Why do my children not deserve an education?

[noitsachicken]

Just because we are not key workers?
My children don’t qualify for a school place, that means they won’t be educated in a classroom, by a teacher, with their peers, they won’t have time to socialise with their friends or play in a group.
They will be sat around the kitchen table, sharing a space with siblings of different ages, all with different needs, with a non-teacher parent trying to do the best they can.
Last lockdown school provision was ‘childcare’ the curriculum was suspended and there was no expectation. That is not the case this time, children who are not allowed in school are at a huge disadvantage.
I realise we are ‘lucky’ compared to others, we have access to technology and I can be home with the children, but I worry for my children, for their mental health and their education.
Why do they not deserve an education and others are prioritised for an education based on their parents job?
How long will those of us with children who are not allowed in school accept this?
I understand the reasons for closing schools, but children are not being treated fairly, if childcare is needed for those with critical jobs then it should be no more than that.

My three daughters are in school as keyworkers places . We live in a small
Village and the teachers are teaching them in front of the class rather than making them do work over google classroom . The teachers have limited children in the class , one has 8 , one 10 and the other 11 . I think the teachers are just trying to get through to his as best they can and we should be supporting them as best we can x

Bad news: it’s not all about you and your children. I don’t think anyone has been thrilled by the pandemic or not lost out of stuff. Maybe now is the time to think yourself lucky you don’t work on a Covid positive ward, with some very unwell patients and insufficient staff

Hasn’t this been done to death, I wish I didn’t need to go to school to look after the children there so I could keep my child at home but I haven’t been given the choice as I’m not a teacher.

I am a single parent key worker. I worked 50 hours this week and next week it’s likely to be 60 in order to get as much vaccine in to people as possible. (Will prob be 60 for the next few months)
When would you suggest I do the education bits with my children if they just receive childcare in school?

One reason the list is bigger than last time is vulnerable kids did fall through the net eg no space/devices/internet.
Also the first lockdown really hit the economy & many sectors shut, put people on furlough, reduced productivity, made redundancies etc. The government want to limit that impact & would likely rather not close primaries.

@ComDummings

Why are so many people acting like it’s only key workers making sacrifices here? We all are no matter if we are young, old, key workers, WFH, SAHP...we are all stressed, we are all angry, we are all finding things difficult. OP is venting and sounds at the end of her tether like most of us are. Let’s not make this a battle between ourselves.

But she like many others are taking it out on us, there are loads of threads just like this one and people are on them saying we’re basically feckless, sending our kids in to die, kill people or bring something home that kills us!

@noitsachicken

I am aware of the crisis. But children are being treated unfairly, all children should be treated the same. Childcare should be provided for those who really need it

Life is not fair. Are you out there risking your health daily? No? That's not fair either. Be fucking grateful that you get to sit around a kitchen table with your kids.

YAB massively U

Schools are not open to all for a reason. You have the right to be upset/annoyed/frustrated etc but spare a thought for those who work in the schools who commute who are around people who cannot social distance who do their best just to have you complain your child is safe at home

And to those saying “you never know what goes on behind closed doors - maybe their kid is SEN etc”: I have had direct conversations with some of these parents. They do indeed know they are gaming the system, and some are embarrassed about it.

I'm sure these people exist but the fact remains most parents who have dc on safeguarding lists etc don't publicise that on Facebook.

@Pippioddstocking

I am a single parent key worker. I worked 50 hours this week and next week it’s likely to be 60 in order to get as much vaccine in to people as possible. (Will prob be 60 for the next few months) When would you suggest I do the education bits with my children if they just receive childcare in school?

Thank you for all you do. Try to ignore the ones who think that they are losing out somehow..... perhaps some of them need to see what others are doing

Your kids do not deserve an education more than someone else deserves life.

Everyone has been impacted by this pandemic, kids in school get exactly the same work as the kids at home plus they're at more risk of contracting the virus than yours are.

Big picture time

The students who have gone into my school are in 5 different rooms with up to 15 in a room.
(6th form is a separate building and we've not had any applications for vulnerable 6rh formers) and one room for each year group.

That's it out of a school population of almost 1000.

All staff volunteered to staff those room but the rota came out on Tuesday (for the next 4 weeks) and those rooms are being staffed by the school librarian, two of the TA staff, two cover supervisors, a science technician, one of the finance officers, the business manager and a couple of SLT.

The rest of us are teaching from home or occasionally from the classrooms (which are empty of students) if the tech is better.

The students in the 5 rooms (the two halls, the meeting room and two double classrooms) are accessing exactly what the students at home are accessing for their year group.

They don't see the teacher in person and they have exactly the same provision and interaction as the students at home.

The only difference is where children are vulnerable we still have our access unit open and those students go in there with their TA and that is the same provision that they would have had in normal times because those students are already massively disadvantaged.

The staff supervising the rooms are not allowed within 2 metres of any of the students so in fact, some students who are working from home are going to have more advantage aren't they? Because there are potentially people who can support them at home and go near them.

This is a global pandemic. I don't know what it's like in other schools, but in mine I suspect kids would rather be at home.

Support staff are mainly still in

As are many teachers. Infact every member of staff bar one (vulnerable and able to work from home in their role) are working full time in my school.

There is a rota for the teachers each afternoon to allow them time out of the classroom, and LSAs are manning the classes alone in that time, so they can go and prepare remote learning recording videos, etc.

However, as not all school children are in they can have a little more space. We have 40-50% of each class in (we were very busy last time too) in general but even so this means that we can maintain a little more distance in class and can have more outside time than when classes are full.

Sashama - I’m a teacher and I think that is the approach that seems most ‘unfair’. The kids at home are clearly losing out more in that situation. They should all be doing the same work.

• those children are in school with their teachers and peers being taught as normal (with distancing etc) How is that fair?*

You are incorrect.

The guidelines are that the children who are in school are doing exactly the same work/home learning/video call lessons as all of the students at home.

Whoever told you they are being taught as ‘normal’ is either trying to wind you up or is lying.
The schools don’t have the teachers or the resources to teach ‘normally’.

In some schools where they don’t have the resources to give all of the key worker children access to a computer each they are going through the work in person, but it’s exactly the same work and same lessons the online students are receiving, just live and in person.
The children are not being allowed to have break times and play as ‘normal’ either.

I'm still confused at how people actively want their children in school at the moment. Both my Dads (17 & 15) had asked to stay at home after Christmas and we had agreed. The eldest will work very well at home, the youngest not as well but she was showing us friends posting on social media with large numbers of gatherings throughout the Christmas holiday. We know the same has happened with the students at the 2 schools we teach at.

I hope people aren't under the impression schools are massively safe now with fewer students in. I know of 2 secondary schools that have closed bubbles already, just of keyworker/vulnerable students. We have a student with a parent seriously ill in hospital (not the first and won't be the first parent death we have) but the push to have kids in school right now just confused me.

We welcome our students to school when they need to be in, but we have many, many parents who are frontline NHS juggling shifts so they don't have to have their children in.

how is that fair

It’s not fair OP, but neither is a worldwide pandemic killing thousands of people but hey ho.

My dc get the same education as the dc at home and know all their friends are home with their loving parents while I abandon them to work in a hospital. It’s crap for everyone all dc are suffering. My only positive is dd2&3 are twins so have each other in class. Let’s not play top trumps of who has had it hardest and just be kind and trust the schools are doing all they can.

How on earth have you got to the point of your life you are at and not realised life isn’t fair? Do you understand how downgraded your children’s life would be if we actually went for fairness? You are living in one of the most privileged societies in the world, who will probably get back on their feet before many others. Your children have the right to education, which many in the world don’t.
Honestly. I t really gets to me when grown adults shout ‘but it’s not fair’ when actually what they mean is ‘I think I’m a special case and should have what I want’. Grow up and look further than the end of your own bloody nose.

@justanotherneighinparadise

*Why?? It’s more important now than ever before! Unless you just want to wallow in an angry gloom for weeks, which helps no one, much less your children. Think about what you have, not what you’ve lost and teach your children to do the same.*

Because it’s patronising. It was appropriate in lockdown one when everyone was busy fighting over loo rolls and waiting to die. But now we’re well and truly sinking in the quicksand with our heads just above the sand, asking us to #feelblessed is just rage inducing.

For the vast majority of the population in this country, we have plenty of blessings and privileges. Even with all the restrictions, not seeing family, job losses and insecurity. Even loosing loved ones to covid or other illnesses. Even with all of that. The majority of the worlds humans live every year with not enough to eat, no roof, their kids hungry or in danger. Many live in fear of rape or their kids being kidnapped or killed. So many women live under a mans rule and arnt even allowed to speak, show their skin or have any human rights whatsoever. Yes of course this is hard. Harder for some than others. Some people will be desperate right now and for them I do feel sorry. But most people arnt desperate. They are pissed off and fed up. Here’s a thought- instead of wallowing in in your own anger and annoyance, make the most of what you have right now. It’s not patronising. It’s a way to actually try to get you through this in a more positive way. It does no one any good (including the wallower) to just keep feeling angry all the time.

My twelve year old is studying from home and very successfully so. Her work is set, she completes it at her own pace, Sunnis it and has even asked for more work as she's getting through her work in 90 minutes every day. Apart from missing the social aspect of school, She loves it. Her classes aren't interrupted by naughty students and her day has been quartered. We do our own art projects and baking etc.

My nephews both have additional needs. Their primary has set core subjects and for the most part it's very easy. For the 4 yo 20 minutes of phonics, twenty minutes of maths, practice some writing. A little bit more for the older one but again it's achievable. And if since days it's not? That's ok. It's a pandemic.

What people need to remember is that education works on consolidated learning. Whatever they miss, they WILL eventually catch up on. Just focus on keeping and not forgetting any learning they have achieved and retained. There are educational tv shows for the youngest too and plenty of YouTube videos etc.

An adult can learn any subject to gcse level in a matter of weeks. Our kids will catch up.

Life is not fair. Are you out there risking your health daily? No?
That's not fair either

Well said. I’d imagine the hospital staff would love to be home safe with their children than witness what they are currently seeing on a daily basis.

So many don’t seem to care about the school staff and community so long as they don’t have to have their children at home.

OP - I hear you - you will be told you are totally unreasonable but it absolutely feels like some communist, dystopian nightmare at the moment where if your parents work for the state you have an education, if they don’t you are thrown to the wolves.

This is not the same for secondary as it appears the children in school are doing exactly the same lessons, but primary anyone not in really is a second class citizen.

I think the poster who mentioned 'perception' has a point. Too many people seem to think others have it better than they do.

But get over the idea that children in school are being 'taught' better than those at home. How would you even know, as children themselves see an adult in the room and assume they are being taught even if it's a TA just logging the laptop on for them. When I was in with KWs in the summer, I would sometimes read out the task to a group of them, purely to avoid having to repeat myself numerous times for all those who couldn't/wouldn't read it for themselves. I daresay some of them told their parents that was "being taught."