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Original poster

Should I send my child to school after Christmas- Key worker

57 replies

pisspants · 19/12/2020 08:44

We got the message from school yesterday regarding the staggered return of children to school. My son is a summer born year 7 child and school have said they will be off that first week after the Christmas holidays learning online.
I'm a key worker and work from home and am a single parent and work full time. My work is very busy and requires a high level of focus and accuracy and I often have to make phone calls to the public.
The first lockdown I kept my son home until June when the year 6s were able to return.
My son struggles to work independently and needs a lot of assistance from me to do the online work school were setting before. I finished work at 530 then cooked dinner then made a start with his school work after dinner. After a whole day of being left to his own devices and effectively ignored by me he really struggled to do the work and we quickly stopped doing the school work.The prospect of going through that again really stresses me out.
School have said the first week of January will be online but key workerchildren can attend though from the wording they are obviously trying to discourage it.
I have a few days off over Christmas but will be working several days over the actual holidays with the kids home and safe to say the kids will be spending a lot of time knocking about at home this holidays.
I am nervous that the one week home learning may be extended and that if it is then extended I wouldn't be able to get a key worker place. I also worry that the school will judge me as I work from home.
I just wanted opinions really. I definitely cant work as well with him home.
Another factor is my DD is in year 10 and works really well independently and worked very hard during lockdown. So she would be home. My son would also be very annoyed that he has to go in and she doesnt have to.

OP posts:

rookiemere · 19/12/2020 08:48

Perhaps I shouldn't say this, but if you have the opportunity to send your DS to school and he will learn better there and save you having to work 14 hr days, then that's what I would do.

I also had a key worker letter for the initial lockdown but didn't send DS in as we were working from home and he was 13, so should have been old enough to study independently. Well let's just say it didn't turn out so well and I'm so grateful he has had a full term at school. We're in Scotland and lord knows what will happen next term.

sd249 · 19/12/2020 08:52

I would just give you my opinion / what will happen in my school.

In school we will only be able to offer a baby sitting service.

As a teacher I will be teaching all of my lessons online and helping set up a mass testing centre not teaching key worker children. In our school your Son would be sat in a room with a computer, some headphones and just be told to get on with it. He wouldn't be getting any more help and support than you would be able to give him at home.

In the summer we were able to help students more as we had designated "days" and our online lessons wouldn't happen that day (at the time we were only doing live lessons for A-Level and Year 11, now it's for all classes)

I think that TA's / Admin staff may be the ones watching the key worker children this Jan so they might not even have a teacher.

If it were me - I would keep him at home if it would make him happier, it's unlikely he will be able to get more help at school than you/ your DD might be able to give him at home.

choosername1234 · 19/12/2020 08:58

Echoing what @sd249 has said above. In my experience the schools provide a baby sitting service not schooling.
My son is in primary and attended 1 or 2 days a week during the big lockdown, he spent his days playing games with the TAs. I am extremely grateful for this provision and he had a lovely time (especially the day he was the only kid in school and spent the day in the school office playing races on the wheels chairs and helping with paperwork)

Rollingpiglet · 19/12/2020 09:01

I would send him in. Even if it is just a babysitting service I'd imagine he will focus on his school work better at school, and it gives you the chance to get a proper days work done. You can always re think if you send him and it doesn't go well.

Mousehole10 · 19/12/2020 09:02

Keep him home if you’re working from home. The teachers will have enough to do. Only people who really need it should use it.

kimlo · 19/12/2020 09:07

I don't have to send dd2 that week, but if I was at work I would. If it goes on longer than that week or if it happens again then I will.

Even with it just being babysitting she would be more likely to get on with what she needs to do at school than home with me not here to get her to do it. She didn't do well with having to work from home last time. Plus her sisters year 12 and she would inturupt her from doing what she needs to do.

ItStartedWithAKiss241 · 19/12/2020 09:07

I would send him to school as a mother of a year 7 student that also needs ALOT of help and encouragement from me.
They may only offer a babysitting service but TAs can be invaluable and he wouldn’t have anything better to do at school other than work so would likely get on with it more.
Also say the one week of schooling for extended to 3 weeks.... you can’t keep up the system you were doing for that long- although well done for keeping your head above water this long x

FiggyPuddingFiend · 19/12/2020 09:08

I'm a secondary teacher. If you think he would work better in a school environment then send him in - he won't be in lessons and will probably be being minded by TAs or other support staff whilst he does his online work on a computer, but some students find this easier than being at home which they don't associate with schoolwork.

Sally872 · 19/12/2020 09:12

You need to work, so send him in. Don't feel bad about it. If he is kept working by "babysitting service" then that is better than entertaining himself during the day then having to work with you at night.

I would send him in and if worried not getting enough school work done then do a bit together at the weekend.

Cecily42 · 19/12/2020 09:15

I thought this this “service” was only for key workers who worked outside the home.

cheninblanc · 19/12/2020 09:16

I sent my daughter in last big lock down and we've already discussed her going in on January, she's year 10 but got so much out of it and I'm out at work 9-5 every day as a key worker

MRex · 19/12/2020 09:18

You don't need to try to do 6 hours nor fit school times, but asking him to ramp up at 5.30pm is unrealistic, that would be incredibly hard for an adult to do never mind a young child, work is easier in the morning. Can you supervise him early say 7-9 and your DD help supervise a extra lesson 9-10 then he's got one small exercise to do alone plus he can make lunch for everyone and get an extra hour supervised 12-1pm while you eat, chat and quickly review his exercise with him, then done for the day. He'll get so much more out of a few focused hours in the morning knowing he's then got all the rest of the day to play games.

Didiusfalco · 19/12/2020 09:19

Your a key worker who works from home? I think that’s stretching the definition.

Itisasecret · 19/12/2020 09:21

It is compulsory at my son’s school. My husband could have him at home but he is a key worker child now, solely on my job (used to be his too until he switched career).

All key worker children must be in. Probably because they will learn more sat in school. We didn’t have 5 minutes the whole lockdown to supervise properly because we were working.

FairyFairy · 19/12/2020 09:22

Not sure about other schools but during the last lockdown we only had skeleton staff in- most taught from home and only came in on a rota basis to 'babysit' keyworker students (who just got on with whatever work was set, same as those kids at home).

It's different this time as all our teaching staff will be in regardless. They'll be teaching yr 11 and 13 and doing live lessons from their usual classrooms so the kids in may well be sat in classrooms with teachers. Don't think it's been decided yet tbh.

Annebronte · 19/12/2020 09:26

Send him in. Yes, we’ll be supervising key worker students, not teaching them. They’ll get the same access to lessons as those working at home. But, in my experience, they concentrate better at school where there are fewer distractions. Plus they have the social benefit of being with other pupils.

Findahouse21 · 19/12/2020 09:26

@didiusfalco my dh and I are both keyworkers who can work entirely from home. He is involved in the clinical trials both in the UK and abroad. I manage a team of social workers (child protection) . Both essential roles imo

HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime · 19/12/2020 09:28

You may find the online provision is completely different this time because he is at secondary school and in the first lockdown we were told not to cover new content and most schools just sent out workpacks or put worksheets online with no guidance.
This year schools are expected not to lose learning time and are carrying out live online lessons over Microsoft Teams / Google classroom that is recorded for those who can't access it at that point in time as sharing devices etc.

Cyclingwidow15 · 19/12/2020 09:30

My school has specifically said if parents can or are working from home then this provision is not to be used.

I agree with what @sd249 said.

It’s a babysitting service. During the original lockdown we just let kids watch films, play on iPads etc. They were given the option to do the school work but they weren’t ‘taught’ at all. We were in a large school hall with children ranging in age from 3-11 all sat at 2m SD desks. It’s not an appropriate environment to teach in and when you have 3yo that can’t SD or stay sat at desks running round everywhere and 11yo that have been set structured maths and English tasks to complete! It’s an even more difficult environment to concentrate in than at home surely.

beelola · 19/12/2020 09:30

I wouldn't. It won't be teaching, it'll be babysitting.

Itisasecret · 19/12/2020 09:32

Depends on the school. My children’s secondary is probably about 85% KW. Therefore they have made it compulsory all KW children must attend. That means that it will be a relatively normal school day for them with smaller classes.

Divebar · 19/12/2020 09:33

I’m police and I work mostly from home - hard to imagine but true.

BigPlanes · 19/12/2020 09:35

You are exactly the kind of person these services are for. The service will depend on the individual school, teachers and mix of kids.

Original poster

pisspants · 19/12/2020 09:38

@didiusfalco I collect money that funds public services and also administer benefits for people on low income so they can pay for their rent so that is why it is key worker.

OP posts:

MsAwesomeReindeer · 19/12/2020 09:39

Send him in. Yours is exactly the sort of child the kw provision in secondary schools is designed for. Kids who can't work from home because they aren't independent enough to do it without a parent but the parents are not able to help (for any reason, could be work, health, etc). We were actively encouraging some families to send their kids in last time, as we could see they were struggling.

If you do choose to keep him at home, also take the picture that is supposed to only be 4 days, and kids often miss 4 days of school for various illnesses and it doesn't affect them massively in the grand scheme of things. Obviously if it goes on for longer (which isn't the plan but can't be ruled out with this government) then you definitely need a kw place.

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