Schools closed - can anyone answer this question about key worker

[Imknackeredzzz]

I have heard today the schools are closing except for those with children who are “key worker” my husband is a lift engineer in all environments from apartments/ supermarkets/ hospitals

Is he likely to be classed as one would you say?

pinkkoala it won't be proper school. It'll be babysitting. Similar to a holiday/ out of school club. Kids will be told to bring their homework but there won't be proper lessons and they'll be mixed aged groups. You'll need to tell them if you need the service and will be asked to only use it if it's really necessary as it's putting huge strain on resources.

@pinkkoala I'm sure no children will be made to go to school. We were authorising all absences this week even before the school closures announcements.

I think schools are only staying open so that Frontline workers can keep working. A 15 year old should be able to be at home on their own while their parent is at work.

My husband and I are both key workers, but we used wrap around childcare around school to be able to do this... which we won’t be able to do, so one of us will have to reduce our hours which isn’t actually that easy to do in the job at short notice.

Then get to work after we’ve dropped off at school, so will really only be at work between 0930 and 1445?!

And not in school holidays... as again we pay for wrap around childcare!

Now we are just waiting on nursery for the baby to see if they are open for key workers otherwise we are back to square one again.

It’s a vicious circle!!

The Gov have asked schools to open reduced hours, not longer ones, and to stay open during the Easter holidays.
We will all get more guidance today.

@Musicalmistress If you are both teachers and having to work, then your children can go to school with the other key workers children.

@mygrandchildrenrock not in Wales, in Wales they have advised that specific schools will be open 8-5 as a form of childcare/babysitting while others close completely.

Sorry WTFdidwedo I should have said in England!

We are both not key workers and looking into working in shifts. To get done what we can at the moment. Although my husband earns more than i do - both our jobs are incredibly economy dependant therefore we both need to try keep both our jobs going - I wouldn’t be surprised if we have to reduce our hours etc - but it’s important to do these things to protect everyone’s jobs

I'm very much hoping they extend this to families where only one person is a key worker as myself and many of my colleagues are still unable to come in to work.

@feelinguseless101 I’ll be in this boat as DH is an structural engineer in agriculture and has been told to continue working until told otherwise, if he goes off now it will be unpaid and he makes a lot more money than me, I am frontline nhs but only work part time so it makes more financial sense for me to go off until DH is told to stop working but takes me away from staff numbers so what do I do?

@TheCountessatHotelCortez exactly that. My public duty or my home.

Single parent here, I’m a TA and we’ve been informed that all staff have to be in and working their normal hours by our headteacher. We closed the lower school (7,8 & 9) earlier this week due to staffing, but allowed children of front line services to still attend. Today we had 8 kids in. I very much doubt that any year 10 & 11 kids will come in. Not entirely sure how it’s all going to work. It seems overkill to have us all in work particularly as I’ll have to send my dd into her school (not allowed to bring our own kids with us).

I guess next week will show a better picture of need. In the meantime many of us are worried about job security along with large portions of the U.K.

Our school (england) is open 8 til 6.

I'm a midday assistant in a school working 5 days a week for 1.5 hours. It's not my DC's school. I've been told today that if I dont go in Ile lose pay because I'm likely to be classed as a key worker, any other middays been told same? Trouble is my dp isn't a key worker but runs a small business so if he doesn't carry on we have no real income, so therefore no child care as both parents must be key workers. I'm stumped.

It makes no sense at this moment in time when we aren’t in lockdown so those who can’t work from home like my DH are still being told to work but I have told my charges nurse to be prepared for me to be off for a while, I’m fully expecting childminder to be told to close as well so no alternative

You need to check your school.
We are open normal hours, not additional ones.
Teachers are not in the present list and therefore your HT needs to make decisions based on this.
There may be very few emergency staff children, NHS staff and essential drivers in school. You may need only a handful of appropriate staff to manage.
If you have a child with an EHCP/ CP don't assume your siblings will be accepted.

I completely agree about how many actual staff we will need in. But we told today if we don’t work a minimum of 50% of our contracted hours we could have our pay reduced and our contract changed to reflect that.

A mother at my child’s school is requesting her child goes in under the key-workers arrangement as her DH is a doctor.

She is a SAHM.

Is this cheeky fuckery at its finest?

SpokeTooSoon wow! That is true cheeky fuckery

@SpokeTooSoon that’s beyond taking the piss whilst myself who actually needs it is terrified of not providing a much needed service or choosing to have some money coming in so my DH can continue to work

I work as a teaching assistant and I am absolutely disgusted in this whole fiasco!!! We are all defined as key workers now!! Noohe has thought how this is going to be for teachers and support staff! Not only are we babysitting the nations kids, some of whom work in high risk jobs exposed to this deadly virus, but it seems the list of occupations is never ending!!! What about the risk to our families? We too have parents and grandparents to care for in vulnerable groups!!

It will end up where class sizes are double what they were when the schools were open with skeleton staff??? How is any of this right???

Ellabay so who from the list isn't a key worker then?

I'd like to know???? It seems it's almost every occupation in the country!!?? I just dont know what happens here regarding hours and pay?? Teaching assistants are not paid when the kids are off so our pay is averaged! Approximately £9 an hour take home pay! We are now cancelling easter hols to stay open!!!!! It says teaching staff on that key workers list is this us too??

This guidance for schools, colleges and local authorities on maintaining educational provision includes a list of key workers.