Do i only send DS to school on the days I work?

[Overthinker12]

I'm sorry if this sounds like a daft question.
I'm a key worker and I work from home 2x a week and from the office 2x a week. I have a Monday off.
I have a 5 year old and a 2 year old. During lockdown 1.0 I kept them both with me and worked from home the whole time. It honestly broke me, I was having to work till 1am most evenings and worked weekends to keep my head above the water.
This time we have decided they will both continue at school and nursery. Ds goes to nursery 4 days a week. Do I just send my 5 year old to school on the 4 days i work?
Or would you think if im doing that i should still send him on my non working day too?
I can keep him off of course but my 2yo will hamper any home school efforts that day, and I'm wondering if he's there the rest of the week what difference it will make?

Btw. Before anyone asks what role DH will play in childcare he asked to be furloughed to help my state of mind out last year and ended up getting made redundant. He got a new job in November so missed the new furlough cut off date.

Personally I think you should only send them in on the 2 days you work in the office.

Is everyone who was working from home sent their children in the schools would be full

@Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady if im honest, I felt like this first time around. Was so relieved when I could WFH and couldn't believe that people would send their kids to school if they were home. However schooling them is a job in itself as is a very busy key worker job and it was physically impossible for me to do.
That said I hinted to my boss this morning about the possibility of keeping him here on my wfh days if school wouldn't take him (they know I do 2 at home) but was quickly advised that I cant be in charge of children and working from home and there is no need for that with me being a key worker

Our school have said the DC should only go on days DH and I (both keyworkers) are working. So I work 4 days and the kids will be home with me on my day off, which makes sense, they don't need the place and will be doing exactly the same work at home with me (except not really because it will be a Friday and we will do some token reading and maths and then fun stuff). But you could ask the school and see what they say, if they're not overly busy they might be happy for him to be there full time.

I’d send him the days you’re working. I wouldn’t send him if you’re not working.

I dont think its fair to send in kids if you can stay at home that day.

Surely it takes a place from someone who cant get to work?

I actually think if he’s with the kids on 4 days 5 makes more sense for routine and he’s already mixing with his bubble.

Speak to your school. I had the same question as I work three days and my husband full time so I asked the head and they were happy to have them all 5 days. They don’t have a huge amount of children coming in though. It may have been a different answer has there been more demand for places.

Does your school have a policy on it? Our school is saying full 5 days or nothing (the kids are all being taught, either online or in school and they think it would be disruptive to keep chopping and changing). We could have kept DC home for one day as DH works a 4 day week, but with that policy she's in 5 days.

Yes

Our school saying full 5 days or nothing too best to check with your school

Depends on the school. My daughter’s school have said only to send on days that we have to, but I know of at least two local primary schools that have said it’s all 5 days or nothing for continuity.

Reportedly some schools are taking the attitude that if you are a critical worker working from home, they will not take your children.

So can you get in writing (or email) your boss saying you should not be trying to work from home and supervise your children at the same time? To have something to show the school when they try that line.

Not rtft but our school have said I can send both my DC in full time if I want to although between myself and their dad one of us is always able to have them at home ( both front lines NHS but work opposite shifts).
At the moment we are not sending them in, but may well do if we begin to struggle.
To the OP- do what you need to do, and don't let anyone make you feel bad.

My school havent said anything about whether it's the full 5 days - they gave a deadline of 1pm to register our interest for a place and then put an email out to say they were delighted to be able to accommodate all requests and not have to filter it down to those children of 2 keyworker parents as the uptake hadn't been as vast as they expected.
I just think for his routine that 5 days may be better, however will feel like a massive fraud dropping him off with my 2yo in tow on my non working day.
The guilt struggle is massive right now.

I feel massively guilty about sending mine in but I know that it’s the right thing for them and that the school have space for them. There were three people in one of children’s class today. I know that between working into the early hours of the morning, then homeschooling three kids, then heading back out to work I was on the verge of a breakdown in the first lockdown.

I work four days. It never occurred to me to ask for 5. I didn't know some schools are only offering 5 days or none!