for work and can be struck off. He is on 4x my income but he still has to step up. His company have said, there needs to be some flexibility so for instance he is helping with the maths lesson first thing every morning and has told his work that he will be doing that, he has to make up the time later but the reality is that he is not in the kind of job that stops at 5.30 anyway.

I am considered a KW but won't take up the place as although it is very hard I can WFH, if that means juggling and struggling so be it.

We had a letter from the school yesterday politely requesting people consider whether they really need to take up the place as they are at 30% take up.

I am on parent and street name WhatsApp groups that are the main intake for the school and believe me, people are taking spaces where they didn't last time. When it comes down to it, it is a question of the bigger picture, how long do we want this lockdown to go on for!

' When it comes down to it, it is a question of the bigger picture, how long do we want this lockdown to go on for!'

Exactly.

@Guineapig99

I work at a university, my DD was in school last time so she hasn't contributed towards numbers in schools rising.'

Taking an unnecessary place last time as well doesn't make it any better. We're all busy. No-one working has "time' to home school.
But how on earth will this lockdown actually help with so many children mingling in school.

DH and I are both keyworkers, one at home one not. Both of us have letters from our employers specifically to get DD in to school and therefore I'm expected to work to my usual capacity so it's not unnecessary if I want to avoid being in a vulnerable position in my job in the current economic climate. I could do my bit for the greater good if the greater good was willing to guarantee my wages should I lose my job. Luckily my DDs school understand this. The number of kids in her class has yet to top 8 so far.