What is the difference between an essential worker & a critical worker ?! Are they the same thing?

[PullingHairEverywhere]

The primary school my DC’s go to have requested additional evidence that I am a “critical worker”. I obtained a generic statement from my work however it says I am an essential worker as my role you cannot do at home and we are running on a 24/7 basis. I work in manufacturing/production and my company are not offering furlough. The head teacher has replied saying the statements are too vague and they need my name, job role and working hours on this statement then they will review it. Because it’s manufacturing I can’t do my role at home. SO what can I do here ??! I was furloughed last summer for 7 months but I’ve been back since October ! Me personally - I don’t think my business is essential (we make car parts), but we are still operating.

Please tell me your thoughts here....

AIBU in wanting to tel the head teacher she is being unreasonable asking for MORE evidence ?

Are you in England, OP? The list posted upthread is relevant in England only, as far as I can tell.

We live in Wales, and our LEA's schools are only taking children if ALL the adults in the household available to care for them work for the emergency services, healthcare, social care or school/early years AND there is no other adult in the home to care for the children. For us, the list of critical workers is very short.

Your employer saying you're an "essential worker" just means you're "essential" to them in that you can't work from home. Unfortunately for you're employer, they don't make the rules the schools operate by.

Yes, this puts you in an impossible position. This is why childcare is available as a reason for furlough this time round.

I would suspect that they are initially trying to find the ones that have taken places but are working from home but their job isn't that critical that they should have the kids at home. You are physically out of the house

wake-up if you are a critical worker but able to work from home, and it is safe to do so, you would be asked to keep your children at home much as you have.

If you cannot work from home, but are not a critical worker, then you are not eligible for a school place.

Unfortunately this time around there's a difference between being required to work by your employer and being able to work due to childcare. The list of critical workers whose children are able to have a school place is much shorter than the list of businesses still able to operate and they, naturally, want their staff in.

I don't understand why there hasn't been more noise about it. There must be 1000s of women families in this impossible situation.

Toorapid because to show the negative effects of covid restrictions in the media would be to detract from the purpose of the lockdown and discourage compliance. Theres no way BBC news (or any other news outlet) will show descent for the governments covid strategy (even though they've clearly handled it badly)

Some schools seem to be making up their own rules.

I am working in construction so obviously unable to work from home. My son is not eligible for a school place. I am literally on my knees working full time and having a child with me 24/7 with trying to do some kind of home schooling.

Bumped into another mum I know yesterday - our children are not at the same school - who’s husband works in construction and she works in the office for a construction company 1 day a week. Her child’s been offered a full time place at school!

Hope you get it sorted @PullingHairEverywhere

@Daisysflowers

Some schools seem to be making up their own rules.

I am working in construction so obviously unable to work from home. My son is not eligible for a school place. I am literally on my knees working full time and having a child with me 24/7 with trying to do some kind of home schooling.

Bumped into another mum I know yesterday - our children are not at the same school - who’s husband works in construction and she works in the office for a construction company 1 day a week. Her child’s been offered a full time place at school!

Hope you get it sorted @PullingHairEverywhere

Some schools are able to offer additional places to support their families, but those refusing aren't making up the rules, those are the rules. Construction is allowed to work but is not entitled to a school place

@IndecentFeminist

wake-up if you are a critical worker but able to work from home, and it is safe to do so, you would be asked to keep your children at home much as you have.

If you cannot work from home, but are not a critical worker, then you are not eligible for a school place.

Not true!

It does depend on what "working in construction is".

I work in construction, we are critical workers because a large part of our job involves gas and water. The majority of our maintenance and reactive (emergency call out) contracts at the moment are for prisons, hospitals and care homes. We've just been involved in fitting out a covid vaccination hub.

We have previously worked on things like building and refurbising, offices, leisure centres and factories. They would not have been classed as critical.

@Comefromaway I’m currently working in hospitals, schools and council housing. Still not been given a school place. Been told no construction comes under a critical worker.

"Transport and border

This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the coronavirus (COVID-19) response and EU transition, including those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass and those constructing or supporting the operation of critical transport and border infrastructure through which supply chains pass."

Making car parts keep freight operating - I think it meets the criteria

www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision

There may need to be some test cases in court as this is destroying families who are losing their homes because women cannot work and schools are wrongly refusing places however as there are vast unfairnesses around the country over this issue. Also this is all in guidance unlike the rules about leaving your house which are in a law - a statutory instrument - which makes it harder.

[quote Daisysflowers]@Comefromaway I’m currently working in hospitals, schools and council housing. Still not been given a school place. Been told no construction comes under a critical worker.[/quote]
Well if you have a gas leak or a burst pipe I'd call that pretty critical.

@Comefromaway never said that a gas leek or burst pipe was not critical but that doesn’t come under construction work.

@Comefromaway

gas leak and burst pipes are utilities not constructuion

@Kitkat151 utilities that was the word I was looking for I couldn’t think of it thank you.