Key worker children in school

[wembollian]

The original message was definitely that the children of key workers should only go into school as a last resort, but has this message seemed to alter to anyone else recently?

I've seen key worker posters encouraged to send children in while they work from home.Yesterday a BBC article said that parents who don't send their children on 1st June wouldn't be fined, just as key workers haven't been fined if they haven't been sending their children in recently. Of course they haven't been fined - they were encouraged not to.

I am a key-worker on a rota, and would love to send my child in to school occasionally while I get work done on my days at home, but I wouldn't because of the guidance (as well as some safety concerns, but that's a different thread). Has the message changed, though?

Yes, the new guidance doc has a sentence in it which explicitly states that schools should encourage vulnerable children and children of critical workers to attend school if not already.

My DC are going back next week, but we had already made that decision before the new guidance came out.

The government wants more key worker and vulnerable children who would benefit from attending in person to attend - it is in the latest guidance.

@womanvsfood

Thank you for your reply. Are you a key worker, and will they be going back even on days when you don't physically have to be in work?

I've a feeling my kids' school will say no if they know I'm actually at home though. In the beginning they asked for work phone numbers etc so that they could check when you actually work (I don't think they actually did this, but to make their point clear). Can they still say this?

That is outrageous. I’m a keyworker but I don’t work every weekday - sometimes I do nights or weekends. I seed my children to school every day because routine is very important for them particularly when they miss friends etc. It is so much better for them to know what will happen .

Will key work children still be able to attend school regardless of which year they are in come 1st june?

@olympicsrock I've had mine off everyday since this started even though we're both keyworkers because I genuinely thought there was no alternative! They would so benefit from a bit of time in school, especially as I have so much work to do.

Key worker here who can work from home. My kids have been in on the odd days - yes, I work from home but it’s inappropriate for them to overhear clinical phone calls and sometimes i need a few hours to get work done uninterrupted. If between my DH and I we can’t juggle it then they have to go in.

@Mumof1andacat I certainly hope so. This is my fear - that I will be asked to go back to work full time and they then won't take the kids because they'll say I don't need the place as I haven't used it for the last 7 weeks!

Yes, I am a key worker (non-clinical NHS) but the children are primarily going back because I believe it's the right thing for them. School were absolutely fine with that and we can basically book a week in advance whichever days/half days we want.

I've just emailed school and they said they are responding to new requests for children of key workers since the guidance changed.

The new guidance is here

www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers

Can somebody link to the changed guidance please?

X post - thanks!

We are only just starting to send ds to school as up until now I have worked around my dh hours so have been working when he is off during the week and doing bits in the evenings but as of next week I need to be back in the office more as we are trying to get clinics up and running again so ds has to go to school but it will be a struggle as the breakfast and afterschool school club are still now open.

Sorry still not open

I think I will send them for a couple of days, even though my situation hasn't changed, because the guidance has. They surely can't argue with that, can they? I am actually feeling so relieved at the prospect of getting some work done.

7.2 If only one parent or carer is a critical worker, can I send my children to school?
Children with at least one parent or carer who is critical to the coronavirus (COVID-19) response can attend school if required.

Sorry, it's me again. I've copied this from the new guidance - do you think the words "if required" at the end of this answer are a problem, as in I don't require it if I'm at home? I'm trying to be prepared for what their head might say.

I think that might be the old guidance. I don't have the page reference, but this is the paragraph from the new 60 odd page document that was published yesterday (I had copied and pasted for an email to DH!):

But there is a large societal benefit from vulnerable children, or the children of critical workers, attending school: local authorities and schools should therefore urge more children who would benefit from attending in person to do so.

That's their bolding by the way.

I guess 'benefit' can be defined in many ways?

Yes, it's so open to interpretation, isn't it? The bit I copied is from the new guidance, but comes directly above this, which says you can send them if you "need or wish" to do so. I wish to, certainly!

7.3 I am a critical worker but I don’t want to send my child in to school or childcare, do I have to?
Schools and local authorities should ensure that children with a parent or carer who is listed on the government’s critical worker listt_ can continue to attend school. This is an offer to parents and carers and there is no requirement for parents and carers to send their children to school if they do not need or wish to do so.

My child who is vulnerable in terms of how badly her mental and physical health is being affected - she's what we'd normally term bloody clinically depressed by the looks of her right now - has still been told by school that there's no way she's welcome back yet, neither are any kids of families without BOTH parents classed as key workers and the Head is fucking pissed off at the idea of any year groups going back whatsoever.

@DominaShantotto It sounds like our kids go to the same school 🙄.

I find the low number of keyworker children with single parents going to school astounding what are they all doing with their children ??!

Another 3 pages of whining and attempts to egg parents on not to bring their kids back to school just arrived from our school.

Me and dh are both key workers. My kids have been in school on average one day a week. Initially I thought the routine would be good for them of school and they were due to go in two days but as it turned out dh was home more than we thought so it's only been one day we have needed. To be honest I'm glad as school definitely aren't able to enforce social distancing and it's very much childcare/ my son doesn't like going as there is only about twenty other kids in a school of normally 500 and M no one he knows but my daughter likes going in. I personally think they're better at hone at the moment if at all possible and I do feel guilty the day we have to send them in .
The low uptake of key worker places (think it's about 5% on average ) makes me nervous about sending mine in .
When /if my year 6 daughter goes back I will send my son (year 3) in more but not on my day off.