Anyone's school taking non-keyworker kids outside of YR/1/6?

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

A friend is being taken off furlough as of Monday. However she is a lone parent with a child not in the accepted year group.

Her ds's dad is not on the scene. Friend works term time only 9.30-2.30 so has not required childcare ever. She is on minimum wage.

Is it worth her calling her son's school and seeing if they have capacity? Or is this cheeky fuckery? I'm not entirely sure what else to suggest, as even if she is able to find a CM with space, she simply couldn't afford to suddenly start paying 140quid a week etc for the care. It's over half her income.

From the 1st of June they can take critical workers children as well as key workers children. It’s on the gov website

Yes lots and lots at the school I work at. It's been encouraged for those that want to return.

AveEldon many private schools do have key workers too - you do realise that doctors are key workers?

No...year R, 1 and 6. No-one else to go back. DEspite the previous promises..

Ours is taking year 5 and 2 as of Monday. It is also sneaking in non keyworker kids in other years if the parents ask. Head is determined to get as many children as possible back before the summer, all staff are back teaching and happy to be there.

Please can I ask Drivingdown and other posters whose schools are bringing more kids back how they are going about it? How many days are kids being offered and are they doing this whilst sticking to 2m distance in the classroom? Thanks.

@KittyOSullivanKrauss

Please can I ask Drivingdown and other posters whose schools are bringing more kids back how they are going about it? How many days are kids being offered and are they doing this whilst sticking to 2m distance in the classroom? Thanks.

We are taking all years back from 22nd, at least a day a week. Bubbles at this point of about 8, 2m distancing with desks in classrooms. If advice goes to 1 meter, we have a plan to double up. (I'm a Governor).

Mine is also taking Y5 and Y2 now

They are back full time. They are basically just using all available space and all available teachers. We already had an unused mobile classroom, a library which has been commandeered as a classroom, a room called the studio’ that was used for drama etc and another separate indoor area that was used for breakaway group working. Lunches are being eaten at desks so the hall is also being used as a classroom. One of the parents at school has a shop fitting company which currently has little work so he made some dividing partitions. The headmistress was planning to get all year groups back before the summer from the day schools were closed so she had time to get everything ready as far as was possible. We are lucky in that we have no shielding teachers and only one vulnerable (who is staying at home setting work for those still being taught at home), whereas some on her say they have 1/3 shielding or vulnerable which obviously makes things more difficult.
It will be trickier getting years 3 and 4 back but the head is looking at ways to make it possible, even if just for a week.

And yes, 2m distancing stuck to in all indoor learning areas. Meant to say also that reception are being taught outside as much as the weather permits.

Definitely, do ask. My school, which is currently open to key workers' children, YR, 1 and 6 are considering opening to a limited number of other pupils (pupil premium, borderline vulnerable and under achieving etc) and would be sympathetic to requests from parents.

Thanks for the replies. Also a governor here, just trying to understand what is possible.

So as not to derail the point of the thread, I agree with other posters that it's worth the OP asking at their school.

@KittyOSullivanKrauss If you want to PM me, feel free.

From what I can gather a lot of schools are having more children back but not full time. Whereas other schools are having less children back but full time. Bigger schools sometimes have more support staff available but not always. All schools are so different in terms of staff and buildings.

The school can only say no so worth a try

Our high school has sent us a letter saying if we are struggling / our child needs a quiet study environment etc etc that we can contact them and ask for a place. Any year group.

My Yr 5 starts back on the 22nd then every other year will be added a week at a time until the whole school is back for the final week.

They are doing half the class Mon-Tues and half the class Thurs-Fri.

We assume not but have not been officially told that!

Fantastic to hear of schools with determined heads doing all the can despite the chaos from Government etc. Heart warming.

I was offered two mornings a week for my year 3 and 4 children which I have accepted and I am not a key worker. This was because uptake on places for the other years were so low and some teachers weren't even needed back yet. We fall under the vulnerable category however due to involvement with social services/childrens services following my husband's suicide and the children's huge behavioural issues after and it was agreed prolonged time away from school would undo all of the hard work it took to get them back on track. It's definitely worth asking though! I haven't told anyone I know in case it causes a backlash! Our school have always been bloody fantastic and have been amazing helping me.

@TheWildRumpyPumpus have you had any problems with your plans to open to other year group? We had our plans to open to year five scuppered because of potentially those children not being insured. (Have since found a way around this!)

Just to point out it’s not always about determination, if you don’t have the staff or space what can you do? Great if you do and can open further , you should but please don’t be fooled into thinking not opening further is down to laziness.

all children going back part-time if they want to by the end of this month.

Our infants school just has keyworker and reception children in at the moment but are taking Y1 children back on a week on/week off rota from 15th June. They are then closing the school to everyone except key workers for the last week of term so that Y2 children can come back to have a leavers week before moving to junior schools in Sept. I think it’s marvellous.