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Original poster

You only need to have ONE keyworker to secure a primary place

41 replies

PamDenick · 05/01/2021 17:02

If you are a key worker and your spouse is not, your still have the right for your primary aged child/ren to have a place on site in their school.

OP posts:
CarlottaValdez · 05/01/2021 17:04

Our school insisting it must be both parents (or a single parent). Is that not allowed? Even with that rule about a third of children are in.

Mousehole10 · 05/01/2021 17:04

That’s guidance only, and only works if the school have room.

TooTiredToBeCreative · 05/01/2021 17:05

The fact remains though that you should only take up a place if you really need it. Our school had 200 children wanting a place in the last lockdown- this required over 20 bubbles and over 40 staff to be in. When the head sent out a second letter begging people to only take the place if it was really needed and explained the logistics, that number dropped to 90.

TheYearOfSmallThings · 05/01/2021 17:07

At DS's school they are saying both parents (or one single parent), and only where the key workers are traveling to work.

Original poster
PamDenick · 05/01/2021 17:08

200 children might be one tenth of a school or the whole of a school - contest is needed.

The guidance was sent to Heads on Monday night.

OP posts:
PicsInRed · 05/01/2021 17:09

It depends on the school and therefore the level of demand unfortunately.

Divebar · 05/01/2021 17:09

Both DH and I are key workers ( police) although both currently WFH. We have a lot of school work to wade through and it’s torturous but I can’t seriously justify using a school place - although I may need to down the line. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

TooTiredToBeCreative · 05/01/2021 17:10

Sorry PamDenick- should have added context- that’s around 50%

AldiIsla · 05/01/2021 17:12

Guidence. So, no one has a right to it.

Original poster
PamDenick · 05/01/2021 17:12

Wow! Yes, that's a huge amount. All KW or vulnerable?

OP posts:
helloxhristmas · 05/01/2021 17:23

@PamDenick

If you are a key worker and your spouse is not, your still have the right for your primary aged child/ren to have a place on site in their school.
Not at our school. They don't have the space / staff.
NoSquirrels · 05/01/2021 17:32

It's only guidance. It's not a "right" that can be enforced if there is not enough space, or there are not enough staff, or whatever. Heads must prioritise, and it seems utterly fair enough that they can prioritise those children who cannot stay at home without being totally unsupervised. Sorry. But whilst there are cases in which you might genuinely need to challenge a decision, it shouldn't be held up as a "right" to everyone.

ItsIgginningtolookalotlikeXmas · 05/01/2021 17:38

Keep pushing your "rights" as far as you can, presumably you are happy for lockdown to go on for longer?

Original poster
PamDenick · 05/01/2021 17:52

No, but I don't think a nurse should lose out on a place just because her school is using the guidance from pre=January.

OP posts:
ItsIgginningtolookalotlikeXmas · 05/01/2021 17:54

That's up to the non-keyworker spouse though isn't it? What are two-working parents who don't count as key workers having to do?
(I know this is all shit and difficult, I just don't think sending lots of children in to school will help us out of it)

NoSquirrels · 05/01/2021 17:56

Is the nurse's spouse really not in a position to provide any supervision at all? Schools have discretion, and must use it. If I was the head I'd want more than "I am a keyworker and my spouse refuses to get involved" to persuade me. It's not good just insisting on a "right" to a place if it's actually not appropriate in that individual situation.

MrsWombat · 05/01/2021 18:00

My child's school are insisting we take the full five days even though we only need two. Confused

ItsIgginningtolookalotlikeXmas · 05/01/2021 18:02

I wonder how often the non-keyworker-spouse-not-doing-it applies when the man is the keyworker and the woman not? I would hazard a guess it's a lot less often than the other way around.

donewithitalltodayandxmas · 05/01/2021 18:12

@MrsWombat i have seen a few say that, doesn't make sense.
Surely its better for numbers to have less in sometimes

binkyblinky · 05/01/2021 18:14

Not the case in our school, rightly so. People are taking the piss

TeddysTigerEyes · 05/01/2021 18:15

@TooTiredToBeCreative

The fact remains though that you should only take up a place if you really need it. Our school had 200 children wanting a place in the last lockdown- this required over 20 bubbles and over 40 staff to be in. When the head sent out a second letter begging people to only take the place if it was really needed and explained the logistics, that number dropped to 90.
Yes to this.
JanewaysBun · 05/01/2021 18:16

The thing is the nurse cannot force her DH to look after the kids. Of course he should bit plenty won't...

Letseatgrandma · 05/01/2021 18:16

The more people that do this, the more likely it’ll be that schools could potentially end up with class sizes so big that are unsafe. The reason schools have closed is because they are vectors and will spread covid so numbers need to be limited as much as possible.

Heads will work out their capacity due to space and staffing and offer spaces on that basis.

CodenameVillanelle · 05/01/2021 18:17

You can ask but you won't automatically be prioritised.

catgirl1976 · 05/01/2021 18:19

My work are insisting it’s “law” that schools take every key worker child that wants a place. Does anyone have a link to the guidance to show its up to the schools and not “law” 🙄

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