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

All WFH workers should be seen the same- the delineation of a keyworker shouldn't come into it. And I say that as 'technically' a front line, essential keyworker........the amount of labels folk can give themselves to prove their kids should attend kinda astounds me! Instead of looking for ways to send kids to school when you have a WFH role, surely we should be looking at workplaces to work with people to provide a more cohesive ability to WFH, school kids, and not go nuts.

Yes YABU to suggest that keyworkers taking up keyworker places they are entitled to equals taking the piss and being lazy.

surely we should be looking at workplaces to work with people to provide a more cohesive ability to WFH, school kids, and not go nuts.

Not sure I agree that WFH keyworkers shouldn’t get a place, but I do think employers’ attitudes are a massive contributing factor to the demand for school places. Many of them aren’t being as understanding or supportive as they were in the March lockdown. And the government’s flip-flopping has obscured the real message that needs to get through to everyone (employers, parents, everyone), which is that the situation is much more serious than it was in March or April. An overwhelmed NHS places every single one of us, young or old, at serious risk.

Employers arent tolerating staff with keyworker partners not taking up key worker places on the grounds the non key worker partner can take the full burden on themselves.

Ha ha Yes OP!
Seriously though I am scared as a TA (it's us that are supervising the key worker and vulnerable children).
We have a class of 21 in at the minute (due to rise over the next few days) which is less than usual but still 21 potential sources to infect me. I see on the news about people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s in ITU and I am frightened.
People are really taking the mickey with the places - it's for those key workers children who really can't be at home as there is no one at home to look after them and the vulnerable. Not those who have another parent at home or for people who just find it more convenient. The key worker definition is very broad.
It's freezing at the minute. We have one window open but it's very high up. Otherwise that's it, no masks or anything.

@coronafiona

There are a huge amount of parents in our school who have become key workers since the last lockdown

How do you know their children aren't vulnerable in one way or another?

My ds school are saying only giving places to children with both parents as kw, children must be in 5 days and demanding written proof of being kw.

Initially I felt this was ott, and its clearly not following guidelines, but seeing how many children are being sent in this time around I think they're doing the right thing.

I'm kw, but dh isn't and he's wfh so he's looking after our kids. It would be lovely to send the kids in for a bit but actually schools are closed because lives are being lost and the NHS is close to breaking point.

I'm really upset that people are either unwilling or unable to stay at home in the same numbers as happened in spring.

The situation nationally is really very serious and won't get better if we don't break the infection chains.

The government need to take action to address it, roads are busy, schools are still looking after lots and lots of children. It's just not going to be effective like this.

YABU for the key workers who have a partner who is working from home.
What you do not realise is that the job of a lot of key workers has become far more complicated. A Fulltime WFH partner can’t cover it. A lot of these key workers are running themselves ragged doing their old job on the same pay but with the additional COVID-related issues.
Grass is nearly always greener OP.

@Baws

If there are more than a minority of kids in school then this is going to last even longer. Of course kids should only be in school if there is nobody to look after them at home. Some people are unbelievably selfish!

Please don't forget about vulnerable children with special needs.... They are still in school because a disruption to routine could cause irreparable damage! Them being in school is NOTHING to do with whether a parent is at home or not

Don't even get me started. I run two nurseries and we were down to skeleton staff due to Covid, so had to prioritise strictly to CRITICAL key workers only. No, you are not critical if you sell insurance. No, working in MaccyDs does not mean you are critical. No, Jill (not real name), a plasterer does not take priority over an A&E doctor or midwife. FFS.

@BilboBercow

I can't find the post but I can assure you motor instead is an essential service. ICU nurse who can only get to her place of business by car has her insurance lapse? Or it goes up by so much that she needs to switch? Or she changes car an needs to make a mid term adjustment? I work in banking and people really don't seem to realise how much we rely on financial services or how much it impacts us when things go wrong.

You're confusing Keyworker with those who need to be at work but are NOT essential to the country running. Motor insurance? They can (& have been doing) work from home.

Where do you draw the line? Before long, people will be calling pizza delivery people 'keyworkers'

You can find justification for any job role if you try hard enough to invent a situation involving NHS staff but ultimately, in my personal opinion, a Keyworker is someone who's job role is absolutely VITAL to the country making it through lockdown.

Just because someone's job falls into the category of 'cannot work from home' it does NOT necessarily make them a Keyworker!

@Haffiana

The real truth, as all these threads prove, is that

a/ people cannot BEAR IT if anyone apparently has it 'better' than them EVEN IF IT TAKES AWAY ABSOLUTELY NOTHING FROM THEM THEMSELVES 'cos they are envious fuckers

b/ most posters have fuck all idea of what a key worker is or who is essential because they have no idea how the country actually functions.

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Our school seems ok. 7 out of 30 in my child’s key worker class. In regards to other areas, I think obviously some people are taking the piss but most are people that were entitled last time that did not take their place.

I initially did not take my place last time until June. We are a household with both parents key workers working opposite shifts. We were terrified and tried to muddle through. I was going into work on less than 3 hours sleep for 12 hour shifts, coming in from work making sandwiches and setting up snacks for the day only to be disturbed after 1 hour in bed and me getting up to shout at the kids. our kids were sat downstairs on their own so much. On days off, we tried to cram in home learning but it was just awful and upsetting for all of us. One of my children started to become frightened to leave the house even for a walk. I have taken our place this time and I know many others in my job that were in the same situation as me last time that have done too.

Are you jealous?

I’m jealous. If I had known so many where going to be in school anyway I would have pushed to get our kids in school too. My DH is a key worker but on furlough.

I feel my young children are now missing out on social interaction and face to face teaching.

Don’t tell me they are being babysat and are plonked on a computer like the kids at home doing home learning because they are not.

My kids are suffering because I’m following the rules and doing the best for society as a whole.

I’m feeling like I’m punishing my children, like they are paying the price for us as a family keep sticking to the rules.

I am actually becoming jealous of people not following the rules sensibly instead of being angry at them.

People just need to mind their own business. And I am homeschooling four children. It sucks. That's life. You don't know what other people have going on. Not everything. You have a few details and snippets but not their whole story.

To be honest, I have been jealous of the furloughed and people that were able to work from home all year whilst I go into work. I know it is unreasonable but I see their happy photo’s on Facebook while we are grumpy, scared and knackered and I can’t help it.

It's important to keep the numbers of kids in school to a minimum to allow social distancing. Otherwise this huge sacrifice is pointless. I'd ask the "mind your own business" brigade to remember that we are all in this together. We have to reduce our connectness as contacts spread the virus. It's not just about you and your problems. Unbelievable that some people still don't get this.

Because it is about you and your problems. We are not all in this together. You might like to think we are, but the brutal truth is we are not.

Your welcome to come together and help pay my mortgage that is causing huge financial stress as my business is going under-with no financial help from the government and DH is on furlough. Where is the togetherness?

Lots of people complied with the first lockdown and it still wasn’t good enough- lockdown is not the answer, just a sideline.

We are not in this together!

Today I have found out that in my daughters class there are 15 kids back to school out of 30. And school is running at 50% capacity. Today I found as well that if I really need I can get a letter to classify myself as key worker (I work in IT and infrastructure)...I would never use it as I work from home and believe other kids need it more. I obviously feel sorry to see my daughter not interact with other kids and I feel bad to make her watch some TV or play on iPad more than usual as I need to work. However I know from other parents that they did use the letters even if they are not key workers really....there are some parents who are KW and they actually have husband at home furloughed. So I’m now wondering that schools across the country who are running at 50% capacity are struggling. How teachers can cope with this all? what is even point of it? It feels like we are taking a mockery of the lockdown, we need to bring numbers down but if we are sending 50% kids to school we still will be in lockdown till summer. It is not jealousy because I plan to keep my daughter at home but we can’t continue like this. The school should be open to kids and parents who really need this but at the same time drastically reduce those numbers. What happens if the virus spreads in the bubble at school? Clearly critical workers which we need will have to self isolate.

Honestly I think if you are taking the piss you know you are. My friend has the same high pressures job as me. She's sending her children in as her husband is a key worker. He normally picks kids up from school etc and is around more than her. His hours haven't changed.

Yes it's harder for her to wfh if the children are home but arguably easier for her than for me (I'm actually on mat leave so not totally comparable) as my non key worker husband works long hours Out of the house.

The key worker list should be narrowed not expanded otherwise why the fuck are we doing this.

I’m annoyed about this too this time around. DP is a keyworker out of the home (sewerage) and I’m technically a keyworker (IT) but work from home. We could have asked for a place but didn’t as school pleaded with us to keep children home if possible on the application form. But today I’ve found that lots of DDs friends with one keyworker parent and the other either SAHM or on furlough from hospitality or hairdressing and beauty jobs are in school. Over half the class are in. I’m annoyed that the school have allowed this to happen and feel like my DD is going to disadvantaged socially and educationally because I tried to follow the spirit of the lockdown.

I have just posted this on another thread about accountants taking critical key worker places. www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/06/english-schools-struggle-with-demand-for-key-worker-places

I think as the article suggests, most jobs can be described as critical to the economy and food/supply chain.

I feel sorry for the teachers having to choose who to take, particularly when vulnerable children are losing out (again).

Last time the schools were closed, we were all in this together.

This time, it’s every man for themselves.

During the first “proper” lockdown, it was just about bearable to be held back, as everyone was. Life (outside medical and truly key employment) stopped.

This time, life is conpp

... continuing. Some children are in school being taught, some are at home. Employers are less willing to sacrifice productivity and profitability for the greater good.

It’s not the same this time round.

A huge part of the problem is that many workplaces are issuing letters to their employees stating they they are key workers and qualify for school places. I’m talking places like McDonald’s. Why is there no pressure from the government on such places to work with us and be flexible towards families with school age children?

We have parents whose work have told them they must access school places and continue to go to work. The result is that we have 85% requesting places.

We can’t accommodate that many children just now when you take into account shielding staff etc.