Don't put him next to a key worker kid ...

[VicesReturning]

To all the parents apparantly worried and complaining to school about your child having to be in a bubble with a key worker kid ...

Most of these kids have already had it and are likely (though we know not definitely) immune right now!

So they are probably the ones you should be hoping little Jonny sits next to!

[PonderLand]

@Invisimamma at my sons school they did a list of the keyworkers before lockdown. I put his name down incase we needed it but didn't. Now he's going back but in a keyworker bubble. I think every school is doing it differently, they've called my sons place for June 1st a 'keyworker place' despite the fact I'm not sending him in so that I can go to work or get different school hours. I thought he'd be be in with the rest of his class divided up by friendship/ability not by what job I do. I can understand why schools want to keep the existing keyworker bubbles but some schools are finding ways of putting them back into the new bubbles. Will they be kept separate until there is a vaccine? If there's a peak and schools change to normal classes will they try and segregate them again?

[Invisimamma]

My dh works in a hospital but our kids have been at home with me (while I try to work from home), they haven't accessed the key worker childcare but just as likely to catch/carry covid from dh I suppose.

Are they saying they won't be allowed to return to their own class groups because we have a key worker at home? How does the school even know that?

[ElsasSalamander]

At our school wrap around care is only available for key worker kids. So you can choose whether they go back in their usual class or stay in the keyworker bubble but they cannot switch between. We have been very torn on where to put reception age DD. We need childcare but it is in her best interest to be back in her class. So we’re doing everything we can to juggle our workloads to make it possible.

[toolatetooearly]

At our school keyworker reception and Y1 kids had the option of staying in their own 5-day-a-week bubble, or returning to their class for just 2 days a week. We doing the former - my Y1 DD is gutted she won't be with her friends back in her class, but we don't want her suddenly dropping back down to 2 days a week from the 4 or 5 days she's done since lockdown started.

[MyHipsDontLieUnfortunately]

This is pure discrimination. Keyworker kids have been put at greater risk throughout and now they're potentially punished for it because non keyworkers want their childcare cake which they'll probably be able to eat while working from home.

[whattodo2019]

Our school under the government guidelines have said -
Of key worker children need wrap around care they will remain in the key workers children bubble and will not be able to mix with their year group.

Some key worker parents. (Who need wrap around care) are furious....

[PimaDona]

Tbh I’d rather she stayed in key worker bubble. They’re all really good at social distancing now. I don’t really want her in a class with kids who’ve been cooped up for months and shielded from everything

[PimaDona]

My DD is leaving her key worker bubble and going back into her year group. DS year group not back so he’s staying in key worker bubble.

Schools is offering full time whilst uptake is low. If it increases they will have to do a rota system but KW kids get priority

[Msmcc1212]

FFS. People are wanting to keep key workers children separate?!!! I’ve read about the stigma that healthcare workers might experience but naively thought it wasn’t happening here.

[pfrench]

And I'd be much more concerned about being next to a vulnerable child. For eg, one of our vulnerable children has a prostitute mother. Pretty sure she's not practicing social distancing or wearing PPE.

[pfrench]

Why is anyone concerned about key worker children? Children dont transmit this thing apparently, that's why it's safe for schools to open.

[HeyChief]

Our class lists have been announced and my daughter has been separated from her 4 closest friends. She is going to be devastated and I’m worried about how she will cope. I have no objection whatsoever about her mixing with key worker children but I do have objections to her having no friends in her bubble.

[lazylockdowner]

Our school is only opening for 2 days for returning children meaning the key workers kids in years R,1 and 6 will be going between there class group and the keyworkers group on the days that there class group isn't in.

The parents at school aren't happy as you have 15 key worker kids in the group on Monday but on Tuesday 6 of them will join there class then in the Wednesday they will return to key worker and another 5-7 of them will join there class groups only to return to the key worker group again on the Thursday.

[lilgreen]

Talking about my school.Key worker children in 2,3,4,5 are in one group.

[WomanIsTaken]

lilgreen ; are you speaking of a school you are connected with, or your perception of what is happening nationally?
Key workers' children and children from vulnerable families who have been attending school since initial closure and are in R, Y1 or Y6 should be blending back in with their regular year groups. They should not remain segregated.

[Abelard40]

@CheesecakeAddict I know all schools will plan differently but the school I teach in is doing a different faculty teaching each week, to avoid the one teacher trying to teach different subjects problem, and offering more targeted exam support. Keyworker kids excluded from this.

[lilgreen]

Key worker children are in a separate group to yr R, yr 1 & 6.

[Tulipstulips]

And I’m not going off rumour there - it’s what the mum has said herself in the year group WhatsApp.

[Tulipstulips]

I’m not bothered about keyworkers’ children but there’s a girl in DS’s year whose mum thinks “it’s all a big fake” and has therefore been acting “like normal” - I’d rather DS wasn’t in with her, because her bubble will be enormous. She’s from one of the town families where all the aunties, cousins and grandparents etc live locally, and apparently they’re all round each other’s houses all the time. On the other hand, there have been very few cases locally, so....

[PonderLand]

@WomanIsTaken that is how it should be however my son (3) is going to be with other keyworker kids even though he doesn't need wrap around care and he hasn't gone in to nursery since lockdown. Very confused why school think this is okay. How long will he be segregated with the other kids for?

[TitianaTitsling]

Well those who don't want their dc to be with a keyworkers child, well you obviously don't want your child to be taught by a keyworkers, or you or your child to be treated by an NHS keyworker, or given any form of service from a keyworker?

[WomanIsTaken]

X-posted with Banana.
I am so disappointed that this is apparently a 'thing', as suggested here.
What do those parents think teachers have been up to? Teaching the children of fellow key workers every day, that's what.

[WomanIsTaken]

Key workers' children and vulnerable pupils in years R, 1 and 6 will join the bubbles of their year groups once they start back. Only key workers' children and vulnerable pupils in years 2, 3, 4 and 5 should remain in a bubble of their own; not because they need to be segregated, but because their year groups have not yet been called back.
What will happen when those year groups are asked to return is another matter, at my school, every last teacher has been called in to teach bubbles of the returners. There'll be nobody left, and no class rooms left to teach the remaining classes for a month at the end of term as has been suggested.

[TeacupDrama]

the vast majority of key workers haven't had covid never mind their kids some may have had it too mildly to be tested

3.2 million tests 254,000 tested positive thats less than 8%

so 92% of people who have severe enough symptoms to be tested or are keyworkers still do not have it

[bananaskinsnomnom]

Our school is putting “key worker kids” back into their year groups if they are in the returning year groups. Parents have been told and are happy with that. It’s not fair if they can see their classmates back together and they are separated. It’s hard enough as it is. Plus we are teaching normal lessons and minimising what goes online, so therefore it wouldn’t be fair and they wouldn’t have a full online learning platform to use.

Where classes have had to be split, a lot of thought has gone into friendship groups. Initially there was discussion about splitting them ability wise to plough through work a bit faster, filling in the gaps as needed. Then it was decided that the children will thrive better with their friends who they’ve missed, so they’ve been sorted based on friendships and how well they work together essentially (and a little bit of “oh god they don’t get on at all” and one case of “oh god they need to be split up they wind each other up to the extreme”)