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.

@Glenorma

And if that means they lose their home then what, they have to just suck that up? The government has to do what’s best for the nation. Not what’s best for individuals. Some individuals will suffer but only a minority, and overall the country as a whole will survive.

And individuals will do what is best for them. Businesses doing what they need to keep open, parents wanting to keep their jobs, roof over their heads and food in their children’s stomached. Teachers / TA not wanting to go into school to keep themselves safe. Government wantjnf to keep as much open as possible to keep the economy going and not completely destroy the economy (and their voter base!)

If you think people who will lose their jobs and subsequently their homes are in the minority, you probably haven’t heard that we are heading for the worst recession in living memory. People are scared and they ain’t just scared of covid (FYI poverty has much worse health outcomes for people than those living comfortably)

How do all these TAs and teachers know that parents are at home? When DS was at primary school, I don't think the TA could have picked me out in a line up? Nor has any idea what I did or whether I worked for a living.

And I hate the attitude that 'parents just have to manage'. Where's the empathy for people who may well lose their jobs because they have a shitty employer?

@WinniePig

Agree. But if you have two parents who are WFH you can split childcare / homeschooling between you. That’s not an option where one parent is a key worker and unable to work from home. The other parent is stuck having to work/do childcare/homeschool. It’s impossible.

Totally agree, both wfh parents shouldn't be sending their kids to school, good god we'll be here forever.

Bet people wouldn't think it was tough if it was them losing their jobs, though eh?

Already lost most of our income, we're surviving.
Food in our bellies, roof over our head, warmish, clean.
We've had recessions before and yes, lots of people lost their homes and jobs.
It was bad then and will be the same again, piling kids into schools, except for kids with no parents at home, or vulnerable.

I haven't read the thread, but my first (very cheerful) thought was:

Your mum becoming a widow because you brought covid home from school isn't much of an advantage.

Schools are massive drivers of transmission aren't they?

I'm not very optimistic about it all today.

Today they announced the highest number of UK Covid deaths ever and the numbers are still going up. People are failing to grasp how serious this is. They need to stay at home and if that means they can’t work it’s tough.

Lmao I don't know anyone that would give up a job for covid, bar those that are worried about the risk and don't want to expose themselves to it, at a guess those in the position of being able to do so have another way of covering those outgoings. If a friend or anyone phoned me and said they were thinking of quitting their job for the good of the NHS, even if it meant not being able to pay their bills, I'd think they'd lost the plot to be honest.

@GypsyLee

Already lost most of our income, we're surviving. Food in our bellies, roof over our head, warmish, clean. We've had recessions before and yes, lots of people lost their homes and jobs. It was bad then and will be the same again, piling kids into schools, except for kids with no parents at home, or vulnerable.

And you'd wish it on more people? Yeah somehow I don't think so.

Already lost most of our income, we're surviving. Food in our bellies, roof over our head, warmish, clean.

That won't be the case for everyone, you'd think you would empathise more, but evidently as you're doing okay, not.

Agree with comments that employers are less flexible than in the last lockdown. I am a key worker who cannot work from home. DH’s (wfh) job comes into the critical worker category this time. His workplace have made it clear that staff are expected to send dc to school as the company cannot afford to lose business due to staff homeschooling.

@Backbee

Already lost most of our income, we're surviving. Food in our bellies, roof over our head, warmish, clean.

That won't be the case for everyone, you'd think you would empathise more, but evidently as you're doing okay, not.

No she’s a disgrace

Both keyworkers, one at home, one not. DD going to school. None of the 10 threads on this have changed my mind but by all means keep 'em coming.

@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.

School should be checking who genuinely parents are keyworkers and not working from home, etc. DC school done this and we had to provide a letter from employer witn days and times we work

@Fembot123

I understand how you feel, but the stats on how high risk men over 40 are of ending up in intensive care are below.

[quote PrincessNutNuts]@Fembot123

I understand how you feel, but the stats on how high risk men over 40 are of ending up in intensive care are below. [/quote]
You know nothing of how I feel and your comments are disgusting

The children in YOUR school might be doing the same as the kids at home but children in a LOT of schools are getting face to face teaching, so you are wrong! Children in school ARE at a advantage.

We are checking who is eligible and also taking children who staff are worried about or who would really benefit from being in. Staff were able to volunteer to work in school, do other roles from home or be deployed.
I’ll say it again. Stop stigmatising people using key worker places.

So you are a teacher and you are teaching.
I'm doing my job and supposedly that of two teachers.
They are really not getting much attention. They are staring at a screen all day.

The support staff at the secondary where I work have been given no choice, we’re all in full time.

@Heartlantern2

The children in YOUR school might be doing the same as the kids at home but children in a LOT of schools are getting face to face teaching, so you are wrong! Children in school ARE at a advantage.

Yes same at my DC school. They have been amazing.

I don’t care much about the actual advantage or disadvantage aspect. I just want to keep my child safe...I can’t see my child when I have to shut the door to speak with someone who is distressed so you have a child alone for the whole day with 10-15 minutes midday to have some lunch thrown at her. That is reality for lots of us so just stop whinging about it.

The government has to do what’s best for the nation. Not what’s best for individuals. Some individuals will suffer but only a minority, and overall the country as a whole will survive.

See, you just can’t expect people to act ‘for the greater good’ if in doing so they’re expected to fuck themselves and their family over. They won’t. Looking after our own is a basic human instinct.

This true of far more things than Covid by the way.

It’s worth remembering in a more general sense. If society makes it clear it doesn’t give a fuck about your needs, then what incentive do you have to do ‘what’s best’ for it?

My dd school was very strict on giving places to keyworker children and we had to give evidence of our jobs. Don't make parents feel guilty for sending their children in when they have no choice.

My child needs school, I need my child to be at school. I can't cope with him and his baby sister crying to touch the computer and I get shouty and frustrated by trying to do school work with him. I find even doing homework extremely painful, because he will not do anything I ask even calmly. I feel massive pressure that I'm failing him. I know he is already behind. It breaks my heart. Apparently he is an angel at school and he's enjoyed the last few days despite not being with a different mix of kids, excluding all his main friends.

So judge away.