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!

How on earth do you all know the minutiae of every parent of every child in your kids’ school?

Looking at our infants school playground at break today, there were about 12 year 2s playing outside - out of 90 odd. I think that’s about right.

I do know a few ridiculous examples however - 2 frontline Doctors in NHS, not taking up places for their 3 DCs just juggling shifts ...... verses a home working part time NHS admin staff with non keyworker DH also homeworking who are sending both DCs in.

Weird. I want to scream at the Drs “we’re doing this for you!”

@TitsInAbsentia

Sounds like there are a lot of parents out there who don't like being around their kids! I hope more schools start to push for justification, confirmation of working days/hours from employers because there is some absolute pish taking going on.

Our school has done the opposite. They have the space to do so. They've asked all attendees who qualify for a key worker place to attend Monday to Friday. They could quite easily say "oh, you don't work Thurs and Fri so DC will be home with you" but they haven't. All allocated places are Mon to Fri.

I struggle with this too OP. 50% of my DC primary school are in tomorrow. DP is managing the covid vaccine centre and I am collating COVID research data, both work in a hospital. I am going to do my work from home because the purpose of closing schools is to try bring doen case numbers. Maybe getting the daily ICU, inpatients, death and postive figures has sharpened my mind over the past few months? I guess it seems remote to others. My DC aren't going in because I think unless you really are critical to the covid response, you should be helping by staying at home with your DC. I guess the blame lies with goverments woolly guidelines again. I would be way more dictator about it IMHO.

How on earth can a customer service sales agent in sky be a keyworker? I’m just not getting this. I’m missing something.

@Roseypink

How on earth can a customer service sales agent in sky be a keyworker? I’m just not getting this. I’m missing something.

Needed to keep the Wifi on. Lots of keyworkers (and others) couldn't work with no wifi.

Isn’t sky essential because it is a broadband provider?

It was classed as essential in the first lockdown.

Wow OP at our 2 firm entry school there were 7 in today in Y2 and 4 in Reception - although I don’t know about other year groups

Are you in the area near a big hospital?

Are you in the area near a big hospital?

And this is why our school was so busy!

I know our school had the highest number of kids in school for the whole council area last lockdown.

They are having a BIG crackdown this time. Much stricter and requiring more information to prioritise places.

@Roseypink

How on earth can a customer service sales agent in sky be a keyworker? I’m just not getting this. I’m missing something.

Where has anyone said this? I can't see.

Over 50% of children were in today in my son’s class. I think the rules need to be reconsidered if so many children are eligible to go in then what’s the point?

I’m not sure that an SLT in a school is qualified to decide which critical/key workers need their kids to be in school and which don’t if they decide they don’t want to take all of them.

There are far more people having to go into work in this lockdown than the first one because the rules this time around allow for far more businesses to be open. The consequence of that will be far more key workers and far more kids in school.

“How on earth can a customer service sales agent in sky be a keyworker? I’m just not getting this. I’m missing something.”

My entire healthcare team is running everything from home. We haven’t got anywhere to go if the internet goes down as all the offices are partially closed or open to a very few people who need to go in for specific reasons. We need the Sky people to be there when the internet goes down. They were amazing a few months ago, fixed internet so I could carry on.

Stripesnomore

Isn’t sky essential because it is a broadband provider?
Yes I know sky provides Broadland. But she’s at sales for sky tv packages. Basically you phone up to cancel your package, she sells you eg movies/ Disney.
No that’s definitely not a keyworker!!

Yep, my daughters school gave out 440 places 😱 that's more that 50% of the the students that usually attend

y entire healthcare team is running everything from home. We haven’t got anywhere to go if the internet goes down as all the offices are partially closed or open to a very few people who need to go in for specific reasons. We need the Sky people to be there when the internet goes down. They were amazing a few months ago, fixed internet so I could carry on.

Yes fair play to that department then but that’s not the one she’s in. They must just give a standard keyworker letter to all employees.

I am shocked someone has to ask why a sky customer service worker is a keyworker. This is actually been a huge problem, so many people on here/facebook saying stuff like this and riling people up. Similar to a thread where someone asked why non covid areas in big hospitals are quiet. It really is simple if you think about it.

But the tv package includes broadband.

Roseypink, do you actually know that she isn't helping in that area at all. It's generally one number you call for Sky and you are put through to a department, presumably they need as many people working as possible to pick up the phone and potentially share the work if people are off with covid/working part time etc

also during the lockdown we desperately needed to talk to someone to reduce our tv package as DH was made redundant, we needed our bill to be as low as possible. There were probably many people in this situation and whilst it was make or break for us with that one bill there are potentially people it would have been for.

PugInTheHouse
No the problem is the vast list of keyworker there is to be allowed a space in school. I though the reason they shut down the schools was to try and reduce the spread of the virus.

Roseypink, do you actually know that she isn't helping in that area at all. It's generally one number you call for Sky and you are put through to a department, presumably they need as many people working as possible to pick up the phone and potentially share the work if people are off with covid/working part time etc
Yes I worked there before so I actually do know. Yes I also know the department she works at. This is what she does. End of

Presumably the government has decided to have more key workers during this lockdown because the economy can’t handle another strict lockdown.