If your child qualifies for a school place through keyworker status have you taken it up?

[yefh]

I'm a keyworker but fortunately can wfh. Dh is not a keyworker but both our jobs are incredibly stressful and busier than ever. We have one child. Last lockdown we muddled through but dd yr2 was largely ignored whilst we worked all hours day and night and were on calls all day. We felt so guilty. Essentially the tv babysat. We nearly made ourselves ill with the hours worked and I am sure dd suffered too.

There is no chance of furlough for either of us.

We have contacted the school and they say we qualify for a keyworker place for dd but we are so torn as to whether to send her in. On one hand it will be good for her as she needs interaction with other children and she wants to go in and the alternative of being on her own all day whilst we both work is pretty miserable ( even with one hour of zoom lesson) on the other hand we are so worried about exposing her and us to risk. We are early 40s and in ok health.

We have no alternative support. GPS are far away and in vulnerable category

Just wondered if anyone else in this situation and what you did?

@phlebasconsidered

I've had to send mine in because i'm in school teaching practically a full class of keyworker children myself. Not one doctor, nurse or utilities worker among them. Mist of them have one parent at home. Thanks to Gav widening the keyworker term i'm now forced to expose my own kids and myself more. It's ridiculous. About 75% of my school is in. Farcical. We'll get it (one in 40 in my area has it) and close soon. Had they kept the bubble small, our prognosis for remaining open would be much better. As it is, with cases in our area leaping by over 200% in one day, I give us a few weeks. This government are thick as pigshit.

That's rotten. Your head needs to make some tough decisions here.

@rolliy

2 Keyworkers here and I have requested to be furloughed on the grounds of looking after my children which has been granted.

Can public sector staff be furloughed?

Is it the right thing to do to keep them at home?

I think a lot of people would like the option to stay at home with their dc (& keep everyone safe) & still receive a salary.

I have no idea, I was speaking about my circumstances. Working in the dental supply chain so classed as keyworker but for a private business. I dont think it is as simple as "staying at home with the kids and getting a salary" - I havent chosen to do this for a living, I love my job and enjoy working. I believe my children should be getting an education, BUT there is a pandemic and weve done what we have had to for other people - I could be on full pay and have the kids in school (and not have to home school which isnt my dream) but we done the right thing.

Both teachers, in school 50% of the time, pre-recording lessons, available online and giving feedback to 50ish children on the days I wfh. DH teaches live lessons to his usual timetable.
DS is yr11 with SEND. He is definitely not in school. It’s enough that we are in contact with many households when in school, we aren’t adding another batch into the mix. I sent another child home with Covid symptoms today and it has been moving through my class for a month (lots of people in my room spent Christmas self isolating).
It’s difficult though when all 3 of us need to be online at the same time.

No

We’re both kw, using a childminder for two primary age, nursery open for youngest

Me and my DH are both key workers. He’s WFH five days a week, I work outside the home two days a week.

I’m homeschooling our 7 year old whilst looking after our 3 year old in between doing the work for a degree I’m doing alongside my job. My husband, although working from home is incredibly busy.

It’s such hard work, it’s very stressful and difficult, but we don’t want our son in school so we are doing our best to make it work.

DP has a definite keyworker role, I am officially classed as a keyworker, but it's a bit spurious, we are both at home most of the time, but DP could theoretically (and has had to) go out for his role.

Our DC are at home, as we can juggle having them at home and I assumed keyworker places were for people who really can't. I also think, because most people don't see it that way, schools are too busy to be safe, putting teachers and children who don't have the choice at higher risk.

I would be able to get one as DH is a keyworker who can't work from home. Both girls have ASD and I am full time carer for adult dd1 so I am at home but my mental health is not in the best place at the minute.

But regardless of all that dd2 is at home, it sounds like school is still busy (an email was sent to everyone today) and I am CV (not CEV) so not sure how I would fare if I caught it - my guess is I wouldn't be much use the girls who really need me. We will muddle along, we will follow the rules, limit what interactions we have and hope that others do the same so that we can get out the other side of this still in one piece.

No. Had a slight scare with corona before Christmas. I don't want my daughter to experience anything like that again nor us.

We are both keyworkers but I work part time. Luckily DH has taken annual leave one day a week until end of Feb so I'm going to cram my work into that day and evenings / weekends.

Sending them to school is not the right choice for our family but I absolutely support others who've had to make that "choice" (it's usually not really a fucking choice, actually)

Yes both my children are in as myself and my husband are key workers who work in a school

My god the parents working from home who are sending kids in as kids don’t cope well with online/ remote learning , need to mix etc shame on you . Absolutely last resort it was to shut schools, wouldn't think so thou by the amount who have sent them in never mind the ones not on here . Seriously sending high school pupils in !! Me and my husband ruining our own business super busy but grateful to still have jobs , 11 year old and 14 both at home 3 days youngest in work with us other 2 day im back and fourth like a yo-yo .will have to use weekends to catch him up . 11yr old will fall so behind never mind the mixing and playing he so enjoys and needs and so important in his last year of primary as things slightly change in high school . Shutting schools to slow the virus down ! Think it will just carry on ..but we will carry on with home Schooling as best we can , keeping kids metal heath balanced as best we can while my own dips and working full time .

Both NHS.

DH in an ITU consultant.

We have not taken up places.

No. Both kw but we're keeping our 3 at home. We can just about manage so we feel like we should.
I've noticed at our school that a lot of NHS staff and people with medical knowledge are refusing the places unless they really have no other option. It still sounds like their school is very busy judging by the emails home the last few days.

There is so much melodrama regarding this. Schools were supposed to be the last thing to close but there are tonnes of shops branding themselves essential which really should have closed first. Since when are coffee and takeaways essential?

I don't think you can blame people for taking a place that they are eligible for. As I noted up thread I have considered the risk my children present to others (particularly school staff) and given that they've had covid I think it's minimal. The benefits of school to them far out weigh the risks (for the wider community) that they will play some tiny part in keeping schools closed for longer.

I also wanted to point out to the teachers complaining about feeling unsafe with so many children in, that there's no evidence that teachers are more at risk than any other profession:

3.3 COVID-19 among educational staff

Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 within the workplace is difficult to assess, especially when there is ongoing transmission within the community, given that adults may become infected outside of the workplace. WHO finds that staff-to-staff transmission was the most common and that in school outbreaks, the virus is most likely introduced by adult personnel.

Data from the Public Health Agency of Sweden linked case-based data for the period 15 March-19 October with occupational registries and found that preschool, primary school and secondary school teachers were not at an increased risk of being diagnosed with COVID-19 compared with other occupational groups

Source: www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/COVID-19-in-children-and-the-role-of-school-settings-in-transmission-first-update_0.pdf

ouch thats Sweden. How about showing us data from the UK?

Sweden famously has not locked down and kept its schools open until very recently. The findings are relevant to the situation in our schools.

Interestingly the DfE changed the critical worker guidance yesterday to add ‘keep at home if you can’.

I’m a single parent KW wfh. My eldest has SEN and is going in for 3 days on advice of the school. My youngest I’ve kept off even though it’s very difficult ( actually even more so with one part time in school!).

We never know what’s going on in others lives though or why their children are in.

Nope, because OH is shielding, so we’re trying to minimise contacts outside of the household
And we’re managing (just about)

No because I am a childminder & while it's hard having so many children all day every day, I think it would be ridiculous if I sent my dc to school, (even though other childminders have discussed using their school space)

@buckeejit
That would depend of the ages.
If you've got for example a couple of under 1 yo,one unders 3 and your daughter was 4, I don't think it would be so ridiculous to send your DD to school as taking care of babies or toddlers is very hard work and requires to have your full attention

No because i can avoid doing so. Not everyone has a choice but if you can keep kids at home I do feal one should.

No. Both DH and I are key workers. I have to go into work three days a week and DH one day a week so have organised that someone is always at home.

My feelings are that as the guidance says 'keep you reading child at home if you can' then that is what we will do.

The more people stay at home the slower the spread of the virus will be and the less the pressure on the NHS will be.

@piscis we're only allowed one child under one year & 3 under compulsory school age. 6 children in total. I do know how hard work it is, but it's my job. We can do hard things is one of the things I say to my toddlers all the time. It's a good mantra.