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?

Erm reading this I wish I had just signed my kids up as key workers because I fit in the guidance even though We have managed without it.
I thought I was saving spaces for other key workers who really needed it and children classes as vulnerable. Didn’t realise Some people didn’t care about the groups that needed it most and sent there kids in anyway

I have no issue at all with legitimate key worker kids being in school. What I do not like is those CFs identified in some of the posts above who send in their kids to have a lovely, relaxing time to themselves. By doing so they reduce the availability of teachers to help those kids still at home.

Wow my last post was a bit ott. Sorry for that random bout of grumpy

So do we think the key worker childcare provision will cease when term ends? Now that things have moved on from the peak of the crisis?

I think the govt have said it will. Our local holiday club was open for keyworkers over Easter and half term. The school paid for it. I'm guessing they'll be open over the summer, either to keyworkers only or to all if restrictions allowed. I full expect to pay for this and I'm happy to do so. I'm also donating the equivalent to the school of the half term we used.

I resent any suggestion that I don't care about other key worker or vulnerable children. Frankly quite the opposite. My DS being in school frees me up for my work with vulnerable families and children. I made it clear to the school that he could stay home but that we were struggling. He was unhappy, I was spending my days sat in remote court hearings where not only can I not be disturbed at all, he would invariably, due to the nature of our house, over hear confidential hearings and all the details of those, things no 7 year old should have to hear. The school had space and welcomed him back. They're trying to get non key worker children back in now to help out if the bubbles allow. I have not taken a space from anyone.

Because of the bubble system it doesn't really matter at our school.
We can't mix bubbles and a lot of KW parents work shifts so days change. So we can't offer the days the parents aren't working to others anyway, as they aren't static and our bubbles are supposed to stay the same throughout this term.

So we have some Kw children in part time and some in full time, even if their parent isn't at work that day. But it makes no differently us as a school if they come in or not when parent is off work at this point.

@BabyAlexander I don’t think anyone would expect you not to use key worker provision in those circumstances. That’s clearly a job that needs to be done and that cannot be done while caring for a child.

So do we think the key worker childcare provision will cease when term ends?

We currently have no plans for school to be open for KW childcare over the summer break. We will do it only if instructed to by the Government. Our staff - teaching, admin and support - have been working without a holiday break throughout it and they are entitled to their holidays.

@AIMD thanks, I struggled for 10 weeks. It was not an easy decision to send him back. I agonised over it for ages. But it was clear we couldn't continue and the emotional impact on him was huge and I just wasn't available to reduce that. All credit to my team for supporting me to keep him home for those 10 weeks, I owe them all much gin.

I guess every family makes the decision that's right for them. A lot of schools do seem to be saying all in or all out. In those circumstances I don't begrudge a parent a day off.

This would fuck me off. Majorly.
We we both key workers and Ds2, year 6, who should be in school already, can't even get a place.
He won't be in school this year.

I'm so angry, I'm fucking livid.

Oblomov20 you're well within your rights to be livid. I would be. The school must be under huge pressure to not have allowed your a place in those circumstances. Do you have a lot of vulnerable children in your area?

I’m confused about keyworkers. If one parent is a keyworker and the other is at home does the child still have a keyworker place at school?

Apparently so. At the beginning, our school said they assumed it would only be if both parents were key workers. I didn’t challenge it, we just muddled through wfh. DS spent and probably still spends around 12 hours a day in front of a screen. Feel a bit stupid now. It’s all a bit Cummings - following what you think the rules are, no matter how hard it was and the toll it took, then finding out there was an easier way.

My dd is a teacher, HoD and either in school or WFH every day. Her Yr6 dc has gone into school every day from 8/6 but Yr8 dc not at all.

I wasn’t aware the advice changed.

I work shifts, DH has been working from home so our DC’s have been staying home with him. One of our DC’s is in year 6 so is in school every day now which helps!

I’m confused about keyworkers. If one parent is a keyworker and the other is at home does the child still have a keyworker place at school?

I think each school has interpreted that in their own way, probably due to demand on places.

There seems to be a huge variation between schools on this!

Our school asked for keyworker parents to fill in a booking form if they wanted places from 1st June, then places offered to vulnerable and EHCP pupils from all year groups.

Any additional spaces were then filled from nursery, then year 1 then year 6.

Each child has then been allocated a space in a "pod". Each pod has the same pupil allocation until the end of term and the same adults assigned to just that pod.

If you send your child in each day that's fine, if you don't want to send them in that's fine as long as school know.

@Oblomov20 why were children refused a place if you are both key workers?

Part time Keyworker. Mon/Weds/Fri. DD5 goes once a week as that is when I HAVE to be in the office. Got an email from school today to say as of the 22/6 she is to be in everyday, as are all other keyworker children.

We're both keyworkers but I'm part time so only send DD in on my working days, which school are happy with.

We have a few friends who work in ICU, Covid wards etc who sometimes send their kids in on non working days. I think this is a extremely helpful to them given the emotional toll working on the wards is having on medical staff. Some of them regularly work nights too, and struggle to get adequate rest between shifts.

@Uhoh2020

At the beginning they asked only send them in on the days you were working now they are encouraging children to come in every day. They have said they will not allow children to enter a bubble later in the week so if not in on a monday they cant come back in until the following Monday

Same at our school. Started sending ds in after half term. Both keyworkers but were juggling until then. Becoming increasingly difficult and school had space. I'm part time but ds has to go in every day to keep his place

^^This. People have quickly forgotten the stress placed on frontline keyworkers. Who could begrudge them the odd day off now?

I am a key worker and work part time hours (although 5 days a week) and offered to keep DS1 at home 2 days a week but they emailed to say they wanted all children in school to attend full time for consistency.