So many children still going to school next week

[SistemaAddict]

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?

I signed my dc up for 2 afternoons so far but hoping that I can cancel them closer to the time and dh can be at home with them. Maybe some parents are doing the same and signing their kids up as a provisional thing? So actually only a few will turn up

Of course key workers may need help. But yes, there is also an element of piss taking. And sad to say, often where for whatever reason the man just can't possibly wfh or can't possibly wfh and manage childcare so his partner, a key worker, has to apply for a school place for their child. It makes me really cross. DC'S school have insane numbers of people applying for places. It's really not ok. Destroys social distancing and will mean the teachers will not be able to support either group of children properly.

Well said

I think some may drop off when they realise school isn’t still school. It will be childcare not normal school.

The list of key workers is quite rightly huge because the number of key workers keeping the country going is huge!!!

Benefits staff

Banking staff sorting out all those credit and loan issues
Housing staff - those poor people kicked out of the hotel yesterday (hardly like the hotel would be full)

It does go on and on. There’s also more who I would say are essential workers who aren’t on the list, rightly so. But are still needed at the moment. Like mechanics keeping the buses, lorries and key workers cars on the road.
Utilities workers (imagine if the phones stopped working and the internet was off or no electricity)
Plumbers, drains backing up and your self isolating or you’ve water pissing out flooding your house.

Parts suppliers for the above
Pretty much none of which can be done at home.

I hope that parents will be sensible enough to only send them in if they are doing important frontline work outlined by the government and because they have absolutely no other option.

Sending your child in just because you loosely fit the category and just don't fancy keeping them home is dangerous to them and all others at the school.

A staggering number of jobs are essential though: utilities, supermarkets, food supply, dealing with refuse, funeral, crematoria, etc etc. And in most families both parents work.
Obviously you also have kids with EHCP etc.
I agree that parents should only be using the emergency childcare provision if they HAVE to for society to work, but J imagine a surprising number of families fall into that bracket.

I genuinely think it’s a knee jerk panic of schools closing “oh look I can still send them in and life goes on as normal”
I think it will settle down when kids realise their friends aren’t there, their teacher isn’t there and it isn’t “school”.

I feel for the kids who need the routine and structure of school, with or without a plan. They aren’t getting that even if they aren’t going in.

DD goes to a HUGE nursery but she will be 1 of 10 next week so nowhere near their usual. Obviously we expect hours to change (she usually goes 7.15-4.45).

Just because someone doesn't work on the frontline, it doesn't mean they are not key workers. I work for the NHS and I'm office based - I'm a key worker. Without what we provide, the NHS wouldn't be able to continue - there'd be no GP's with video capabilities, there'd be no way to get self-isolation notes online for yourselves, there'd be no way for nurses and doctors to check your records to see if you had an allergy that could kill or seriously harm you.

Colleagues of mine have been working 18 hour days to push technology where it's needed. Technology that we didn't know even needed to exist in the short term, until 10 days ago.

My nursery also told me that they classed me as a key worker because the list came out - I suspect mainly because we get no free hours for DD so it's at least one child who is paying full whack that they can keep to help keep afloat.

*before not because