Be honest. Have you sent your kids to school when they could have stayed at home?

[Witchcraftandhokum]

I left my job in education before Christmas mostly because of the governments appalling response to Covid in schools and anti-teacher sentiment generally so I haven't really got a vested interest. But I'm curious, after speaking to my ex-colleagues and friends who work in other schools there seems to be a dramatic take-up on the offer of places for vulnerable students and children of Key-workers compared to the last lockdown.

The numbers in my old school during the last lockdown made it hardly worth opening the school, this time they're at capacity and are having to bring extra staff in at a risk to themselves. In my friend's child's class there are 21 out of 32 currently attending.

What's going on?

No we technically could as both emergency services workers. We've moved our shifts around so that one of us is always at home, we may not get all of the work completed with a 6 abd 7 year old but we don't want to risk our children or others.
It infuriates me that some parents are sending them when not needed.

2x KW here who are wfh and keeping DC home.

It is hard bloody work, most particularly for very lonely and bored primary aged DC with limited school provision, but the guidance is to keep them home if you can, so that’s what we’re doing.

The guidance is wrong, IME, it gives too much scope for interpretation. If we need lockdown to reduce numbers of infections so the NHS is protected and ALL kids can get back to school as quickly as possible, KW provision shouldn’t have been allowed to effectively become a perk for a pretty arbitrary group of workers.

My friend has. Very annoying.

@KleineDracheKokosnuss

I technically could have kept her home. Technically. Except she doesn’t engage with remote learning and I’d be on Xanax by now. And she’s too young to leave unattended, but due to work she would be left unattended.

I count as critical, as does DH. So in she goes.

So yes. Note the "I count as critical" not, I am critical.

@Hippywannabe

For over 20 years, I have done more than contracted to do both in my job and extra curricular activities. When this is over, my goodwill finishes. No more clubs after school, no more lunchtime activities, no more school fairs, no more of any of the unpaid things. I was finally pushed over the edge today as a parent pushed their child towards me, telling me that it was her day off and she wanted an actual day off. A huge thank you to all the parents struggling to cope but keeping their kids at home. You are doing an amazing job, your teachers and tas know that and appreciate it.

I don’t think you will be the only one, many will leave or do the same after this sadly.

Well technically mine could but they're so little they can't be left unattended and definitely couldn't do any work by themselves. My Dh was refused furlough and his job pays the bills. He's expected on calls all day. My work is nhs high pressured covid response and it would be massively reduced if I had to supervise the kids let alone homeschool. No other childcare options. But I'm sure I'll get flogged on here.

No. Ds went back in shortly after lockdown began last time and this time we didn't even consider him not going in. He got into an awful state in March ( constant repetitive behaviour interspersed with self injurious and aggressive behaviour) and I am not going there again. His school is fully open anyway.

I'm surprised to hear of schools allowing this to happen. Both DH and I are key workers deemed critical and had to both have jobs on a designated list to get a place, if only 1 parent is a key worker or work can be done from home they have said no. Very few children in our school, I counted 7 this morning out of 150 normally

I think a lot of people managed last lockdown, when there wasn’t much expectation of homeschooling so the kids were just ignored for large parts of the day. This time parents don’t want them slipping behind so are more likely to send them in.

I have a toddler who I kept home last time despite being a key worker, as I was working from home. It was hell. Childcare is open as usual this time so she’s going, if it closes to all but keyworker children I will be requesting a place as the expectation from my work is much higher this time and it would be unsafe to ignore my daughter for long enough each day to allow me to do my job. Theoretically she could stay home but I think the risk to her is greater from injuring herself whilst not being supervised properly than it is from CV.

I doubt anyone would admit to it. Our school has got 4 times the amount of children they had in last year, everyone’s a key worker it seems.

We both work for the NHS so our children go to school but only on the shifts I am in.

I think that a lot of people who could be furloughed before now cannot be. I know my neighbour was offered furlough for childcare in March but this time was told it wasn't possible as offices are "covid secure" (HMRC)

Yes. I sent both mine in for a few days a week.
I'm a single parent, work full time and technically a key worker. I work in a demanding job that can be done from home but requires lots of concentration and focus.

I had them home for all of the last lockdown but I almost had a nervous breakdown trying to keep all the plates spinning. The eldest is on the SEN register and she has been referred for ADHD. I have to monitor everything she does or she will not do any work.

I am eternally grateful for the teachers and TAs who are supporting them in school. I refuse to feel guilty. I'm really tired of people judging others when you have no idea why they have or haven't sent their kids to school.

No, DS would get a place if I asked, but would prefer him to be at home.

How many threads do we need on the same subject?

I'm a single parent keyworker who has to go in. I think I could have sent DD to school but thankfully her dad is working from home, so she has gone there. It means I barely see her, nearly two weeks between :(

It depends what you mean by ‘could stay at home’. Mine goes into nursery, I’d rather keep him at home but last time five of us were furloughed and only I came back. The other four were made redundant. I can’t work with a 1.5 year old and I can’t afford to lose my job so I send him in, although in theory I could ask for furlough.

The stats are on the news today - 4 times the number in that were in in March.

You could get disheartened if you look at it like that, but there are probably far far more of us who 'could' send our dc in, but aren't.

The reason why schools are busy is that a key line was removed from the guidance that stated that even keyworker parents should keep their children at home if it was at all possible. This was in place during Lockdown 1 and so there were a lot less children in.

That line has now been added back in because there are too many children in schools. However, schools can't exactly turn round to parents and tell them that they are no longer have a place.

However I think I'm in the minority as his class has 8 children in, when there was only 2 last lockdown (including him).

Unless your child only has 16 kids in his class you’re not in the minority.

@modgepodge

I think a lot of people managed last lockdown, when there wasn’t much expectation of homeschooling so the kids were just ignored for large parts of the day. This time parents don’t want them slipping behind so are more likely to send them in.

I have a toddler who I kept home last time despite being a key worker, as I was working from home. It was hell. Childcare is open as usual this time so she’s going, if it closes to all but keyworker children I will be requesting a place as the expectation from my work is much higher this time and it would be unsafe to ignore my daughter for long enough each day to allow me to do my job. Theoretically she could stay home but I think the risk to her is greater from injuring herself whilst not being supervised properly than it is from CV.

I think it's not just the education perspective, but that the expectations of employees WFH during this is far higher.

I'm a teacher myself and last time, my colleagues with children (I was on mat leave until Nov) were able to get by working in the evenings, recording some short videos, uploading each morning and being available via email for questions. This meant that they could parent during the day.

This time, there is a far higher expectation of full live lessons. Pre records are seen as sub par and no video at all is not really acceptable. I'm having to send my children to nursery to get by and if they were young school age, I would be sending them in too.

No. DS could go in as he has an EHCP and I'm a keyworker, but he's able to stay at home so he doesn't go in.

I'm very glad he has that option though, and totally support everyone who uses it.

No. I won't lie - right at this moment in time I would bite someone's hand off for a place if they offered, we are at breaking point. My youngest is being assessed for autism (no diagnosis yet and therefore no EHCP), my eldest is disabled but an adult (I'm her carer) my keyworker husband is currently ill with covid. I have had enough but I know being at home is the right thing. So.will continue to stick it out.

Please don't give up! There will always be shit people around who take the piss, but the world needs good people to balance them out. (It's not fair, I know, but as I'm constantly telling my DC, life isn't fair).

Teacher's aren't stamping their feet and quitting because "life isn't fair". They quitting because the government was willing to put their lives at risk because they felt that it was more important for schools to be open. They asked them to work when it was impossible to socially distance, were told not to wear masks and had to allow students to opt out of wearing masks 'because you can't enforce it'. They didn't give schools adequate protection, guidance or time for planning. Then they encouraged parents to blame the schools when it didn't work out.

I had to send my son, I work in a school, my husband is also a keyworker and we can't work from home. We have so many children in that every member of staff has to go in, which meant I had to send my son to his school. I'd rather be at home homeschooling him.

No.
I am a key worker but DH isn’t so DC is at home.