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Original poster

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

521 replies

Crazyoldmaurice · 04/01/2021 22:29

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.

OP posts:
FrancesHaHa · 05/01/2021 08:15

We're both key workers here, and DD was in school last time and this. I know schools vary greatly but having sent her in last time it isn't a particularly attractive option.

Obviously there was no teaching. Once the school sorted out putting activities online the kids were given an iPad to complete the work, but no help if they didn't understand it. Whilst this would be the same for many kids at home (and I appreciate some kids at home didnt have access to devices) lots of the kids in her class who were at home were supported with the learning at home. We are lucky that I don't work every day and she would save up the things she didn't understand for her day off for me to help but other families were not able to do this. I know of some families who were trying to do a full days schooling with their kids in the evening after working all day in a hospital.

Although the socialising might seem attractive in DDs case the kids were all mixed together with minimal supervision. There were several cases of bullying that went unnoticed for sometime partly because different staff were in every day and the dynamics were getting missed. Some of the kids clearly needed more support than they were getting.

Things do seem a bit better this time, but I do think it's worth noting that being at school is not necessarily the holy grail.

year5teacher · 05/01/2021 08:17

We have an extremely high uptake so far at my school. We’re looking at only just being able to staff it, really, if the bubbles are to stay at 15 or less and we don’t have our few members of vulnerable staff in.

MarshaBradyo · 05/01/2021 08:18

@Sweetpea84

See my kids really enjoyed going in last lockdown and are looking forward to it this time. They do the work set for everybody in the morning so maths etc and then do activities such as art and baking in the afternoon, the music teacher even gives them lessons. They are kept in their year bubble so Ds in eyfs so they’re kept with their teacher in their learning environment and the same with my daughter so it’s not doom and gloom in every school.
Sounds nice and I reckon this is more the case
Pumpertrumper · 05/01/2021 08:19

I don’t think for a second that it’s ‘selfish’ for families with one key worker and one non key worker to send kids into school.

My DH is an intensive care doctor and I’m a non essential worker. With a baby at home, had I not managed to secure annual leave/drop to PT hours I would have had to fall on the mercy of my employers (still plenty of work to do so no chance of furlough) or simply quit my job!

DH is no help. He’s just not here. They are so understaffed he’s having to pick up lots of extra shifts. No one expects him to ‘pitch in’ or ‘do his share’ with childcare. So I’m essentially a single parent in terms of responsibility for child care.

If one parent is a key worker, or a single parent is a non essential worker unable to be furloughed, childcare should still be available whether that’s nursery or school. Otherwise you will end up with a huge amount of parents forced out of work....and you better believe 90% are going to be women!

Frouby · 05/01/2021 08:20

This is so difficult.

Dh and I work in construction, last time construction was on the key worker list, this time it isn't. I wfh normally anyway and it's a few hours a week so didn't use keyworker school at all. Ds was in y1 so entitled to go back in June, we were discouraged by the head teacher to send them in so he was at home for the duration which was actually fine.

This time around I am also doing a degree, and dd who is now in 6th form is home schooling online so not able to help out as much, last time GCSEs were cancelled so she had nothing to do. So my circumstances have changed.

I think technically, because I do the payroll (it's our own business) I could claim keyworker status. It would make life easier and benefit ds. However, I won't be taking it as the virus has changed and spreads easier between children and if I or dh gets ill, we can't work at all. 2 weeks isolation ia harder than lockdown. The pressure on schools is going to be greater. And the risk to teachers is greater.

This time more people will use the keyworker places and those that genuinely need it, absolutely should. Those that are just going to find it difficult should absolutely just take a seat with the other millions of parents and kids struggling with this shitshow and grin and bear it. Take furlough if you need to, work early morning or late at night, form a childcare bubble if you can. It's horrendous but no child is more deserving of a place, no family unique, and tbh, if cases were 1000/100,000 where I lived I wouldn't be sending my dcs in unless I absolutely had no other choice.

Deliaskis · 05/01/2021 08:32

I'm one of those taking a KW space who didn't in April (but did in June when it became apparent that most year groups were being abandoned until September). Judging by the parent WhatsApp group, it sounds like there would be many like me who would have children at home if they had any confidence in the remote learning solution. So many were let down so badly last time, that they'll do anything and everything to avoid that again. If I knew DD would have a little live teaching, some video lessons, some independent work and some regular contact/interaction/feedback then I would be less bothered about her being physically in school for a few weeks.

I've seen another school in the next town over who have clearly outlined on their website what they will provide and it looks great. If DD was there, I probably would manage without KW provision, despite qualifying.

So....I guess I'm saying there may well be a high correlation between high KW uptake and a track record of poor online provision.

MandosHatHair · 05/01/2021 08:32

I am not a keyworker neither is my husband, I would be lying if I said I wasn't just a little disappointed that DS is in the minority of children who don't qualify for a school place. I can't blame the individual parents who take thier places even though they have the means to work around the situation, we all would do what we feel is best for our DCs, even if other children are being disadvantaged.

notevenat20 · 05/01/2021 08:40

My brother is a critical worker. At least in his area both parents have to be working out of the house which excludes almost everyone. Even worse, they shut his DCs school so they would have had to go to another school with unknown children in an unknown area.

ImAllOut · 05/01/2021 08:40

My husband and I are both keyworkers, he needs to attend work 5-6 days a week and I luckily can work from home 95% of the time. Last time for the 5% of the week I had to attend I had a relative on furlough from a retail job to step in for my eldest rather than take a keyworker place, and my youngest went to a childminder throughout. This time I will probably just send both to the childminder to reduce contacts but it's not something I had budgeted do hoping it will only be a few more weeks (we're in Wales).

littlestpogo · 05/01/2021 08:41

The curriculum was suspended in the summer by the government.

Schools were not meant to provide proper school learning to KW ( or at home)

Quornflakegirl · 05/01/2021 08:41

soonto60 you've no idea what dh does nor our income. If he doesn't work there will be a huge backlog on burials in sw England. Families will suffer more than they already are. His job ia vital to the NHS, the deceased and thousands of families.

I suggest you read the whole thread for adding your two cents worth.

formerbabe · 05/01/2021 08:44

It's very annoying to see the places being abused...and I know parents who were screaming that the schools should be shut then used the kw place...they are now thrilled there will be less kids in the school and it will be safer for their kids.

It's a two tier system.

I do not believe the school will reopen for my dc before September.

But don't worry, the more worthy children can still go in, socialise and work without their mental health taking a bashing.

BishopBrennansArse · 05/01/2021 08:45

Since the last lockdown I've started working for the nhs. I'm just waiting to be deployed to a mass vaccination clinic locally and it could happen any time this week or next week.

DD's school are being amazing about it, she went back this morning. DS2's school however are trying to discourage me from sending him. I have no other option so am going to have to make a shed load of calls today. Didn't really need this...

notevenat20 · 05/01/2021 08:45

The curriculum was suspended in the summer by the government

I have never understood what that meant. One option is that schools were not supposed to cover any NEW material they hadn’t already covered. The other is that they weren’t supposed to teach them at all. There is plenty you could teach children without covering anything new if you wanted to.

notevenat20 · 05/01/2021 08:46

I do not believe the school will reopen for my dc before September.

Not term 5?

christinarossetti19 · 05/01/2021 08:46

Deliaskis you do know that during the spring/summer lock down that the government suspended the curriculum and gave schools no guidance about what if any distanced learning they should provide?

And that the govt legislated in October that schools must provide remote learning when children aren't on site?

Why not ask what your dd's school home learning provision will be before you decide that it's so poor that it's better for her to be involved in the mass transmission of the virus going on on schools?

christinarossetti19 · 05/01/2021 08:48

@notevenat20

The curriculum was suspended in the summer by the government

I have never understood what that meant. One option is that schools were not supposed to cover any NEW material they hadn’t already covered. The other is that they weren’t supposed to teach them at all. There is plenty you could teach children without covering anything new if you wanted to.

Neither did anyone else!

The government gave no guidance about what schools should offer to pupils not on site and on site it was strictly childcare not teaching.

Remote teaching without teaching on site wouldn't really make sense would it?

MarshaBradyo · 05/01/2021 08:48

@formerbabe

It's very annoying to see the places being abused...and I know parents who were screaming that the schools should be shut then used the kw place...they are now thrilled there will be less kids in the school and it will be safer for their kids.

It's a two tier system.

I do not believe the school will reopen for my dc before September.

But don't worry, the more worthy children can still go in, socialise and work without their mental health taking a bashing.

I really hope this is not the case

But yes two out of three terms in a year for excluded children to stand aside has a big impact on them

QualityRoads · 05/01/2021 08:49

Teachers can't teach online and do classroom teaching at the same time, so those in classrooms won't be getting that much help. Younger children become demotivated very quickly when they get "stuck". Probably best to keep them at home if at all possible, whether you technically qualify for a place or not. You might be able to spare more time that the teacher can.

littlestpogo · 05/01/2021 08:50

@notevenat20 - yes that’s true. It meant nothing new. So then it became up to individual schools what they did ( definitely not a good place to be).

It does mean this time KW school will probably benefit the children who are in ( and for those DC of ‘true’ KW I’m not sure we can begrudge them). But it will cause all sorts of disparities to open up ( so many different one environments).

christinarossetti19 · 05/01/2021 08:50

No children are being 'excluded' Marsha.

Stop using hyperbole to inflame an already very stressful situation for parents and teachers.

MarshaBradyo · 05/01/2021 08:51

@christinarossetti19

No children are being 'excluded' Marsha.

Stop using hyperbole to inflame an already very stressful situation for parents and teachers.

Why not?

I don’t really care how people dress it up in their minds.

formerbabe · 05/01/2021 08:52

And yes I understand there are some jobs where you need more concentration than others where the stakes are high but to hear endless people complaining its hard to wfh and homeschool..well yeah, obviously. This is hard. What do you think should happen? Just children with sahps should not go in to school?

finager · 05/01/2021 08:52

Surely the ones who work remotely with engaged SAHPs will benefit the most?

formerbabe · 05/01/2021 08:53

@christinarossetti19

No children are being 'excluded' Marsha.

Stop using hyperbole to inflame an already very stressful situation for parents and teachers.

Ok how about 'banned from the premises'?