66% of my daughters reception class are in school this week

[Crazyoldmaurice]

We live in a very affluent part of South West London, avg house price 750k+

Turns out that 66% of my daughters reception class are due to attend school this week. There are 75 kids in her year group and all 48 keyworker child places have been taken (I was too late to book her on so have had to send an email!).

Hardly seems worth keeping the 25 other kids off at this point.

Very hard on the children excluded. We have high numbers too

What happens if the numbers are so high? Can they schools accommodate if almost every tom, dick and Harry are turning up?

I can believe it! My kids school he been EXTREMELY flexible with ‘critical worker kids’ .

One friend isn’t sure if her place of work will open yet so she can just send her two in when she knows. Her husband can fully WFH.

Supposedly you needed two critical worker parents but that’s simply not happening.

The thing is, these are the people who were happy to mix over Christmas to so will be putting other key worker kids at risk. Then the bubbles will close and there’ll be even more strain on the NHS

Also, SW London.

Whilst schools have been told to encourage parents that it needs to be two key worker parents working outside of the home, they can't enforce this. Even one key worker parent entitles a child to a school place. And the key worker category is so broad it's almost every profession.

Two kids out of my daughter's class of 30 are in, their mums are childminders staying at home every day looking after other kids. Some parents just feel their kids have missed too much and they can't cope with the idea of home school again, so they're sending them.

My local head reckons that, under new guidance, kids who don't have access to the necessary technology for homeschooling are classed as vulnerable and entitled to come in. So that may explain the high numbers in some schools.

84% of my friends school meets the vulnerable category. Those not meeting the criteria are missing by a whisker mostly. They have decided that any parent who needs a place can send their kid in because it's such a deprived catchment

I'm SW London too & also have a high uptake. Awaiting to see if I have a place. I'm a key worker but schools says both parents must be. However DH is in finance so I think that's a grey area.

@selflove

Whilst schools have been told to encourage parents that it needs to be two key worker parents working outside of the home, they can't enforce this.

Does that mean I should push for a place?

We didn't use our places last lockdown, we most certainly will this time. This is probably the case with many others.

[quote lorraliks]@selflove

Whilst schools have been told to encourage parents that it needs to be two key worker parents working outside of the home, they can't enforce this.

Does that mean I should push for a place? [/quote]
Seems like everyone else is!

@Quornflakegirl

We didn't use our places last lockdown, we most certainly will this time. This is probably the case with many others.

Yes quite a few parents said same here after finding last time tough

@Quornflakegirl

We didn't use our places last lockdown, we most certainly will this time. This is probably the case with many others.

Not being critical at all, but can I ask why?

I'm feeling really bitter about this. Loads of kids in my dcs school going in under the key worker scheme. Right now I feel like my DC is one of the few being excluded to make it safer for the rest. Lots of people taking the piss to be honest.

@Quornflakegirl

We didn't use our places last lockdown, we most certainly will this time. This is probably the case with many others.

If you can choose whether you need it or not, that would imply you don't need it.

So many people abusing the key worker scheme and ignoring the reason 'why' we are locking down.
I know of parents taking places who have full time Nannies, parents where one is a SAHP but the other a key worker and all sorts of further very loose entitlements to places.
So unfair on the poor NHS and making my blood boil

I'm SW London/Surrey borders. Coronavirus rates are at over 1,000 per 100,000 here right now. I'm keeping my children home and managing the best I can even though both DH and I are key workers.

If the infection rate falls then I may look at taking up key worker provision but for now keeping people safer comes first.

If the infection rate falls then I may look at taking up key worker provision

If you really needed it you wouldn't have a choice

Surely the key worker scheme should be for those who have no choice..?

Dh is a critical worker, if he isn't at work it effects hundreds of families. I work from home and have done for years, I also earn considerably more than Dh. If he doesn't work it will have huge effects on the city, if I don't work we have no income.
Last lockdown I almost killed myself juggling both. I will not be doing that again, ever.

I'm a key worker. In tomorrow but off the rest of the week. Don't need to send kids into school but they said it's all or nothing. So they're going in and I will be home alone

I didn't take up my key worker place last time. My work (local government essential service) agreed to reduce my hours to 10am-3pm per day instead of 8am-6pm so that I could send my kids to the childminder and it would cost the same as my usual wraparound care did, and the childminder reduced her rate for me also to make this achievable.

This isn't an option this time round. My work is unable to be flexible on hours. I can't pay for a full day in childcare to avoid my kids going to school. So I'm one of the ones (single parent) who didn't take it last time and will be taking it this time (but solely on my working days- when I'm not at work, I'll homeschool my kids like everyone else)

@Quornflakegirl

Dh is a critical worker, if he isn't at work it effects hundreds of families. I work from home and have done for years, I also earn considerably more than Dh. If he doesn't work it will have huge effects on the city, if I don't work we have no income. Last lockdown I almost killed myself juggling both. I will not be doing that again, ever.

Are you a keyworker yourself?

You're not the only one by the way. There's plenty of single parents working from home who won't qualify for a kw place.

@Quornflakegirl

We didn't use our places last lockdown, we most certainly will this time. This is probably the case with many others.

I agree, last time I was thinking it would be 6 weeks and it was three months, DS went back as a keyworker child in May. Many would have been able to struggle through in the short term, but after last year I can understand why they can't do it again. The dark and cold of January with your mental health already in pieces is different to last April. Circumstances change too, many were furloughed who now have to work.

I am a key worker WORKING from home.