School Closures and Key Workers - I am so frustrated with the government

[Whatsername177]

I am a teacher. Over the last two days I've been through the mill with everything that has happened. The closure of schools was a devastating blow, especially to my yr11 pupils whose future is now uncertain. I have cried, they have cried. It has been fucking awful. I am gutted, genuinly gutted. It has been compounded by the fact that I've had to self isolate since Wednesday because my husband has symptoms - I'm frustrated because I am well and feel blody useless at home, communicating virtually with my kids. When the government announced that schools would stay open to provide childcare for front line staff I was happy. I knew I'd be rota'd in - good. I will happily provide childcare if that is what the key people need to do their job. It is literally the only thing helpful that I can do. But, now the list has been released - there are 8 categories, pretty much most jobs can be covered by the list and it seems it applies to two parent households even if only one parent meets the criteria. We could potentially still have hundreds of pupils in school. Parents are frightened about losing their jobs and I understand that. But social distancing is the only way to beat the virus. We have just thrown the entire education system out of the window, but if it doesn't result in an increase in social distancing to save lives, what was it for?!

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

I think it should be both parents as well.

If more than a very small percentage parents exploit this and send their kids in anyway (and at least one on this thread has said they plan to) then this while 'closing the schools' thing was utterly pointless.
I technically could - dh is a key worker - but I don't need to because I'm not, so it would be utterly morally wrong of me to do so.

But that’s going to be the situation for many many families who have two working parents but neither are a ‘key worker’ Haskell... they’ve going to have to balance at least one parent working from home while looking after the children. One of my friends is having to work full time from home with a 5 and a 2 year old... she’s a single parent but not a key worker so that’s the only solution.
Yes people are going to be inconvenienced. No, people won’t be able to concentrate fully on their work with children around. But it is what it is.

Do you know what, Boris Johnson is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.

No. We are all damned that he doesn’t. And by that I mean he didn’t have the balls to take a proper line on this and stick to both parents being key workers. Not minimising they children going to school will risk the lives of many, many more people. Teachers are cannon fodder.

I think they have done ok under incredibly trying circumstances. There are a few 'what about me', 'my child needs this' etc but I think we all need to pull back from the personal level and consider the bigger picture. Taking one of my autistic DC out of school for such a long time is not only difficult because of the lack of routine etc but when it's time to go back I expect we will need a lot of support to get through the door. Her anxiety and panic attacks had just settled down a week or so back after being off at Christmas. I can however appreciate that we just need to realise for a while our lives the not going to be the same. There is a huge problem outside of our doors and we need to step back from how we are being affected individually and do what we can.

Both my husband and I are considered key workers according to that list, though I wouldn't consider my role to be particularly essential. I'll be keeping DC off either way and will wfh where possible so DH can continue to work (NHS).

I'm teaching from home, with a 3 year old under my feet. It's a nightmare, but I'm doing it. People who can work from home absolutely should keep their kids at home . If there are two of you, work in shifts. I'm about to barricade myself in our tiny study to Skype into a meeting at school. I've been self isolating for 3 days and I haven't stopped working. Everyone is going to be inconvenienced by this, and as frustrating as that is, we ought to remind ourselves that we are the lucky ones. We are inconvenienced, not dead or grieving for someone who has died. My dh is a children's author who relies on school bookings for the a large portion of his salary. He has already lost £2500 worth of bookings. It needs to be worth something.

I don't understand how they can expect schools to be open without anyone except the teaching staff. Who will answer the phones, cook the dinners, clean the loos, lock up the site, open up the site, fix any inevitable plumbing issues, send out emails to parents, man the first aid room, continue to process all the paperwork and the massive organisation involved in Induction Days for new starters for next September, return lost property to pupils, answer the hundreds of queries we're getting every day now from parents etc etc? I just don't understand how they can function.

The guidance clearly says that if a child can be cared for at home, they should be, ie if you have one key worker and one non-key worker, kids should be at home. I work for the NHS but my partner will be at home and so will be kids. Not sure why everyone is reading this differently to say you only need one person to be a key worker? Read the guidance properly!

They had to make it be only one parent has to be a key worker because they’ve realised that if it only applies to one parent, critical nhs staff (and others) won’t be able to work. There are many families where one parent has a job that is genuinely essential to society, but they are paid the lowest out of the couple. If they couldn’t sent their children in, the nurses, carers etc would have to stay home so that the other parent can work, even from home, so that the family still has a decent income.

Maybe this will highlight how many of us aren’t actually paid a living wage.

My partner is a teacher. He will still be going to school. I will be working from home whilst looking after 2 young children. It's not ideal, but fortunately my work are being very understanding and have said to just do what we can in terms of working our usual hours as they understand the difficulties but we all have to try to be flexible.

I'm concerned as I'm pregnant and the baby is likely to be premature anyway (both DCs were). DP is going to be going to work and mixing with, what could be, a large number of children who are in direct contact with someone in a front line service. If the baby is born early, then neither of us will be happy to risk him going in to NICU or SCBU when he's potentially been exposed. It's crap but as a teacher that's his job right now.

Everyone has to make adjustments and the right thing to do is to only send your child to school if you absolutely have to.

Everything BJ says is surrounded by ‘hopefully’ and ‘advice’ which selfish people exploit. There has to be stricter rules for the stupid.

Yeah I read it to say that schools can make sure there is no other option aka if there is someone one they can say no

I'm an essential worker ( nhs) as is my husband, however we are not sending our 16yr old sen child into school as I would rather he was home. We are lucky we can make that decision. I have nurse colleagues crying yesterday thinking they may have to take unpaid leave as they earn less than their partners who were being expected to take leave to look after the children. Obviously unworkable for most households as mortgages, bills etc need to be paid and most young families are fairly tightly budgeted to start with.
As with others most used grandparents and therefore unpaid help for school pickups and younger childcare. Nursery bills that are more expensive than the key worker salary are going to be a huge issue in the ability of staff to step up and increase hours to help.

If it was that both parents needed to be key workers then you would get a lot less key workers actually going to work as a lot are part time and generally paid less than the other parent. This way it means that staff are available there to work which is for the greater good.

They have,nt been clear about Special schools yet ,which is frustrating they have just said children with an EHCP every child at a special school has an EHCP my son goes to a special school and has severe autism and learning he couldn't just go to a hub ,and actually I'm not sure I want him in school anyway .

It's utterly bizarre that they've said it applies to children with any parent in those categories (which are broad enough to include my partner, who can totally work at home). There will be some CFers with a SAHP and one keyworker who decide the want to send their kids in. Because some people will always take the piss.

The guidance also tells people not to go to the pub but ignorant morons are still doing that!

The guidance does say several times that if children can safely stay at home they should do. They need to beef this bit up and make it clear that it is the first consideration, only if that condition can not be realised should people then consider if they’re on the list of professions.

Does anyone know what's happening in Italy with these kids?

@x2boys keep them at home if you can.

I'm on that list but I'm not going to send my kids in. I think I'm not the only one who'll be in this boat. I'm third line support for a telecom company and at the start of the planning, our senior management has said they were in talk with government about what companies are in the essential infrastructure list. The things is, if you don't think infrastructure is important, a telecom network going down equals to no phone calls to doctors surgeries, hosptials, emergency services, government and banks. It's actually really important, but gets overlooked. I don't get called in for every emergency, but when things go terribly wrong, I would be.

The guidance does say several times that if children can safely stay at home they should do.

People are incapable of following “guidance”. Spend five minutes on here to find people getting their nails done, meeting friends for coffee, going to the pub.

Teacher in a European school. Gvnmt has 'asked' all to stay home and work from home.
Secondary schools shut as kids old enough to take care of themselves.
Local schools/ nurseries only open to those in kindy, primary and middle schools who have both
parents employed in a critical job.

And it's not just phone calls, we also supply ethernet which means no internet for thses services either.