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Covid

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Original poster

So many children still going to school next week

60 replies

SistemaAddict · 20/03/2020 19:17

My DC's school closed to nursery and reception yesterday. They were due to close today the same as other schools but last night they announced there weren't enough staff to keep those classes open today.

Key workers are sending their children in next week and the school has made provision for this. However, so far nearly 25% of the reception children are going in next week. There is supposed to be provision for 10% as far as I know (I could be mistaken about that though but think I read or heard on the news those are the expected figures). How on earth are schools going to keep providing a place for all these children when more and more staff go off sick? They've been dropping like flies all week hence closing the early years yesterday.

Surely this isn't sustainable for long? Should it be both parents being key workers to get a place rather than one?

OP posts:

cantdothisnow1 · 20/03/2020 19:24

my brother and sister in law are both key workers and are only going to be sending their kids to school one day per week where they can't juggle shifts so one of them can be at home. The guidance is that they SHOULD BE AT HOME WHERE POSSIBLE, clearly some parents are taking the piss.

Emms89 · 20/03/2020 19:31

I know!
A mum from my sons class has said on our group message that her child is in Mon to Fri next week, 9am-3pm. She works for the NHS but only part time, 1 weekday and 1 weekend. I feel like people are really going to take the piss!
I'm not a key worker so I'm having unpaid leave to be at home with my children.
Maybe I'm a little jealous as I'm losing out on money - but at least they're safe in our home.

moita · 20/03/2020 19:32

Really feel for the teachers. Have to say though some kids will be better of in school with the increased risk than at home with disinterested parents...

WrongKindOfFace · 20/03/2020 19:59

It’s both must be key workers at our school (or a key worker single parent). I have heard that staff from schools with very few kids in may be moved to busier schools, or kids moved to another school.

Why on earth would you send them in if you didn’t have to?

FuckThisWind · 20/03/2020 20:03

I'm a key worker but chose to manage around it all. It's simply not worth it. Some might say they have no other option, but we will be in lockdown soon and will have to manage without such privileges such as childcare.

HelenaJustina · 20/03/2020 20:10

I’m in a school. It feels like people read the ‘key worker criteria’ but not the ‘and they cannot be kept safe at home’ bit. I have spent the morning calling people and telling them we are aiming for 10% of the pupils to be in, not 50%... it’s a nightmare!

Eminybob · 20/03/2020 20:20

I think the definition of key worker is far too wide and open to interpretation.

DH and I are now on the key worker list, having originally assumed we wouldn’t be. My employer have used this as an excuse to tell everyone they must attend work and will allow no absences for child care.
So we have a place at school, but I know of others which are in much more critical roles have been declined a place as they have another parent in the household not on the list.

I feel as guilty as hell sending DS in, I would much rather keep him off but my employer have given me no choice.

Bluebell1995 · 20/03/2020 22:00

I will be literally on the front line and have still wondered whether it's better to leave ds (y6) home alone than potentially infect school staff.

He's going 3 days a week atm and I work 4. He'll definitely be going less days, as and when I can change my day shifts or if my husband's works ends, which it probably will.

I would never be sending my child if it wasn't necessary, think of the staff and other children involved and their families

sweetkitty · 20/03/2020 22:05

ASN school and open as usual. Most families have one SAHP but are sending their children in. I know it’s for respite and totally understand it but we are very short staffed and it will be hard to keep all children safe. If we get extra help it will be strangers and that can unsettle the children too. We’re all stressed as we cannot social distance the children some have underlying health conditions yet will still be in. I’ve been scrubbing my class and washing a lot of hands trying to keep them safe.

Ladyinamask · 20/03/2020 22:28

I’m a key worker as in front line nurse. I currently work 5 days a week but will be up for re deployment ( probably to icu as I am trained and very experienced in that area). DH also works and is the higher earner and we can not afford to lose his wage.
So my options are to say no sorry I can’t use my skills when they are desperately needed because I need to stay home with my children?

I take the school places and get my ass into work to actually treat people and make the nhs work?

Now to everyone who resents nhs staff getting childcare what do you want me to do? And if it was your mother or father that needs to be nursed in Intensive Care where would you rather I was????

I am seriously getting fed up with how selfish the British public are being at the moment and the resentment of “key workers “. I am a nurse trained in intensive care, who the hell do you think is going to actually work all these ventilations plus everything else that is needed for a patient who requires intensive care?

Sorry for typos btw it’s a bit stressful at the moment

justasking111 · 20/03/2020 22:32

Teachers here are furious that the local council have deemed so many of their employees key workers, they are taking the mickey big time.

Original poster

SistemaAddict · 20/03/2020 22:36

I don't think anyone here is resentful of frontline nhs staff having childcare at school. You are needed at work. It's the people who could keep their kids off with no detriment to anyone else that are causing resentment.

OP posts:

cadburyegg · 20/03/2020 22:37

On the BBC news just now... apparently next week head teachers will have to look at the amount of children in each school and may have to start prioritising places. So just because a place has been offered today, it sounds like it could be taken away if someone else has higher priority or there aren’t enough staff.

Kungfupanda67 · 20/03/2020 22:37

@Ladyinamask no one resents you using the childcare place, and it is families like yours is why they’ve said only one parent needs to be a key worker. Lots of key workers are part time, or don’t earn a huge amount - they didn’t want to force the part time carers and nurses to quit work because their husband isn’t a key worker too.

VEGAS2016 · 20/03/2020 22:43

Im a frontine staff member-nurse. I have to say when i dropped my DD at school today & enquired about her attending next week i got short shrifted from them. I understand the whole situation is stressful but am sure that the all the school staff would rather me be at work if they had to admitted??

TiddleTaddleTat · 20/03/2020 22:47

My DDs school haven't offered places, as far as I'm aware? They just emphasised and encouraged parents to care for children at home, except in exceptional circumstances. My employer sent out an email saying all employees are key workers. So what can we do? Fortunately for us we are two working parents but with neither of us able to work from home - one of us is probably going to need to quit our job.

soupmaker · 20/03/2020 22:49

Bravo @Ladyinamask. Hope you're managing to get the food you need to stay healthy too. I'm aghast at the behaviour of panic buyers and blokes going for pints tonight.

HairsprayBabe · 20/03/2020 22:53

My dad is a teacher and they are expecting 19 children in from the whole school. Average sized 2 form (60 kids per year group) primary in a large city.

All salaried members of staff have been sent home and will be paid. School will be staffed by those who are on long term supply and temp contacts so they can still be paid.

FedUpWithThisToday · 20/03/2020 22:58

I think one of the problems is that not everyone understands what is vital. Obviously front line ICU and a&e workers are extremely important, but others are also 'key' and 'critical' to fighting the coronavirus battle.

I work in mental health, not physical - so some people have assumed it's less important and not relevant to coronavirus. But actually my job involves working with people who might otherwise end their life, or have tried to. The amount of people taking that kind of action, or having those kind of thoughts is increasing at the moment due to CV, and will.only get worse. I wonder how many lives will be lost to suicide as a result of CV and the resulting isolation, anxiety, and other factors.

The NHS, and fighting coronavirus, is more complex than sometimes it first appears. It is not just the ICU workers and a&e staff saving lives, and CV isn't just going to impact physical health.or cause death directly.

Chelsea567 · 20/03/2020 23:00

I'm a key worker but fortunately my Dd is 16 so I won't be sending her anywhere. Why would anyone want their child in school with this going on. My dd hasn't been in for the last week.

june2007 · 20/03/2020 23:01

I can send bothbut am not sending my 2 year old. She has been given work to do at home and is older. My oh is home but has disabilities meaning my 12 yr old would end up having to look afer my other child if he was off too.

PanicAtTheTesco · 20/03/2020 23:07

Emms89 this may be school policy. DH and I are both NHS key workers, but I don't work on a Monday. When I informed my DCs school that I could support their learning at home on a Monday to relieve the pressure I was told it was either in for the full week, or not at all, so in for the week it had to be.

Mammyloveswine · 20/03/2020 23:13

There hasn't been enough time to sort things properly...I'm a teacher and a single parent...

As it happens I got my rota and I'm only in school Monday next week (I'll be working from home after!) so I only need one day for my son.

But I didn't know this when I filled in the form for my children's school...

Olawisk · 20/03/2020 23:21

I come under a key worker although not nhs staff.
My son has severe autism and a ehcp. I only work part time and said I wouldn’t need him in all week but i need to check with work as they are insisting we still work and even going to drastic measures about taking our actual pcs home!
The women on the phone said no it’s easier for him to go in for a full week.
He goes to a special needs school.

LottieBees19 · 21/03/2020 00:00

When we start to get the number of deaths like Italy , people will realise it’s not flu. You will find hardly any children sent into school.

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