Keyworker uptake.

[jojoandgrangran]

How many key worker children do you have in your school?
Last lock down out of just under 700 children there were 22 key worker children attending.
The numbers of key worker children attending tomorrow will be 200.
I was surprised by the high uptake. Just under a third of children will be in as usual.

Out of interest are the high numbers all kids actually in school or applications?

We had the "are you a critical worker, reply asap" email 5 minutes before Boris' speech and I replied yes straight away because I am and I had no clue what work were going to do. Still don't, my line manager was in meetings all day today...

Last lockdown we were all wfh when the kids were off. Not ideal, dd heard some things she shouldn't have...

This time from the end Jan we are due back in work full time as critical workers and no one knows if that's still the plan or not as we've had no coms except pep talks about making the best of schools and chin up in lockdown #3 type stuff.

So, we have been given a place, but DC are home and may or may not continue to be depending on work....

Our head has policed the list very carefully as some parents were very obviously and very blatantly trying it on. To get a place you need to have 2 key worker parents who travel to work (or single key worker parent), or be classed as vulnerable.

We had 7 / 30 in class today which is broadly representative of the rest of the school give or take some. So around 20%.

DS primary had a deadline to apply last week long before the announcements but we are SE and were on the original closed till 18th list.

They were clearly expecting a surge - if you applied, you had to provide work ID such as a ID badge.

I qualify but haven't taken the place. DS is old enough and academically capable enough to occupy himself.

Head teachers do not enjoy being the police of Covid.

I think another issue this time is kids are expected to be learning.

Last time it was all anything they do is a bonus and whilst we made sure DC did had a routine and did some schooling everyday if I had sensitive work to be doing and she was playing roblox with her friend, not ideal, but that was just how things got done.

This time I spent an hour online with her downloading worksheets, printing and opening non click link websites. Then making sure she understood the work before I could go back to mine.

We are a special school so at 100% capacity. I understand this is a little bit different to mainstream, but don't see how this can be safe in a school of 200+ pupils, especially when we definitely can't social distance, and can't wear PPE such as masks as it frightens some of the children

In my kids school I would say about 30 max went in first lock down. Head emailed today and said they had 90 applicants?! I'm not happy to be honest as some of these parents wfh and do a similar job to me but because it's the police or fire service ( admin though) they get a place. No rules on two parents classed as key workers either so some families have one key worker wfh and the other non key worker wfh and kids are at school.

Last time people were furloughed and didn't know how long it would go on for as Boris kept making promises he couldn't keep. This time people know this could do on for months, so I'm not surprised there is more uptake.

Judging by today, 12 per cent in at ours

School of 1000, last lockdown around 20. This time over 100! Sort of defeating the object

Really? 100 is much better than 1000.

It's because lots of people were on furlough last time but are not now

Thanks to such selfishly high numbers of so called key/critical workers (despite begging emails from the Head) it means yet again, us ‘left to it’ lot are getting generic, blah weekly projects for Yr 1-6 to do!

600 on roll and around 230 in so just shy of 40

I don't mind having around 13 to teach I just worry the spread is so far reaching atm.

They said 1 household in 50 has the virus and with 230 kids plus all the adults needed to teach them it's inevitable that the virus will circulate still, even with reduced capacity.

We didn't take a place last time but after working super hard with the teacher & Sendco team I don't want go backwards again.

Thanks to such selfishly high numbers of so called key/critical workers (despite begging emails from the Head) it means yet again, us ‘left to it’ lot are getting generic, blah weekly projects for Yr 1-6 to do!

Our school is doing the remote learning simultaneously in school & home & then both finish at 1.30 to do the days tasks.

School roll of 350, last time 4 KW children, today 50 applications for childcare!!🙈

We apparently qualify as DH is a teacher himself but decided not to send ours as we can both WFH. I was quite surprised to get an email from school inviting us to take up a place as I'm sure last time you had to have two key worker parents.

Just under half our school will be in. I think it's madness. Schools closed should mean schools closed unless for EXCEPTIONAL cases.

This really upsets me. We've been so strict (actually too strict, I think) in the hope that this will be over asap. But if so many schools have half their role in or more, we might as well have gone to rota-ed learning and been able to carry on after a fashion. Now it's just going to drag on and on because so many schools don't sound closed at all.

@manicinsomniac

This really upsets me. We've been so strict (actually too strict, I think) in the hope that this will be over asap. But if so many schools have half their role in or more, we might as well have gone to rota-ed learning and been able to carry on after a fashion. Now it's just going to drag on and on because so many schools don't sound closed at all.

100% this is going to drag on and on now. ‘KW’ parents trying it on won’t care. The children at home will. It’s going to be a long time before we return to school as normal in my opinion. Schools are too full for the virus the way it is right now.

I know people who are sending their dc in for the sake of being able to. But then I suppose not everyone believes schools should be shut and having read the who's who of who can send their dc in it's so ridiculously vague no wonder so many dc are going to be in school anyway.
It definitely defeats the object though but I blame the government for not making strict rules.
Some of my friends do have one key worker but they're a sahm and still sending dc in, one of them has one dc and the key worker part is a stretch of the imagination as he works in a bank wfh but it's on the list so I suppose what's anyone really going to do.

bluelightbulb I don't really believe we should be closed either (or at least I desperately don't want us to be closed, that's not necessarily the same thing as thinking we shouldn't be I guess). But seeing as we are (sort of) closed, it's really frustrating to see half the parents keeping the other half at home for so much longer than might have been achievable if only the genuinely necessary children were in. Anyone with a SAHP shouldn't be getting anywhere near a school place.

This really upsets me. We've been so strict (actually too strict, I think) in the hope that this will be over asap.

I don't think you can make the assertion that parents who have a place under circumstances you don't agree with haven't necessarily been strict.

I didn't participate in eat out to help out, go on holiday, see family at Christmas. Haven't gone shopping, days out when we are allowed etc

I don't want to do any other mixing because dc were in school & I haven't wfh for the last 5 months. That was risk enough for me, I want it over asap too.

Sorry, rolliy I wasn't clear - I didn't mean parents hadn't been strict. I was speaking as a school - I'm a teacher and my head has applied the criteria very harshly, resulting in us having 10% of children in. I want 100% right now, really but, in the real world, I want them back as soon as possibly possible. And if so many schools have 50, 60 or 70% of their children in, it's just not going to happen. Which is very unfair on those who end up at home for longer. I don't really blame the parents for trying it on in an effort to make this shit just a little bit less shitty!

@manicinsomniac I agree but the rules are not stringent enough to support schools decisions if parents go up against them or simply lie

Lie not being the correct word 'insinuate' a better one*