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?

Yes, and there are definitely more key worker children in our local schools this time. Many parents said it nearly broke them the last time but they kept them home hoping it was for a few weeks and it would help fight CV19.

This time they are saying they can’t face doing it again and their DC’s need the interaction.

No- both kw, secondary age kids. They’re safer at home.

I’ll do my best to avoid it if I can.

I’m a single parent and a key worker. Working from home is a total and utter nightmare and crap (I had my 6 year old walk in twice in meeting today and the 13 year old despite being told I was on a work zoom call repeatedly knocked the door (to ask for chocolate !) but I would rather have a crap home life than put a teacher at risk. Teachers are not childcare. My child’s teacher has no PPE and has no mask in the classroom and I won’t do that to her.

No

Not worried about safety. Just doing are bit to take some pressure off the school by keeping numbers down.

I think we could possibly get a place, as DH is a key worker. But I'm a SAHM, so there's no need. Last time dd's school said both parents had to be key workers anyway, so possibly we wouldn't get one, even if we did want it.

Dh and I are both keyworkers, largely wfh.
We haven't applied for school places as we know we can cope at home.

I think I technically am but we are both working from home so are keeping them at home.

Nearly half our school have applied though! School have sent a very cross letter out. Last time it was less than 5% in.

No we've not taken up the places available to our children.

Both DH and I are key workers but I'm working from home. With cases so high in our area we've chosen to keep them both home. Today was day 1 of trying to juggle it all and to be honest it's going to be incredibly difficult. One child has SEN just to add to the level of difficulty.

If things do start to improve I may send them to school for a couple of days a week so I can get some work done uninterrupted. For now though they stay home.

Yes. We did as you did in the first lockdown and kept our 5 year old off school and homeschooled.
Both key workers and neither of us can work from home. We also have a 2 year old and it was really tough juggling shifts and trying to home school. Work weren’t particularly supportive either which didn’t help.
So this time we are sending her into school it we are given a place (school oversubscribed and still to decide). I’m torn too as she also has a health condition which could make her more vulnerable but sending her in seems like the best option for us as a family.
Grandparents are caring for our 2 year old but they couldn’t cope with both!

We're both keyworkers. We haven't taken up places for our DC. The school have said in their guidance that it is only for those who do not have alternative childcare available. We are in Wales where nurseries and childminders can still open. So our DC are going to the CM half the week (costs roughly the same as wrap around care would) and staying home the other days.

We really had a big debate about it. DH thinks they should go to school. He does struggle with doing their school work and the brunt of it would fall to him as he has days off in in week. He is not academically gifted. However, I am WFH. My job is flexible so I can do a couple of hours school work with the DC in the morning before I log on for the day. Then he can do reading and the stuff he is more suited to in the afternoons. We can catch up at weekends.

I know not everyone can do this. I changed jobs in the summer. My last one did have me chained to the phone so I couldn't help as much and I think this is what DH is afraid of again.

It's not ideal, but I don't think realistically they would be doing any more work or fairing any better in school right now.

No, I’m keyworker healthcare, dh wfh keyworker. 13 and 11 got on ok last time so keeping them home for now

Yes for 2 primary school kids, no for secondary school kid as she can access live lessons and be left to her own devices.

Yes. Both DH and I are key workers, neither job doable from home at all. Both shift work which changes weekly.

I'm working 2 days a week but DD6s school have said that if they go in at all, it has to be Monday to Friday so she's there for all 5...

Not this time. I'm a key worker and lone parent. I did take a place for my daughter in the first lockdown as I had no childcare, also had to change my shift pattern which meant a drop in wages. This time my parents can provide help as we are an extended household, which also means I can keep my current shift pattern and not lose wages. I think keyworker places should only be taken if you have no other options.

Yes, we're national government keyworkers and are using our place (and also a nursery place). DP is working out of the home some of the time. Our school have sent a full 6 hour a day timetable and we obviously can't be furloughed. Added complication is that DC is on the assessment pathway for ASD and really needs the structure

We have no contact at all (for almost a year now) with older/extended family. We're not otherwise mixing much at all. Maybe the odd walk with a friend.

Our school have offered it to everyone who wants it, including 1 KW parent but take up looks low (but higher than last time)- 6 in in DC class today, 2 form entry school. I think k they only had about 15 in the whole school last time. They have an in or out policy so you have to send the whole 5 days.

No. Lone parent and critical worker, but can wfh.

I haven't personally as my dc are teens and self sufficient but colleagues at work with younger children are hoping to send them in. Largely for mental health benefits to everyone.

DH is a key worker and no... those spaces should be for those who really need it + teachers shouldnt have to have an extra load that increases the risk of exposure.

Single parent keyworker with my 14 year old in school. Qualify as a keyworker but sending in for mental health reasons and difficulty engaging with remote learning.

Yes but not full time. Between me and ex we can juggle so we use school once to twice a week. I'm pleased for dd as mentally was very tough on her last time as an only child

@yefh I feel your pain. Had exactly the same
Conversation with dh this morning, barely
slept last night.Both key workers - dh can wfh but is mostly in and out. Have two older siblings at home 16 and 13 - youngest is yr6. Worried that they are going to be off for months again but we have decided not to use the place. Will she miss out on social aspect - yes. But the question we had to ask
Is - is she safe at home - even if she’s glued to the tv - yes she is

No not yet. Two primary dc. We're farmers so can have them at home for the moment. The risk to us is higher of us being ill because they're in school.

That will change as spring kicks in as we won't always be able to have them at home safely and then that becomes riskier than Covid!

In your situation I think it's send them in

No, mainly because it doesn’t cover our shifts (both prison service), so we’d have to find someone to take and collect ds anyway. We talked about it, but decided that the benefits weren’t worth the stress of arranging pickup and didn’t want to risk ds having to stay indoors for 10 days if his bubble popped.

The big difference this time is that you can form a childcare bubble with another household.
This means I can keep mine out of school which I couldn't in the first lockdown.