So how is all this ‘open only for key workers’ thing going to work then?

[FlamingoAndJohn]

Really is doesn’t seem to mean anything.

I can’t really teach a random selection of children.

cherry our school is in the same boat. Our staff room today was an amazing place to be. Often we have our axes to grind, but today we are as one. I think it will be a surprising time of human kindness. I’m intrigued to think how we will emerge, but I have strong hope.

I'm a TA in a primary of around 400 kids. I'm a bit at some of the things I'm reading and how other schools situations, or people's perceptions compare.
Firstly we certainly won't just be providing childcare. The mornings will be core learning. Some classes won't be particularly small. We're expecting 60 kids in. My class will have 18.

Volunteering? Um no. All who are fit/safe to work are on a rota.

TAs not expected to be in? Again no. In fact I can see the TAs being in more than teachers cos there's fewer of us who are safe to work.

As for having a go at someone who is a carer for elderly parents - well she wouldn't be expected to be in at our school.

It's been an upsetting day and finding out we're having so much more kids than expected hasn't helped. We need to provide support for those that need it to enable essential roles to be carried out but calling it school closure is frankly bullshit.

I'm shocked in the other direction. We are a school of 300 and 10 children will be in.
I cannot believe that 60 children in any school "cannot be safely cared for at home"(the driving principle of the government guidance). If you're having 60 children through your doors, you're putting yourselves, the children and the country unnecessarily at risk. You're also putting the children of NHS staff at risk by surrounding them with other children.

@Fleab1te That won’t last when they start pooling resources and closing as many schools as possible

The aim is to provide a safe space for children while their parent works, not to continue on with education

60 is a lot, how has your SMT interpreted the guidelines?

It’s supposed to be a last case scenario situation

I'm so frustrated that teachers and people's lives are being put at risk for Royal Mail workers. People are being encouraged to send unnecessary post so that the Royal Mail can profit from this situation, at the expense of the nation and their own staff who would prefer to be self isolating too. All Royal Mail staff understand that they have essential jobs to perform, but seeing the company encourage higher volumes and then refuse to implement social distancing because of these high volumes, is disgusting.

It is also disgusting that they are refusing to adhere to any social distancing rules, and then the children of these posties are going to school with the children of NHS workers and mixing germs. All so the Royal Mail can make a quick buck in a crisis and exploit their status as key workers.

I’ve not seen anything about Royal Mail encouraging post.

Just for some perspective police officers are being advised that if they live with family members who are self isolating ( including pregnant partners) then they should temporarily live elsewhere so that they can still come to work

Who is going to pay for that then?

I understand that many boarding schools are offering their houses for teachers to stay away from isolated/vulnerable family members, including Eton.

Abramovich has opened one of his hotels in Chelsea to key workers.

Some of this will have to rest with philanthropy.

I'm so frustrated that teachers and people's lives are being put at risk for Royal Mail workers. People are being encouraged to send unnecessary post so that the Royal Mail can profit from this situation, at the expense of the nation and their own staff who would prefer to be self isolating too. All Royal Mail staff understand that they have essential jobs to perform, but seeing the company encourage higher volumes and then refuse to implement social distancing because of these high volumes, is disgusting.

Why is this disgusting?

Someone has to keep things moving. Everyone can't stay home or there will be shortages and riots.

@FlamingoAndJohn look at their Twitter. They're encouraging people send letters and cards etc

Shortages of what? Do people actually need half of what they're sending? You need food and heating and medical supplies, not consumer goods. Not right now. It's an emergency and we have families too. We're overloaded with sickness leave and yet people are sending more than ever, while Royal Mail provide us with no hand sanitiser and encourage us to work in close confines every day. The virus will spread like wildfire amongst posties. The virus lives for 24 hours on cardboard. I say sort your priorities out.

That's awful postie .

Oh dear , you'll be missing your Easter Holidays.
You won't be able to go anywhere or do anything anyway.
It's a pandemic , the whole country needs to stick together.
I'm NHS front line , I'm doing 3 extra shifts (36 hours) you're welcome.
I don't need childcare though you'll be glad to know.

Shortages of what? Do people actually need half of what they're sending? You need food and heating and medical supplies, not consumer goods.

It's pretty essential that small businesses, many of whom are selling non-essentials, manage to stay afloat during this time.

There are a lot of key workers who will ultimately be working to make life comfortable rather than just sustainable during this period to keep the public mollified. I understand that those who support IT networks are working all hours to maintain resiliency during this time of enormous Netflix usage.

If you're a key worker and your employer isn't considering your safety, then raise it as an issue. Sorry to hear this. When I went to my local post office a few days ago (to collect an unnecessary purchase that no doubt the seller was happy to have) the guys behind the counter had zero contact with me and were in good spirits, as they always are, and had a big bottle of sanitiser at their desk.

I just heard an NHS mental health counsellor on the radio urging people to send letters as well.

That's the problem. So many people/businesses not taking it seriously. Well one day they will and it will be too late. I don't think anyone is suggesting everyone stay at home but measures should be put in place to protect all staff. And telling them well you won't die and will probably only get mild symptoms is completely missing the point.

@qweryuiop
I think our head was expecting those numbers until the following day when the government released the list. All our plans had to be changed overnight.
I imagine a lot of parents will take the mick. We've had kids of non essential workers telling us their mum has said they'll be in. One parent who is a keyworker only works 2 days a week and was very pleased to inform us her kids would be in. They're both on the potentially vulnerable list too

@lyralalala I don't know how they've interpreted it as I'm not privy to that info but I thought it was fairly clear and not open to interpretation. Only one parent need be a key worker and that list is huge. Our trust was originally going to pool but there ended up being far too many kids.

Parents won't see it as a last case scenario because people are basically selfish and don't want their kids under their feet. A lot of our kids will be out on the street anyway. I think we may aswell have stayed open to be honest and just cancelled assemblies and really stepped up hand washing.

@Fleab1te that's a shame. Our head and deputies had a lot of conversations on Friday with people trying to take the mick. Thankfully, they held firm and referred back to the idea that children should be at home if they can be safely cared for. She made it clear that we won't be providing education or holiday club style, but will be watching children to make sure they are safe. Most suddenly had a neighbour or sister or stay at home parent who could look after their children, and the EHCPs were convinced too. These are exceptional times.

We will continue to encourage social distancing with the children at home, though you are right that this may not be followed by all parents.

Sorry, posted too soon. Meant to add

Hopefully your numbers will reduce soon. Just make sure it's not too fun or too educational being at school.

I'm sure some would think I'm being harsh and uncaring. No. I'd much rather be teaching as normal. I've volunteered to be on shift more often to support those who can't. But the best thing for this country is extreme social distancing. 50% of spread appears to be before symptoms appear. Current measures are not slowing the spread sufficiently to stop hospitals from being near overwhelmed in London.

@MarginalGain

We are bringing this up, relentlessly and endlessly. But if you refuse to work without hand sanitizer and in close contact with others, you're sent home with no pay if you're lucky. If not it's a disciplinary.

Can't we concentrate on people stopping transmitting this disease before we start trying to make life as comfortable as possible for those who are already safe.

See what you said about the NHS mental health nurse encouraging letter writing really alarms me because it just shows how postal workers are invisible and taken for granted. The literally telling people to lick paper and then put it in a box where the postal worker touches all of it without correct protection and no hand sanitizer at this point in time. And the messages that we should just put up with it because the public want nice things.

@Fleab1te One parent has to be a keyworker and the children can’t be safely looked after at home. That’s the bit that seems to be being missed by a lot of schools in this first wave

In my nieces Scottish school they have tiers of workers and it’s been made very clear that if there is too many children in tier 1 and 2 then the children whose parents are in tier 3 won’t be accommodated, then the kids in tier 2 etc

We’ll see a clampdown pretty quick. The government was as many schools as possible closed asap so the list will be revised and reviewed as we go

Can't we concentrate on people stopping transmitting this disease before we start trying to make life as comfortable as possible for those who are already safe.

A balance has to be struck or the stay at home policy will not work; equally, whatever online commerce can stay afloat, must.

I think that logically there will be some kind of incentive to induce key workers to stay in work coming through in due course.

Wishing you the best, sorry to hear that you are not properly armed.

@qweryuiop Thanks.
I don't know what to think re numbers. I can't help thinking they might even go up once some parents who've chosen to keep their kids off might change their minds after a few weeks. We will see though. As for not making it too desirable to be there no chance of that. It's been made clear that mornings should be core learning and afternoons will be more fun. It is concerning about how we're actually going to make a difference to the spread with these numbers but it's out of our hands. Things may change once/if staff start getting sick.

@lyralalala
We're asking for evidence of job titles but don't know how you vet households to check that there isn't someone who can stay home. I'm not sure how persuasive our head has been but parents wishes tend to come first so I imagine the head has taken their word for it. Things may look very different on Monday so who knows. 🤷

Kids will land parents in it @fleab1te

They’ll soon tell you if Mum/Dad/adult sibling is at home

Hopefully Heads will get tough on parents, and where they don’t hopefully the people co-ordinating the pooling of resources that’s to happen will get involved when school A has shit loads more pupils than B, C and D locally

Haha yes that's true they will @lyralalala

I think it is right to keep the postal system going. I need it for business as do many others.

We won't be doing any 'core learning' while we look after children in school next week. It is childcare, end of. As it should be. Not fair to the 90% who will be at home to continue teaching a handful either.

The parents trying to wedge their children in is infuriating. I hope our Head holds firm.