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.

So forget about vulnerable kids and those kids of parents actually doing the teaching and their support staff.

So won’t work in areas near a hospital or a lot if schools. Some areas will need to take a lot of kids, some won’t.

NHS frontline staff working out of the home should be no1 priority and then triage other down but not allowing any more than 10% of kids in school.

Just under 10% of the U.K. population are employed in the public sector, that doesn’t include those providing care services, IT support, cleaning services and other contracted out essential services. It also doesn’t include essential supply chains, power suppliers or folk in the third sector providing care and protective services.

The low numbers of school take up last lockdown reflects the number of organisations with furloughed workers, those who had people at home while they worked out service provision remotely and folk who lost their jobs etc. 9 months in organisations have got better at understanding how they can deliver services, have adjusted their way of working and adapted. They need their workers at work.

My daughters class has 24 children, 4 have additional support needs so before you even get to key workers kids, your 10% would be oversubscribed. My sons class has 25, there are at least 5 sets of parents in public sector key working roles so again your 10% wouldn’t work.

It’s utterly unrealistic to expect just 10% of children in school - the last time figures were artificially low. You can argue the criteria now is too wide, but I can’t see many areas getting to 10%.

So the government has changed the advice Friday 5pm apparently to say - kids of critical workers who’s parent/s can WFH should stay at home and NOT go to school. It’s a shame that they have to re-iterate the obvious but better late than never.

My school has lots of parents abusing the guidelines. We have sent letters home reminding parents to keep kids at home but still there are the ones who feel because dad's job is listed they are entitled to the space even though mums are home either with a baby or because they "can't do homeschooling". Others justify it saying I can't work with the kids here.

@Elfinghecking
That is good news. Do you have a link to the guidance?

‘It’s utterly unrealistic to expect just 10% of children in school - the last time figures were artificially low. You can argue the criteria now is too wide, but I can’t see many areas getting to 10%.’

Disagree entirely. Unless you have BOTH parents in critical roles outside the home you can cope for the most part. Have you seen the infection and death rates?? Have you?
Everyone needs to put their big girl/boy pants on and get on with dealing with having their children at home when they can, regardless of how tough that can be.

@Elfinghecking So the government has changed the advice Friday 5pm apparently to say - kids of critical workers who’s parent/s can WFH should stay at home and NOT go to school. It’s a shame that they have to re-iterate the obvious but better late than never.

It's a shame they didn't re-iterate it at the point they called lockdown - don't forget the PM was on TV only last Sunday encouraging children into primary schools (and employers were listening). Why the chuff did the DfE not have these guidelines on critical workers ready as this exact scenario was predicted by Whitty and SAGE. The Government have plunged parents and employers into this situation of woolliness around critical workers and children attending school this week.

Have you seen the infection and death rates?? Have you?

Have you any idea how many people are employed in health, education and social services - who can’t just stop work because you say so. Have you?

Have you any idea the number of children who are considered vulnerable in schools? Have you?

Plucking an arbitrary number out of the air, which bears no relation to key workers, vulnerable children or the price of tea doesn’t help things. My sense is the criteria was pulled very tight last time, corresponding with high levels of parents on furlough or being out of work. My sense is the criteria is too wide at the moment and will swing back to something more in the 30% range, which is what seems to be happening in the schools I’m aware of.

@Elfinghecking

So the government has changed the advice Friday 5pm apparently to say - kids of critical workers who’s parent/s can WFH should stay at home and NOT go to school. It’s a shame that they have to re-iterate the obvious but better late than never.

Not they haven't.

They have said that critical worker parents should keep kids at home 'if they can'. They haven't said anything about WFH. The Guardian have just made that up.

Off a teacher network. Good advice.

‘Change in advice - Friday 8th Jan

PARENTS AND CARERS WHO ARE CRITICAL WORKERS SHOULD KEEP THEIR CHILDREN AT HOME IF THEY CAN".

Schools can't care for children of critical workers in school if somebody in their bubble tests positive for Covid, causing the bubble to close for ten days. Help us to keep the frontline staff working by keeping your children out of school if you possibly can.
Can you-

• If you're working at home, keep your children at home with you. For most children, this is the best place for them whilst the case numbers are so high.

• If you work shifts, can you adjust your hours so you can keep your children at home?

• Have you asked your employer if you can be furloughed? Childcare is a legitimate reason for this request.

• Can you form a mutually beneficial Childcare Bubble with family or friends? (This is different to a support bubble). Children will benefit from the socialisation, it'll be good for their mental health and there will be less chance of them catching and transmitting Covid because they would mix with fewer children than they would at school.

• If you don't have technology that will enable your child to access online lessons, speak to your child's school. There are schemes and grants available to help purchase tablets and laptops for families who don't have them.

• If your child needs to access Google Classroom, this can be done via an Xbox or PlayStation.

• If you don't have enough Internet data to support home learning, speak to your child's school. They can apply to your phone compsny for your data allowance to be increased.

• If you have absolutely no alternative and you have to send your children to school, only send them when you are working or sleeping after a night shift.

• If your child has been in school this week, please consider if they really must continue to attend. Many schools are expecting a big increase in the number of pupils attending school next week. More pupils means an increased risk to ALL.

We must try to reduce the numbers of children in school in order to protect our frontline workers.
None of us know when we might need urgent care and our hospitals are overstretched already. Some are having to make decisions about which patients receive care. I don't want my family or friends to be the ones that weren't considered a priority for treatment, do you? If you can, keep your children at home.

@Elfinghecking

Off a teacher network. Good advice.

‘Change in advice - Friday 8th Jan

PARENTS AND CARERS WHO ARE CRITICAL WORKERS SHOULD KEEP THEIR CHILDREN AT HOME IF THEY CAN".

Schools can't care for children of critical workers in school if somebody in their bubble tests positive for Covid, causing the bubble to close for ten days. Help us to keep the frontline staff working by keeping your children out of school if you possibly can.
Can you-

• If you're working at home, keep your children at home with you. For most children, this is the best place for them whilst the case numbers are so high.

• If you work shifts, can you adjust your hours so you can keep your children at home?

• Have you asked your employer if you can be furloughed? Childcare is a legitimate reason for this request.

• Can you form a mutually beneficial Childcare Bubble with family or friends? (This is different to a support bubble). Children will benefit from the socialisation, it'll be good for their mental health and there will be less chance of them catching and transmitting Covid because they would mix with fewer children than they would at school.

• If you don't have technology that will enable your child to access online lessons, speak to your child's school. There are schemes and grants available to help purchase tablets and laptops for families who don't have them.

• If your child needs to access Google Classroom, this can be done via an Xbox or PlayStation.

• If you don't have enough Internet data to support home learning, speak to your child's school. They can apply to your phone compsny for your data allowance to be increased.

• If you have absolutely no alternative and you have to send your children to school, only send them when you are working or sleeping after a night shift.

• If your child has been in school this week, please consider if they really must continue to attend. Many schools are expecting a big increase in the number of pupils attending school next week. More pupils means an increased risk to ALL.

We must try to reduce the numbers of children in school in order to protect our frontline workers.
None of us know when we might need urgent care and our hospitals are overstretched already. Some are having to make decisions about which patients receive care. I don't want my family or friends to be the ones that weren't considered a priority for treatment, do you? If you can, keep your children at home.

Excellent advice. I wish our school would send out something similar.

‘DH and I are both keyworkers, one at home one not... The number of kids in her class has yet to top 8 so far.’

This is the issue, right? An adult at home
Means a child can be at home not in school. 8 kids ( or more depending) in a class with 3/4 classes in a year and 3-6 classes
In a primary school suddenly means 30-40-50% of children in school when we’re supposed to be in a lockdown reducing contact. And when ‘critical’ worker can mean one parent doing the admin of a university dept or an energy company or a transport or education instead of frontline NHS workers then when are we going to get the infection rates down and get out of lockdown?

There are super genuine reasons that people need their kids in school and then there is the rest

I agree with you except when it really isn't possible my sp friend is a sw and can wfh, but she has to do sensitive meetings for CIN, it would be unprofessional to have her children hear. If she had a partner they could share and he could mind the kids for sensitive calls.

Sure. Single mom though so already an exception.

Quite a few of us have sensitive calls, or calls that cannot interrupted or overheard or just actually need to work for an hour. So unless you are legit in a studio flat with your kid - separate rooms, headphones, have them watch Horrible Histories for an hour ... Etc etc etc...

But a single parent, socialWorker parent is CLEARLY someone who can use a legit school place if s/he needs it and the other parent is not stepping up or involved.

Can you form a mutually beneficial Childcare Bubble with family or friends? (This is different to a support bubble). Children will benefit from the socialisation, it'll be good for their mental health and there will be less chance of them catching and transmitting Covid because they would mix with fewer children than they would at school

Please could you explain what this is and how it works?

dfemedia.blog.gov.uk/2021/01/08/am-i-a-critical-worker-or-are-they-vulnerable-or-without-internet-access-or-broadband/

And here’s the truth. Slightly different to what The Guardian is saying.

The link above is better than newspaper mis-reports of it
"Schools are free to clarify a parent’s critical worker status, but should not seek to discourage critical workers from sending their child to school for any other reason.

Schools have been closed to most pupils during the lockdown not because they are unsafe, but because the government is taking every possible measure to reduce cases in the community and protect the NHS. It does not undermine the lockdown to host vulnerable and critical worker children on site during this period."

Also I don't agree where the guidance said provide a device and then the child can work at home as large numbers of people either cannot afford broadband or their area cannot get it. We had to raise in outer London £12k frm neighours to be able to watch tv on a pc. My son's university friend stayed here for 5 weeks last summer because his parents' house which is in the countryside has no broadband at all - his younger siblings have to watch films on DVD even in 2021.

@HikeForward - here you go. I know families who have done this and their kids can go to the other family’s house to be looked after or taught. It just has to be unpaid. They split the week/days.

‘What a childcare bubble is
From 2 December, childcare bubbles are allowed in all tiers.

A childcare bubble is where one household links with one other household to provide informal childcare to anyone under 14. All adults in both households must agree to this arrangement. ‘Informal’ childcare means it is unpaid and unregistered.

Members of either household can provide childcare in a home or public place. This includes overnight care.

You can only have one childcare bubble with one other household. This means no household should be part of more than one childcare bubble.

You can only use a childcare bubble for childcare. You cannot use a childcare bubble to mix with another household for other reasons.
If you form a childcare bubble, it’s best if this is with a household who live locally. This will help prevent the virus spreading from an area where more people are infected.‘

‘
Schools have been closed to most pupils during the lockdown not because they are unsafe, but because the government is taking every possible measure to reduce cases in the community and protect the NHS. It does not undermine the lockdown to host vulnerable and critical worker children on site during this period."

Except they aren’t closed to ‘most’ children when up to 50% of them are in school. Which is why the definition of who is actually a ‘critical’ worker needs to be looked at and tightened up.

Actually if up to 50% are at school they are closed to “most” pupils - most being 51%+

Oh, I stand corrected then and take it all back. Crack in them, I’m sure the lockdown will be a roaring success after all...

The figures being quoted are 1in 6 schools have 30% or more in, it’s a problem in some schools but not most. It does need assessing but I’m not sure what you do about the schools that are near big hospitals etc and will need to take lots of children.