To think the school hasn’t thought it through.

[Canneverthinkofagoodusername]

Firstly, I would like to say I have respect for all schools and teaching staff through this tough time and I know that they are under a huge amount of pressure and all that.

Generally the school (primary!) dc go to is fantastic, supportive etc.

But I feel they haven’t really been fair at all!

Firstly they prioritised keyworker children which is great but they’ve given spaces to children who still have one parent at home. They’ve given children with just one keyworker parent a full 5 days as those parents were given first choice before anyone else.

As there is a fair few keyworker children at the school it’s left little to no capacity for any children that are vulnerable!

Aibu to think they should have prioritised those children with both parents being keyworkers, then vulnerable children and then keyworker children with one parent still at home if spaces available rather than no provision for vulnerable children. Some children have been given 1, 2 or 3 days depending on space. Some go the full week.

I only ask as DS is somewhat vulnerable and hasn’t been given any provision. He is on the spectrum and has an EHCP. He didn’t go during the last lockdown for various reasons but we didn’t anticipate how bad things would get. The social skills we built years learning become too hard for him, it took several weeks to settle him into school in September - to the point where he was screaming outside the school every morning sitting on the grass just refusing to budge. He started suffering from severe anxiety, panic episodes. He wasn’t himself at all. He was biting himself in frustration etc. Lashing out at us. All issues he didn’t have before lockdown and it was just the anxiety about the virus and not seeing anyone apart from us - for someone on the spectrum he is a very sociable boy and thrives on it.

Basically he went from a happy go lucky child who was generally settled and happy at school with support to an over anxious, snappy and at times would lash out which isn’t like him at all . To the point that I had the school putting a cause for concern record on us and blamed us after he changed so much during lockdown. Very little work got done during lockdown (I was always honest about this and the school knew this from the start!) and he’s already behind his peers by 2 years.

Thing is things have got improved since September. He’s more settled and usually enjoying school but I’m worried sick a prolonged time off school is really going to set us back and we will be back to that again.

His behaviour at home isn’t great and it affects Dd. Partner doesn’t qualify as a keyworker but has worked throughout all lockdowns and long hours. The pressure is on me.

As well as this we had a terrible 2020 as family not just due to covid but various other things - death in the family etc etc.

This isn’t the case of me trying to get him into school for my own benefit. Of course it would take the strain off me but it would really benefit DS being in school as well as benefitting the school after they knew how hard things were settling him back in. I would rather keep him home safe but I feel the benefit of DS being in school outweighs the risk.

the school have said he isn’t classed as vulnerable as no social care involved but he has an EHCP and we’ve had all these issues above and I’m drained and scared to be honest.

As far as I know that only only child in DS’s class has both keyworker parents and they are going 3 days a week yet another child with just one keyworker parent is 5 days a week.. there’s just no logic.

To add, the work on google classroom is way too hard for DS and we haven’t been given anything else yet. He has 1:1 support at school and I just can’t motivate him to concentrate like he does at school. 😭

If they are off for weeks or months it’s not just the case of him going back to school. Settling him in takes him so long.

They can’t magic up a school space can they 😭😭

I’m no legal bod but does this put the school at risk of claims of discrimination wether indirect or not.
Sn have their own legal rights. Look into them, highlight and send the relevant bits along with the school and parent guidelines.

Keep it all factual and clear. Try and avoid being emotional which I know can be easier said than done!

YABU. School places are for children of key workers or vulnerable children. Your child is neither, you’ve had this confirmed.

Dd's school has vulnerable children as priority 1, then children with both parents or single parent keyworkers, then children with 1 parent keyworker.

This is similar to what my DCs' schools have done, their priority order is:

• vulnerable children
• children where both parents (or only parent for single parents) are keyworkers working outside the home
• children where one parent is a keyworker working outside the home
• children where both, either, or only parent is a keyworker but working from home

My DC with an EHCP has got a space assigned for the duration, we're not using it but it will still be kept vacant as he has the right to access it at any time.

It’s irrelevant if the op is at home or not.
Her dc will be getting additional funding due to his health for him to be at school.
In some cases funding is for specific equipment and resources that are needed to aid learning etc but remain in school.
If he has 1-2-1 that what is that person doing?

That’s exactly what is happening at my ds school Fox. He doesn’t want to go. However his place has been held just like last year when he could have gone in

@HowManyToes he has an EHC which the government has listed makes him vulnerable! The school itself didn’t have much space last year and had to prioritise very vulnerable children (those with social care and those who have major issues at home etc). But offices guidelines state that having EHC comes under being vulnerable. They have more capacity this year (last year children were being educated at another nearby school, not here).

@howmanytoes except with an EHCP he explicitly, with zero doubt vulnerable and is entitled to a place

School places are for children of key workers or vulnerable children. Your child is neither, you’ve had this confirmed.

Children with an EHCP are vulnerable, they have additional needs which confer varying degrees of vulnerability and being out of school places them at a significant disadvantage.

But isn’t OP at home so able to look after her DS?

A child with an EHCP going into school isn't for the benefit of the parents, it is not a childcare issue. Children with EHCPs require additional support in order to access learning and to scaffold their emotional and physical wellbeing and development, they often also have specific therapies and interventions that are delivered in school either by external staff or by trained school staff. The places for vulnerable children are for the benefit of children who would placed at a significant disadvantage by home-based learning.

@HowManyToes

YABU. School places are for children of key workers or vulnerable children. Your child is neither, you’ve had this confirmed.

Confirmed by who? Due to his health he is deemed vulnerable. Never mind having a ehcp

I am at home yes but so are the parents who’s partner or spouse is the only keyworker in the house and they’ve got a place in school. On paper they are entitled to those spaces as one parent is indeed a keyworker but is it fair? In my opinion no.

A lady I know has got 5 days a week provision for her dc. Her husband is a keyworker but not nhs, or supermarket or anything like that (think utility). She is at home!

Yet another family know, both parents are front line keyworkers and they got 3 days provision. It just doesn’t make sense!

Do you have other children too? Do you work?

@Canneverthinkofagoodusername don't justify yourself! I'm at home too and mine is in due to her ehcp. There is zero chance she would manage remote learning so as well as the gap widening due to her sen the gap would further widen due to several months lost. The loss of routine on her MH would be catastrophic.

Some people just have no clue. Your best bet is to find out from the LA how they will ensure his provision is maintained

The key worker list is ridiculous. It’s almost at if you work you are a key worker.

@Happymum12345 irrelevant

To add if it’s relevant, the school itself is small! according to ofsted reports the number of children with sen is much lower than average so it’s not like they have tens of children with sen needing provision. Obviously there are other reasons that children are vulnerable, not just sen but there isn’t a huge number of children needing provision!

Does he have 1:1

@Happymum12345 no not working right now but my partner has worked throughout the whole thing without a break. He is not deemed a keyworker but has a stressful job in a manufacturing business. What they produce isn’t essential but they’ve been so busy due to covid! Long hours etc so the pressure is all on me most days. Also have younger Dd who has some degree of sen too but she copes well at home and doesn’t need the extra support DS does at school.

So many of the threads. Honestly I couldn’t tell you other people’s circumstances of which house has 2 parents WFH or one parent on the frontline..... I suspect you don’t either OP.

People are assuming other people’s circumstances! If you think something is not right call the school and question it.

I don’t think it’s fair to stir the pot on MN.

@Hankunamatata yea he does!

There is a high proportion of parents who have an children who are SP.
there is a high proportion of those those parents who have a sn child cannot work due to their child’s needs.
For many parents of sn children school isn’t childcare. It’s to help that child develop to their best and hopefully beyond. It’s a way for them to socialize with their peers

@Canneverthinkofagoodusername don’t explain yourself. Your child is entitled to that place legally. They are vulnerable.

@Chel098 it’s a relatively village where everyone knows each other so quite often we do know each other’s circumstances when we get to know parents 😀

Relatively small*

[quote Mumofsend]@Happymum12345 irrelevant[/quote]
I don’t see how it is OP seems to know why other parents are sending their kids to school. Has she actually witnessed this with her own eyes? How does she know who attends school if she’s not dropping her kids off too?!

The issue in making it 2 keyworkers is that the families with 1, it often ends with the keyworker taking the unpaid leave.

As would be the case for me and dh, and most of my colleagues tbh.

Mine aren't in at all as dh is sheilding so is at home. Otherwise, due to earnings, it would be me taking time off.