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.

@Nikhedonia surely there are plenty of childfree grocery store employees?

[quote PusheenLove]@Nikhedonia surely there are plenty of childfree grocery store employees?[/quote]
I'm sure there are plenty of teachers, doctors, nurses and midwives without children. Agreed that anyone could work in a supermarket but not everyone who could be a doctor.

So should supermarket workers with children be furloughed for childcare reasons? Seems fair enough.

I suppose it's not critical that we eat...

I know! I feel the list may have gone too far the other way now!

If the school has 30 places available, all being well, they'll probably open it up to retail, transport staff etc if the places aren't filled with critical workers.

It's a nightmare for schools, trying to balance childcare, welfare needs, safety for their staff and children who are in and provide remote learning.

@Quornflakegirl

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

You hit the nail on the head.

A school near me has nearly 500 students in, half the school. That seems slightly ridiculous!

@christinarossetti19 those people you refer to are on the list for critical workers if they are in food or essential retail

Ours has half the children in as KW places (180), FIVE times the demand compared to first lockdown.

The headteacher is now reviewing staff cover.

How exactly does this reduce transmission (we are in a >1000 cases /100k area) I do not know

Clearly they need to ask for formal employment references, do some basic checks and make some prioritisation (difficult as that may be if it comes down to it)

I am a lone parent working from home and not a key worker. I am not a council planning officer and so hope i am without bias however I do work in this sector.

Council planning officers fulfil a vital role in providing the infrastructure and housing that this country desperately needs and have been treated as key workers for the last 20 years a least - for example in respect of key worker housing, preferential visa treatment - on par with medical staff, social workers etc - because there is a shortage. They can earn vastly more in the private sector and council's struggle to retain staff in these roles.

ineedaholidaynow - not in justchecking1's school!

My post was a response to hers on the previous page.

Most jobs are useful to society aren't they?

I'm wondering whether some schools will have to offer a rota if there are too many children in, even for critical worker children. The whole point is to minimise spread, if you have nearly a full class in, that is not going to happen

I’m classed as a key worker (although I disagree) so my daughter is going into school. There were 6 other children from her class in today (out of 30) and the school is requesting contracts, employment letters, wage slips etc to prove you are a KW. And although I work 30 hours, the school have stated that KW children need to go in for the full week. I don’t think there are many people taking the piss, everyone’s circumstances vary greatly. I just think there’s more of a need for the places now.

My DCs school have places limited to both parents being keyworkers, and even then it has to be as long as there is no other childcare available. I haven't heard if we have a place yet (DH and I both keyworkers), but I have a feeling they may be fussy as my mum does drop off and pick ups so will assume she is available to look after them all day which she is not, she is in her 60s and although happy to do breakfast and drop them off and pick them up, she isn't able to look after them all day, which is fair enough!

I’m classed as a key worker (although I disagree) so my daughter is going into school.

I don’t think there are many people taking the piss

The irony

@OwlWearingGlasses we have one class of 16 reception age children, instead of 4 reception classes of 29. That means 3 spare teachers to run home learning just for reception plus the TA's.

How do people manage through the school holidays? Because home learning is available during term time it doesn't mean it has to be done during working hours so no different to school holidays for the wfhomer I would have thought.

kursaalflyer

How do people manage through the school holidays? Because home learning is available during term time it doesn't mean it has to be done during working hours so no different to school holidays for the wfhomer I would have thought.
Bookmark
Now let me think!🤔
Holiday clubs, wraparound, grandparents.

^^

thecutback
“The more people that go into school, the longer this will continue for everyone.”

And yet this thread demonstrates that they don't care.

And no teachers are complaining about this. But at the weekend teachers were on every thread stating that schools needed to close or we were practically sending teachers to their deaths”^^

Absolutely spot on. Utterly pathetic double-standard behaviour that has now fucked up so many kids’ futures.

@kursaalflyer

How do people manage through the school holidays? Because home learning is available during term time it doesn't mean it has to be done during working hours so no different to school holidays for the wfhomer I would have thought.

Play schemes and family members.

Play schemes couldn’t take full capacity and some were full I had to move DS to a new play scheme in summer.

Tonight I have received an email from the play scheme saying it’s not viable for them to open due to government guidelines (social distancing) and staff ratio. So now they are closed. Can you not understand how this is difficult for parents

The shit obviously hit the fan after Borris’s update last night!!

Oh yes, playschemes etc during the holidays. I was trying to think what would normally happen. I do feel for everyone who is stuck

@JigSaw879

^^

thecutback
“The more people that go into school, the longer this will continue for everyone.”

And yet this thread demonstrates that they don't care.

And no teachers are complaining about this. But at the weekend teachers were on every thread stating that schools needed to close or we were practically sending teachers to their deaths”^^

Absolutely spot on. Utterly pathetic double-standard behaviour that has now fucked up so many kids’ futures.

Don't be daft.

Most teachers will be working, either on site or at home teaching children today.

You do know that teaching remotely is much more work and much more tiring than face to face, don't you?

After all that, my kid - who I have sent in MOST selfishly as I'm at home with the others and he has a mere EHCP with 1:1 provision - is one of only 4 in his class.

Piss taking indeed.

It seems to vary all over the place. Some schools have places, some a massively oversubscribed.

Although with the announcement this evening that 1 in 50 have the virus (1 in 30 in London) think key worker bubbles are going to be bursting all over the place.

@JigSaw879 who doesn't care?
If you're implying teachers you can get stuffed.
I'm delivering remote learning and looking after key worker and vulnerable children simultaneously (of which there are approximately one third of our normal pupil numbers!)
If I didn't care I'd give up this hugely stressful, constantly bashed and underpaid job!