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.

I had places confirmed for my two (tier 4 hot-spot) as I'm a key worker. I didn't take the place in March as it was very much 'only if you're desperate'. In June when they dropped that assertion mine went in.
At 10pm on Monday got an email to say its changing to 2 key workers parents on the advice of the LA.

I was up all night crying.

I disagree with the closures of primary schools.

I would have sent mine in in March if allowed.

I'm not worried about them catching covid. They've already been very exposed to it and if they did catch it without symptoms they certainly didn't spread it (family members were covid +) there were no outbreaks in their school before Xmas, and we're in new variant-central.

So I don't judge anyone for wanting to send their kids in if they are able. I'd have mine in in a heartbeat.

Mine are going now but only on the days we are both on shift (mat leave last time) We should only need 1-2 days a week as I'm part time.

I wonder if the high uptake in some areas is due to demographic? Our area isn't well off, though I wouldn't call us deprived either. A lot of people in retail, nursing, carers. The next catchment area has a lot more middle class families who can probably WFH.

So pissed off about this!!

We are struggling to do home learning, kids hate not seeing their friends, it impacts them so negatively being in the same four walls constantly!!!

What’s the point if most kids are in schools!!? Now mine are suffering their education and mental health for nothing!!

Either close the schools to most kids or just keep them open, stop messing around ffs!

Ours was quite busy but also want them in every day to keep set bubbles

Most jobs now seem to count as key workers. First time round it was just NHS, police and a few other critical roles. My DD qualifies for a place but I’m not taking it because the whole point is for us to stay safe and not catch the virus! I can WFH and she is old enough to study on her own.

Forgetmenot Certainly, 10% is fine. So is 20%. What I was saying is that schools who have been strict have achieved these numbers and others appear to have 50-70%! Hopefully those are a minority, otherwise those schools who have kept their numbers low will have to remain closed for longer due to so many schools operating at such higher numbers. Which is so demoralizing when we just want 100% in and out lives back.

Ours is providing KW provision up to 30%. The frustrating thing is I know for a fact that there are many parents (including us) who would be able to manage with them at home if the remote learning was adequate. As it isn't (it's just links to external content with no teaching at all, no timetable or lesson plan, no videos or live sessions, no feedback), we're taking up KW places, as we have a right to do (1KW outside home and 1KW WFH). School seem to just be getting cross at the number of people needing places and refusing to address the reason. Provide acceptable remote education and many more will try and struggle through at home. I can't, with what they've provided. I've seen on the other thread (and on other local primary school websites) some examples of schools doing an amazing job of remote learning, so it can be done.

I suppose people see it as no longer temporary and they may not be able to be furloughed. So they probably don’t feel they have an option.

@Deliaskis

Ours is providing KW provision up to 30%. The frustrating thing is I know for a fact that there are many parents (including us) who would be able to manage with them at home if the remote learning was adequate. As it isn't (it's just links to external content with no teaching at all, no timetable or lesson plan, no videos or live sessions, no feedback), we're taking up KW places, as we have a right to do (1KW outside home and 1KW WFH). School seem to just be getting cross at the number of people needing places and refusing to address the reason. Provide acceptable remote education and many more will try and struggle through at home. I can't, with what they've provided. I've seen on the other thread (and on other local primary school websites) some examples of schools doing an amazing job of remote learning, so it can be done.

Dont take it out on schools.

Buck stops with Gavin Williamson.

He hasn't supported schools or their concerns once.

He's not addressed issues over accessibility.

And hes dumped everything on Heads. Usually at 5pm Friday at the start of holidays or similar dates when the civil service can fuck off and be uncontactable for several days.

@Thedogshow

‘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.

True.

But they are up to 7 times more likely to be an index case in a household and infect someone who may be quite ill.

It's not about the children themselves - it's the transmission risk and the counterproductiveness of decreasing case numbers.

My DD primary school has 10 times as many children in as last time, around a third of all children. We are both keyworkers but can from wfh so haven't asked for a place, although on zoom calls most of the day. I think some parents must be stretching things

For our primary school the uptake (piss take) is higher in the ‘vulnerable’ children category.

As the head has said that any parents who are struggling with home learning, or any child that has siblings that would result in a less ‘quiet environment for learning’ can come in, irrespective of worker status.

This means that 21 of dd’s 30 classmates are still in.

@MegtheShark in that case we will never be free of lockdowns. Does the headteacher know better than SAGE?

@RedToothBrush I'm not taking it out on schools generally, I'm just stating a fact....that at some schools, like my DD's, there are too many people (including me) using KW spaces, because remote provision is awful. A way to get probably more than half (and in our case the majority) of those kids out of school right now is to fix remote provision. It's a solution. And I am taking it up with school, but I'm not blaming Gavin Williamson for the fact children at my DD's school are the only ones in our small town with 4 primaries, who will not get any direct contact/interaction with any teachers this week.

It's been an amazing school at other times, but this is inexcusable.

[quote TorringtonDean]@MegtheShark in that case we will never be free of lockdowns. Does the headteacher know better than SAGE?[/quote]
Apparently she is following the government guidance on what counts as a vulnerable child.

Dd class was 1/3 in. Dd goes as a kw child but the reason we send her is that she regressed emotionally during lockdown 1. School needed to support her when they started again. Otherwise she would stay at home.

About two fifths of our school have signed up as key workers. I'm a key worker but WFH (adult social care). DH works short term contracts and is paid a daily rate. If he skips work they would get rid of him and he's the main earner. So it was down to me to home school last time...

Last lockdown we struggled massively with home schooling but didn't send them in until summer when the message changed that all key workers' children were welcome at school (rather than just being able to send them in if you have no other option).

My reasons for sending them in this time are:

1. The home schooling provided is not fit for purpose. Why can't they use Teams and have a direct connection to their teacher? It even comes with a hands up button! Even just 3 x hour long lessons a day would be better than printing literally reams of paper off for two children and then having to provide help because there's no qualified teacher to explain what they are supposed to be doing - and it wasn't self-explanatory most of the time.

1. The fact that I was trying to work for most of the day and leaving children to get on with looking after themselves, in other circumstances could be described as neglect. I was not happy with the situation. The difference in both DCs' moods when they went back to school for the last part of the year was absolutely huge.

1. We have all had covid so are low risk.

1. I can't have my work meetings and phone calls about confidential social care issues with two children listening in when they become stuck on their schoolwork, or bored.

1. There has been no message this time to say keyworker children should only be sent in if there is no other alternative.

Our schools (1 primary and 1 secondary) insist both parents are key workers working outside the home and are asking for proof. If every child with 1 key worker parent went in they might as well open both schools so all of the kids get their full education. DC should be kept home if there is an adult there. The line has to be drawn somewhere. Its unfair enough that kids in school are getting TA/teacher attention and guidance while my two get me helping if I can between wfh calls (non key working single parent).

We have been fortunate as online provision at both schools has so far been excellent and from what I can gather, DC at school are not yet receiving any 'extra' education. Its about reducing contacts so everyone needs to suck it up.

@UghNotThisAgain36

Our schools (1 primary and 1 secondary) insist both parents are key workers working outside the home and are asking for proof. If every child with 1 key worker parent went in they might as well open both schools so all of the kids get their full education. DC should be kept home if there is an adult there. The line has to be drawn somewhere. Its unfair enough that kids in school are getting TA/teacher attention and guidance while my two get me helping if I can between wfh calls (non key working single parent).

We have been fortunate as online provision at both schools has so far been excellent and from what I can gather, DC at school are not yet receiving any 'extra' education. Its about reducing contacts so everyone needs to suck it up.

You do realise that a parent not being a keyworker doesn't mean that they can work from home right?

I do realise that but where do you draw the line?
My DCs Dad is a keyworker (prison officer) so in theory could get a school place but I don't think its moral to send them in even though if I pushed the fact, like I imagine a lot of people do, I could.

Its like lockdown itself, a lot of people have 'special reasons' to break/bend rules. So many people have been baying for schools to be closed. Now they have been, so new rules come in. The public cannot pick and choose, the lines have to be drawn. Some people will be in the grey area.

Last time round we had maybe 15 at most KW children in. This time there are 25 in year two alone, which is about the same as a full class anyway.

Circumstances have changed for me, I used my KW provision places last time but won't this time.

The definition is very wide of vulnerable children. If you have 3 children and only 1 device or without individual bedrooms or desks then it looks like you could send your children in

We're up to 85% of pupils in some schools. Ridiculous.

So school is part of an academy with other schools.
They've now decided in their wisdom that they've taken on too many children, so are now whittling it down to a smaller amount so approx half of the children attending this week won't be allowed to attend next week.
What a shambles. How to explain to kids that they went in for 3 days but aren't allowed back.

Our school go back tomorrow and the Head has just confirmed 25% of the school will be going back tomorrow under keyworker provision.