If you can't WFH but you're not a key worker, how are you managing if school closes?

[Waxonwaxoff0]

I'm looking for ideas really. Single parent, not a key worker and can't work from home. I've been told today I can't be furloughed as we are too busy and no one else will have time to do my work. Anyone else in the same situation? If school closes will other childcare settings also have to close?

I'm not a keyworker, I work part time, and I can't work from home. I'm self employed in a practical job. I will have to stop work until primary child can go back to school.

Luckily dh earns our main income and his job isn't affected by a lockdown, so we can afford as a family for me to stop work temporarily. It really sucks for my mental health and our family finances - it's stopping my relatively new career from progressing as it should, and my youngest won't engage with homeschool so I'm pretty much stopping work to stop him annoying his older sibling.

Anyway sorry no help to you op! I know there are many people worse off than me, I have no idea what people are supposed to do.

Yes it's a nightmare. My industry is allowed to operate all through lockdown but we are not key. I was furloughed last time but business has really picked up now so they're saying no which is fair enough, I can see why my colleagues would have too much to do. I can probably a couple of bits from home but I work with specialised machinery/printers and have to take photographs of furniture which can't exactly be done at home.

My parents are early 50s and work full time in key worker roles themselves so that's not an option.

@daisyflowers how are you getting their home learning done? If it was just babysitting it would be so much easier to find a way.

Sorry I mean @Daisysflowers

I think I will speak to my manager as well and see if I can condense my hours to do 4 days a week but longer hours. That would help.

I only work a half day on Fridays so I could make up that time elsewhere. Still don't know if school is opening tomorrow or not yet!

What a shame OP. Hope you get it sorted

@musicalfrog grandparent is going to try and do some work with them on their 2 days the other days I will try here and there to help but most of it will have to be done at weekends when I have time to sit with him. Which is the last thing I want to do after being a work all week!

One more "school is not childcare" post and I'm going to lose it. I'm sorry OP, it is shit. I can WFH and am still stressing. I don't know how some people do it really!

There is another thread on here where a mum is being berated for not doing enough research into her babysitter, but all the minimum wage workers are somehow meant to magic up a quality nanny in a day.

Thank you @daisyflowers grandparents can be wonderful like that can't they?

[quote musicalfrog]@daisyflowers how are you getting their home learning done? If it was just babysitting it would be so much easier to find a way.[/quote]
If you can find babysitting, fuck the school work. I work in a school. Yes they'll miss out. Shit happens. But I'd much rather a child was safe , well looked after and their parents not on the brink of a meltdown or at the risk of losing their jobs for the sake of home learning.

Do what you can,if you can,when you can. Or depending on what it is and the age of the child ask the school if they can provide worksheets/paper copies of the work.

Lacey yes, you're damned whatever you do. I was on furlough during the first lockdown and you get all the furlough bashers saying how lazy you are sitting at home in the hot tub day drinking (I was living in a flat then!) But now I'm expected to work and miraculously find childcare when they're not even allowed to operate. I can't afford to pay for a private childcare arrangement, I need OFSTED registered to be able to claim for tax credits help with cost.

Wax I hope you can get a place at school for her or something else sorted. You've been kind to me about my situation.

@musicalfrog thank goodness for grandparents or anyone, friends etc that are willing to help others with childcare during this time so that we can go out and support our families by working.

In our case, dh has to work (not a key worker, can't wfh, can't take to work with him because of health & safety and heavy machinery). I also work ft, but I work from home now and can't be furloughed because I can do my job from home. I have to muster on doing it all again. I think one of you has to create some flexibility. Dh is self employed, so no work, no income. And we are in the process of trying to buy a house (delayed because our vendors had to pull out due to COVID and shielding first lockdown). We can't afford him to stop working or we'll lose our mortgage. I have to just carry on. My employer has been very flexible and just said do what you can but we'll keep paying you regardless. One of you will have to find some flexibility from somewhere or you have to request furlough for childcare reasons. I have a friend who is a key worker in the NHS and requested furlough first lockdown until schools went back in September because her poor snowflake of a husband couldn't manage his entirely lowkey working from home, totally possible to do at any hour of the day, IT job with two school age dc in the house, so she had to request furlough to be home and do all the parenting so he could have a nice relaxing wfh experience. {hmm] So there is clearly flexibility, even amongst key workers who very much need to be working and completely could if their partners would carry their load. I would ask what is possible for you.

Past thank you so much.

@LongBlobson
Is your husband working 24 hours 7 days a week then?
If not you could always work at weekends or evenings around his work if it was so beneficial for your mental health.

With significant difficulty. I’m a university lecturer/ teaching staff so we are not classed as key workers even though we are expected to keep teaching live but online and coming in to teach labs when required. Management think it’s fine for me to try and run a virtual classroom whilst juggling a 5 and 3 year old.

@AccidentallyOnPurpose totally agree with you! I hope most schools agree that having a child safe and looked after more important then school work.

We shall try our best and that’s all anyone can do in these strange times. My son suffered terribly with his mental health last lockdown and is already upset he can not return to school this week, his well being will definitely be coming first this time not school work.

All parents please don’t stress, just take care of yourselves and your family as best as you can

There is nothing in the government guidance published on 31st December 2020 that states school may request confirmation of shift patterns. There is nothing in there either that states employers have to confirm the number of hours either. It is about confirmation relating to whether the role is considered to be critical for society. If I could link from my phone I would. I specifically checked the guidance for part-timers/shifts and there is nothing there. I linked to the guidance in the key worker letters in case any of our staff were questioned by schools.

Thinking it through I can't imagine the average primary admin dept is agile enough to keep registers for individual working patterns so it needs to be either attend or don't attend.

I really feel for you OP as it's a shit situation to be in. I'm lucky, my DH is at home and is able to look after our DCs. But I still get really pissed off when people drag out the "school isn't childcare" line. Of course no one thinks teachers are babysitters, but in normal times children are at school from 9-3 38 weeks of the year, which means you have at least those hours free to go out and work. The idea of schools closing for any length of time, before the pandemic, would have been seen as ridiculous. And I'm assuming that lots of teachers are able to work because their children are at school being "looked after" by other teachers...

My work have refused furlough, but I think they will allow me to be flexible with hours where they can.

My ex husband drives trains so he wouldn't be allowed furlough as his work is essential. He does work weekends and shifts though so he is sometimes off in the week, I do office hours. So he will be able to have DS some days.

@Zippy1510 in accordance with the guidance published on 31.12.20 ALL HE staff are regarded as key workers. Get in touch with your Dean/HR depth and get them to provide you with a letter of confirmation.

I had to stop working and claim benefits. Not ideal but no other option if childcare is unaffordable and schools are closed, I'm a lone parent too. Luckily I do get additional amounts paid due to disability/carer status, so financially I'm not much worse off compared to my p/t NMW job.

Roses thank you, that is helpful! I have emailed DS's headteacher so we will see what she says.