75% of my school are in

[ReginaPhalangee]

That's it in a nutshell. Three quarters of my school are classed as keyworker or vulnerable. Might as well chuck the other 50 in and be done with it.

Lockdown 1... 12 children.

No PPE and we've got to double our workload for the ones needing remote learning whilst we are teaching our classes. And then making phone calls to check on them.

It's the same for every school in my area.

Only ten kids in the local primary today and one third of the nursery kids. I'm scared the nursery will close at this rate!

There is no point checking keyworker status. Any kid can be classed as vulnerable if they don’t have a quiet place to work.

Ultimately it’s discrimination. What provision will be made for those children that miss a whole year (possibly more?) of school? Homeschooling does not match classroom education. Especially when parents are working full time and have no option but to stick children in front of television for hours on end. There you have 75% of children with an advantage. Not saying I have the solution!! But something needs to be done to rectify this growing gap.

That's a good idea...but many primary schools don't have enough devices for all the kids who are on site. 400 kids is our school, 100 of them are on site. DfE keep going on about the thousands of laptops they are giving out...our school has an allocation of 5 laptops. Can't believe there isn't more on the news about the shameful allocation of devices to primary schools. Every spare device we have has been loaned to kids who are remote learning.

@Tigger001

Sorry, from reading bits of this, am I right that if 1 parent is a key worker the child can attend school, what if the other is furloughed, or SAHP, surely the school refuses those ?

Yes , Tigger, you are correct. Schools are not allowed to cap numbers. Not are schools allowed to refuse a child if they have at least ONE parent who is a critical worker.

That’s so wrong!!!

The new DfE guidance, released at 3pm today 'helpfully' says that schools should not put a limit on the number of critical worker and vulnerable children in schools!

Floodgates anyone?

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachmentdata/file/950510/Schoollnationalrestrictionssguidance.pdf

Ironically it's title is 'Restricting
attendance during
the national
lockdown'

Our school hasn’t got many in (under 20 in key stage 2 and it’s 2 form entry) but I don’t think you can blame parents for sending kids in in accordance with the guidance. Our key worker kids are doing exactly the same work as they have at home and with each teacher teaching 3 years worth of kids she doesn’t know, I suspect the education itself isn’t superior to what most can do at home. But obviously they benefit from the socialising and not being left in a corner to do their own thing. The list of critical workers has reduced (vulnerable definition is wider) but I think more parents are deciding to send in based on last time and lack of confidence this will be ending any time soon.

My husband and I are keyworkers. We didn't take up a place last lockdown but this time we have no choice and we both need to work. Its easy to judge- but its been a year into this pandemic and has left long lasting effects on most families that are unsaid. Regardless of how many kids are in school this lockdown the most important thing is to make sure that you don't send them to school with any symptoms even a runny nose...and ideally have them tested every week (rapid test). Its the only way to keep numbers down. Thankfully testing is available now and its free.

At least you’re phoning your pupils, we’re on our third spell of isolation for school and we’ve had sod all verbal communication from the school. Teaching leaves a lot to be desired and there’s no virtual face to faces either. Head has announced this week that every child must have submitted their work by 3.30 each day and that there must be a parent with them while they work. Ummmmmm what about us working! We don’t work from home = we don’t get paid!

14% are in for us, mostly junior years.

School have been very clear that they are getting exactly the same online learning provision as those at home and are being supervised by TAs and overseen by the head of junior school who is also onsite.

I don't really see the issue: everyone gets the same education, teaching staff are teaching at home, key workers are working...isn't that what's meant to happen?

Our primary has more than 50%. The teachers are in, teaching as usual....AND running the home learning group with worksheets, weekly planners and live lessons.

I think the Gov expanded the definition of Key Worker to keep more children in school. Lockdown v1 saw 5-9 children in the school on any one day. There are more than five times this number in now. Boris doesn't want them actually closed so this could be his compromise.

There isn't a consistent approach either. Our school takes child if one parent is key worker and no proof sought, other schools only take children with no non keyworker carers at home and proof from employer.

Still a mess and the teachers are paying for it.

I work in a primary , we’ve got more than half the kids in , they still eat their lunch in the hall they still que up for their lunch . Teachers are on rotation but kitchen staff are not there’s 4 in one tiny kitchen and one lady in the kitchen has to walk 3 miles to work because since lockdown the bus hasnt been running . The number of children attending is rising everyday but no one seems very concerned about it 🤷‍♀️

My husband and I are key workers and we didn't send our kids into school at all in the first lockdown as my husband was able to work from home a lot of the time. However, there was a point when we were both in work and there weren't any places left for keyworker children even if we had desperately needed them. We had to send the kids to my parents for a few days to do socially distanced schooling in their conservatory.

@hallamoo

The new DfE guidance, released at 3pm today 'helpfully' says that schools should not put a limit on the number of critical worker and vulnerable children in schools!

Floodgates anyone?

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachmentdata/file/950510/Schoollnationalrestrictionssguidance.pdf

Ironically it's title is 'Restricting
attendance during
the national
lockdown'

We know that every school will have a different number of children of critical workers who need to attend. It is important that on-site provision is provided for these pupils, and there is no limit to numbers of these pupils who may attend and schools should not limit attendance of these groups. This is because we are reducing overall social contact across areas and the country rather than individually by each institution.

How exactly does that work if a school can not meet the other safety requirements in the document and can not cope with the numbers in school AND setting work for home schooling in line with government requirements?

Given this is guidance schools can presumably ignore this if they feel its unsafe / unworkable?

Covid-19: Demand for Norfolk school key worker places 'outstrips supply'

Also this does not sufficiently help those communities which have higher numbers of kids in school. It leaves them more vulnerable to higher case rates. So you can point to it being ok nationally, but that doesn't really cut it if you happen to live in an area which already deprieved and has high rates.

@Peashoot1 but you are only allowed to get a test if you have symptoms aren’t you?

@helpIhateclothesshopping exactly the same for us. We managed for ages and then when we really needed a place, they couldn’t find one. So we’ve had to do it at the start this time as my DH could be deployed into hospitals any time.

It feels to me that by applying no at all, not even guidance, let alone sanctions, on employers who are insisting that their staff either go into the workplace (when they don't have to be there to do their jobs) or stipulating that it's not permitted to look after children while you're working, the govt is deliberately trying to undermine attempts to make schools safer.

Partly as a 'fuck you' to the NEU and NAHT and partly, to be fair, that they don't and haven't ever had a proper handle on the situation.

[quote Fallingrain]@Peashoot1 but you are only allowed to get a test if you have symptoms aren’t you?[/quote]
Areas with high or rapidly increasing rates are having 'pop up' covid testing centres where anyone can go, and people are being encouraged to use them.

They're the lateral flow tests, which aren't very reliable, but I think this mass testing was successful in identifying asymptomatic cases in Liverpool.

Feministicon
I'm in secondary as well, exactly the same, no teachers in at all. All staff in the classes with key worker children are support staff. Just been given a two week rota and not one teacher is on that rota. Absolutely furious, the teachers are at home protected behind their screens, earning triple my wage while I'm in the front line helping students access the work teachers are sending through.

My brother and two other friends in England have 25-28 out of 30 in their classes in. 3-5 last time. Absolutely ridiculous. In wales both parents have to be key workers and it’s first come first served for places - vulnerable children will have places too.

@christinarossetti19

It feels to me that by applying no at all, not even guidance, let alone sanctions, on employers who are insisting that their staff either go into the workplace (when they don't have to be there to do their jobs) or stipulating that it's not permitted to look after children while you're working, the govt is deliberately trying to undermine attempts to make schools safer.

Partly as a 'fuck you' to the NEU and NAHT and partly, to be fair, that they don't and haven't ever had a proper handle on the situation.

Exactly the reason why Gav waited until the unions had withdrawn their challenge to release the 'guidance'

Both myself and husband are critical/key workers and our daughters school are refusing her a place as they have allocated all places 15 per year group (60 to a year normally) to critical workers based on levels 1 to 4. Some went to level 1 (which I understand and don’t begrudge) but the rest went to other levels. But only one parent only needs to be a key/critical worker to get a place. So I know parents who have places for their children where one parent is a critical worker but other is at home full time and could home school... yet when you are both critical/key workers in stressful full time jobs so unable to homeschool our child is declined a place. The government should give more guidance to the schools and I agree both parents should fall in the key/critical worker categories to get a place
. When you have Amazon delivery men, truck drivers who don’t deliver items that are needed our food etc and part time careers who only work weekend....playing the system, because they don’t want to home school or look after their children. These people should reconsider why they are taking up places other parents really need and putting teachers at risk.