So many keyworker/vulnerable children at school this week!

[Crazyoldmaurice]

All I've seen on mumsnet for the past month is people yelling into the void that unless we close schools to all that the numbers will just keep going up and up. And unless schools close lockdown is essentially like trying to brush your teeth whilst simultaneously eating a bag of wotsits.

I live in SW London in a very affluent area with the average house price at 750k+

Out of the 75 of my daughters year group, 48 or more will be at school tomorrow and for the rest of the week. I'm assuming most of these kids are going to be classed as children to critical workers due to the demographic.

I've seen on other threads others reporting very high rates of those at school in previous lockdowns and predicted for this one too.

If kids are causing so much of the spread I just dont get how having such high numbers still at school is going to help to drastically slow it down!

I think the term "keyworker" is so meaningless now that anyone and everyone can claim the title and get their kids out from under their feet.
Back in the first lockdown it meant NHS staff and careworkers, but I do agree many are taking the mick now.

Where we are there are far more parents asking for places in school this time than there were in March. From what I hear far more non-key worker employers are expecting staff to go in to their usual workplace (with fairly weak reasons why they can't wfh) and being far less flexible about work arrangements for those also looking after children. I've heard of several instances where parents who worked from home perfectly effectively last time being told that by employers that as their partner is a KW they are expected to send their child to school.

We have a very high number of key workers children because we are within a stone's throw of a major hospital and many parents are medics there. Some schools will have fewer. I am not really sure why there is an issue. These children are allowed to attend school. If you are not a keyworker yours are not. Around the country the number will vary school by school depending on the demographics of the area.

Do you really believe that yours should be allowed in because so many are in any way?

At our school those that are going in are accessing the remote learning in the same way as those at home rather than being taught by a different batch of teachers. It is merely a locational issue.

I could get keyworker status but I am working from home so no way would I take a place. Those are for people who have to work out of the office. My kids (both primary) know not to interrupt my meetings and they also know I will check their work and woe betide them if its not done. Um here for help though where needed. We can cope.

There's a lot of naivety on this thread about the scope of the key worker list. Some seem to think that if you're not directly employed as a doctor or a teacher then you don't qualify and you're taking the piss if you send your kids in.

Organisations need more than the front line staff to operate. If your finance person can't work, staff won't get paid. If your IT staff can't work, the infrastructure you rely on may fail. If your chief exec can't work the whole thing could fall apart.

Also, many public health sectors organisation rely heavily on external staff from private sector organisations. The place I'm thinking of it's a 50/50 mix of directly employed public sector workers and staff provided by a range of private sector specialists. Those private sector employees are as key as the NHS employees and the people keeping those companies running are as key as the finance /operational teams in the NHS.

Also, the idea that if you can work from home then you can home school is clearly not always true. If you're lucky enough to have older children, or children who can work alone then that's great but plenty of us don't. I can work from home but as I discovered in the first lockdown I cannot work when my daughter is at home.

Yes, plenty of employers want their staff back in work and not every job is wfh. Parents know this and can't afford to lose their jobs so will bend the rules so as not to get sacked. It's not rocket science.

I think the term "keyworker" is so meaningless now that anyone and everyone can claim the title and get their kids out from under their feet.

My experience is that most people - keyworkers or not - just want the best for their children. So stop with the judginess.

Back in the first lockdown it meant NHS staff and careworkers, but I do agree many are taking the mick now.

No it didn't. I looked at the extensive list back then too, and it was comprehensive. At no point did it say "this is for NHS/ carers only".

I think the term "keyworker" is so meaningless now that anyone and everyone can claim the title and get their kids out from under their feet

Oh honestly get over yourself.

Sitting being ignored at home for 40 hours a week would be damaging for most kids, let alone the schoolwork they will miss. Especially the younger ones. I don't want this for my dc. I'd bloody love them to stay home and me be able to facilitate proper home learning. That's only possible if I quit my job. If my school decides that they have room for my child (and it's their decision), why wouldn't I take it when the alternative is so shit?

Some of us are working this time when we couldn’t in March

The government is partly to blame, as there should be as a minimum some jobs where you are required to wfh for the time being. Some employers and individual managers are control freaks, others bow down to those few who want to be in an office for non-work reasons (avoiding childcare as an example).

@Yubaba

Our school have said that only critical workers (not key workers) children can have a place and only if both parents are workers. We also have to give employers contact details so they can check.

They’ve said that fewer places will be offered this time round and that having a place last time does not guarantee one this time.

Is there a difference between critical workers and keyworkers? DDs school seem to have used the terms interchangeably today.

There's a lot of naivety on this thread about the scope of the key worker list. Some seem to think that if you're not directly employed as a doctor or a teacher then you don't qualify and you're taking the piss if you send your kids in.

it's not that at all

but when the other parent is a SAH parent, you might qualify but how do you justify not keeping the kids home?

Some NHS workers are not critical workers either. They admit it themselves!

They could be vulnerable in any demographic though. Vulnerable doesn’t mean poor. It can mean because of their own mental health as well as because of any parental problems.

DS was in school today, there are about 60 children in his year and only 14 were in.

Of 250 children on roll, we have 85 who will be in school as keyworker or highly vulnerable ( ie with an allocatedsocial worker) . We had one parent who said their child would be coming in because mum is a keyworker and dad, who doesn't work, can't be expected to look after two children at once! We said no and have received an official complaint.

manteo the school are using this list

www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision

I was commenting from the perspective of having 2 key workers.

DH and I both work for private sector companies but we both do work supporting the health sector.

If you have a SAHP and one key worker it's clearly taking the piss to send the child in. Many schools I've heard of have a 2 key worker rule or are capping numbers and allocating according to their judgment of need.

Only 6 children in the whole of year 2 at ours.

12 children in ds's year group of 60 were in school today, so not huge numbers. I can understand why schools with bigger numbers might need to limit them in some way but if the numbers aren't huge I don't see the issue.

15 children out of 750 at DS's secondary school were in today, pretty even spread from year 7 to 11.

@spanieleyes

Of 250 children on roll, we have 85 who will be in school as keyworker or highly vulnerable ( ie with an allocatedsocial worker) . We had one parent who said their child would be coming in because mum is a keyworker and dad, who doesn't work, can't be expected to look after two children at once! We said no and have received an official complaint.

They are right. Only 1 parent needs to be a critical worker.

Critical workers
Children with at least one parent or carer who is a critical worker can go to school or college if required.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision?utm_source=4%20January%202021%20C19&utm_medium=Daily%20Email%20C19&utm_campaign=DfE%20C19

Our school has about 25% children coming in but 70% of the SEND provision are in.

At DS school so far 60% of all children are in and they've accepted everybody without restrictions.

I suspect there will have to be tightened restrictions in the next few weeks if numbers don't slow down at all.

We have about 1000 children in our school and we have about 10 total coming in everyday.

Our school emailed to say they are expecting about 50% attendance tomorrow. It seems like a lot but they don't seem to check out the claims made by parents very thoroughly so obviously they aren't that fussed.

There are only 15 kids in my DS' year in school