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

A poster on another thread said only 1% of pupils in her secondary school would have parents on the list. There are huge differences of opinion here! We need a balance and we have to recognise some people need to work to keep a roof over their heads. We need people to work to keep the country ticking over.

I do think schools shouldn’t put all the DC into one school. They should staff their own schools and have their own teachers in. Crowding DC into one building is surely counter productive and not helping in the way closure was envisaged.

They should staff their own schools and have their own teachers in.

Yes. Risk more teachers.

Totally agree. I think it will make it worse. Understaffed classrooms still half full, less clean due to staff absence and teachers unable to supervise hygiene and hand washing. I know a family with a sahp that are still going to try and utilise the childcare because it’s inconvenient for them to have the kids home. Absolute joke. I assume schoolS will be given power to say no if someone is clearly TTP.

The reality is that these difficult times and unknown future requires flexibility and as many options as possible to be open.

Things will pan out.

Just be decent. Encourage others to be decent. Support each other and - although this does stick in the throat - support the government measures. We need to be behind it all.

Totally changed my mind over the last 24 hours. I work in leisure and exDH is a prison officer. We were going to leave the DC in school under the key worker rules so I could continue working school hours and his contact weekends. However, I realise now that this won't work to help control the spread so my DC are now staying home. As none of us are showing symptoms we are 'swapping' home school days with a colleague until our work shuts. I'm just hoping the UC system will make adjustments and/or the government come up with something solid to protect the small business I work full time for.

I see how some people could think that parents where only one is a key worker are selfish by taking up the school place but in some industries no work equals no pay. Anyone would jump at a school place if they were desperate enough. I won't judge those that do. I'm just fortunate enough to be able to choose.

I've got a double whammy of one child having an EHCP and that I'm a key worker, but DH is WFH so they're not going.

I'm already trying not to bring Coronavirus home with me, I really don't need to worry about them bringing it too. Since I work with Corona every day I'm quite likely to bring it home to them, and then they take it in to school, so that's another consideration.

Not sure what some of you lot actually want to happen.

Some people at times like this are required more than others and of those, some are still required 'in the office'.

There's no right answer to this and if some of you think you can plan a response to a pandemic better and keep everyone happy then please run for Parliament.

I suppose that if the requirement was for 2 key workers then all that would happen is many key workers who have partners who earn significantly more than them would be forced into quitting their jobs for economic reasons (even though they would have been prepared to carry on working otherwise). There needs to be a level of compromise to enable as many key workers to continue as possible (esp hospital and medical staff)

A colleague says that she read that the, 'key worker,' only applies to single worker families?

Has anyone else read this?

My local school have stated that the children of key workers can only attend if BOTH Parents (or single parents) are key workers.
This has put my best friend in a awful situation as she is now unable to continue working as she has to stay home with the youngest, while her DH is a key worker who does part time hours as he changed his hours to fit around school hours. Hes been told by his managers they wont be increasing anyone's hours, so now shes in a situation where they will likely lose their home as they cant live of his hours only. She isnt entitled to any pay due to having to be home with the little one or sick pay due to being with the company just under a year. It's a awful situation.

We are a key worker and a sahm ...our kids will be staying home - it may well make it very tricky for the keyworker to wfh though ...

"Unfortunately the list relies on an element of people making sensible and maybe selfless decisions, which many won't."

This, absolutely. The list cannot be definitive and it drives me nuts that people talk about the 'long-awaited list' when all these things are a reaction to a fast-changing situation. It relies on people using their intelligence to interpret it, which I'm sure most people in charge of the local school situation will be able to do. Beyond that though, clearly people are going to get confused and enraged as if they could do better.

My kids primary has just messaged saying they are limiting to children who are vulnerable or have both parents as key workers. One of my children is vulnerable and I am a single parent. It depends how long this goes on if I will need to ask for that help. The school has offered if.

@SushiGo I'm sorry your child has SEN and is struggling but everyone has some reason for why social distancing doesn't seem to apply to them.

It is infuriating.

Extraordinary times extraordinary measures. This is no common cold. This is a new viral infection.

And it is chance and luck.

We MUST do everything we can to try and limit the spread - the nhs will be overwhelmed otherwise....as other conditions will continue as well...

There needs to be sense and method in the madness and truly we should all assess how necessary are current role is. Harsh I know...

But look op - you can find a role, once your self isolation is over (and let me point out that once any member begins to show symptoms again it is yet more weeks of hiding away) -

What about starting your own unpaid service for those in need of childcare? For the age group you teach?

How about offering a home tutoring service unpaid in your area?

Normal situations cannot continue at the moment. They just cannot. Not yet.

Yes, we could ostensibly see a change in the tide in 3 mths if we worked together.

In the meantime let us do what we can - so you can't teach at your school. You are an education provider - teach where you can - and if you can't just do something else for a short while.

Farmers need pickers. Shops need shelf stackers. The elderly at home need shopping aides.

We can do this, or we will regret this in the end.

Much love, an nhs key worker :) xxx

I’m a key worker currently on day 3 of self isolation my dd is 15 but is quite capable of looking after herself plus I only work 2 half days and 1 full day and my dh can work from home if need be
My friends a teacher and the school she works at are even providing cover over the Easter holidays it’s ridiculous

Read the text of the actual government announcement:

And the most recent scientific advice on how to further limit the spread of COVID-19 is clear. If children can stay safely at home, they should, to limit the chance of the virus spreading.
That is why the government has asked parents to keep their children at home, wherever possible, and asked schools to remain open only for those children who absolutely need to attend.
It is important to underline that schools, colleges and other educational establishments remain safe places for children. But the fewer children making the journey to school, and the fewer children in educational settings, the lower the risk that the virus can spread and infect vulnerable individuals in wider society.

I agree with this and have 3 kids with SEN (4 in all) and I'm a single parent. I'm worried about my mental health and that of my children BUT more worried about the country and people dying. Putting vulnerable children in with teachers they don't know will make it worse for them.

The bottom line is that all jobs exist because they have purpose, especially after austerity. The only sectors we really could throw out and not have major impact in terms of basic human needs are beauty and fashion, pubs and restaurants, plus religion - we might need social rites, but they don't need the mummery attached. Anything to do with communications, distribution of resources, creation of resources is necessary.

I've always had a sneaking feeling that politicians no longer have any idea how specialised economies work and simply can't cope with the need for structuring modern demographics.

This is supposed to be an emergency shutdown to slow the spread, enable the NHS to cope with a more distributed caseload over time, and buy time for vaccines to be found and produced. It is an emergency, events have moved quickly, clearly detailed contingency planning was not in place or was inadequate. Hopefully more details over how this sea change will work will be worked out over the coming week. It might be a good time to introduce the concept of Basic / Citizen's Income and distributive economies again.

@space83 - I cant do any of those things. I will be in school, providing childcare. I will do this happily. However, if we have hundreds of pupils in because the guidance is so wishy washy that lots of people can identify themselves as a key worker, my family, those kids, their families, the wider population are no more safe than they were when schools were open. But we have still lost the exams, the curriculum and maybe three months of learning. Even when I'm not in school, I am at my desk teaching virtually and preparing catch up resources for when we go back.

Our school is still awaiting figures of who will be in, they haven’t actually asked parents though so unsure how they will know unless they were waiting on the list- which only leaves them today to find out numbers. My husbands job is on the list but luckily I am able to stay home so my children will not be attending. Where we live they have announced no senior schools will be opening at all.

I can’t see there being a lot of kids in- the numbers this week in al log my DC schools have been extremely low.

All my*
Not al log whatever that is!

The guidance seems contradictory.

One one hand, it’s

..children should be at home unless essential

On the other, it’s

...This massive long list of people are key workers and they’ve still got to work so the kids have to be looked after.

"I think it should be both parents as well."

I dont think they've stipulated that because you will get people whose partner is not well enough to care for the children. So they've said, of course if you dont have to use this facility if you have care at home. Are people really going to use this if they have someone at home anyway. If it was me, I wouldnt really want my kids going there.