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. DD is in tomorrow. She's so excited. We are both key workers and can't work from home.

No, I’m a key worker but my parents do the school run. They preferred my Son not to be in school and I was happy to go with that.

@2021hastobebetter
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.

@2021 I could hug you on behalf of your child’s teacher, infact I hope you are the parent of one of my class, or that the ones who are not taking up places think like you. I only have 5 children less than my usual number, I’m Clinically Vulnerable and as much as I love my class I’m worried sick about becoming ill. Massive thank you

I qualify and have been offered a place but have declined. They’re closing the schools because it’s spreading through them so easily. I’d rather keep kids out and suffer through homeschooling than risk them and us by putting them in

We must be complete numpties...........

I thought the whole reason for schools shutting was to slow the spread of the virus

So sending to school when working from home is kind of coutner productive?

But yet again its the ones who do what is right for society that have mug written across their head.

Not a key worker, but DS has an EHCP with 1:1 TA. We finally got him into a specialist school 3 weeks before it closed due to lockdown.

Similar position to you. DH and I work from home in demanding jobs that have us in meetings > 6 hrs a day.

DS (year 7) simply will not be able to access education online (largely) alone. He needs support to do it when he’s at school. Last lockdown, he was at school 2 days a week, the rest he basically was babysat by the TV (and I managed to get him to do some Year 2 Oak Academy stuff).

I have asked for a space for him... but I feel guilty about it.

No. Am single parent working FT in SEN school. DS’ dad is non KW and WFH - he went there through the whole of last lockdown so that’s what we are doing again. Am hoping the much more structured online provision this time will make sure he keeps up. There are so many children in his class with only 1 KW parent who have sent their kids in that it feels like a massive risk for his teacher - I’m at such high levels of exposure myself that I want to limit any potential fallout.

No, my son copes better with changes at home than he does changes at school.

Last year I tried a few days of vulnerable provision and it was a disaster (not at all the schools fault), school is tricky for him, school being different is just too much. If he coped well at school I would take his slot in the vulnerable provision.

Mine are going in, I'm a key worker, dh is not but can't work from home.

DH and I both qualify, but (primary and secondary) DC are staying home.

We can mainly wfh, albeit very long and stressful days with endless calls and conferences and high pressure roles. DC get no input from us in terms of schoolwork and are lonely, bored and left to their own devices (in all senses) for 10hrs plus a day.

But we CAN wfh and they CAN be here. That being the case, I can’t reconcile putting them into school (despite it being unquestionably in their interests, let alone ours) with the reason why we need the damn lockdown in the first place.

We’re very lucky in that none are very young or have SN, or it would obviously be a different situation.

No, husband is a key worker but I am a sahm so we are not taking a place even though our school is providing for one key worker parent only. Others need those places a lot more.

Both key workers and im.wfh
Both kids in school

Take the offer OP. Days are long for kids, a lot longer than they feel for us. If you and husband are too busy it's not fair to make her do it again if there's an alternative.

Yes, we're both keyworkers. I'm patient facing. DIdn't send them in until summer term last time as DH was furloughed but the home schooling nearly broke him and the kids, and just going in for that last term helped the kids wellbeing, and DH had to go back in from June. They had the same work set as was being sent home.

There were only 6 in each class today and they had their class teachers. The only worry they had was that the classrooms were so cold they had to wear their coats.

No. My children were invited to attend school if I needed but I don’t. I’m very fortunate and can be home with them without difficulty. I do feel for those of you who are struggling.

We are in a similar position. Both WFH full time, one key worker and one not. We have sent the children back to school.

Factors we considered:

My work (the not keyworker role) is very busy and stressful at the moment

The whole family has had COVID-19, so I feel we are minimal risk for catching/transmitting it again

Last time was awful, my youngest cried at the thought of homeschooling again.

I think school would prefer more children in, their emails and approach have not been anywhere near as draconian as other local schools

Both went in today and loved it

No. We’re both key workers who can work from home. We’re going to see if we can manage. It will be harder this time around as OH has to work full hours (he wasn’t able to work much first time around).

We may end up sending them in but the risk bothers me as I am CV. So we’ll take it a day at a time and see where we get to.

The only worry they had was that the classrooms were so cold they had to wear their coats.
They (quite rightly) had the windows wide open at DS's school. He took his coat today and thankfully they can revert back to non uniform tomorrow!

Yes we have. My youngest is so far behind now it's not an option to keep her at home if I don't have to.

Both have two be keyworker parents to get a school place, In my area Rightly so.

DH and I are both key workers. DH is able to wfh but I am patient facing NHS so no such luck.

We have opted to send them in despite keeping them home during the last school closure.

The main reason is DH's mental health. He just couldn't cope and had a massive breakdown with working full time and home schooling 2 DC aged 8 and 10. His work is very high pressured and expect a full day's work from him (quite rightly too as he is paid for it) but meetings etc just not doable with interupptions every 5 mins!

We are both kws. Teachers. Dh will be live teaching all day apart from 30min lunch break. I will be in one week and at home the next supporting home learning. KW bubbles in primary do not distance well no matter how small. Children don't distance. We will not be sending DS in. We will also be splitting the house so I am distanced from ds and DH. Dh is over 60. Ds is in ks2 and struggles academically. He will be unable to complete all his home learning and we will unable to support him adequately. However, I will not put us, the staff at his school or the children and families in my bubble at any additional risk. He will be physically safe at home so at home he stays. Have you seen today's numbers?

Yes, my eldest was in KW club last time and did ok with it. This time as well as him in yr3 I have my daughter in reception too. I am a single parent and KW who cannot work from home. Felt awful the first lockdown but school are so much more organised this time round. Our school are pretty amazing. Kids are staying in there class bubbles and actually learning alongside the children at home with live lessons. Very happy about this as it was very difficult last time around doing a full day at work in a highly stressful job and then homeschooling in the afternoon/evening. Seems to be a lot more children this time around! In the first lockdown there were initially only 25 children in total. This time around 16 out of 30 in my daughter class will be in!

@sparklestar1 16/30 in that's dreadful. I can see that you have to have a place. Let's hope some of the others can reconsider.

No. Both WFH, both count as key workers (but I don't think we should!)

Child will be staying at home.