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.

Our school is checking ID badges/letters from employers for both parents where applicable.
There werent many at all in the first lockdown. DS was the only one in from his reception class so was mixed with older kids.
This time seems there are a lot more. At least 3 from his class, now Y1 that I know of and we have been instructed to take him to his normal entrance. All of the year groups have different entrances this time which leads me to believe they are keeping them in their year bubbles.

@srudychick81. And? Most people will be in very similiar situations. She wont lose clients because she will presumably have flexibility to tutor at some other time in the day. Surely she has to do preparation , so she could do that in the evenings and use the time on the day to home school? Or God forbid her husband could get off his arse and do it. I cant believe he has to work every minute of the day or his whole business will collapse. Its bull.

Original poster this is such an impossible dilemma especially with the newer more contagious evolving children impacting variants.

There is the need to accommodate critical key workers (particularly healthcare) children. But too many children and staff (and in any case more than original arbitrary concept of bubble of six etc) would facilitate further risks.

Schools have no or superficial use of PPE (especially primary schools) and essentially an ideal Covid incubator vector for asymptomatic super spreading.

There is also no systematic compulsory, accurate and frequent testing, tack, trace and isolate. With testing at school more undetected positive cases would be recorded.

As with any other similar settings schools are ideal for Covid because:

daily
long duration
indoor
poorly ventilated (especially in winter)
overcrowded
multi household mass gathering

Good luck original poster as hopefully this cure/solution is better than the pain/issue.

You need to be afforded a safe (enough) workplace environment with all pragmatic Covid risk mitigation measures implementable and not cause further super spreading with potentially very serious health outcomes.

Primary school sent text at 5.30am today stating school would be fully shut today but may reopen fir children of KW tomorrow!
Admin staff today also trying to refuse KW kids places! Only back tracking when we said we would check with authorities. Shift patterns are variable so couldn't say yet what days we would need in 2 weeks time so she said we couldn't have a place ffs. Until we pushed...
Seems that every school is different ☹️

Tough shit. False economy. Won't solve the problem quicker by pressuring staff.

Quite the opposite.

To be clear I wasn't saying that employers should be less understanding or that I think this is ok or defensible. I'm just saying that I think some people who managed to get through last time with some understanding and flexibility from their employers might feel like that isn't an option this time and that I can see why a parent who feels desperate and like they might lose their job would apply for a place that they are technically allowed if maybe they shouldn't really do so.

@LizDiz
Well... I can see how an EAL child could be more vulnerable compared to a non-EAL child, everything else being equal. There seems to be quite a wide discretion given though in that list. In a nutshell, if the school thinks the child might benefit from attendance, they are in.

That seems high. Will it be like that everyday? eg I know a family where key-worker is part time and her kids can only go in on the days she works. So will your numbers fluctuate because of this? This is a Primary.

One of my dc's is in for SN reasons. Secondary school. About ten in her year group are in out of almost 200.

Maybe it depends on type of school and area. And the school's specific criteria. Because they dont all seem to be the same.

Gosh I feel sorry for the support staff. They don’t get paid enough for this level of risk. Will the unions supports the support staff?

My dds school emailed us to ask parents to only send them in if they really needed to as they have been overwhelmed with requests for spaces.
For that reason i have decided not to send her even though we are both c workers.
However in the school i work in as pastoral, we have been told today that teachers will be teaching from home and support staff will be in school with the kids overseeing their remote learning.
Lunchtime supervisors also in.
Seems pretty unfair to me particularly when we also have our own kids to try and teach.
I'm not even a TA so maybe not the best person to be assisting kids with their education, I was employed for my therapeutic qualifications.
Its all such a mess.

And it’s the school support staff who’ve got to run all the swab tests too. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone with so little training and crap pay that school support staff get.

@Elephant4

Gosh I feel sorry for the support staff. They don’t get paid enough for this level of risk. Will the unions supports the support staff?

Honestly they have all already had Covid

At my DDs seconsay school all the support currently in school have had Covid.

@Fucket

Well no it doesn’t look professional but as we’ve just had teachers teaching my children online with their own children sat next to them (infant age) I’m sure people will understand. ITS A PANDEMIC

Yes, but those teachers will still be paid regardless and won't be sacked or loose clients, my own dsc teacher had his dc in the lessons back in March. However. When a client is paying you privately abs directly to tutor their SEN child I think the expectations are higher and a 9 yo would find distractions much harder to deal with than an adult. Especially a SEN pupil struggling anyway and needing to focus.

Well I guess the DH could home school for few hours and put that new client enquiry on hold or miss that deadline, oh as there will be no problem if they can't pay the mortgage or bills the following month I am sure.

Another factor in this is that many parents may fear the quality of home schooling. My son (primary) was given a couple of worksheets last time and links to websites. It wasnt teaching and not once did he have a live lesson. People perhaps mistakenly think it will be like 'normal' school.

"In fact many call centres where people are working from home, have a recorded message to warn you there maybe domestic noises (or whatever the phrase is) in the background"

Good point.

LizDiz I agree. I'm self-employed and clients pay me for my time. If your clients like you and the work you do, they won't mind the occasional interruption.

@LizDiz

Another factor in this is that many parents may fear the quality of home schooling. My son (primary) was given a couple of worksheets last time and links to websites. It wasnt teaching and not once did he have a live lesson. People perhaps mistakenly think it will be like 'normal' school.

Or maybe

The weather isn’t as nice?

I really don’t have any sympathy for you studychick. Do you think most people who can’t claim a key worker get out of free jail pass are not in the same boat?

You are not above the rest of us. Reschedule the tuition to a more convenient time. Get your DH to change his hours slightly. Manage a couple of hours tuition with your 9 year old and then stick him on the tablet when you’ve got a client.

@Studychick81. Yes he could! That's the point. We are all doing it so why cant he? Or should I say why cant your DH?

@Usernamesaved. Very true

However. When a client is paying you privately abs directly to tutor their SEN child I think the expectations are higher and a 9 yo would find distractions much harder to deal with than an adult. Especially a SEN pupil struggling anyway and needing to focus.

Honestly. The clients can suck it up.

If they want an alternative 'professional' good luck to them in finding one in the middle of a pandemic. In the meantime the client can do homeschooling themselves if they don't like it.

If the client doesn't get there's a pandemic on then its tough shit.

Honestly. Tough shit. We need be saying tough shit a lot more often.

'Looking professional' is a luxury consigned to 2019 and a life we no longer have. Meanwhile in the real world we are fucked.

studychick81 your friend may well be entitled to the SEISS grants, if she doesn't know about them.

It does sound like you're making excuses btw. Is she really tutoring 9- 5, 5 days a week? Aren't the children at school usually?

This situ is making my blood boil. Friend of mine is totally abusing key worker provision. This all puts teachers at risk, denies places to those in genuine need and contributes to virus circulating thus extending the closures for the rest of us. What can we do about it?

RedToothBrush yep.

People can cope with interruptions. Partners can make phone calls or write emails with a child sitting on their lap. Children can be plugged into a screen for a few hours a day.

None ideal, but no-one's doing any of this because they're enjoying it.

Apart from Covid. He's having a great time.

I'm reading these with disbelief and a little concern about our situation at nursery in the first lockdown we were 2 key workers with some WFH (for one of us) but definitely not exclusively we were told firmly no spaces. Now in reception we have been told the same only one of us being key and booked to work out of the home for literally a whole week, no evenings, we didn't ask, just got a weird phone call. It's fine, but I do feel we've been passed over in a way I didn't before. I've given up work (personal care) to support my child's education, like others it's no big thing Its just necessary and the schools now are taking children where the parents are based at home.

I kind of hope most of these posts are just trolling really. I miss my work every day and I've fallen into a huge pit of despair over my lack of value in the world. I enjoy doing learning activities normally but I am struggling so far and the reception learning plan may as well have been printed straight off twinkl. Totally unsuited to my child.

I'm glad so many have got the spaces they need to carry on working. But I can feel a weird resentment starting. Obviously it's time to just exist in the real world. Where it is a good thing we are learning at home now. Where it's just me and my son for days at a time. I think I might pass on the schools learning, comparison is where bad feelings start. I will be happier not knowing the numbers. School isn't for everyone anymore. Sad, but I guess it's life now. I hope you get your numbers how you want them OP.

During the 1st lock down there was 5 children including my two in Keyworker provision. This morning the class room was completely full- more than what is in my sons usual year group.