Key worker kids at school while parents not working?

[Lemons1571]

Is this an issue for those of you who have kids in primary school? Our school has sent out a plea asking key worker parents not to send their kids in when they are not at work. Apparently a few very part time key worker parents were sending their child into primary full time.

Seems odd, when other kids haven’t seen the school since 20th March and there’s no place for them indefinitely (remember September is not guaranteed it’s an unknown). If you’re a key worker did you have to prove shift patterns etc?

Who is this actually for tho?

Children should be the priority and schools should bloody well take them. Hardly any of the eligible pupils have taken up the available places. Teachers should not be turning students away.

I'm a key worker and the school encouraged me to allow my children to attend even the days I don't work.

Of course the schools want them in for a block of time as it will be easier to plan the bubbles, equipment, cleaning rotas, rooms etc.

And until the key worker was furloughed they were needed so don't understand what was wrong with them using the place they were allowed to use. Im not sure why you aren't using it yourself tbh considering you are working. Why be angry at other people using their spaces? It's down to the school to decide how they want to run the week. If they weren't happy they would be telling parents no.

Yes secondary school teacher & his secondary school secretary wife have sent their Y3 daughter off to school each day so they can enjoy bike rides, running, hot tubbing & shopping

I assumed as a HOY he’d have lots of WFH to do but apparently not. We follow each other on Strava & he’s out running / cycling / sea swimming majority of the day.

They’re plastering their time off together all over FB so it’s hard not to see!

it’s really confusing but I think he’s mates with the head teacher.

Lovely people though so doing my best not to judge.

As someone who is a single parent with two young primary aged children, this makes my blood boil. I didn't have my nanny at all for the first stage of lockdown. I now only have her for 4 hours a day when I'm full time as I can't afford to up her hours anymore. I am absolutely done in at the minute.

My eldest was also on the list to have counselling and be referred to CAMHs as the separation from their dad was really traumatic on them.

@Mum45678 have you contacted school to see if there is spaces for them to return. A lot of schools are having non key worker children back if they have the available space although they aren't openly advertising this. I guess it's at the head teacher discretion . Me and DH aren't key workers but still out the house every day working my dc were able to go back to school because there were spaces available.

As someone who is a single parent with two young primary aged children, this makes my blood boil. I didn't have my nanny at all for the first stage of lockdown. I now only have her for 4 hours a day when I'm full time as I can't afford to up her hours anymore. I am absolutely done in at the minute.

Imagine. Not having a nanny. JUST IMAGINE. FFS.

@cabbageking

Each school decides what they can and can not do. It depends on the circumstances.a The definition of a vulnerable child is not set in stone.

This I know two families who are not key workers who’s kids are in school, one is a foster child who is struggles with out the structure, the other a family with two kids that have behavioural issues. The latter one fought tooth and nail for their kids to be in because they refused at first.

I think in any situation you will get piss takers. But for some kids they really are better off at school.

@ohthegoats

As someone who is a single parent with two young primary aged children, this makes my blood boil. I didn't have my nanny at all for the first stage of lockdown. I now only have her for 4 hours a day when I'm full time as I can't afford to up her hours anymore. I am absolutely done in at the minute.

Imagine. Not having a nanny. JUST IMAGINE. FFS.

We email in the week before as well.

I work days, nights, weekends, afternoons, evenings you name it. When I do a full night I send DS in that day so that I can have a sleep prior to going to work.

People who’s blood is boiling out of envy and ‘not fair’ should calm down.

We should want all possible children to be in school as much as possible - education is not optional. The more children at school the better, even if mine can’t go.

And envy here is such a race to the bottom.

I didn't have my nanny at all for the first stage of lockdown.

Our school have said keyworker children have to come in each day to keep their space. We have a really high proportion of keyworker children in the school due to our proximity to a hospital and the local police HQ so they have only taken back year 6 in addition, no space or staff to take back yr or y1 at all.

Seems to be the opposite round here. Key workers are doing everything they can to avoid sending their kids to school. I don’t get it tbh would bite my arm off to be able to send my kids back to school.

I have a keyworker partner and school didn’t massively check about the status of the other parent. But no way would my teens have agreed to go into school at the start of lockdown! Though they miss it now but of course I wouldn’t send them when I WFH. Might be more tempting if you have primary age though

Cheeky? Livid?

Because someone sent a child to school?

Other than jealousy, what reason?

Our children have a right to an education.

I'm much more concerned about the key worker children who are doing part time when there are other families who would do anything to get their child back into education even half time. But have no prospect before September.

Dh and I count as keyworkers. For most of lockdown we weren't eligible for a school place because I am part time and able to WFH and dh was only required to go into work 1-2 days a week. So we juggled like everyone else and fair enough.
On 1st June the guidance changed and anybody who qualified as a keyworker was positively encouraged to send their child in whether there was someone at home or not. At that point the school started emailing everyone encouraging them to use keyworker places. Ds is y1 so is back at school now anyway. But if he was in a different year we would absolutely be taking a keyworker place now. Because that would be the best thing for my child and the rules would allow us to do so. I don't argue with the fact that the rules are massively unfair. But I wouldn't keep my child at home to his detriment just because the rules are unfair on others.

Wife and I are both keyworkers (NHS).

Our kids (two 3 year olds and a 6 year old) only attend the hub when both of us are at work.

Not going to lie. I’d LOVE to send them in more. We’re feeling really burnt out. But we know it wouldn’t be right.

@ohthegoats why so unkind?
Trying to balance working from home and looking after two small children, as a single parent after a separation traumatic enough to cause a CAMHS referral sounds incredibly hard. Lockdown is hard even with 2 parents and/or older children (or the many many grandparents who are quietly taking over unpaid care in our area), and I would totally understand why someone in that situation struggled to manage it alone. Ffs yourself, really...

My DH is a key worker and I am a sahm with 2 younger kids. I send my 7yo 4 days a week to school under key worker Provision. I know it does seem unfair to others but i asked myself would keeping my son at home make any difference to non key worker children? The answer is no, so I did what was best for my family. Each person gets their own opportunities in life you've got to focus on what you can do not what others are doing.

My DS school have asked for key worker kids to be in daily since half term because they've resumed teaching. They just ask that they are collected at normal close of the day rather than the extended key worker hours if it's a non working day.

My school has also set the cut off date for key workers (and years R, 1 and 2) to sign their kids into school as this Friday, after then they're opening up to other kids to fill the bubbles from the years not back in yet. Not all kids will get a spot admittedly but I think it's great they're trying to support everyone.

I'm desperate for a day or two off soon, work in child protection and have been flat out since lockdown. We don't have the home working materials, since that all stays in school, so he'll have to go in if I have any leave or miss out on his learning.

Correction: years R, 1 and 6.

Our school said they’d rather have my ds back in every day than just the 1 day I needed him to go in.
Because it’s easier for them in terms of continuity and planning and because very small classes are actually harder to teach.

At the beginning people were told to keep their children at home if they possibly could. That’s not the guidance any more. I’m incredibly grateful that he gets a go at a slightly more normal education for a few weeks.

Not so long ago people were having a go at others for sending their child in because it was wrong to put them and the school staff at risk. No it has turned to jealousy because their own child isn't going in. I even seen someone complain how unfair it is that a vulnerable child is allowed in.

The guidance changed- from if you can keep your kids at home, keep them at home, to
If you are a key worker please send your kids to school (even if you're working from home)

DD is at school. The school were clear that she is expected to be there every day they are open (4.5 days a week) not just the days I'm working.

I think all kids should be back in school with no social distancing. Where I live, the teenagers are meeting up and hanging out in groups. No social distancing. Why aren't they at school? It's ridiculous. No new cases or deaths in my area for a week.