To think that high levels of children being sent to school are the beginnings of lockdown resistance from the working age population

[NoIDontWatchLoveIsland]

I keep hearing widespread reports of high levels of children being sent to school under key worker provision. In the first lockdown many people did what they could to keep children at home, and employers tolerated this, but this time almost everyone I know even vaguely connected with a key worker occupation has been given a letter from their employer and told they must get their children to school. In almost all cases the parents are happy about this.

AIBU to think that this is the beginnings of resistance from younger people at continued school closures & lockdowns, when the statistics continue to be clear that few people under 50 who are not CEV are getting severely I'll with Covid?

YABU - no, people are supportive of school closures & wider lockdowns
YANBU - yes, younger people are becoming less tolerant of school closures/wider lockdowns

There are several threads on this already!

Govt must step in or we shall b locked up in perpetuity

They can resist all they like! If school and provisions are shut then they are shut!

Seems to me that everyone supports the lockdown just not for their off spring. Every bloody Mumsnet thread the last few weeks has said close the schools, many of these people are still sending their kids in. I don’t think it has anything to do with a parents age- it’s just typical selfish mentality!

I've put this here as a new thread as others are in the Covid topic and I wanted the voting capability of AIBU.

Some people are.

It's shit that children of parents who are resistant to lock down will be in school, while many children much more vulnerable but with more compliant parents will not be.

However, the data do not show "few people under 50 who are not CEV are getting severely ill with covid." we only have hospitalisation figures. That doesn't show the many people managing it, just about, at home for many weeks and months, without being admitted to hospital.

I agree that employers are less likely to be understanding this time, either about flexibility or work from home. In March it was a one off, emergency, unprecedented etc and business had not been through 9 months of the economy being smashed to bits. Employers this time round are under a lot more pressure themselves and need their employees to be working well.

I also think home learning was undertaken with a sort of wartime spirit last time, or if it didn't happen it was only a couple of missed months. Now though people feel too much as been missed, the social aspect of school has been missing for months now too and people want their kids back to 'normal'

I think most people are just trying to keep themselves and their families going in whatever way they can. People base decisions on their own experiences and I think the large majority of people have not been affected by the virus through schools and so are making the choice to send their children in so that they can keep their jobs.

I don't think lockdiwns are sustainable, because the premise doesn't factor in the level of non-compliance. Surely its been studied what level of compliance is needed (eg 99%) for virus suppression on a meaningful level to actually occur, cand unless you shoot people and weld them into their homes, that won't happen.

If people are told their children are safe at school, and also told that they are key workers (and therefore their job is necessary to keep the country running during the pandemic) why wouldn't they send them in?

The problem (if there is one) is that there is no definition of "key worker". Probably a third or more of people could be considered key workers, in that their employer contributes in some way to medical supplies, food supplies, financial transactions or a whole host of other essential industries.

I sincerely hope so, I am allowed to send mine in but have agreed to keep them off for now. But after seeing the high levels being sent in I'm tempted to change my mind. They are much better off at school.

Everleigh2021

You are missing the point I think. Schools are open to key workers, and the broad definition therein means basically anyone and everyone is using it to send their children to school, which didnt happen last time.

Examples I've come across:
1 key worker and a SAHP
1 key worker and a parent wfh who can work flexibly
People only loosely related to the key worker categories being classed as key worker eg university office staff who can wfh etc.

I'll pin my colours to the mast here, I dont object to this in the least and am supportive of any parent who is in this position.

Also once again online provision is woeful, I don't support this lockdown and I've followed every rule to the letter. Not prepared to do much more anymore.

that doesn't show the many people managing it, just about, at home for many weeks and months

Do you really think we can afford to shut the economy down and fuck over our childrens future for that? We've had a mental health crisis for at least 10 years also having the effect of people "just about managing" outside the healthcare system and we haven't shut down life to deal with that.

Yes it's important to recognise that but there are other ways to manage that - decent sick pay, support for employers and industries affected etc

I don't understand why you'd send your kids in if you are a SAHP?

I think it's more or a reflection of people worried about their jobs, and employers being a bit less flexible this time. It was easier for them to be flexible the first time when it was seen as temporary and the economy wasn't as bad. My company the first time was saying 'do your best and we will still pay you unless you can't work at all'. Now they are saying 'agree with your line manager how you're going to achieve your hours'. So we have had to send our youngest to nursery, she is st an age and personality type where she needs constant supervision and we physically can't make the hours up if we look after her all day, without getting ill through exhaustion

I think the government want it this way and planned it, just enough kids off to reduce the spread to acceptable levels nationwide while keeping as many businesses open as possible. They don't care about individuals just statistics.

I think it’s been made harder by employers just to batten down the hatches. I can only speak from personal experience, but in the first lockdown I worked one day a week in school supervising key worker kids and dh had his hours cut to four days so we could cover it. This time he is working as usual (also KW) and teachers are live teaching so support staff like me are doing all the KW/vulnerable pupil supervision. I’d quite like to keep my own children off school, but what can you do?

Keyworker provision in our school (secondary) is same as remote offering. Kids in class with a laptop, supervised visits to loo facilities to minimise mixing. DH and I both KW. Mine are home as I am protecting the NHS.

Wizzbangfizz

Get them in. I would. They deserve to be at school and if most kids are, the provision there will end up being bordering on normal or it will pose the very real question to the government of whether its worth closing them at all.

There HAS to be a change in focus. FAR more protection (including financial) for the elderly and CEV and let other people resume normal schooling etc.

I will get flayed alive but I really dont think people should be allowed to use over 70s for childcare unless the elderly person has already had Covid or the vaccine. I wish the government could find a way to support people to find a different childcare solution for a while.

@Nicknamegoeshere

I don't understand why you'd send your kids in if you are a SAHP?

Because you believe it's the best thing to do for your children, who have missed months of education and socialisation.

Because your partner is WFH and yells at you or worse if you don't keep the children quiet enough.

Because you don't have laptops/tablets/WiFi for them to access online learning.

Because you're a SAHP due to your own health issues and you can't cope with looking after them 24/7.

Because you can't be bothered and want them out of your hair.

There are loads of reasons why this happens.

Sliding drawers

You are very lucky (?) That your employer will tolerate that. Most peoples contracts don't allow home working without childcare and most key workers are being told by their employer that they MUST seek a school place for their child.

While I understand why they are doing this it is really difficult for working parents. We are both working but not key workers so no childcare. Both have flexibility but that just means early starts and late finishes. Which are fine for a short while but not sustainable long term. Cannot be furloughed as plenty of work.

In Scotland so nursery is shut so juggling a 3 year old and a 6 year old. Not sure how long we do this for again.

on what basis can age of parents be calculated?

Excluding the tiny number of adopted children in the UK, any woman with a primary age child is guaranteed to be under 60. That's pretty basic biology

Why do you point out younger people as the problem, I expect people have run out of savings, are terrified of losing their jobs and have learned to live with the threat of Covid - some people just have to get on with it - they are not in the privileged position of not working anymore.