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!

Just because you vaguely work in the industry doesn’t make you a key worker.

The government needs to step in it we shall be locked up forever. And the two tier system where those who bend the rules get to go to school isn’t acceptable.

And I say this as a parent at a school where the Head has said two key worker parents only and only if critical to Covid effort.

This is because he is aware that he owes a duty of care to his staff, to true key worker children and to the wider community to get virus levels down.

I’m furious that the government aren’t stepping in to make this very clear!

Ours sent an email if you were eligible and you replied to say whether you wanted the space or not. I am guessing based on those who needed them last time.

Only one keyworker parent in our case but Dad is self employed outside of the home so can't be furloughed 🤷 ours are going.

To be honest though who has the authority/knowledge at a school to decide if the role is required or not. I am senior finance in the NHS, not directly related to covid but without us the nurses working on covid wards wouldn't be able to do their jobs.

Critical to covid could mean a number of things.

And for those who would lose all their income if their company is open and they don't work, what are they supposed to do?

It's not the children of Key workers that is the problem, it's those with one key worker and parent at home, or worst no key worker.
So many selfish people, we'll be here forever, locked down.

it's those with one key worker and parent at home

What about teacher parents? One parent (teacher) is working ft outside the home. The other parent works ft inside the home. The WFH parent cannot deliver home learning to their young dc during the working day. The young children are having to be left to their own devices and miss out on the learning- instead having it crammed into Saturday's and Sundays.

So in order for the teacher to deliver in school learning to your child, their own dc has to have their education halted?

Where did I say the parent at home was working.
We don't all work.

@GypsyLee

Where did I say the parent at home was working. We don't all work.

You didn't specify either way. I took your statement the way it reads. One parent at home annoys you. If it's one stay at home parent that annoys you, and not one work at home parent, then clarification would have been appreciated.

Yep fairplay. I thought it was obvious.
I've no objection to those who need places obviously.
Just the piss takers will just mean we are here longer.

And why do you think it is any easier for parents in other professions?!

Well... I didn't use school provision last time, but I am this time. Reason being, I changed my job in between times and I'm now a key worker in the NHS. Because I wanted to help fight covid. 🤷🏻

@Crazyoldmaurice

We are not financially disadvantaged, we just don't have a lot in the way of tech.

I think the OP is really letting her kids down if she can afford the tech but chooses not to. Ffs join the 21st century!

I have loads of friends who are proud that they managed to convince the school they are key workers, because their working from home sales job might involve selling to the nhs, or they work from home doing admin for a company that sells expedition space, including to the nhs, etc etc. They just think of themselves and how it was difficult last time. Many of these are also parents who have broken the rules for months, going on huge family holidays, or mixing fully with other households because their children Mix in school. With the numbers as they are in schools, the virus rate will not go down and more and more people will die. I am a teacher and, whilst I am mostly working from home, doing the online learning, I am also teaching a day a week in school. My husband is also a teacher who has nearly 30 in his keyworker bubble. There cannot be any social distancing amongst them. The risks to the families of the children, and the wider community is huge, let alone to the school staff. I think the Government just want people to think the schools are closed, so they can say that closing schools hasn’t had any impact on the virus and say the teachers were complaining over nothing. Some data I saw the other day, showed how school staff were 4 times more likely to get covid than any other profession. It’s terrible but I bet the media don’t publish it anywhere. They are too busy persuading parents to complain to ofsted and demanding parents do 5hours a day of set homeschooling work!

I am really torn . Dh and I are both key workers in the public sector. Both our employers have confirmed we are a priority to have children in school if we need it due to our specific roles in our organisations.

Ideally however we want to keep the children at home to keep them and their teachers safer. But my willingness to do this is being increasingly eroded as we still aren't getting any education for them. DS 10 completes his work set in under an hour. DD 7 is given work in a way that requires one of us to sit with her and explain what is needed.

Without proper remote teaching it is having a substantial impact on our public sector employers now. I am not prepared to let my children suffer and nor are our colleagues but that means the vital services we provide suffer instead. I can see employers losing patience rapidly and pushing the government let more parents send children to school unless the remote education becomes consistently good

schools closing/ not actually closing will make no difference at all.

We are having the opposite problem. Hardly any kids in, less than a quarter of last lockdown. Some years only 2 children in. We have rung parents of our most vulnerable and they are too scared to send kids in. London. Primary.

We have about 30 in across whole primary, only a single form entry though

@Cakeonthefloor

We are having the opposite problem. Hardly any kids in, less than a quarter of last lockdown. Some years only 2 children in. We have rung parents of our most vulnerable and they are too scared to send kids in. London. Primary.

Aren't the vulnerable ones the ones who are potentially at risk from staying at home though?

KeyboardWarriors
I can see your point, however, your 7 year olds will catch up over time. The problem this time is the mandatory reporting to the government of who has done the home learning so the school has to set so much, similar to what they would get in school, with a teacher helping, which is why you have to help. I am teaching full time in school or online from home, whilst also homeschooling my kids. I am working until 1:30am each night and it is non stop through the day. I am not complaining. It is just how it is. My husband is also a teacher so we are having to share it or have our childcare bubble. Yes my kids aren’t getting the education I would like but people are dying and that is simply more important at this current time, in my opinion.

KeyboardWorriers if it's any consolation, my kid is in school and doing no school work beyond reading to someone. They don't have the staff or resources to do education both in school and the home learning stuff. It doesn't actually bother me though, if they were home I wouldn't even be attempting the online lessons and I'm confident they'll catch up.

I am sorry but I don't like the "they will catch up" trope.

It's creating a sense of complacency when in reality the privately educated children are still getting a full education. On a societal level this is a huge disaster in terms of social mobility etc. I am not expecting perfection but I do think we should all be striving to make sure there is as little "catching up " to do as possible. Because the reality is that there could be at least another 12 months of this

At least half of my child's (infant) class of 30 is in school. They are having proper teaching delivered by the teacher and TA, with the advantage of being a smaller group and therefore more individual attention. The rest who are at home get to see them once a day on a video call so we know how many children are at school. The teacher has uploaded work online but not marked anything we’ve done - presumably because she is busy teaching those in the classroom. Those at home are losing out both because of the quality of education they are receiving (cobbled together by parents who are not teachers and who are also trying to work / look after other children / both) and socially as the majority of their peers are in school.

The school has sent out a letter asking people to reconsider if they really need their place because so many children have come to school. We know that some of the parents in the class are taking the piss - some have a SAHP or are on mat leave but are still sending their child in. Ironically the child whose father is a hospital doctor is staying at home...

@KeyboardWorriers

I am sorry but I don't like the "they will catch up" trope.

It's creating a sense of complacency when in reality the privately educated children are still getting a full education. On a societal level this is a huge disaster in terms of social mobility etc. I am not expecting perfection but I do think we should all be striving to make sure there is as little "catching up " to do as possible. Because the reality is that there could be at least another 12 months of this

I agree with you about overturning ‘they will catch up’ in light of two sectors. Although I hope not really 12 months!

I agree wholeheartedly @keyboardworriers. The gap is widening fast.

I think people are wrong in thinking that the kids in all schools will be doing any better than those learning online, in senior school they are literally just being supervised and logging in to the online learning. Easier in primary but secondary it is impossible.

I think the worst difference for children is basically which school they are at. For instance my DCs are getting full lessons all day every day and have been since April. My friends DD in Y10 was getting an hour a day.

I am worried for the Y10s currently as they are now potentially the ones who will miss out if no allowances are made next year for them, and to add to that last years Y11s and this year Y11 will never have their grades taken seriously, all I have heard is people say they didn't get as good grades as they deserved or that they were unlikely to have got 8s or 9s normally.

Its shit all round!