The List of Keyworkers is here

[noblegiraffe]

The long-awaited list of keyworkers who will be expected to continue to send their children to school is here:

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

Tbh it seems that it would have been quicker to list people who aren’t keyworkers. It’s going to be way more than schools were expecting and I’m not sure how we’ll cope.

Our school has said they'll give a place to ANY working parents child, so basically not closing. The list is pointless if schools are going to make their own rules

I expected the list to be much more specific. Not one listing most roles in the country!

This smacks of a lot of arse covering by those who compiled it, and the result is a piss-take for schools, which had been expecting to provide care for the children of key workers, not half of the population.

Unbelievable.

I actually wonder whether or not this government know the difference between clarity and a fuck-up!

List looks far too broad especially the last category. It should be both parents in a two parent household. People will exploit this.

@caringcarer "I might as well keep him at home." Yes! That's the whole point. If you can care for your child at home, do. The most important thing right now is to limit the spread of the virus that is killing people.

@SleepingStandingUp As this guidance was only released at 11.50pm yesterday, schools sadly had to make up their own rules. In our area, our rules were far stricter than the ones published tonight. Maybe because we're in London and everyone knows that there are many cases in the local area. We already have 2/3 of the children off, so know that most of our parents are taking this as seriously as it needs to be taken. It saddens me to hear that other schools are not taking this as seriously.

I think it’s sadly amusing but also just quite sad, that one of these ‘key’ professions called a meeting only yesterday (in face) mandatory and had 100+ workers in attendance to discuss no other than the Coronavirus outbreak! I hope the others do better in managing this

Forgive me if I’m wrong but although the list of key workers is long, as I see it, schools are to remain open to key workers children whilst the key worker is at work.
A lot of the workers on that list will work shifts and not necessarily Monday-Friday so am I right I’m thinking that they should only be taking their children to school on a day they are actually in work? Any rest days/ days off through the week, the child remains at home?

Dh and I are food production workers. Fortunately we work opposite shifts and dd is 13 so can be home alone for shift change.
There are thousands of food workers in my town!

Is how one of my NHS parents understood it Angelo - They do rotating shifts so will send their child in on a 3 day basis letting us know which days when they know.
Our school is also saying both parents need to be front line.

We’ve had 8 parents request care as they are NHS occupational therapists - is this classed as a front line nhs role?

@AllTheseThingsThatIHaveNotDone I’m hoping more people realise this, and come to the same conclusion or there is going to be some very upset children being turned away from school.
I have seen people celebrating that their child is staying in school full time and even allowed to attend through easter holidays, as they are classed as key workers

@annie987 my DH is a psychologist in the NHS. His trust has issued a mass letter saying 'you're all key workers', this is explicitly to allow them to get school places and push back on any time off to care for their kids.

There is talk of them being redeployed (if they can get their shit together), so that may be where your OT requests are coming from.

In our house, I work in one of those sectors but am currently not essential. I will be wfh and managing, we won't take up a place.

Thank you - that’s really useful to know

So business as usual in schools and no guidance on the two KW parent rule some schools are using. Schools should have in fact stayed open which is what Bojo is doing by stealth after the 'big' closure announcement. They should have also specified the ages of kids so only up to and including Yr 8. With staff continuing to drop like flies how on earth will this work I wonder. Teachers are also supposed to be organising home learning for 1000s of kids. Well..... lets bring it on and see how it all goes

Thanks for the list. I know people, who are waiting for this so I’ll bounce it on. This is a very very comprehensive list. My friend and her dh are both in these sectors. She is PT. Her secondary children are staying home. Hopefully others will do the same where possible.

@annie987 many OTs are key to getting people discharged home and out of hospital which will be a real priority to free up beds.

Lots of staff are being prepared to be redeployed into areas outside perhaps their normal working remit - if staff get infected or have to self isolate numbers of people on the ground are going to be critical

I’m on SLT in a school. We’ll be largely open as about 50% of our cohort are classed as vulnerable. We won’t be teaching though, it is literally going to be a babysitting service with whichever parents turn up.

The guidance we’ve been set seems to suggest that staying open to key workers isn’t statutory. So if too many parents send their children in and we can’t safely staff it we can close completely. Then, we can’t provide a service to those that really need it (i.e. the most vulnerable and those key workers who really are essential).

Incidentally, my DD will not be going to nursery even though she technically could because the majority of the things I’ll be expected to do for work could be done from home. I’ll still be paying her fees but I don’t consider myself to be entitled to send her. We all need to work together to keep everyone safe.

To be honest, whatever that list said there’d be people on here queuing up to take a pop at it.

A far more “ can do “ attitude is going to be needed if Britain is going to beat this virus. In many quarters, notably on here, Im not seeing it. Wherever possible, look for solutions, not problems, because everyone is this together and everyone will need to play their part.

What was the point in closing schools? That list surely includes the vast majority.

Many parents working in these sectors may be able to ensure their child is kept at home. And every child who can be safely cared for at home should be.

This is the important bit. It's shit leaving it up to individual heads to make decisions though, they're going to be under serious pressure.

If workers think they fall within the critical categories above they should confirm with their employer that, based on their business continuity arrangements, their specific role is necessary for the continuation of this essential public service.

And this. If schools have a lot of people wanting places they should ask for it in writing from the employer. Government should say that once this is over they will be aggressively pursuing companies who try take advantage of the provision and needlessly endanger lives.

noblegiraffe, in Germany the schools and kindergartens stayed closed to all children on the Monday and Tuesday (this was only this week but it feels like an age ago ) while they gathered in the information on how many parents would need to avail of the continued opening. They were very clear here that it only applies to families where both parents are key workers or where a single parent is. Where there is a non-keyworker parent they are expected to keep their children home and look after them themselves or make private arrangements.

This is going to be an absolute nightmare! My one form entry primary school has 50% staff off. We were joining with another local school from Monday as between both schools we were expecting 30 or so children to be in. Rotas have been drawn up for staff who are available to cover sessions. Staff with their own children were to be allowed to bring those children with them when on rota. Staff who are self isolating were providing some home learning activities and emailing out packs to parents whose children are at home.
I'm dreading what today will bring!

FGS. It’s just going to get worse today then. The list we sent out yesterday doesn’t cover half of these. So ill be fielding more phone calls and demands for answers. What an utter shit show.

Funnily enough I’m not on that list (and wouldn’t expect to be) but my school is expecting me to be in to field all the calls etc from the parents who will be sending their kids. What a crock.

the problem with it is that once again it is leaving way too much of the decision making up to individuals and expecting them to behave responsibly. So for example it dose say:
"If children can stay safely at home, they should, to limit the chance of the virus spreading."
"schools to remain open only for those children who absolutely need to attend."
"If it is at all possible for children to be at home, then they should be."

but what people will do is immediately check the list, see they are on it and assume therefor their child will go to school. Which may indeed need to be the case, but actually if you are a keyworker and there is a second parent in the home who isnt and maybe can work form home then really the child could stay at home. yes it will be shit, yes it will be really hard for the second parent to get any work done, but the child could be safe at home.
Additionally I have heard from someone who is a nurse (single parent) that she intends sending her 14 and 16 yr old in to school. Really? They really couldn't be left safely at home at those ages? It may not be what you would choose to do ideally, it may not be what you would do in a school holiday but seriously - they wouldnt be safe at home in these dire circumstances?

I am a doctor, DH is a teacher. We could send our kids to school but wont be doing. We will have 17yr old, 14yr old 13yr old and 12 yr old school age kids. It wont be ideal The will probably bicker all day, they may not get any school work done, they will no doubt make bloody chaos all over the house, but at the end of the day they will be safe and I have no reason to add to to the burden on teachers right now by sending them. Not to mention the postential for them to spread infection.They will just need to accept that and try to behave as reasonably as they can. (although of course this is hard for them too.)

I really hope people will be senisble about this, but recent behaviour (stockpiling, people still going to the pub ect) suggests otherwise.