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.

I agree, I'm a key worker and our schools are providing childcare if one parent is, DH is SE and works from home mostly so he is around and the children are old enough to not need muxh input. DH was initially annoyed that I wasn't taking up the offer, but I don't feel we should so we aren't. DCs weren't keen anyway and the school transport isn't running so it would just be pointless for us. Hoping school send some work next week though!

They are rotating the staff and luckily the school community actually means there is a lot of staff volunteering.

Until the staff have to call in sick, one by one and procedures have to change at a moments notice. What will you do then?

For example, we started off with 87 staff last Monday morning. By Thursday, we were already down to 54, due to self isolation. This is not a system to rely on and abuse.

No, Donkey, YOU are vile.

You are putting lives at risk, and not just one life, potentially many, many lives because you are selfish and refuse to take responsibility for your own child.

I could not of said it better myself! Op YANBU. Selfish and ignorant people!

Absolutely, YANBU we are both key workers. But anticipating that this might arise we made arrangements to work in such a way that we could look after DD between us. She is a v sensible 11 yr old, so would be ok to stay home alone for a few hours if the need arose.

However I have now been sent home from work because of an 'underlying condition'. So I rang school immediately to let them know we would not be sending her for 12 weeks and said we would get in touch if I had to return to work before schools recommences. And

I don't understand why anyone would send their child/ren to school if they didn't have to.
Obvs, I understand that it's going to be really hard work/frustrating and even harder for people who live in appalling housing, have to rely on food banks etc etc. But I suspect they won't necessarily be the ones wanting to send their children to school. ❤️

I take full responsibility for my children thanks 👌 and it was a decision made following discussions between 5 or 6 professionals involved with the children before it was offered. Yes you have already made it clear that means the school think I'm a shit parent (and I beat myself up every single day for being shit already) but it's two children's lives. The irony is that it won't be my child passing anything on because they will only be going from school to home and back again. You don't need to speak to people the way you have spoken to me today.

They are rotating the staff and luckily the school community actually means there is a lot of staff volunteering.

Surely you can see that's not sustainable for anything past the next few weeks. Before long staff will have to self isolate due to symptoms, and the supply of volunteers will dry up.

I have a friend who is sending her 3 children in because she is a carer (she works part time, goes in at teatime so doesn't work school hours at all and her husband and older children are at home) Apparently she needs the rest during the day to do her stressful job 🙄

There is already some guidance from the head teachers union that schools may have to prioritise childcare for some clearly defined cases. The DfE have directed us to submit attendance details to them on Monday morning. The current one key worker situation is surely under review. Childcare of last resort. Last resort!

justchecking are you in Scotland? The rules are a lot more restrictive in Scotland - Eg, food production, distribution and retail is not considered a priority. I think food is more of a priority than the NHS but may be the staff are more ‘replaceable’.

Aesop I'm in Wales

The irony is that it won't be my child passing anything on because they will only be going from school to home and back again.

Given they will be with key worker children all day, who are already more at risk of catching it due to their parents jobs, there's a good chance your child could pass it onto you.

"They're STILL sending their SEN kids in on Monday."

Some children need more support than one parent or even two parents can provide. Particularly as parents are denied the sort of training given to those that work with their children. The possibly short extra time these children will have in school may prevent many having to go into residential care ( not foster care- they are far too complex for foster carers) when it becomes impossible for their parents to cope. Most people have absolutely no idea of the level of care that some children need.

@WaterSheep we will cross that bridge when it comes down to it but ultimately school are expecting that eventually it will balance out to staff going off as others are able to return etc. Same with kids, They are expecting kids being off in a similar way.

I can live with having it passed on to me. It's all been one massive balancing act but at no point have school been pushed into it and it wasn't just one person making the decision, it was several.

Anyone taking unfair advantage presumably thinks it IS an advantage to have their children mixing with others.

Has no one explained to them that the ones in school and their families are not the winners, but the losers. They don't have the option to isolate as we need their parents to be in work.

You carry on donkey, you give no shits about your kids or anybody else’s. I have never felt such dislike for somebody online as I do right now. I’ve just read an article about a woman in her thirties dead from this disease. If that’s your child’s key worker, I hope they plaster your face far and wide.

So what do they do in school holidays and weekends, under?

Some children need more support than one parent or even two parents can provide.

Then right now school isn't the place for these children. There won't be enough staff to offer this level of support.

"food production, distribution and retail is not considered a priority." Wow! someone in authority has a shock coming when he gets home and notices there's nothing in the fridge to eat.

I will also point out that if a child has an ehcp and asks for respite in their home instead, they will be told that the respite is the child staying in school and if they turn it down they won't get any other support.

As soon as I heard it was one key worker in the family, I knew right away it would be open to abuse. Just so many people in this country trying to grab what they can without any consideration for others. It should only be two parent key workers or a single parent family who get the help. What’s the point in shutting the schools??? I personally know a family, dad is a delivery driver, mother works in an office. They are always looking for unpaid baby sitters for there two boys. Me being asked a few times as well as other parents. The mother thinks she’s entitled to send her boys to school, so they have childcare. No thought for the virus. The key worker list should be scaled right down to workers who are right on the front line. Wtf has a vet got to do with it?

I feel so sorry for the teachers who are being taken advantage of by those who really could have their children at home. Their health and their families health is being put at risk by the worst of cf's.

Exactly, harp

@underhisi agreed. Unless you actually live it 24 hours a day it's hard to comprehend that you can't just stick them in front of a tablet and settle for good enough parenting. That's a fantasty. It's literally trying to keep someone with a seeming wish to kill or maim themselves every waking moment in one piece and without burning the house down. On a good night my dd will sleep 7pm-11pm and then 5am-7am. She has a sibling with health problems which often flare at night. It's quite frequent I do genuine all nighters, sometimes even two consecutively. It is a safety issue for two children.

There is zero community resources available right now to keep them out of school. Social care have said the alternative if they aren't at school is emergency care for one of them, not because I'm shit or don't want to parent but because one has severely complex needs and the other also has needs and it humanly isn't possible single handedly for 4-6 months. There isn't any care available for a child with complex needs.

I genuinely don't understand how that isn't understood.

I would love not to send my children in to school but me and my partner are railway staff and if we both didn't turn up to work then no freight carrying food supplies around the country would arrive!

And they never have holidays or weekends right donkey?

They stay in school 365 days a year?