To be angry there is no school place for my son?

[supersonicginandtonic]

I have been told that there is no place for my son in school. He has SEND and 2 parents are key workers. In year 7 at secondary school. They've told me there is no place for him as they've had to prioritise children of critical workers.

Where's this "covid critical" bollocks come from? That's not what defines a key worker.

@Underadesk my partner is a probation officer for high risk offenders, sex offenders, paedophiles, murderers etc. I'm sure society doesn't want them running a mock 🙈

surely it's a mistake, op. Your and your dh's job has to be done for society to function. Are you sure whoever makes the decision is aware?

@supersonicginandtonic exactly, I’m sure your trust, like ours, has looked at what services are essential, and shuttered the rest and redeployed the staff.

If you are still in your original role, your trust has judged that it is essential, regardless of what some chippy random on the internet thinks.

@MotherExtraordinaire of course the problem with your theory is that OP has already said she is having to take unpaid leve to care for her child. If her role wasn't critical she would be entitled to the furlough scheme but she isn't like the rest of us key workers. We have to go to work. So nobody having the kids means bills don't get paid and no income.

OP can you OH help out as well? I work FT in emergency services and DO self employed. We are juggling a little home working, leaving kids with the eldest and occasional days at school when we are desperate. It's not ideal but it's the best we can do. Hopefully your work will help you be flexible? Can you adjust your hours temporarily? I know it's awful but try and hang in there.

And just to add it isn't fair for you to carry this alone. OH has to talk to his work too and help out.

@Changechangychange

MotherExtraordinaire the criteria are “being covid and Brexit critical”. Or fire, non-covid hospital work (like cancer, liver, gynae), and things like water/nuclear/electricity wouldn’t be included as key workers.

You need to re-read the inclusion criteria. All NHS employees are critical workers (and if they aren’t, they are redeployed to somewhere more critical - our dietitians are doing vaccinations).

Glad somebody spoke sense!

Surely this will easily be resolved though without op or her dh trying to manage shifts.

@shouldhavecalleditoatabix my son isn't my DPs. His role is also essential and can't be done from home and even if it could the things he is talking about aren't appropriate for 3 teenagers and an 11 year old to be over hearing.
I can't adjust my hours as we work 9-5 and I only work 3 days and my toddler is in nursery. I'm praying they don't close those as well. I wouldn't be able to do my visiting in an evening etc, it wouldn't be appropriate plus I'm attending many child protection conferences etc that are books weeks if not months in advance.
DP is the main earner so definitely doesn't make sense for him to take unpaid leave. We both used all our annual leave during the last half term when the kids school bubbles were bursting all over the place.

One of our roles is to try and reduce their attendances in hospital.

Yes, you should absolutely fit the criteria for a school place.

Maybe there should be a ranking of importance in the term 'key worker".

Of the 5 I know in my school one is a care worker, one a physiotherapist, one a GP, one a midwife and one mental health worker.

All these jobs are important but I wouldn't regard them all 'crucial, to society', but because they all work for the NHS, they get keyworker status.

I don't know if the NHS is furloughing people but they have all worked all the way through. All bar one partners have either been furloughed or working from home (during lockdown 1) and they have still got school places.

Not saying I blame them at all, but I can see why people think it seems like a free pass for anyone who works for the public sector regardless of postion.

@LittleMissBrainy

An I suggest a name change??

Which oh these

one is a care worker,
one a physiotherapist,
one a GP, one a midwife
one mental health worker.

Which ones do you think aren't essential?

Which one of those jobs are you thinking isn't crucial LittleMissBrainy?

My sister in law is a physiotherapist with the elderly. She's doing a mix of supporting them with their recovery from COVID and also helpIng find care homes places or rehab beds for the ones being discharged but noT yet well enough to go home.

Of the 5 I know in my school one is a care worker, one a physiotherapist, one a GP, one a midwife and one mental health worker

And you don't think these are crucial because?....

SEN lists at schools are lengthy where every possible need is included; only a small fraction of such children have EHCPs, however.

Without an EHCP, your child may not be considered vulnerable in the special needs category.

This thread is turning more mad by the moment. The point is, people supporting drug rehabilitation, sex offenders through probabtion and those protecting vulnerable children/adults are essential workers. They were even before it became ‘cool’ to be a critical worker, and are some of the few people who don’t wear a badge or t shirt of honour for work. They shouldn’t have to be battling people to have at least one or two days in school to go out and support others.. Unless you want them all to be on the front cover of the sun because of a pandemic of dv and child deaths
Lets analyse other jobs- the admin worker for the council housing repairs service, the person who runs the lottery counter at the supermarket, the person manning the chemist counter. I’m sure people wouldn’t be trying to justify them NOT having a school place

@greensnail

Which one of those jobs are you thinking isn't crucial LittleMissBrainy?

Glad it's not just me thinking they absolutely are all essential!! Uh...

GP? Yeah we really do need them
Care worker? I think this year has answered that question
Physio? Well I guess that would depend on your personal circumstances but I suspect those recovering from horrific injuries or diseases probably do things they're essential
Midwife....well I guess the gals could just put up and shit up, grip that stick between their teeth and get on with it...
Mental Health worker....well there's the corker hey? Again, if you're lucky enough to live in your lovely bubble you probably think they're expendable and a luxury. But having dealt with the people first hand that balance on the precipice of life and death I would say that role is almost the most important on the list.

But then what do I know?

For my pennies worth I would say if anything, perhaps the businesses that have thrived during this pandemic (I'm looking at you Tesco) could fund childcare or assist their staff in that field thus freeing up places for key workers that CANNOT BE FURLOUGHED. There is no other option for them

I too am interested to know which of those workers aren't essential at the moment @LittleMissBrainy ?

As an NHS worker I can assure you they all are currently...

OP your son absolutely deserves the place, I'm sure theres been a mistake. I dont know where this "covid critical" nonsense has come from. You may not work with patients affected by covid directly but there is risk to either individuals or society that your work prevents

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

Where's this "covid critical" bollocks come from? That's not what defines a key worker.

Critical workers Parents whose work is critical to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and EU transition response!

[quote shouldhavecalleditoatabix]@MotherExtraordinaire of course the problem with your theory is that OP has already said she is having to take unpaid leve to care for her child. If her role wasn't critical she would be entitled to the furlough scheme but she isn't like the rest of us key workers. We have to go to work. So nobody having the kids means bills don't get paid and no income.

OP can you OH help out as well? I work FT in emergency services and DO self employed. We are juggling a little home working, leaving kids with the eldest and occasional days at school when we are desperate. It's not ideal but it's the best we can do. Hopefully your work will help you be flexible? Can you adjust your hours temporarily? I know it's awful but try and hang in there. [/quote]
Plenty of employees are in the same scenario. Their employers are open, declining furloughing or not allowed due. to double funding.
Guess what they too have to work around it.

In normal times we'd all bow down and say how important the op's role is. However, it's not normal times. Choosing between the roles of the op and her oh, she's made the case that the ohs is more important to the safe running of society and preventing anarchy. Her role quite obviously isn't given that many of her team have been redeployed. That wouldn't happen if crucial to the covid situation would it?
Her school, is, imo, absolutely right. She is not a critical worker for the covid situation.

My son who has asd is entitled to go, they didn’t invite him for one reason, that he would be mixed in a class with 15 other year 8’s with no 1on1. DP is a key worker I’m not, so it’s easier to stay home. He doesn’t do good in mixed classes for a whole school day. He usually goes to one proper lesson a day and spend the rest of the lessons in a very small group of 3 to one teacher. Maybe they haven’t invited him because they can’t facilitate his particular needs.

Would he be able to just go in for the 3 days you work, and maybe that would help the school to offer him a place?

@MotherExtraordinaire You really are clueless and have your head up your own backside.
I said DP earns more than me not that his role is more important. His wage pays the mortgage, that's why he can't afford to take unpaid leave.
In regards to my team being redeployed. There are many different roles. Mine is safeguarding deemed essential by the trust. Some people who have been redeployed are harm minimisation nurses who operate the needle exchange. Health care assistants that change dressing on affected injection sites or leg ulcers. Some of the prescribed drugs workers have been redeployed too or the recovery support workers. Our service is on its knees. Only two weeks ago I was trying to support a family where a teenage girl who had found her mum unconscious with a needle still in her arm, I administered naloxone and provided support due to no ambulance availability. The ambulance service is on its arse. Every person in the front line services are at breaking point at the moment. I don't need the extra worry of my son not being safe and not being educated.

@supersonicginandtonic

I'd suggest you ignore all of the pointless arguing on this thread and keep pushing for your child to get support. You know your child and whether it is safe for him to be at home for 6 weeks with his siblings. School, local authority if they aren't forthcoming. Your job needs to be done to support people, and if you can't do it with him out of school, he needs to be in school.