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.

I am in a European country that has been effectively closed down the last week already.

The list of key workers is similar to what the Uk has listed above.

However, in reality it doesn't mean that everyone from those sectors is still working.
Ie if you're an electrician, only a few are kept on a rota for emergencies, there is no general routine electric work being done in homes or buildng sites etc. its probably 5% of electricians Max

If you work in a school, its really a skeleton crew. No secretaries, no music, sport, art teachers etc. Just enough to keep an eye on kids while they play, no actual teaching is being done. They are recording who is in each school the first few days, then combining any. In reality, nobody is using this facility. In our area, roughly size of say Devon, yesterday 180 children were registered across the entire district. So only roughly 1 in 50 odd schools are now open, and from next week they will condense again. Most only have 1-2 pupils.

Same with all sectors. Post offices, most village ones or nearby ones are closed, just one per 'large area' remains open. all town halls, law courts, councils etc are physically closed, there is just a skeleton crew in the offices you can reach on phone in emergencies. Transport, well most are running on a limited sunday service, so only 1/3 if that staff needed. Same i assume in Uk as have already seen 40 odd tube stations in london have closed, and from next week most general trains and buses will run reduced.
Any 'tech' jobs are all from home 99% of the time.

So basically, the list is broad, but in reality, no one wants to send kids to school if not 100% needed, and most people on the jobs list above will be filtered down to just minimum needed in buildings/offices, and the rest working from home

That list's as long as my arm!

I'm a school cleaner. I usually clean four hours per day. We are now down to two cleaners as the other is in an at risk category, and so is the caretaker. So that's it! Two of us. We had been asked to come in to do extra cleaning anyway if possible (touch points etc) and now on top of that our work load has gone up massively.
I'm 50 years old, in pretty good shape for my age, but feeling so tired now. If I'm being honest, I am scared at the length of that list.
I'm also a midday supervisor, which is also pretty tiring.

Thanks for the insight caspian. Are teenagers in your area still going out? Ours were planning parties yesterday

Not sure what to do form Th e best - dh and I are keyworkers and my year 8 and my year 5 could stay with my 16 yr old - she would be safe - but how long for - she won’t be getting any teaching

I think there's an awareness that many of the key workers are underpaid meaning that their job is not enough to keep the family fed/roof over head so would be sacrificed to protect the family, probably with much soul searching.

Also doesn't include vets other than possibly farm vets (involved in food production) - would hope that covering emergencies (including escaped animals on roads) and welfare issues in pets would be considered essential.

Again mostly second income.

I'm a SAHM so won't be sending DC to school. Will be looking for agency work around DH's job once we're organised though - not to get childcare but to try to make myself useful (admin/call centre is more my skillset than caring!

Turns out I'm a key worker, though I'm setting up homeworking. My kids are adults - their universities have shut down but interesting at the list, it's very long, my job is important but key, is a bit stretched, that said I do organise funerals which is likely to be needed, not necessarily to do with this virus, they are just old!

what an utter shit show.
Social distancing??? where and how? apparently everyone should bloody well be at work.
Working in massively underfunded schools already, buying supplies daily, no access to anything to stop the spread of the virus.
The government are seemingly doing nothing to protect people.

Does anyone have any clarity as to if you are able to turn down a place if your child falls into the vulnerable groups?

I know key workers don't have to use the place and should avoid using if possible but not so clear about the vulnerable children.

My middle child has an ECHP and is disabled.

My youngest daughter is treated as a young carer by her school (she doesn't have an active caring role at home but the school uses the classification as she has a disabled sibling and it enables her to access local support for a longs of disabled children).

My company is fully supportive of me WFH for as long as needed and understanding of flexibility needed when children at home.

My DHs job has already gone so he is here all day currently.

We don't need either of the places and I would firstly like to avoid my children mixing/travelling as much as possible (three of us in our house are at the at risk group). Secondly we can easily care for them at home so would like to do our bit to reduce the numbers of teachers required to be physically present.

All of my dc’s schools and my school have specified it has to be both parents, one is a state school and the others are private schools so fairly consistent.

I think, looking at our demographic and being a secondary school, we shouldn’t have too many children in. They won’t want to come in if their mates don’t or they’re not in year 7.

This ridiculously broad list is the consequence of them blurting out a policy without thinking about the detail.

So I imagine schools will be expecting the child to be looked after by the non key worker parent if there is one

I imagine so too. We shouldn't be imagining at this point. We're supposed to feel we've been given clear guidance. I can see how impossible it is to be clear though, there's as many grey areas as families. It's a nightmare for everyone. It seems like employers might get to make the decision in some cases though, which seems wrong.

Do schools have to stay open if one parent has requested? Surely they would get allocated to another school

I teach but won’t be able to work as I’ll be looking after my own children at home! I am going to do some shifts (taking my youngest in with me!) and will still be teaching all my lessons remotely and marking all their work.

And so the utter mess continues, almost everyobe could wriggle into one of those categories if they tried! Poor school!

Does anyone have any clarity as to if you are able to turn down a place if your child falls into the vulnerable groups?

The government are not going to be forcing kids in to school right now.

I’m a TA covering teacher PPA so does that mean my year11 DD goes to school when exams cancelled? Or is it just primary school children? I’ll find out today I guess.

Teachers are on their list as are educational staff @CanICelebrate

I fall within the definition of keyworker for 2 days out of my 5 working days. DH is going to stay with them for those 2 days and I will for the other 3. Wouldn't dream of overloading the school when we can work round it.

What worries me is how the teachers will cope, my heart goes out to them.

Oh, and none of us are going anywhere for another 10 days as we have The Cough...

I can do some from home, I can direct other colleagues, I even did a side visit via FaceTime yesterday. Not ideal, but it is what it is.

I'm a TA. Our school were expecting about 30 children. However, from that list the majority of our parents will be entitled to send their children in.

We're not prepared for hundreds of children on Monday.

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.

Could not agree more.

Didn't people want school to close and their little darlings at home? So why would so many clambour to keep them in. We are both technically key workers, but I can work from home whichever hours and am not working on directly covid stuff.

does that mean my year11 DD goes to school when exams cancelled?

If your DD can safely stay at home then she should.

@lilgreen I know which is why it’s such a nightmare! We are going to go in shifts as we won’t all be needed. The children in school will still be set all their work remotely by their own class teachers and we will supervise. I can leave my older dc at home for a few hours but will bring youngest into my office! My school is being brilliant with staff who have dc and my dh is in a non key worker role but works in a role that can not be done from home.