If parents think that their children will get some kind of advantage by being in school, think again.

[OwlWearingGlasses]

I am a TA.
I am supervising 20 vulnerable and key worker children children in class (KS2 and spread across Yr 3, 4, 5 & 6).
They are doing exactly the same online work as the children at home.
Many of the children in school have challenges, I spend most of the day managing behaviour.
Children working at home have a MUCH better chance of getting individual attention.
Children working at home also have much less chance of getting COVID.
I would have much less chance of getting COVID if more children worked at home.

This post is not aimed at vulnerable children or those with 2 frontline parents. I am very happy to be supervising those.

This post is aimed at the (many) parents getting their children in on very tenuous links to a key worker space, quite a few with a parent at home who is not working (I am not kidding).

Sorry I needed to rant. I have had a very difficult day and it will be worse next week as I have another 4 in class next week.

It really is not an advantage to have your children in school. Please keep them at home unless there is no other choice.

I disagree I am front line NHS and when I putting in a shift at work I want to know my kids are getting some social interaction and maybe be made to do a bit at work. I know they would be largely ignored by their father who will be on back to back calls and meetings, even if he is working from home. He works for himself and can’t let things slide as he largely pays the bills. After all nhs pay is shit as we know. Why should my kids be stuck on iPads all day when other kids can enjoy the luxury of being home schooled by a furloughed parent / SAHP?

@Musicaldilemma bag of laughs and lightness that post isn't.

Not true for us.

My child is getting taught at school. He is socialising with other children at school.

He would be getting neither of those things at home because I have a job to do and no other children.

But thanks, another post trying to make parents feel guilty. Well done

It is not right to send your kids to school when one of the parents is not working. But why is this allowed to happen? Why doesn't the school check and reject that?
We both are in the keyworker category and send email to school saying our DD needs to attend and that we can provide proof of employment (NHS/LA) but nobody checked anything.

On the other hand I do not think the kids at home with working parents have a great attention. Either you give attention to your child or you work, doing both well is just impossible.

Just vaccinate the teachers and open the bloody schools!

Also reception - allowed to be open but schools are deciding not to..how excatly does that work? I have to go to work and pay tax which is used to pay the teachers, why are they allowed to just decide to close reception.
Also guidance from the government is clear. 1 critical worker parent is enough, list is comprehensive! Not up to schools to decide they will make they own rules up!

Also some local authorities (planning department etc) issued key worker letters to their WFH employees.

Smiling at the idea of someone at the council investigating complaints - only if the complaints person is classed as a KW and their kids are in. There are lots of public sector/LA jobs that support statutory processes and are essential to keep systems going but are not 'front line' I work in one - my role might involve supporting the police in investigating abuse as well as other legal processes. I work mainly from home (sometimes I have to go to the office) however some of the conversations I have to have or data I am going through should not be done with a primary age child bouncing around in the room. I need to concentrate if I make mistakes it could have serious consequences- I can't home school at the same time. My DH is also a Key Worker. Just wanted to highlight how complicated this is.

There’s is just no pleasing some people.
I’m hoping this is a C19 side effect that will disappear with the vaccinations.

My DD is definitely at a disadvantage not being in school. In a critical worker and so is my DH but I'm on maternity leave so she's at home, with her 3 year old sister and newborn brother. She has 63 in her reception year group split over 3 classes, 32 of them were in today split into 2 classes of 16. Each class has its own reception teacher and TA, none of the teachers or TAs are working from home they are all in school and rotating between supervising and preparing work. They are able to use their skills and teach the children in the way they are meant to be taught while we struggle to make sense of all the work sent home and spend time watching videos of adults she doesnt know teaching phonics and maths

My daughter gets a mum surviving on 4 hours sleep who is constantly interrupted by a baby or preschooler. If teaching was so easy any of us could do it then teachers wouldn't need to be trained.

Really parents have rolled over because we care about our kids. Parents, predominantly mothers now have a double load of work and home learning and we are killing ourselves with stress trying to please everyone and not get sacked. Perhaps we should demand the government pay us for doing the home learning so we can cut back work hrs and still pay the mortgage.

@Makinglists

Smiling at the idea of someone at the council investigating complaints - only if the complaints person is classed as a KW and their kids are in. There are lots of public sector/LA jobs that support statutory processes and are essential to keep systems going but are not 'front line' I work in one - my role might involve supporting the police in investigating abuse as well as other legal processes. I work mainly from home (sometimes I have to go to the office) however some of the conversations I have to have or data I am going through should not be done with a primary age child bouncing around in the room. I need to concentrate if I make mistakes it could have serious consequences- I can't home school at the same time. My DH is also a Key Worker. Just wanted to highlight how complicated this is.

Yes not always as straightforward as ' you WFH so obviously you can homeschool as well'.

For every jovial story of 'oh how we laugh when co-workers kids pop up on zoom meeting' there's always a job where this is completely inappropriate and unacceptable.

And also employers are increasingly less flexible than the last time. People are always telling me that my employer should be more flexible. Yes maybe the should but they are not. So here I am having to send my kids to the notorious death trap that is school.

Nobody gives a flying f* that I'm in work everyday with at least 15 people still having face to face meetings with demanding clients. Because as long as courts are up and running as society demands, this is a necessary part of my essential job.

I’d love to be vaccinated and just get on with working with students, as it is I will just get on with it but have the fear tucked away.

A friend of mine is a high court barrister and working from home, she has posted about remotely attending court from home.

Also some local authorities (planning department etc) issued key worker letters to their WFH employees

I read too many times on Mumsnet that if you WFH you shouldn't send your kids to school and you are not a keyworker. That's not the case.
For example NHS, imagine you are planning parts of the vaccine rollout, you can do a lot planning/logistics working from home. Does really people think this should be done with kids around interrupting (talking about younger kids obviously)?
Also, some of the people in call centers for referrals/appointments are working from home, same question, do you think this should be done whilst you are homeschooling? NHS Switchboards as well, can be done from home...

I’m public sector and have a key worker letter to travel etc but I wfh so have kept my kids home even though it’s not exactly easy going as that’s what I perceived the expectation to be. Would my life / work / kids’ standard of education be better and easier if I sent them in? Yeah probably. Do I really need to? Well no, I’m physically at home. I have difficult conversations, sensitive meetings etc and just close the door like a lot of people I would imagine.

I think a lot of it this time is coming down to employers not having the same level of patience and flexibility they did last time.

I know a few people who technically make the key worker list but really most people would argue that their job is not essential, however employers are using that to insist they are in and therefore refusing to furlough. Really what can people be expected to do.

Someone I know is sending their 14 year old (bright, no special needs) despite only working 2 hours a day, having a partner who works shifts so is often around and a fit active grandparent in their bubble who doesn’t work and is at theirs everyday.

Some primary schools say it’s all or nothing, I work everyday or I’d just send him in on the days I worked but that isn’t allowed by other schools

@TrustTheGeneGenie

Not true for us.

My child is getting taught at school. He is socialising with other children at school.

He would be getting neither of those things at home because I have a job to do and no other children.

But thanks, another post trying to make parents feel guilty. Well done

This to be honest I am utterly fed up with teachers going on and on now .. my husband is a key workers working with hundreds of people /kids each day and he does not fking moan .... it is the nurses I feel bad for

My child is in school he is better in school I am wfh and I either lose my job and sanity or use the place I am entitled

This is not a teacher it’s a TA

having a partner who works shifts so is often around

This isn't always as straight forward as this though is it when it comes to shift work. Ours are in school because of shift work, night shifts in particular. So yeah, there's a parent in the house during the day... Asleep.

@Fembot123

A friend of mine is a high court barrister and working from home, she has posted about remotely attending court from home.

Yes this is what happens. But how do you think the client attends?? In our offices...with us.

Consultations still take place for certain matters in person.
Some clients refuse to use zoom. Some don't have the capability.
We have low income vulnerable clients who just don't have the means for tablets or laptops. And even if they did we certainly cannot let them just sign on themselves to attend court.

The recent law society directive was a joke. Nothing changed

Thanks for clarifying. My partner abd I both work in HE and could technically send our children in. But the home schooling tbh is going pretty well and it turns out their classmates who could go in haven’t. And their teacher is busy doing online teaching anyway. I do have friends with children with behavioural challenges (are a complete fucking pain in the arse) so it’s good they are busy at school and not on the doorstep

No offence. You must have time to pop out and check if your kids are ok. Unfortunately, my colleagues and I have work planned out to the minute and would only be able to check on children at lunch. Absolutely impossible to help them if they were stuck or struggling.

@NewCatMummy

Someone I know is sending their 14 year old (bright, no special needs) despite only working 2 hours a day, having a partner who works shifts so is often around and a fit active grandparent in their bubble who doesn’t work and is at theirs everyday.

If their 14 year old is in this week they must be vulnerable

How are the kids at home going to get 1 to 1 attention when their parent is qorking 8 hours a day with calls etc?!

The familiea i know who are having to homeschool aren't able to do any of it because of work