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?

My kids are home, but a lot of friends sent them in this time after keeping them home in lockdown 1, for decent reasons that aren't just taking the piss

• furloughed at first (or at least allowed to wfh) but now needed to go into work
• child with additional needs who was struggled significantly in lockdown 1
• parent with additional challenges who struggled significantly in lockdown 1
• tried to WFH lockdown one but it massively affected work (e.g social workers having to discuss child abuse cases with a 6 year old popping in and out needing support, or people not able to do their key worker job properly because their child couldn't be trusted alone)

They're all decent reasons.

And I work in MH not a role I can do from home

DH and I are both critical workers. DD is attending school and DS is going to his childminder. There is one day in the week when we could just about juggle things to keep DD at home but school have been clear in their insistence that children are to come in for five days or not at all, so that is that.

Meanwhile in a real-life reflection of the judgement of these threads, our headteacher has had to write to parents asking them to stop openly gossiping and speculating on the circumstances of the families who are sending their children in.

Mine have been going in, we kept them both off last time until middle of June when the school contacted us to ask if we wanted them back in as I’m a KW (Children’s social worker). Last time I was pulled by my manager for not completing as much work as I should have completed. My manager and her manager didn’t have any children and I don’t think they understood how hard I was finding it - did try and tell them!

By the end of it all I felt I was on my knees and my metal health took a battering. My ds was not yet at school so didn’t need to do much but dd, in year 4, was required to complete quite a lot of work. However, she struggled a lot and we did not have one day without her tantrums, slamming doors etc. I still had to go out and visit families, prepare assessments and court reports. So this time I’ve sent them in for mine and DD’s mental health.

The opposite, a key worker but not sending mine in of I can help it.

I am very glad that the rules in Scotland are much tighter than they seem to be elsewhere - 2 keyworker parents (or one if a single parent), both need to be working outside the home. (Also vulnerable students)

I work in a school and the uptake this time had been significantly higher, and today I had a child tell me he's in because his mum isn't well, so she's not working but clearly didn't want the hassle of him being at home. He's year 5 so could easily have entertained himself and got on with some work. I've had other children tell me that they are going in on the days their parents aren't even due in work. I get the feeling that lots of people are just fed up and feel as though their children are better off in school regardless of risks. I personally feel like it's pointless having the schools closed, and they should just allow them all back in given the numbers that are already in. Mine aren't in their school even though they are classed as key worker children.

I’ve sent mine in this time. He has an ehcp so is classed as a vulnerable child. Dh is a keyworker out all day and I’m working from home. He has asd and really struggled last lockdown with change of routine which massively effected his behaviour. He can’t work independently at all and can be quite demanding as to time you need to spend with him. He’s been much better this lockdown with going in, he’s in a specialist unit and there’s only a few kids with high staff ratio anyway but as some have chosen to keep off there’s even less at minute. If I didn’t have the option I’d have to keep him off and manage somehow but I don’t know how, I suppose we just would but there’s always the risk of having a breakdown, someone getting injured etc so in our case I think him going to school is best option all round. If I had a child without asd it might be different or even having a child with asd but not working I could prob manage. It’s the combination of the two

Have tried keeping Ds at home even though I’m a key worker.

It’s not working. My situation is different than it was in March/ April/ lockdown 1 as the main aspect of the job that causes deadlines is happening again.

I’m not getting to work and he’s not getting homeschooled. He’s going in 2 days a week from next week but at least I’ve tried!

My twins will be going back two days a week starting tomorrow. They went back to their specialist school for two days at the start of term then had to isolate, and now the school has had to implement a rota due to staff shortages.

Could they physically be at home instead? Yes. Can I do anything more than just keep them safe? No, and I’m not doing brilliantly at that either (DT1 went headfirst over a stairgate into a slate floor when I took literally 30 seconds to try to send a one line email).

If I could teach them at home, and if I wasn’t in constant agony which is exacerbated by having to lift them frequently, I would keep them home (as I had to for much of last year, before they got their school places).

If I could send them more than two days a week, I would. I can’t even take them outside on my own and we are going nowhere at all other than school - food shops online, prescription deliveries, working from home.

I am incredibly grateful to the staff at their school for everything they do for them. I don’t know what state we’d be in if they close completely.

Both key workers. Husband at work im.wfh. my 6 year old goes full time as I cannot do my job with her here. However my y6 11 year old stays home Monday and Fridays and goes for social interaction tues to thurs

I work in a school. There are lots more children in this time.

My child is consequently still at nursery. I would prefer to stay home but we can't.

I could but I don't. The online provision is very good.

My sibling has as their partner is a keyworker...even though they are furloughed. Because they struggled to get their child to engage with home learning. I don't think its right as most children struggle!

Not another one of these bollocks threads.

I send my DC to school every single day. I feel shit about it already, as there only 5 kids in their class and they don’t like going to it. They don’t have a normal school day with their favourite subjects like PE, they miss their friends and they wish I had a different job.

Thai morning they cried and asked me why I can’t take a day off work like X’s mum (X wasn’t going today as her mum had a day off). I had to practically drag them there, whilst promising I will take some leave.

I haven't but I know a number who have.
From NHS worker with SAHP through to both parents working at home with a year 6 child who gets on very well with their own work and rarely disturbs them (by parents own admission).
Excuses run from "they wanted to see their friends", "it's easier for me", "they work better at school", "everyone else was sending them so I thought they'd miss out."

OP you asked what’s going on.
Well there are obvious things, like the fact that we all have lockdown fatigue, the nation isn’t gripped by the same “it’s an emergency” sentiment that they were, and this is probably making employers less patient with people wanting to work from home. Also people are less fearful of Covid. A few of us know people who have died, but I’m sure all of us know people who have had it and made a full and uneventful recovery.

But I think a big factor is how dire the home education provision made by schools was in the first lockdown. Many of us remember how awful it was, how our kids learnt nothing, how minimal the school help was, and how our kids have subsequently suffered. We also remember how their mental health suffered.

I say this as a keyworker who hasn’t sent my kids to school , because luckily this time around their school has done it well, and because they don’t want to go (none of their friends are there).

Very grateful to parents keeping their children at home where possible. Makes it safer for staff and families who absolutely must.
Interestingly one of our keyworker parents did not want to send their child in as they felt it was too risky. They work at the hospital currently on covid ward. That really made me think.
We have about 25 percent in some years, up to 50 percent in others. Steadily increasing. I think companies need to do their bit by allowing home working as I think many are less understanding this time round.

@Goatscheesewithhoney

Not another one of these bollocks threads.

I send my DC to school every single day. I feel shit about it already, as there only 5 kids in their class and they don’t like going to it. They don’t have a normal school day with their favourite subjects like PE, they miss their friends and they wish I had a different job.

Thai morning they cried and asked me why I can’t take a day off work like X’s mum (X wasn’t going today as her mum had a day off). I had to practically drag them there, whilst promising I will take some leave.

I feel for you. I would be in the exact same position if my eldest wasn’t a sensible 15 year old. It’s miserable isn’t it.

OverTheRubicon - last time I tried to attend court and parenting assessments from home with the children. Had to discuss things with parents/ professionals that weren’t appropriate for children to hear. They would pop in every 5 minutes! I also felt it was a little insensitive if parents could hear my children, when theirs might not be in their care.

Yes. But my children's needs are paramount, so I don't give a flying fuck what anyone thinks. One has an EHCP and is in as much as can be accommodated, due to his needs, at the times when he can't be in school, my daughter is going. Both are attending under the vulnerable child rules. One also attended through the last lockdown, and if the rules had been extended the way they have this time, the other would have too. School have been more than happy to have both in.

Yes. I couldn’t teach them at home last time due to my key worker job and they fell massively behind.
Can I technically keep them safe at home? Yes. Will they learn anything? No. Does this mean I’m doing them a massive disservice as their mother? Yes. Also the content of my work is not suitable for young children to overhear.
It’s a terrible situation with awful choices all round. I hope teachers get vaccinated soon

I know of multiple families massively abusing or over using the provision.

It angers me hugely because the high number of children in schools will undoubtedly slow down the rate at which cases can be brought down (thus delaying everyone else's return to school, and clearly contributing to the pressure the NHS is under) as well as putting pressure on staff in schools who are trying to provide on line learning as well as supervise students in school.

It is a wholly selfish attitude that I find very hard to accept when I have 2 DC at home who would love nothing more than to be in school.

No. But the other school to "our" one is at full capacity. It turns out they're quite previous about their rating and have decided around a third the cohort aren't "progressing" enough. Rumour has it voluntary donations to the school have increased too

It isnt really anything to do with risk, I think most people are aware that the use of the furlough scheme is significantly reduced this lockdown vs March, many businesses voluntarily reduced their operations in March believing it to be a very temporary situation, now they are just trying to keep going as far as possible.

My DH is a critical worker, I WFH in a role that my employer will not say is ‘critical’ for reputational reasons, but perform a legally required service for which demand does not change and there are strict deadlines to perform. My employer does not claim on the furlough scheme, so I either work my contracted hours or take a pay cut or unpaid leave. My children go to school. It’s up to you if you think I should be forced to take unpaid leave and be plunged into debt for the zero effect on infection rates that my children attending school has, since we’ve already had covid. That’s before we even get onto theirs and my mental health and totally ineffective home education.