Is the world and their dog key workers!!!

[anxiouscrazymum]

So I am not a key worker, I work 3 days a week and have 2 KS1 children.
I am having to adapt my hours around my children's school work and will just have to run myself ragged over the next few months like many others!
AIBU to think that some parents are taking the P@@s and using Key worker benefits to be bloody lazy.
Why are the allowed to send children 5 days if they only work 2/3?
Why are they allowed to send in if their partner is furloughed or working from home?
Why are they allowed to send children in of the just work weekends in a supermarket normally?
We have 14 out of 30 children in my DS class at school, they have the class teacher with them and also have each other.
I feel my children are being penalised and will miss out on school and social interaction all because I am not a key worker:
If there were less children in, the teacher would be able to undertake zoom classes and online interactions. Because of the number of children in we just get set daily tasks!
Sorry for my rant AIBU x

Yabu, in that key workers do need childcare.

It is however only for the hours they work, and schools normally ask parents to keep them home if there is another parent who is available.

Perhaps some people are abusing the system, but you also don't know the whole story. Maybe these children are vulnerable, or their parents work more than you think.

I could complain, that as a doctor, I have had a terrible year at work. I have had to see horrific things, and perform tasks outside of my field of competence. I have witnessed too many deaths. I now have PTSD as a result.

I think yabu to resent key workers having childcare so that they can work. I never had the option to work from home and home school.

Saw a news article about this. 80% of families had applied to a school for a key worker place and that's not including vulnerable kids which is in addition to that
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/schools-struggle-provide-enough-spaces-19569327

They said last time was much lower

This shit again.

You do you. Be thankful you only work 3 days a week.

Why are the allowed to send children 5 days if they only work 2/3?

At my school you have to go in full time. Its one of several reasons that I'm not sending my DS in this time (and I am a key worker).

There are more children in school than home schooling over here. I know this sounds curtain twitchy, but I know enough about their circumstances and set ups to know that most of them are taking the piss. (I've been making friends with most of them for years, they know my set up too.) I know who's got a SAHP, who's furloughed and who's part time. Really, I do. And at least half of them are abusing the system.

It makes it very hard to accept the massive disruption to my daughter's education and socialisation, not to mention the stress of working from home while home schooling. I know it's the government to blame, I know I should mind my own business, I suppose it's theoretically possible that they've all got invisible disabilities that kick in only under the threat of homeschooling, but if I feel like this then I am sure others do too.

I'm angry, and to my consternation, I'm angry at the piss takers when I should be angry at the government for allowing this and setting it up. I do wonder if I'm being manipulated in a divide and conquer scenario. I have to try to change my thought processes because really, I'm angry at these piss takers and I considered them friends or good acquaintances two days ago.

So much jealousy around this issue.

I've got 20 out of 30 in out of my class and I know for a fact that most of them have a parent at home and a lot of them aren't actually working.
Our hands are tied because the guidance states 'at least 1 parent must be a key worker.'
New announcement that if children don't have access to devices at home they can have a place as well. We've been inundated with calls today from families saying their laptop's broken, tablet isn't working etc 🤔
I really feel for parents and I know it's hard. Really don't know what the solution is.

The nastiness over this and daily threads is non relenting. We have school places based on our jobs, most of us don't take the mick. Next week my dd is doing 3 days when I'm in the office she'll be home on my wfh days. Some schools say full-time or nothing. Worry about your family and not what we're doing

@Hotcuppatea

So much jealousy around this issue.

Well yes, but that is a natural consequence to having your own child's development severely disrupted for however long when so many others are not expected to endure the same even though they have a parent at home who is better placed to home school than you are, who doesn't even work. That's something that does need to be factored in when you make decisions about who continues to get a proper education and socialisation and who doesn't, because it affects the spirit and the likelihood of people believing what you tell them, trusting you and adhering to what you ask them to do.

Going, "Nyah nyah jealous" may not be inaccurate but it's also not very helpful and doesn't indicate much capacity for analysis of the situation.

I'm a keyworker (nursery practitioner) but didnt get a keyworker place due to numbers.They have prioritised health and social care workers so I dont think our school can be filled with people who dont need the space. We had to state work hours in our application

I have posted on threads before supporting kids of key workers going in even if the other parent is WFH, because like the doctor pp here, I think that many of the key workers have had a hard to incredibly hard year, and it's not impossible for their partners to WFH alone with young DCs. I'd also expected more kids this time, as I know how much some of my KW family struggled trying to keep kids home last time.

HOWEVER like others, this latest round has upset me a bit. I'm alone with 3 young DCs and was okay with that, until I realised that actually there is teaching going on in class, there are some very tangential 'key workers' (journalist who specialises in travel and works part time, for example), and it's not at all fair for the teachers to take on the risk, for the other kids to be more exposed than needed and for the parents and children who didn't try to swing a spot and who are going to be educationally, socially and professionally disadvantaged.

@GeordieGreigsButtButtZoom You have no idea what the circumstances of these other parents are. No idea at all. And neither do all the people starting these threads.

Are you angry that schools are closed? Me too.

Do I blame the parents who are able to get places for their children? No, because that would be a pretty pointless thing to do.

I dont agree at all with the assumption that if your working from home you should have your kids at home. There are a number of jobs from social worker to NHS administrative staff who are working from home but are on sensitive calls / meetings through out the day. It would be impossible for them to do their jobs with kids running around.
I can see how some key worker jobs may be flexible enough to allow you to alter hours but a number arent. So yes families will do what they need to do. The other option in many cases is for key workers to resign their jobs to look after kids which is exactly what the goverment is trying to avoid.

I dont agree at all with the assumption that if your working from home you should have your kids at home.

I don't make this assumption. I absolutely get that some key workers are working from home. I also get that the key worker may be the lower earner so they need to protect their income. No issues there.

A shitload of these people are in jobs that weren't classified as key workers last time round and make a very tenuous definition of the term right now, a shitload of them are part time and a shit load have a SAHP.

You don't know that. Your post is just hyperbole.

[quote Hotcuppatea]@GeordieGreigsButtButtZoom You have no idea what the circumstances of these other parents are. No idea at all. And neither do all the people starting these threads.

Are you angry that schools are closed? Me too.

Do I blame the parents who are able to get places for their children? No, because that would be a pretty pointless thing to do.[/quote]
I'm not angry that schools are closed. Disappointed yes, but it seems the right thing to do. I have no issue with key workers WFH sending in kids.

I am however angry that it's a massive but fairly pointless sacrifice if 50-75%+ of kids are still in. It means we will still have high transmission rates and therefore will have more deaths and longer lockdowns - and at the same time, the kids who can't go in, lose out and the working parents who can't send kids in or tried to keep them home when possible end up disadvantaged too.

People who are genuinely within the criteria taking spaces isn’t the issue I know people who work in a CallCenter whose employers are issuing essential worker letters as they work in financial services........selling car insurance
My own employer is issuing letters for the most tenuous reasons so it is open to abuse

I work 1.5 hours at lunchtime in a primary.Ds has a keyworker place at his primary but the school want all children arriving and leaving at the same time so he's there the full school day.

Its for the individual schools to judge who is a genuine key worker/ vulnerable child and should have a place and who isn't.

I understand the frustration and people thinking whats the point if so many children are attending anyway, but there is no point directing your disappointment/anger/whatever at parents who have been given a place.

I have been using your exact words "every man and his dog"!!

My husband is deemed an essential worker.

I am not deemed to be one although a lot of my work is supporting local authorities.

We did not get a place. My husband worked up to 20 hour days in the last pandemic and I'm typically working 14.

I completely agree doctors/nurses/police should be prioritised above us. But I am absolutely enraged by some of the people I have seen getting spaces who I know have lied - one doesn't even work she's a SAHM whose husband is a supermarket director and she's used that.

I also it's wish it was just for the REAL key workers it would make it a less bitter pill to swallow.

But please don't think people working from home can teach easily - we bloody can't and are expected on calls all day long.

@Hotcuppatea

You don't know that. Your post is just hyperbole.

I do in fact know it, as this is a close community that I've been in for years. I do indeed know who is furloughed, has a SAHP and so on. It's been mentioned in the local WhatsApp group as recently as Sunday. I do actually know where I live better than you do.

I realise that "nah-ah", "nur jealous" and "lol hyperbole" are easy to say, but they aren't actually refutations or even points.

Another thread on this! If you want answers then perhaps read the last threads on the same subject?

Lots of people are keyworkers. Some schools (ours) insist not coming in part time but must come in for the entire week. Each school appears to have a different take on this so take up with your school.....

Get a keyworker job. Stop moaning.

My DC have spaces in the vulnerable category. The school told me they have space for the whole week and days can't be allocated to anyone else so mine are both going in every day. Please try not to judge others, most people wouldn't realise my children are classed as vulnerable as the reasons why are private and relating to safeguarding issues.