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 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.
I have a child in year 10 and I am very worried. He was given questions for English literature that he struggles with and didn't know where to start with half of them. I had a look and I didn't have a clue either. I've ordered him a study guide so he can hopefully memorise what it is all meant to mean. He desperately needs to be actually taught or he will fail.

My DH is a keyworker...Telecoms blah blah blah...not many things could work from home without his help! We have a severely disabled child, a child with ASD and a young carer.

Are my children going to school ......No they are bloody not...we are in the midst of a global pandemic! This is just bloody lazy parenting again!
"Friend" divorced...she is a factory worker not food and he works but (on furlough) but have 4 kids in school...aged 4- 12- 14 and 15..... the kids have been left alone previously .....much earlier than I would have .... ! Anyway ...they need looking after now! Neither parent working today ... all kids in school! Its a piss take !!! Fuck the teacher...your lives clearly don't matter!

"Critical worker" isn't defined by the government as crucial to the COVID effort, it's critical to the running of the bloody country!

Fancy living in a country with no waste disposal, sewage system, police, fire fighters, prisons etc?! Yes some people may abuse the definitions but there is more to staying safely alive for millions of people than the bloody NHS.

Technically I'm a key worker, definitely can't work from home. My husband is the same. We had managed to juggle childcare using grandparents and holiday. However, the school rang me and offered me a place for my children as my youngest has speech delays. I'm torn. The school are adamant it will be incredibly beneficial for him to be in school, they will offer my eldest a place if my youngest goes. My mother is understandably concerned about it and won't provide childcare if they go to school. What to do? Apparently the bubbles will be 15, I'm surprised so many will be in school but then if the school are offering places can you be surprised parents are taking them?

Don't blame parents, blame the government for such a wide definition.

@metellaestinatrio the doctor is keeping his kid home because he knows how desperate the current situation is

@peak2021

Don't blame parents, blame the government for such a wide definition.

Blame the government for its shit definition, lack of clarity around who qualifies, and giving less than no time for schools to prepare, and blame the very high proportion of piss taking parents who absolutely could home school with no more stress and frustration than the rest of us and no negative impact on running the country, who have exploited this shit system.

Even if we pretend that it's only an insignificant and tiny proportion of parents who are taking the piss (it's not, but I'll pretend it is), if the country truly cannot run under crisis conditions unless that many children are in school, then it seems that closing the schools just can't be an option. The numbers in are high enough to negate any public health benefit and therefore it's pointless doing long term disadvantage to the remaining kids.

@ kowari. Yes, English - My Y10 DS - at home is studying a book but no actual book to read. He only happened to mention it so we’ve ordered the book from EBay but tbh if it hadn’t come up in conversation we wouldn’t have even known about it.

The rules are so unreasonable. My neighbour is a sahm but because her DH works in communications (often wfh) she gets an essentail worker place. They are not vulnerable (comfortably off and stable home with no mental health issues). I think she is just being lazy and selfish.

Lockdowns & the inevitable unemployment, evictions, drop in standards of living, loss of education, uncertainty about the future etc are pushing more children into the vulnerable group. If anyone CAN send kids into school then they should. It's bad enough adults suffering, at least try to shield your children as best you can from this social catastrophe. They are more important than the elderly. A top heavy society will be a disaster, we need the young to become functioning adults.

Lockdowns & the inevitable unemployment, evictions, drop in standards of living, loss of education, uncertainty about the future etc are pushing more children into the vulnerable group. If anyone CAN send kids into school then they should. It's bad enough adults suffering, at least try to shield your children as best you can from this social catastrophe. They are more important than the elderly. A top heavy society will be a disaster, we need the young to become functioning adults.

Great post!

I’m a teacher and my children are in school full time. The children in my class currently attending (SEND school) definitely, definitely need to be there.

@endlesscraziness yes exactly, I’m sure that’s right. The mother works in a fairly demanding job too but they are still keeping their child at home. I would like to think it makes the one SAHP/one wfh civil servant couple think twice about sending their child but I doubt it...