To resent parents who are still sending their kids to school on Monday

[letmeinthroughyourwindow]

Not the genuine cases, obviously.

But I'm a teacher and we will be opening for the duration because 40% of our pupils have at least one parent who is a keyworker.

Before the list was released, the government told us to expect 10% and we planned accordingly. In fact, we planned for 20%.

When the list was released, it was so broad that far more parents than we ever expected fell into one of the categories.

Now, if your need is genuine then of course I want to care for your child. I'm happy to do it, and proud that doing so keeps you working.

But we have so many parents who are allowed to send their child to school, but shouldn't be, that it's infuriating me.

If you are a keyworker but your partner is a stay-at-home parent should you be sending them in?

If you are a keyworker but your partner works from home or is allowed to work from home indefinitely, should you be sending them in?

My sister's employer is allowing all employees who are parents to work from home on full pay, but many are saying that they don't need to, because their partner is a keyworker so their kids can still go to school

Just because you can send them, doesn't mean you should. It shouldn't be the best or easiest option for you, it should be a last resort if there is nowhere else to keep them safe.

The number one, most critical piece of advice for keyworker parents is, 'if it is at all possible for children to be kept at home then they should be.'

Please don't think I'm lazy and cba babysitting these children. I cried when my class went home yesterday, and care about every child in school. If I am in work full time anyway, then it really doesn't matter how many children are in the classroom.

But so many people don't understand social distancing. They are walking around like they are immortal, or only thinking that they themselves will probably be ok if they get it. For social distancing to have the desired effect, then everyone who can be at home, should be. If there was a chance of your child dying from this, would you send them to school? Well then think about who might die because they came into contact with your child.

And all of this brought on by a friend who called me last night to say that she is thrilled to be able to send her child to school on Monday because she is a deliveroo driver, even though her unemployed bf will be home all day on the PlayStation.

Both my sis an her partner are keyworkers so her 2 children can go school she has told the school there not going as there coming to mine instead if we can all help each other out it would make this horrible situation that little bit easier

I hope afterwards, when all of this is behind us, we are able to clearly see the people who made good, selfless choices, and those who did not. I wouldn't want to be known as someone who endangered others. The trouble is those sorts of people don't give a shit about their reputation. Just look at the panic buyers. They would sell their granny for a loo roll. You can't change human nature.
On another note, I'm a former teacher and would not want to be in school at the moment. Apart from the danger of infection, the disruption to routine must be incredibly stressful for everyone. So I salute all teachers in school.

It's not about inconveniencing him, it's that if he wasn't actually WFH he'd lose his job.And yes, he really is shut in his study all day.*

That's actually really unlikely. I work in that kind of job (global finance) and everyone now understands that things have to change. Everyone globally is working home and anyone with children anywhere in the world will have them at home too. We're expecting cats, dogs, kids and other halves to appear on video calls, we're expecting people to have to do calls at odd times to accommodate childcare, we're expecting other members of the team without kids to step up and help out. This is a global emergency and everyone has to roll up their sleeves and fundamentally change the way we work. It can and will be done, and people like your husband will be in the minority here.

To be honest, I'm hoping that this gives rise to a longer term change in the relationship between parenting and work which permanently changes society for the better.

To be blunt, how many deaths are your husband's video calls worth?

"OP - You've lost me if you really don't understand that vets are a vital service. Are you lacking in intelligence, compassion or both? What do you teach?"

Lots of people might think so but the government don't at present.

Would it make you feel better if I said that this family are two vets, own business, one child? Maybe they will have to work in shifts. I don't know. Lots of people are having to find creative ways of working.

@Dawnofanewmillenium Kids ending up dead and in care is far worse at the moment rather than accommodating them at school. There is a reason that the government specifically wanted vulnerable children included. To be resentful of those children is wrong.

The trouble at the moment is that in families with one key worker, are seeing it as an opportunity to keep the other parent who is not a key worker going to work- they are not prepared for a parent to stop working for the sake of their or other people's children. In families with no key workers then one parent is probably giving up work to look after the children. All families should be making this sacrifice to keep as many people as safe as possible.

10% of children in my school would have been 20 children- in reality there'll be around 60 children coming in next week- for me that means me and my family have six times more chance of contracting coronavirus than we would have if I was just looking after those that really needed it!

I don't have a choice though- I can't work from home, I can't distance myself and keep 2m from these young children, there'll be no masks or protective clothing, and they are more likely to be carrying the virus than other children because many of them have a parent who is healthcare worker.

I would think a large animal vet is a key worker just now. Farms need to keep going. Small animal vet, not so much.

I know someone who is sending her 2 teenagers in (14 & 15). Her and her DH are key workers. They leave them at home all the time overnight when they feel like it. They can do online schooling. They’ll be alone home before and after school. It’s ridiculous.

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

Read the detail:
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.

Schools, and all childcare providers, are therefore being asked to continue to provide care for a limited number of children - children who are vulnerable, and children whose parents are critical to the Covid-19 response and cannot be safely cared for at home

Parents whose work is critical to the COVID-19 response include those who work in health and social care and in other key sectors outlined below. Many parents working in these sectors may be able to ensure their child is kept at home. And every child who can be safely cared for at home should be

If your work is critical to the COVID-19 response, or you work in one of the critical sectors listed below, and you cannot keep your child safe at home then your children will be prioritised for education provision:

Because they are arrogant, marsha

I think some people genuinely believe poor people eat their children for dinner, whip them and brutally keep them cowered and shaking in the cellar. School, by comparison, is light and warmth and books and well, we can’t have the Unemployed spend too much time with their own children, can we? Just think of the nasty habits they could pick up.

fedup exactly, it’s assuming that because you claim certain benefits you’re such a shit parent that people are better off dying than your child being left with you

Schools etc need to get tougher with irresponsible parents and say No if there is another parent at home

Our head has denied a lot of the requests for places, wherever the other parent is available or e.g. teachers can take the kids into the school they work at (that's what Our teachers are doing). I think it's different for vulnerable children but it's much safer for the rest if they stay at home whenever possible.

Then keep her off donkey

If you can’t cope with your child at home, despite not working, that suggests to me there’s a deeper root cause here and that school is not the solution to all those problems.

As less teachers are available hopefully the advice will change. It should be lone parents or both parents who are key workers (btw I think vets should definitely be on the list), kinds under 12 or those with SEN.

Those people claiming well my partner has a very important job WFH doing conference calls etc. Well here’s where they can play their part along with their employers. More flexibility over when work is done, it might be at 1am not 1pm, conference calls about next years strategy might get interrupted- who gives a fuck apart from absolute cunts in times like these. I’ve worked from home loads doing that sort of thing. People understand, if they don’t it’s about time they did.

The only pleasure I take in any of this is thinking about the megalomaniac, presenteism focused bosses I have come across must have their stress levels going through the roof as they slowly start to lose control - payback for all the stress they have caused others. “Sorry, what did you say? Terrible signal in the house.... sorry..., sor........”

I’m a single parent and bizarrely a key worker (insurance), I’m self isolating at the moment (7 days to go, whoo!), I will not be sending my son to school. My boyfriend has just lost his job so when I’m back at work I can physically go into work two days a week and work from home the rest. I don’t want to go in, but it means a colleague who has no childcare can work from home everyday.

Personally I think school places should only be for those who absolutely need it, not for those who are finding the situation inconvenient.

Some of our families really do need to send children in. These are severely autistic children who cannot be left alone for even 5 seconds as they'll climb roofs, run away, smash windows etc. Even in current climate families cannot live that way for 3-4 months.

However I do think in these cases it would be better to increase residential care. Emergency residential care. So the pupils aren't travelling about with the virus and families don't die for other reasons.

As a secondary school teacher, I think it will be important to discuss with the students things like the correct way to wash hands, droplet infection, distancing, the importance of not sharing equipment or food, etc. Most students in this age group are able to take more responsibility than we give them credit for.

@Fedupandpoor your DS can go for his benefit, not yours. So his social & emotional development can continue to improve.

I thought gyms etc closing would quell the incidence of stupidity and selfish but now a new well has sprung.

That a man thinks he has to be locked in a room all day to do video calls in a global pandemic has reached a new height. What a fuckwit of epic proportions.

@Ducky

What part of 'we are happy to look after key workers children' IF THERE IS NO OTHER OPTION don't you get?

"It's not about inconveniencing him, it's that if he wasn't actually WFH he'd lose his job. And yes, he really is shut in his study all day. No way could he administer the full home schooling timetable that our DC's two schools require."

I can assure you that no school cares about what home schooling you do. Work has been provided because parents expect it, and it maintains structure for the children, and yes it might help them to keep up with their learning.

If your dc are old enough to watch tv, play with toys, read a book all day so that a WFH parent can do their job, do that.

@zafferana if you had to work in the NHS, I can bet he would work round it.

You seem to forget that many of us have jobs where we are busy and on calls all day. Things are changing, people cant just lick themselves away.

An 8 and 22 year does not need 6 hours of 1-2-1 home schooling.

Many of us have high tepsonsibikuth jobs and are just going to have to manage. Just like your DP would

Just seen a girl post her kids going in as shes a carer. But her husband isnt. Surely you have more chance of catching it yourself from your child, if you are sending them in unneccesarily. Or even worse, if you as a carer catch it and send your kid in who then spreads it to the other kids and most importantly the teachers caring for other kids who have 2 x keyworker parents. It could ruin the whole system. Its UTTERLY selfish.

I'm not excusing it at all but I think people have only really had to think of themselves since the end of WW11. The idea of the government limiting what they can do is so alien they just cant accept it.

My toddler goes to a CM. I'm a teacher but pregnant so WFH, but there is no way I can actually do my job and look after him. DH WFH sometimes but not always and thus doesn't seem to have changed- he could avoid going but that would mean not getting paid.

I dont want to send my son but I cant see any other way.

If the government manage to get on top of providing masks etc for all health care staff, their next priority should be for teachers.

I am not looking forward to working next week surrounded by 4 and year old children whose parents are front line nhs staff.
Literally the most unhygienic beings on this planet with no concept of personal space.

I have pretty much resigned myself to getting this virus. It would be a miracle if I didn't.

Seriously never, you can’t chuck some resources together when he’s in bed? Are you an NQT with no planning at all from previous years?