Critical workers working from home-do children still have right to school place?

[Molly357]

Just that really. I can’t find any info about it.

I was working at home last time and I was allowed to send mine. You dc’s school would be the best people to ask.

I think different schools have different policies. Some are only allowing children if both parents are key workers and not working from home, it probably depends on capacity. Ask your school.

It would have to be variable. I can totally appreciate that you would need to send in a YR-Y3 age child in order to be able to function in your job. I would expect y4-6 age kids and all secondary age kids, unless they have SEN, to be able to leave mum & dad alone during work hours

It does dd on the Job too though.

For example a social worker dealing with child protection case reviews might be able to work from home but it wouldn’t be appropriate for children of any age to hear the conversations.

Depend

I'm in this position and I'm going to ask if mine can go to school.

My eldest went back in June as I'm a key worker. My youngest was yet to start school at that point.

The local authority model letter is very 'only take up a place if you really need it' but the email I received from the school doesn't have that 'vibe' so I am going to ask.

At our school there is no expectation that a critical worker at home be expected to provide childcare. Unless the child is older it isn't reasonable and as someone pointed out some conversations could be confidential.

However the staff do look at what the other parents job is and ability to do it... ie if a single parent probably not

There have been cases of dad being a critical worker and mum being a SAHM still trying to send children in.

Our school is preparing better for it this time. The criticism of failure to provide any meaningful education in lockdown 1 had some merit to it and this time teachers are aware if the school is closed they will be all working either providing for key workers kids or prepping lessons for online learning and support.

The head is currently dealing with the start of protests just about next week! I understand "the union" is on it already and has asked for a meeting with the HT

Your employer also needs to designate you as a key worker. Ours will not if you can WFH.

I'd hope so. It was last time.

I wfh but have to be available to go out on visits if anything urgent comes up (social worker) and you can't predict when so would need child to be in school.

My school says both parents have to be critical workers.

The only stipulation from my kids school is that both parents should be keyworkers, which we are. DH is a teacher and so will be in every day. My job is partially able to be done at home, but as someone mentioned above, there are confidentiality and privacy issues. My time out of the house also varies at short notice, so I've requested they go in for my three working days, even though I'll be at home for some of it.

Mine went in last time while I was wfh. I'm police and dh is NHS (mental health). We were allowed as highly confidential conversations.

I think it's really wrong that individual schools can change the parameters

We're both key workers but because I'm WFH I'm not allowed to send my ds. He has ASN and needs one on one support to do any school work. DH is at work all day and I'm a critical worker but as I can keep him safe at home (as long as he is watching TV all day) he isn't allowed to go to school.

It really does depend. If they don’t have the staff, they don’t have the staff. It is that simple. Especially if the school is near a hospital or military camp for example. Choices will have to be made. That isn’t on the school. That’s piss poor management from the DfE who should know what the issues are.

@Itisasecret

If they don’t have the staff, they don’t have the staff. It is that simple. Especially if the school is near a hospital or military camp for example. Choices will have to be made. That isn’t on the school. That’s piss poor management from the DfE who should know what the issues are.

Why wouldn't schools have the staff. It is no different to if all the children were at school full time except that some teachers think they should be at home doing nothing or claiming they have childcare issues when their children qualify as parents are key workers etc.

Also, that is nothing to do with the DFE at all. It is local management and leadership in some schools which is piss poor who think it is alright for kids to not have any education when at home.

What has been "piss poor" by the DFE is the ridiculous timetable and expectation around Covid testing and expecting schools to set it up and recruit through Christmas. It has been a farce

[quote MarieG10]@Itisasecret

If they don’t have the staff, they don’t have the staff. It is that simple. Especially if the school is near a hospital or military camp for example. Choices will have to be made. That isn’t on the school. That’s piss poor management from the DfE who should know what the issues are.

Why wouldn't schools have the staff. It is no different to if all the children were at school full time except that some teachers think they should be at home doing nothing or claiming they have childcare issues when their children qualify as parents are key workers etc.

Also, that is nothing to do with the DFE at all. It is local management and leadership in some schools which is piss poor who think it is alright for kids to not have any education when at home.

What has been "piss poor" by the DFE is the ridiculous timetable and expectation around Covid testing and expecting schools to set it up and recruit through Christmas. It has been a farce [/quote]
Because staff are off sick or isolating. If they are sick, no provision. It’s not rocket science.

If you can’t understand that, there is no helping you. Sorry.

@Itisasecret
Oh I totally understand but when a school is operating, if a teacher is off then they HAVE to provide so get in temp staff. This is no different.

When the testing is out in place...they won't need to isolate either

[quote MarieG10]@Itisasecret
Oh I totally understand but when a school is operating, if a teacher is off then they HAVE to provide so get in temp staff. This is no different.

When the testing is out in place...they won't need to isolate either

[/quote]
If you think that is possible. Then you are very lucky to not work somewhere with a high % of KW and V in the area. Staffing is a real issue even on ‘skeleton school’. That’s before you even get on to how safe it is with school as normal.

I am genuinely very worried the DfE incompetence will lead to KW and V children out of school when they could be in.

Similar to PP, we're social work and policing, so although we can wfh we need the kids to be in if at all possible, for a whole host of reasons including the confidentiality.
Both kids' schools are happy to accept them in, Yrs R and 4.

@Itisasecret
*
If you think that is possible. Then you are very lucky to not work somewhere with a high % of KW and V in the area. Staffing is a real issue even on ‘skeleton school’. That’s before you even get on to how safe it is with school as normal.*

I don't think ours are hugely different. We probably have significantly less vulnerable but a high proportion of key workers, a lot of doctors, nurses, police, teachers etc.

Staffing has always been an issue since Covid, but like I said, there is no difference to if the schools move inky having KW/V kids as opposed to being fully open. If anything it's easier, although as said before, our school has committed to online learning for every lesson this time.

What I do know is someone working in a inner city school with extremely high levels of V/KW kids and they are coping....not ideal as many staff shortages are short notice...we know they are going for a test and they are out until the result etc....

We are both shift working key workers. Even though we can organise so one of us is at home at all times our kids will be going in. It is not possible for us to educate 3 children before/after a shift which requires us to be constantly alert. We need to rest. Luckily our school is happy to have them in, and if there was a shortage of places we’d give ours up ahead of others who need the childcare, but would only be able to do it for a very short while.

Also if schools have so many KW children social distancing can't be effective. This is about minimising risk.