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 child is in school, but he is developmentally behind anyway, he has a speech delay and really struggles. Should I pull him out, so you feel better ? I'm working ,but I actually think 1-2-1 would be best for him learning wise, but I can't do that whilst working. I try to do some homework with him but I have his baby brother home by then too and it's late, he's tired.

So I think if your a SAHP then the only advantage is social for the kids. I'm not a teacher but depending on age I could help with most things.

Between me and DH we have 3 Key Worker jobs. I am furloughed from part time job and I have decided to give up for now my other very part time job which is casual so not paid. Very lucky that I can do this. DH only goes into work for one week a month so technically I can send my 4 children into 4 different education settings. I don't. Why? Because they are safer at home, like you I can teach them at home and I'm not stupid. If everyone did what they could then this could be over quicker.

I do not enjoy homeschooling 4 children. It's hard work and they are all at such different stages but I'm so grateful that I can do this. There's lots of people doing some really shit, scary work right now. Hats off to them.

[quote GrubbyMcGee]@Archersandlemonade I honestly have never come across anyone in real life with this attitude. Cannot understand it at all. HOWEVER I could understand a key worker wishing that they were able to stay at home instead of putting themselves at risk by going to work each day and having to send their children to school. You're in a very privileged position. Have a little reflect on this[/quote]
Had to re read my post then. Are you saying that I need to reflect and that I am in a privileged position?

Ridiculous, it's time to put your mummy apron on! Support your children and get through what we are all going through

She can still do this AND be frustrated.

I saw a picture of the current provision at my DS's old school for the children of key workers. They were all in a big hall with desks spaced out - like being in an examination room. Each was wearing headphones to listen to their own particular lesson. They were also bundled up in clothes suitable for an Arctic expedition, presumably to counter the ventilation arrangements. There was no sign of any teachers circling around the desks.

It looked really, really grim!

They are getting an education. Online from teachers or guided by you. It's a pandemic. A crisis.

There's a difference between being frustrated and moaning about it not being 'fair'.

It's not fair on anyone. In school or out. Her children aren't being singled out for particular unfairness.

My school had no cases prior to to Christmas. We now have 3 bubbles down and multiple staff ill after just one week back . All I can say is keep your children home if you possibly can!!!!!!!!

I think England need to amend their policy to the one we have in Scotland where both parents must be key workers. I am a key worker in the NHS, my husband is not and we muddle through with the school work.

Too many stories of children being in school when there is a non- working parent at home.

They do.
However, no cost/benefit analysis has been done in relation to non-pharmacological approaches to Covid and the government seems to be actively encouraging people to turn against each other. I can't quite believe, considering how (understandably) stressed you sound, that you posted here. Some of these threads really could drive people to despair.
On the bright side, you care about your kids and therefore they will be OK.
Best of luck to you

@Kitcat122

My school had no cases prior to to Christmas. We now have 3 bubbles down and multiple staff ill after just one week back . All I can say is keep your children home if you possibly can!!!!!!!!

We were the same through the entire autumn term, until the very last week of the term ... many had to isolate over the Christmas holiday.

This is a temporary situation. kids are very resilient, they will soon catch up. Learning doesnt only happen between four walls of a classroom, infact the most succesful people are not the most inteligent ones, it is the ones that can adapt, to any situation. This is a massive learning curve, as life rarely goes to plan, focus on how best to use this time, and forget about what others are doing.

The truth is OP No one gives a fuck about you specifically outside of your friends/family. Other posters don't care about your specific kids, they just want the things that benefit them e.g. the spread stopping. It's human nature.

Saying that if you engage with online parental homeschooling communities you'll possibly discover that you can cover the curriculum work then move onto child lead learning about any topic they want. Being a SAHM I think you'll be ok as for working parents this situation is awful. You may find they are able to come back to school ahead of the class as so much less time is spent on crowd control at home. I hope his works put for you x

@Moonface123

This is a temporary situation. kids are very resilient, they will soon catch up. Learning doesnt only happen between four walls of a classroom, infact the most succesful people are not the most inteligent ones, it is the ones that can adapt, to any situation. This is a massive learning curve, as life rarely goes to plan, focus on how best to use this time, and forget about what others are doing.

Tell that to my kids doing exams!

If you have one parent at home not working full-time and have access to technology, that is a HUGE advantage imo. My kids will fall behind in their education.

Yes it's all shit. Nothing to be gained from perceiving others to have it less shit when in reality they might just have it the shittiest of all!

Your children are getting an education OP. There is nothing to say an education has to be in school. There is nothing to say education can't be non academic.

It won't be forever.

We are in the middle of a terrible pandemic and everyone needs to make sacrifices.

If your children are primary age the teachers will catch them up. It's really only those Year 9, 10, 12, 13 and uni working toward qualifications who can't catch up and whose grades might be affected.

I am a TA. I am supervising a KS2 bubble of 22 children. I am scared and being put at risk doing so. I don't mind putting myself at risk for vulnerable, or 2 key worker parents working outside of the home, but I am not happy to put myself at risk for those children who could be at home.

So many people on MN who aren't willing to put grandparents at risk by asking them to help out, but they are more than willing to put TAs at risk doing the same thing. 3 out of 6 TAs at my school are grandparents in their 60s.

For what it's worth the children in school aren't at an advantage. I have 22 children to supervise, from Yr3 - Yr6, all doing exactly the same online work as those at home. There is some challenging behaviour to manage. They would most likely get more input at home even from busy working parents.

Every child in school unnecessarily is putting me at risk.

Well said @OwlWearingGlasses

It’s getting to the point though where many won’t “just catch up”. This has been going on for so long that the attainment gap is getting bigger everyday.

My DC missed most of Year 4, not they are missing a massive chunk of proper learning in Y5. It’s the final year of primary and I’d like them to actually have a good base before they head off to secondary.

@Number37 you're kids will be fine, as will mine. The situations are hardly perfect but currently it's a level playing field, kids are being offered a basic education. Nothing that, as parents, we aspire our children to opt for but all children should be getting something. Before Christmas all children were in school, until bubbles collapsed, weren't teachers being expected to teach a classroom and a home schooling student who was isolating. Surely this is better for students and teachers in the short term?

number37 catch up to what though? What children are expected to learn by certain ages is pretty arbitrary in lots of cases anyway and not even the same across all 4 nations. What a gcse or a level student is expected to achieve changes even over a few years. If governments are happy to overhaul curriculum on a whim, I'm pretty sure they can do it after a pandemic.

Ds is in year 6. That's pretty much the end of primary written off for him. And cubs and all those things. But he's a white, probably mc boy in a European, peaceful country, with supportive parents. If he wants to do well, he can.

@WeAreShiningStars
@Kitcat122
My school had no cases prior to to Christmas. We now have 3 bubbles down and multiple staff ill after just one week back . All I can say is keep your children home if you possibly can!!!!!!!! We were the same through the entire autumn term, until the very last week of the term ... many had to isolate over the Christmas holiday.
This exactly. We were fine through the Autumn term until the last 3 weeks, then we had 4 bubbles out of 5 off at different periods, then we’ve currently got 3 out of 5 bubbles closed.

It’s bad luck, I pulled my children out of their old school at the start of September because the head told me she had no plans to do any live teaching or learning provision in a second lockdown. I knew some other state schools had done live lessons and provided feedback on any work submitted during lockdown 1. All we got were nice emails from the teachers saying how they were enjoying their time in the garden/at the beach whilst I was trying to work out how my children were not going to fall behind. It’s an absolute myth kids will all catch up, how they can say that with a straight face one minute and tell me the next that the curriculum is so intense there simply isn’t time to go over it again. (I know I work in education). This time around my kids are having 3 live lessons a day sometimes 4. It’s a god send, they listen to their teachers and do the work. Meanwhile my friends from the old school are facing the old battles of getting the kids to engage in worksheets, and apparently a recorded PowerPoint presentation ‘is’ a live lesson. I feel for them. I’ve suggested they call the school and see if any teachers could spare 5 minutes to motivate the kids and answer any questions.

The way they teach maths and English at primary is very different.

I would just nag, nag, nag the hell out of your school for any support. Be that pushy mother and even consider reporting to ofsted. It’s a poor head who didn’t see the second lockdown and plan accordingly. Our school were planning for this once schools opened in September. And all this crap about invasion of privacy on live lessons. Change your background or do it against a wall. Be grateful you’ve got a bloody job and get on with it.

@2boysand1princess
We haven’t taken the places because we want to try and homeschool and protect not just them, but the staff at their school that have no choice but to go in
As a teacher in the CV category who is still having to be in school due to such high numbers, thank you for seeing the bigger picture and thinking about school staff.