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

Napqueen1234

you are taking the piss. Yes, you might need to give up on your exercise and your cleaning. It's still plenty of time to educate your child. Your priorities are so wrong.

By not keeping your child when you could (and should) you are literally stealing the spot of someone who DOES need it.

Your example is completely ridiculous, but here you go:

6 to 9: chores and kids
9 to 5: work (and yes, supervise the kids, how do you think the rest of the world manages?)
5 to 7: homeschool
7 to 8 diner and kids time.

i just found you 2 extra hours to work if you must. Shocking, you can still sleep 10:30 to 6am!

You have more than enough hours on Saturday and Sunday too.

You don't feel bad taking a space that someone needs, we get that. Neither do the parents bringing kids with D&V in your kids class. Karma.

I've got the opposite problem to a lot of others. Our online provision has gone from a few Twinkl worksheets in the last lockdown to twice daily zooms and an expectation of sending in work twice a day.

Husband and I are both keyworkers, both able to work from home but both need quiet for video calls etc. Last lockdown was manageable as we'd do the work with the kids evenings and weekends and they'd enjoy the sun and the garden in the daytime. This time I think I'm going to give myself an ulcer trying to get everything done. We didn't ask for a keyworker place as we're concerned about the virus but now I'm already wondering if I won't be more at risk of some stress related heart attack.

I'll give my perspective. I'm a key worker: banking. I do work from home but currently working on a large project where my manager asks us to be in the office 1-2 days per week because some aspects of the design etc are really difficult to do well remotely.
My dd (7) has suspected additional needs but really struggling to get a diagnosis because she's borderline. She struggles a huge amount with her attention span and although her reading has improved with a lot of work, she's not significantly moved on from p1/reception levels with her maths.

I've applied for a keyworker place and been successful but they're not aware I'm not at work every day. My role is extremely demanding, my mental health is hanging by a thread and my dd was frequently in tears during the last lockdown. If she had a diagnosis she'd get a place but without it she only gets one due to my keyworker status.
I've done what's best for my mental health, my dd and my job.

@Iknowwhatudidlastsummer how on earth am I 'literally stealing the spot of someone who needs it'??? How do you know my schools provision as at capacity? How do you know we don't need it? I work as a nurse all day outside the house so funnily enough working 9-5 and supervising both kids isnt really possible.

Why are you trying to guilt people who are just trying to manage at the moment?

Most people that are WFH at the moment are struggling with homeschooling. You cannot do both effectively unless your child is old enough/capable/disciplined enough to get on with their own work. More reason for schools to remain open and the hierarchy of the current schedule to vaccinate changed. The majority of companies won’t accept a half arsed attempt at you working from home, key worker or not. ‘ I was homeschooling my child’ doesn’t count in business.

What a nasty post @Iknowwhatudidlastsummer - and aren't you a hero?

The point is you cannot do two jobs effectively and without something giving - like people's stress levels and mental health.

Dh would qualify as a key worker but our DC are at home. However, I think that last time everyone (ie parents and employers) embraced what they thought would be a fairly short school closure - half a term or so - on the understanding that we would all pull together and schools would reopen as soon as the curve was flattened. What then happened was a mission creep from flatten the curve to suppress the virus which kept schools and childcare shut far far longer than they needed to be leaving parents on their knees. I haven't forgotten the emails from desperate women on here after months of school closures as originally sympathetic employers became less so as lock down dragged on and business got tougher. Combine that with the trenchant encouragement of teaching unions to not teach in order not to discriminate against the worst affected pupils and parents felt themselves between a rock and a hard place. It isn't suprising that no one now trusts the government and SAGE to open schools when the curve is flattened (especially as the legislation has sneaked in unheralded the ability to keep schools closed pretty well for the whole of this term.)

@Iknowwhatudidlastsummer I don’t think it’s within the regulations to eat out at a diner ... but in all seriousness I think the judgement and hatred between people and how they are choosing to live their life (perfectly legally and within guidelines set by the government, not them) is getting out of control.

@wizzbangfizz

Both DH and I work from home in senior management positions, we are muddling through but working from home isn't dossing about. In between meetings today I have probably around 70 mins combined in which to help the kids, feed them and myself. My working hours are 8-6, DH the same.

What kind of impact on stress levels do you think it has to then start on homeschooling with the woefully inadequate provision we are provided with. Kids don't want to do it as are tired and hungry (as are we) so our mental health and the toll on the family is horrendous. I feel very lucky we still have our incomes (for now which means we can keep the kids warm and safe) but it means I feel I'm failing my kids and my job. It's untenable and my peers are finding the same.

But I wouldn't expect many of the people on this thread who are trolling to understand that.

Bravo!

On top of all the meetings, you've managed to help the kids, feed them, yourself, and take time out to monitor this thread and write a response.

You truly must be muddling through your Senior Management Position.

And yet you accuse others of trolling

I think what I'm struggling with the most is not having any chilc-free time. As in none at all. Stuck in on my own all day 24/7 with three kids including a small baby (OH s KW) is really very hard.

*child. Baby on boob!

Schools need to take responsibility. If a head feels there are too many in, thus rendering the lockdown practically pointless, then they’ll have to tighten their rules with regard to who qualifies.

Unfortunately there is going to be judgement here. We are basically starting school at 730 to 9 am Ds is having to entertain himself 9 to 11.30 when he has his teams call, eat lunch quickly, I do one hour of schooling over my lunch, DH takes his lunch when I go back to work and does one hour of school over his lunch dS takes a break for half an hour then it’s a class video. It’s shit, we work in highly pressurised jobs. We need exercise, i have mental health problems I manage through breaks and exercise. Yet half the parents of the kids in class are sat at home, uninterrupted work (no explaining the rain cycle mid spreadsheet) sitting down in their lunch hour to reset for the afternoon.

Yes these parents are entitled to the place apparently but it will get the backs up of parents under severe stress trying to juggle everything. Desperately trying to keep jobs and not let kids fall behind. Schools should have stayed open or closed except for 2key worker families.

I think it’s a sign of how clueless and self centred people are.

Go ahead- resist lockdown. It’ll only make this whole sorry mess last for longer.

Morons.

This has happened at my DC’s school for sure. Barely anyone sent their DC in the first time, I think it was no more than 30 in the whole school. This time so many applied for a place the headteacher had to send a mass message asking parents to please consider any alternative childcare options before sending them to school.

I do think the general public are bored of lockdowns now and just want to get on with life. It has almost been a year now, I don’t blame anyone for feeling this way. It’s also destroyed many people’s mental health including mine.

[quote Anjo2011]@gingerbiscuits, that’s dreadful , is that a big increase from the last proper lockdown? It’s typical of this whole pandemic, if the rules are not watertight people will find a way to abuse it and that’s exactly what’s happening. Our school has said both parents must be key workers. In my senior daughters year group of 120 there are 7 children in, my youngest in primary has a class of 27 children, there are 3 in. The rules need to be tighter or all children may as well be in.[/quote]
Massive increase from last time! Had 20 ish last time IN TOTAL!

Honestly don't have a problem with genuine need & more than happy to share that on a rota basis but we have so many parents that we know/strongly suspect have other options. We're keeping our wraparound care open too & there are children booked in there that DON'T have a place normally when their parents are working so they're clearly abusing the system.

My rage is general towards these people- not the fact that we need to open for genuine key worker & SEN/vulnerable children.

@Norwayreally

This has happened at my DC’s school for sure. Barely anyone sent their DC in the first time, I think it was no more than 30 in the whole school. This time so many applied for a place the headteacher had to send a mass message asking parents to please consider any alternative childcare options before sending them to school.

I do think the general public are bored of lockdowns now and just want to get on with life. It has almost been a year now, I don’t blame anyone for feeling this way. It’s also destroyed many people’s mental health including mine.

I don’t think it’s down to boredom of lockdown. It’s down to people being shit scared they are about to lose their livelihoods.

How the fuck can places like Greggs stay open when schools and other businesses had to close?

And how long before the bubbles start bursting. The risk increases with every child there, then those who have a genuine need will be stuck whereas those without will just be a bit inconvenienced. I hope the media pick this up and BoJo tightens it up so genuine situations don’t suffer

@FuriousCheekyFucker so I shouldn't look at my phone full stop during the day, not even whilst on toilet? Fits with the narrative that all
Parents age lazy fuckers who can't be arsed to look after their own kids. Rightio as you were.

[quote wizzbangfizz]@FuriousCheekyFucker so I shouldn't look at my phone full stop during the day, not even whilst on toilet? Fits with the narrative that all
Parents age lazy fuckers who can't be arsed to look after their own kids. Rightio as you were. [/quote]
Absolutely not -you could be teaching your kids their twelve times table whilst you’re having a poo! Or alternatively you could be having a shower whilst on a teams call. It’s clear that some people in here have no idea.

you could be teaching your kids their twelve times table whilst you’re having a poo

Getting visions of you doing time tables you each splash you make in the bowl Potentially there for measuring weights and lengths as well. It's like a science laboratory in the home

Genuine question. If I a key worker who works for the NHS am unable to be furloughed and my husband who is not a key worker earns 4 times my rubbish key worker wage, do people really expect us to give up our way of paying our mortgage and bills so that he can look after the kids while I continue to slog my guts out for the NHS? If i'm denied my key worker place I would have to quit my job to look after the children so we could at least protect our household earnings. It's very easy to go on about protecting the NHS but the fact is that a lot of key workers are putting themselves and their families at risk everyday and the least they deserve is a space for their children at school while they do it!

Maybe people are doing it because they just can’t cope.

We held out until the last month of school then used my key worker status - because we nearly broke mentally and the kids suffered hugely from home school.

So this time, people are going into this round of lockdown with fresh scars from the last one and are sending their kids in.

Made worse by unsympathetic employers who are not making allowances.

It is SHIT

I also want to know why our government isn’t talking about investing in the NHS so it is more resilient. It almost falls over every winter as it is because of the lack of funding.

@Bemoreme21

Genuine question. If I a key worker who works for the NHS am unable to be furloughed and my husband who is not a key worker earns 4 times my rubbish key worker wage, do people really expect us to give up our way of paying our mortgage and bills so that he can look after the kids while I continue to slog my guts out for the NHS? If i'm denied my key worker place I would have to quit my job to look after the children so we could at least protect our household earnings. It's very easy to go on about protecting the NHS but the fact is that a lot of key workers are putting themselves and their families at risk everyday and the least they deserve is a space for their children at school while they do it!

@Bemoreme21 this is exactly the situation we are in. Yes please clap for us every week, call us angels, thank us constantly for our hard work. But when it comes down to it and we need something back there’s nothing there. Our own families and livelihoods are worthless once we have served our purpose of finishing our shift, saving the lives of others. It’s appalling and to be quite honest makes me question what I’m doing at work really.