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.

But @manicinsomniac do you honestly believe that nationally 50, 60 or 70% will be in?

We are allowing 1 key worker & vulnerable children don't necessarily have to have ECHPs, it's about 16% in our London primary & I know that's not unusual for the borough.

You work in a school do you think all these threads & posts stating that X no of key workers are in or X vulnerable kids are in or X shouldn't have a place are all school staff. I doubt it.

I don't know, rolliy - I hope not! I'm very tired tbh and perhaps not thinking critically. It's just very demoralising to read it. Makes it all seem pointless. We only have 12-18 in a class anyway so feels like we might just as well carry on as normal if so many schools have so many children in. I had a day and a half's break from mumsnet to try and gain some sanity and perspective back - maybe it wasn't enough!

I think there is a lot of hyperbole & resentment tbh.

I've read such nonsense about the furlough scheme, what you can & cant do during lockdown, etc that it's wise to take regular breaks.

@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.

Likewise.

Im so angry about it.

I have friends and family who work on the nhs front line who i am extremely worried about.

They have no choice but to keep kids in school. They are worried about their kids being in school. They are at risk because all these new people suddenly decide they are key workers.

If one of them, who are clearly not taking this seriously, gives Covid to my nieces thats a A & E consultant down.

But yes professionalism on fucking zoom etc etc is more important.

Its such utter utter bullshit.

My kids were both in school last time as both DH and I are key workers. Last time it was a handful of kids only. I am genuinely worried this time with so many in (100/300 in infants and similar in juniors). My kids caught covid last time round from me, luckily caught in time and isolated before they could spread to their bubble. When you r a critical.worker, NHS and people.facinf, this is the risk and that was containable and manageable.with v.amall.classes.

I totally get why more kids are going this time, but it doesn't really.feel.like school.cloaure this time and I think the government may need to step.in and re-issue guidance on criteria soon as currently with a third of the school.in, it feels.like a dangerous mix and that this virus will.spread rapidly with so may children and parents (at pick.up etc..) mixing

10% is fine... That means in a class of about 30 you are looking at 3 people... Schools will not Be overcrowded atall

I don't think the list for critical workers has been expanded that much, if at all

It's just that now more are taking up the offer than did in the first lockdown.

A good ploy by the government to carry on as per usual with schools but keep it under the radar. Just reclassify everyone as key workers. Hey presto!

I'm now classed as a key worker but I wasn't in the first lockdown. I'm not sending DD to school though.

@Tenyearsgone

More people were furloughed last time, now more are expected to go to work.

Most of those furloughed last time won't be classed as a keyworker though would they?? If you are a keyworker now surely you'd have been a keyworker back in March and been in work

@phlebasconsidered

I have almost a full class. The list has been expanded so massively I am now teaching a bubble twice as large as last time. There is little point in shutting. Now I am teaching all day and running online classes without even being safer.

I give up. Infect me now and be done with it. I'm days away from 50, clinically vulnerable and i'd rather get it now than in a few days when there will be no beds left in my local hospital.

Its ridiculous...what a shambles

My sons school is at 50% (primary.)

My own school is around 85% (sen.)

Schools aren't closed they are remote learning if pupils aren't in.

Government really don't want to schools schools despite the data. So it wouldn't surprise me if they've designed the list to have them all f2f by stealth!

But we won't get out of this whilst they are still busy. The data is clear on this.

Some people will need physical space due to their job role.

Some will be because they find it easier.

My personal opinion is during a pandemic we have to accept easy isn't the choice we are making. This isn't easy for anyone. We need to work on necessity and just hold on in there another few months.

‘More transmissible’ between children does not mean more dangerous for them. Most people I know would take a key worker space if they could get one. Most people are intelligent enough to understand the risks for their children are very low. And last time we were more uncertain of the risk or children and our employers were more flexible.

Society cannot function without young people being in school. My children will have missed nearly a year of education already.

We are both working in serious, professional jobs with young children at home needing supervision, education and feeding. It’s almost impossible and I feel very angry.

Yes of course.

But it means more transmissible to their families. And on to others their families work with.

Or more transmissible to children from their families, who then take it in to school.

Vectors.

Of course. But a lot of the key worker families here (London) have had it previously so will be unlikely to be passing it on now.

And actually, people are just having to survive in their own way. There are many other very pressing issues and dangers to our children aside from coronavirus though this seems to have been forgotten.

Parents loss of home, jobs, breakdown of marriage, ability to buy food is way more of a threat to most children than covid.

No, you have no evidence of that.

Judging from the watsapp group around 50% of my son's class will be in. It's too many. Pretty annoyed tbh

Over 50% at ours

Only around 20% applied in our school and 10% were given a place.

I didn’t take a place last time, although was entitled to one. It impacted me and my family in so many ways - financially, socially, mentally - I am going to take one this time (although son is pre school anyways which is currently open for all). I am going to do so for my son and my family, because last time I didn’t take one ‘for the greater good’ but that has got us no where. People are doing their absolute best under difficult circumstances- teachers, parents, workers (be they ‘key’ or not), SAHMs, everyone, and I think people should be a little less quick to pass judgement and hate on others when they don’t know their full story or what is happening behind closed doors. There is no easy answer, no one way that will be ‘best for everyone’, some will win, some will lose, life is unfair and there are too many possible eventualities that might or might not happen so we can never know if the action we take is the right one or not. You might see covid as the worst case, based on your circumstances, someone else might be having their home repossessed and struggling to pay the bills. The guidelines are the guidelines, set by the government. If people aren’t happy with them, fight them at that level, not individuals who are simply following them as best they can to, passing hate and judgement on them. It doesn’t do anyone any good, least of all yourself. I aim this at all of us, I think we are all so much quicker to judge these days. It’s scary what it’s doing to us.

I find it massively frustrating that my DS can’t go to school but so many are going in anyway. In our household we have me = main breadwinner, wfh, lawyer. On calls constantly, cannot adequately supervise DS (age 4, in reception) and do my job. DH in lockdown 1 was thankfully furloughed so we coped fine.

Until then at the end of September he was made redundant. He has now started his own business wfh but cannot work and look after and home school DS. So we have had to resign ourselves to the fact that his fledgling business (which hasn’t started to make any money yet anyway) will effectively be shutdown for the next 7 (ha! Who am I kidding - it’ll be longer!) weeks.

Meanwhile from the sounds of our WhatsApp group and on here, half the class will be at school, many of whom have “keyworker” parents wfh in admin jobs. So the same as us then?

Reading this thread I feel very fortunate.

I am classed as a key worker and I'm a single mum. My children are 15 & 13.

My company have said stay home even though my role usually involves meeting people face to face. I'm having to now do assessments from photos. They have also said family comes first so we're not tied to 9-5 working and can do things through the day.

My children have FaceTimed friends to do their classes and help each other along.

I feel better about the children being at home and they have found a way to be social with friends