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.

Similar to the school my kids go to.

Lockdown 1 - less than 5% of kids in. Lockdown 3 - 45% of kids have applied.

Technically I think mine are eligible (I work in finance) but we are both working from home so it would be ridiculous.

“Bringing all pupils back into classrooms while the rate of infection is so high is exposing education sector workers to serious risk of ill-health and could fuel the pandemic.

Unions have called for a pause in the reopening of schools for anyone other than vulnerable children and children of key workers”

@Ilovenewyear

Our primary its only one key worker. We as a household qualify for a place. Haven’t asked for it as i’m a SAHP but i know others who have applied in similar circumstances and been granted - i saw them do the school run this morning.

Sahp applying should be publicly shamed

For those at the back who are hard of hearing.

The unions called for safe schools, not closed.

The govt couldn’t make them safe, the stats show how at risk staff are and they were being exposed by legal action. The community transmission speaks for itself.

In some areas, ‘KW’ provision is so high the schools are working almost at capacity which means those children at home will get nothing plus bubble closures etc. It would actually be fairer and safer to have schools in on a rota so all get F2F.

@ReginaPhalangee

My union doesn't have a Section 44 letter (NASUWT).

I didn't make myself clear, only one parent needs to be a KW to earn a place for their child, not both. New guidelines.

Section 44 is a legal right of all employees, just because your union doesn't advise using it doesn't mean you don't have the right.

Neither the unions nor the government thought this through.

My child is preschool age. I took him out the week before lockdown, worked through with him, almost had a breakdown. We are both critical workers (I was working from home) and were offered a place but we felt we shouldn’t take it. This time round I’m on maternity leave, but if I wasn’t then I would be sending him in. It would be that or quit my job or go off sick with stress. I suspect I’m not alone in that.

The unions seem to be in an opaque bubble, only talking to themselves, and they didn’t consider that we are in a different situation to March, people cannot put themselves through the same situation again.

Don’t heads have discretion to set the number of places and criteria? There was plenty of fuss in the spring about whether both parents needed to be critical workers.

I understand the struggles of working families, I really do. We honestly want to support those who desperately need it. As a LP I get it completely.

On the flip side... I have had many colleagues catch Covid from a primary child. My best friend was blue lighted into hospital before Christmas and now has long Covid. Caught it from a Year 4 child in her class.

@ReginaPhalangee

Yes primary. The rule is that only one KW parent is allowed rather than both. Our vulnerable haven't been counted yet - this is only KW applications.

I think that it's terrible that TAs are left to deal with children in secondary.

Yes, in theory it'd be easier to let the extra 50 in wouldn't it, but then how on earth can they call this a lockdown/school closure?

This whole thing is an absolute mess.

Be stricter then. My kid's school has said they have staffing on site for 100 kids. Families with 2 keyworker parents are absolutely prioritised. Any spare spaces after 2 key worker parents and vulnerable children they start with youngest kids with 1 key worker parent.

They seem to have expanded the criteria for 'vulnerable' children. It now includes all children with EHCPs, whereas last time the school used a risk assessment (supposedly with parents but that mostly didnt happen) to decide whether their needs can be met at home. That meant alot of children with SEN were not given school places. There was understandbly alot of complaints and as a result all children with EHCPS are now included. That will account for a small number of children in most schools, but possibly all or most children if your talking about a special school.

I think this is the other side of another thread about people being expected to work in offices, who worked from home last time. This seems to be happening a lot. There are far fewer people on furlough and far fewer being allowed to WFH.

This has caused more people to push for school places, as they aren't at home to supervise as they were last time.

Being a keyworker that has chosen to keep my children at home (because I work from home despite it being awful!), I honestly think it was too easy to send them in. No proof is required. All they needed was a 'yes, I'm keyworker'.

Proof needs to be a requirement.

I'm sorry OP. I can only hope that you are renumerated sufficiently (financially) at some point. I won't hold my breath though.

You've been treated appallingly. It's about time the UK treats and pays our teaching staff accordingly. I hope once this is over there is a big drive to pay you what you are truly owed.
Thank you,
An extremely grateful parent x

@Wontdothisagain

Surely everyone saw this coming? No?

I knew and have said several times that this would happen.

Lockdown#1 everyone was working from home or furloughed, or wfh and had a partner furloughed. Almost everything was shut.

This time everyone is expected to be at work.

What would people like all of these parents to do? Give up their jobs? They can't just take leave as this could go on for months.

I think probably even more significant is that is that people now know how awful homeschooling while WFH is, and have no faith that this closure will be short, and so aren't prepared to 'try and muddle through' as a lot of them were last time.

Some parents are really trying it on.
I know of one Health care assistant who has been off Sick for months, who is claiming key worker status.
I know of another HCA who has an unemployed husband (at home all day gaming) who has lied to the school and said she is now a single mother.
She said her husband totally refused to look after the kids.
They dont seem to understand how selfish they are.

@Lazypuppy

Its because last time lots of people didn't take up the KW offer, i didn't. However i nearly had a breakdown after the first lockdown so will be using my space now. I know a lot of people who are now doing the same

Same here. I was promised 3 weeks closure, so we sucked it up and worked on my actual paid for job all night, weekend etc. I almost had a breakdown and so did DH. By the time we realised we really couldn't cope it was too late, all the key worker places full. This time around I just can't do it again so have sent mine in.

StacySoloman they said we wouldn't be supported and it would be classed as a strike. And we wouldn't get paid

“The unions seem to be in an opaque bubble, only talking to themselves, and they didn’t consider that we are in a different situation to March, people cannot put themselves through the same situation again”

Yes this ^

Schools shouldn't be allowed to make their own rules! How is that fair?

It’s not genuinely vulnerable children with EHCPs causing the problem. It’s parents who are really twisting themselves into knots to justify themselves as key workers. And yes there are families with a SAHP or someone furloughed but other is a key worker who are doing this!

@Billie18

Does seem very unfair on the 50 that are not allowed to attend. After nearly a year of messed up schooling and isolation there is an argument that all children count as vulnerable and if parents work to support their family isn't that essential? Maybe they could all be admitted on these grounds? Would be good for the children and no doubt easier for the staff than having to prepare and monitor two separate forms of educational delivery?

I think their families are the lucky ones as no risk! I am so glad mine are home whilst this most worrying bit passes.

If one parent is a low paid key worker and other parent not key worker but parent can't work from home but earns the majority of the family income, if schools refuse to allow children to attend school it almost forces the low paid key worker to stay at home so their family can pay mortgage and feed themselves. I wish schools would consider this.

Last time both dh and I juggled things to keep dc home despite both being key workers. This time we have more patients and it’s proving to be work that I cannot do from home unlike the one day a week previously. Our needs as a family have changed. Within two weeks I’m hoping to move to a mix of school and home but I won’t know yet.

People are protecting their dc and balancing covid risk with mental health risk so only the school can judge if it’s acceptable to them.

Let's not pretend the unions had any influence here whatsoever. They've been pushing for safety measures all last term and were completely ignored. Schools have closed because the government realises the healthcare system is in deep trouble and school infections were driving community transmission.

I think your head is going to have to be more stringent on the requirements with such high uptake. If schools are still opening with large numbers of students then the transmission rate is going to take longer to drop and schools will end up being closed to the other children for longer.

@ImWorriedAboutThis

Sussex infant school here. Last time we had about a tenth in, this time around it’s over a third. Either a lot of parents have changed their jobs lately, or the key worker requirements have changed!

We were protected last time too (I’m a kitchen worker), we didn’t have to go into the hall until the children had left, 2m barrier between us and the children etc. Nothing this time, as requested by the school, we are carrying on the same as we have been since September

Key worker requirements have changed and more professions have been added. My DH wasn’t a ket worker in lockdown 1 but is now (didn’t change jobs).

The list of Critical workers also includes people working on the EU Transition, which I dont think was the case last time. The description under what is a 'vulnerable child' is open to alot of opinion!www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision#vulnerable-children-and-young-people

www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision#vulnerable-children-and-young-people