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.

I’ve literally just dropped off my foster children at school and the welcome member of staff (person who collects at the entrance said that everyone entitled to a place has taken it up plus some requests that they felt were right to accept.
Classes half full.

[quote Macaroni46]@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! [/quote]
It was a bold fail on that post.

She copy and pasted part of mine. I was referring to parents who are taking the piss not caring that they are no putting teachers and key worker children and their parents at greater risk

@Nikhedonia

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

Why is it ironic? I am a key worker, and I can’t work from home. I just don’t think my role is as important as other frontline key workers but the term is so broad. But it is what it is so she has to go into school. That’s not taking the piss.

Totally different here. Dd's year one class, at the moment, has only 7% attendance. Very affluent area. Catholic school. Everyone else is joining in online.

@CottonSock

Our school has very strict requirements. Both parents blue light workers or childcare / teachers. As it should be. I was asked by a colleague today if mine were going in as I could describe myself as a key worker if I stretch it. They are not.

I'm not a blue light worker but I work as an NHS practitioner who has to do home visits or virtual consultations including child protection meetings etc. Not possible with a five year old shouting 'I need a poo!!!' All cases need consideration

There do seem to be varying attitudes across different schools. I get the impression my son’s school headteacher thinks it’s better for children to be at school and get an education. Any application for a key worker place that even vaguely meets the rules (and only for one parent) seems to have been accepted. Classes well over half full.

Meanwhile the school my friend’s daughter goes to seems to have been going over applications with a fine toothed comb. Classes only around 20% full.

I hope the Unions are onto the issue of overcrowding - it's still an unsafe environment with half the pupils in and no airborne mitigation for teachers, and we're not going to get the infection rate down as fast.

They still need to fund schools to make them safer.

@IloveJKRowling

I hope the Unions are onto the issue of overcrowding - it's still an unsafe environment with half the pupils in and no airborne mitigation for teachers, and we're not going to get the infection rate down as fast.

They still need to fund schools to make them safer.

Yes, thank you 👏🏼

I hope the unions are onto this and are challenging the definition of key workers. And also the use of key worker spaces where only one parent is a key worker (assuming a two parent household)

Dd got so upset earlier when the teacher panned the camera around the class during the live lesson. Over 20+ still in her class. I’d told her ‘we are all in it together’. Bull shit.

To be honest I was going to keep them off but don’t see why I should bother now.

If they suspended the curriculum at least it would feel like an even playing field. But as is happening now, most of the dc’s class are in anyway getting taught and there are so many of them in that the ‘live’ lessons are a complete farce.

10 minutes of the teacher telling the kids online to do a worksheet and then 50 minutes of looking at the side of her head or an empty seat as she sorts the rest of the class out.

Not blaming the teacher by the way, it is an untenable shit situation all round.

We didn’t want to make it any riskier for the key worker children, but what difference will it make now as most are in anyway? It’s a huge struggle for us but I was feeling upbeat about managing this morning. After this I’m throwing in the towel.

Fuck it.

@MegtheShark

I'm not surprised your dd was upset. Last lockdown the teacher told my dd during the catch up phone call all about the children who were in school. My dds face was and

Ridiculous thing to do and say imo.

Meg bloody hell how depressing is that

I’d prefer our lack of live to that

@MarshaBradyo

Meg bloody hell how depressing is that

I’d prefer our lack of live to that

It really is more depressing.

We coped last time because we did what we could with oak academy/bbc bite size/books at home and just moved our work to earlier in the morning/late at night. I think there was less pressure (on us at least) because the curriculum was suspended.

Now though we have these ‘lessons’ where the poor teacher is trying to deal with a nearly full class AND online at the same time. Dd could get more work done in an hour than she has all day on the live lessons.

She has to sit there though, even when nothing is happening for 20 minutes+, as otherwise it is marked as her not attending.

Sorry for the rant, have swung from eternal optimistic to defeatist more than once today!

So if one parent is a keyworker but the other works somewhere that is open and they can't work from home and won't get paid if they don't go what do you suggest?

I'm a keyworker but my wage just about pays the mortgage . Nothing else . No bills, food, nothing

Meg that would tip me over the edge too.

Seeing all their friends’ faces in school, having to look at a wall etc waiting.

I’m now very glad we don’t have that and have revised thinking on provision. So much sympathy if you can’t get a place.

Seems every other parent watching those lessons thought the same as me today. Just had an email from the school, the main thrust of which is:

‘We are now over half way through day two of the partial closure and have come to the conclusion that we have heard from all those parents who wished to be considered for a school place. Therefore, we have made the decision that unless you have spoken with a member of the SLT to reserve a delayed place or your circumstances are exceptional we will no longer be accepting any additional pupils.’

So those that took the piss early now have a school place indefinitely, and those of us that held off even though we were eligible and would find it difficult (as we believed it was the right thing to do at the time) but realised after the live lessons that the vast majority were in anyway...are stuffed.

Sharon (name changed) who sent hers in yesterday, even though she doesn’t work, didn’t have to give a reason or proof at all, just that she found homeschooling difficult (who doesn’t!).

@MegtheShark

Dd got so upset earlier when the teacher panned the camera around the class during the live lesson. Over 20+ still in her class. I’d told her ‘we are all in it together’. Bull shit.

To be honest I was going to keep them off but don’t see why I should bother now.

If they suspended the curriculum at least it would feel like an even playing field. But as is happening now, most of the dc’s class are in anyway getting taught and there are so many of them in that the ‘live’ lessons are a complete farce.

10 minutes of the teacher telling the kids online to do a worksheet and then 50 minutes of looking at the side of her head or an empty seat as she sorts the rest of the class out.

Not blaming the teacher by the way, it is an untenable shit situation all round.

We didn’t want to make it any riskier for the key worker children, but what difference will it make now as most are in anyway? It’s a huge struggle for us but I was feeling upbeat about managing this morning. After this I’m throwing in the towel.

Fuck it.

How frustrating.

Our school isn't bothering with live lessons. They posted a few random bits up and will be concentrating on the key worker children like last time.

@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.

So true. I can't believe that teachers were up in arms for schools to close and now....nothing! Schools aren't closed, many are packed with key worker children. This will create a real divide in the education of key worker children and non key worker, with non key worker children at a disadvantage.

Why are people so bitter about those who have no choice but to work? Oh I feel so delighted to send my kid out with others and risk his safety so I can look after other people I feel joy untold 🤦‍♀️

@wetasstenalady

Why are people so bitter about those who have no choice but to work? Oh I feel so delighted to send my kid out with others and risk his safety so I can look after other people I feel joy untold 🤦‍♀️

I don't think I've seen any posts which are bitter about people needing to go and work

Parents need to work? Crazy!

Isn't moaning that keyworkers have to send the kids to school doing just that?

Mumsnet is such a parallel universe at times where everyone has support/can pay a nanny/ afford to take unpaid leave or live on one wage. In the world I live in that just isn't that case

@wetasstenalady

Isn't moaning that keyworkers have to send the kids to school doing just that?

Mumsnet is such a parallel universe at times where everyone has support/can pay a nanny/ afford to take unpaid leave or live on one wage. In the world I live in that just isn't that case

You've misinterpreted the thread.

People are annoyed that parents are stretching the definition of 'key worker' to secure a school place. Or sending their children into school when one parent is a key worker and the other is not a key worker and is at home. I've even seen some where the non-key worker parent is a SAHM, FFS.

@MrsMomoa

Parents need to work? Crazy!

Your point is?

Do you think only the children with a sahp should be excluded from school whilst all the other kids go in?

I've spoken to my school about this at length. I'm a secondary teacher and kept my kids off last time because I was setting abs marking work but not actually live teaching. This time I'm teaching live lessons all day. The school was struggling to give places and asked if everyone needed them. I can physically look after my kids by feeding them and being in the house but they would need to be on devices keeping quiet whilst I teach my classes. That's fine for a day or a week but not for 6 weeks plus. The school said they were happy to have them and they agreed with me