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.

For goodness sake you're in the same boat as a lot of us, we just need to get on with it and try our best. I'm not a teacher either, I'm finding the home Ed and trying to juggle work very difficult, but I know there is no other choice as I'm not a key worker. Just try and remember that it's not going to be forever, it's temporary,

Everyone’s school is different. Our school has just under 50% of kids in - ‘key worker’ and vulnerable. Why is ‘key worker’ in quotation marks - cos every man and his dog is a key worker AND I know SAHPs with one work from home parent sending their kids in - it’s a bloody disgrace.

Our school has a teacher per year group teaching the kids in school and then the others are home doing the online learning. It’s a load of bollocks the who situation. I don’t think the government meanS those with one key worker (ie lecturing two hours a week) and one stay at home parent should take up a space.

It’s bull shit my kids are suffering - I even asked for a device and wasn’t given it.

Jeezo.

Because 1000 people are dying every day?

I don't understand this attitude at all. I am so glad I'm able to keep my kids at home. I am so fortunate to have been in that position. I'll be happy for them to go back when it's safe. Which I think will be quite a while yet.

Health over education at this stage. Its a once in a century pandemic. It requires a once in a century response.

The parents who are blatantly bending the 'keyworker' rules and acquiring a place for their children may well live to regret it.

My ds is one of only 2 in his class that are in school.

Because there are so few of them, they are doing 'fun' stuff with the teacher. Cooking, outdoor adventures, den building etc. They have no access to the online portal or work that the ones at home are doing.
So he is getting no learning or teaching at all, and those at home are able to learn on line.

I really don't think he is being advantaged by this situation at all OP.
Why does my son not 'deserve' an education whilst his parents are out working to help others, and he is in the vulnerable category too, due to having SEN and disabilities?

No one is winning in this situation, OP, please don't be jealous of others.

This morning my child asked why she can’t see me much. Her friends are with their mummies all day. I have to work and I’m early in and late home every day because that’s what hospitals are like in the middle of a pandemic. It’s not fair that my child can’t have me home as much as she’d like but that’s what’s needed. You feel it’s not fair that your child isn’t at school but that’s what’s needed. We all need to crack on with managing the situation, there is no fair in a global pandemic.

@TK1930

The ones in school follow the same as those at home. Laptop, headphones & off you go! Often supervised by non qualified teachers as they are busy online

Same here. What a ridiculous OP.

Why don't you go out and get yourself a job in healthcare then so you can apply for a keyworker place for your kids at school?

Or just stfu

The environment is not one I'd describe as normal. In my school the strict seating plan and social distancing mean it's a lonely, long and relentless day in front of a screen. I do not send my own children to keyworker provision because of the way it works.

Lunchtime is a bit of a highlight and the PE session.
There are around 15% of the cohort in, so less riskier than before xmas and it feels so much roomier, social distancing is realistic, but why would you want your DC to mix with so many households if they didnt have to.

I'm in primary school at present and not all kids are just being plonked in front of a device we have a 2 form entry so have a Tch and ta in everyday! We play the recorded learning video, same as at home. But it is different.

All schools are different if you are a 1 form school with a part time Tch, your home learning provision is going to be different and school learning is going to be too.

If you are an area with high key workers, high vulnerable m, how you work with the kids in is different. If you have a 2,4 sized bubble is different to if you have 20 kids still in class!

I think we will just need to try and survive the next few months and try and have some sanity left at the end of it.

Please have my first ever . You deserve it.

a ‘normal’ environment, normal resources, peers, normal structure to their day.

Kinda. The tablets keep running out of battery allegedly. The ICT room is as not as ventilated as DD's usual classroom. The bubble is pupils from years 3-6 - mine know about 3 other kids from their own classes. Siblings are also sat next to each other - am amazed WW3 hasn't broken out yet. They are not being given worksheets or extra input as far as I can see. Both prefer the days they are home with me. The only thing you have said which I agree with for our own situation is that school has more structure - at home, our routine is not optimal shall we say. It would be interesting to see which environment they learn more in, atm it's swings and roundabouts.

Get a grip.

Neighbours DC are at school.

They are not being educated in a classroom in the normal sense, more being supervised as they follow the same remote working as everyone.

I dare say there is an advantage in that they are a bit more likely to do the school work rather than procrastinate, but that's it really.

I know provision is patchy, but attendance on site is not necessarily the key issue.

@17bluebirds that sounds infinitely better than my child’s life currently that sees them sitting in front of a computer from 9-3.30. No time to run about or go for a walk. Confused about the assignments. They are seven.

I get it OP, the children in our DCs school are being taught by thier teachers. Our house backs onto the school and the playground is full of laughing, playing children a few times a day. At pickup time you can see it's all grandparents doing the school run, I bet at least some of those grandparents are able to look after thier DGC during the day so they shouldn't be taking up a school place.
The keyworker definition is ridiculously wide so you can pretty much bullshit any job into one of the categories, it's very unfair to those few children who don't fit.

At my school teachers are at home, or if they are in school they aren't in the classroom, they are working in the staffroom. The children watch the same videos of the teachers as the children at home, supervised by Teaching Assistants. The children sit at separate tables and work alone. They are doing exactly the same work as the children at home.

I get your frustration OP. I am a key worker and currently seconded to a covid response team, but haven’t sent my Year2 DS as DH is furloughed. I also feel slightly aggrieved, as his school IS teaching, no laptops but actual teaching and all the usual play and socialisation, whilst my only child is home with 1 adult for the forseeable. I absolutely do not begrudge true key workers and regret that they have to take the risk, but I also see kids in where parents very loosely fit the criteria, or could WFH but have chosen not to, and rightly or wrongly that annoys those who haven’t. I think the issue is we agree schools must close for the greater good, I want to protect his teachers and the community, but it seems so many others don’t and it does feel unfair this time around because of that. If it’s not a small number of kids is there any true benefit to the teachers or the community realistically or are the at home kids suffering for nothing. You can appreciate it’s shit for everyone but still feel a personal worry for your own family, even if it could be deemed misplaced

Look not all schools are the same my DS in secondary had 7 over 3 years Tuesday and 10 Wednesday.. No idea over the rest of the week because he was at home.

He did have teachers that day but he was followining the same work as his peers at home. .. However he was stuck in the same classroom. They had no provision to go outside - this is been changed next week. They took packed lunch no provision for hot food. one child was there out of his normal class... so no it is not normal service....

I am sick and tired of reading poor me..

If you posted saying you found homeschooling tough I would get it but its not. You can do your best at homeschooling and be pleased you can stay home because it is scary out there.

You also have the other end of the spectrum where there is a SAHP giving excellent 1:1 teaching with their bright compliant child. Or the Uber rich able to designate a room in their home to be a classroom and hire a well educated nanny. Life is not fair.

People need to stop assuming that all schools are watching multiple year groups on laptops. Some schools are, some aren't. As I said before upthread, larger schools have way too many children in to combine year groups. My DDs school has 2 teachers and 2 TAs plus a lunchtime member of staff in school with the Reception kids who are in. They are having hot dinners, play time etc. I don't know how much they watch the Tapestry videos and how much the teacher teaches directly, but the teacher is leading the learning discussion after. Shutting down arguments with 'it's just childcare' is not accurate for many schools.

Yes, so much unfairness OP! Some parents get to swan off to their front line jobs facing COVID every day while leaving their petrified kids in a school setup that is nothing like they are used to, worried that their mum or dad might contract a deadly virus just doing their job. Meanwhile other parents get to stay at home safe with their kids. How unfair is that?!?

A child homeschooled with a parent available for 1-1 support could be argued to be in a better position educationally than a child in school, in normal times or in covid times. Socially it is a different proposition.

The way I'm approaching this is to try to maximise the advantages and minimise the disadvantages.

The group I feel really sorry for is where the parents are trying very hard to juggle work and schooling, especially with primary children. I'm lucky as our work, whilst continuing, is flexible so can be shuffled.

Government guidance dictates the criteria for jobs. Government guidance dictates remote learning.
If you are not happy government guidance says you should complain to the teacher, headteacher then OFSTED. I would include your MP in your complaint.

Good luck with getting any response other than the 'school is following government guidance' - because likely they are.

The problem is that the more people who go in to school, the longer this continues. I have one teen who is dutifully working through his live lessons, the other is playing among us 8hrs a day. As worried as I am I can't really help as I have to work.

Everyone is taking a hit. Just be relieved you can sit tight and don't have to risk getting ill. Our government decided to not take the pandemic seriously so we're stuck for now.

@noitsachicken

Maybe our school is different but it’s just a normal primary. Teachers are in school with support staff with at least half the class if not more, work is the same as we have set at home yes, but the children in school have a ‘normal’ environment, normal resources, peers, normal structure to their day. Why I am I wrong to question this? Why is it wrong to blindly accept this situation for months? I don’t know what the ‘right’ answer is, but the curriculum should be suspended in my opinion, so that parents at home aren’t being expected to keep their children at the same standards to those in school who have a better situation

Perhaps don't blindly accept it? Take responsibility and educate yourself. The virus has been reported on the news quite a few times since the early part of last year. If you've not heard about it, it's been in the news again today. The BBC has made a whole section for it on their news website. Have you heard of the BBC? They do new news every single day and have for years. Take a look at this link, it might help you to stop feeling that you are 'blindly accepting' something, and empower you to take responsibility for caring for your children in the safest way. Also, you might be able to understand why some children have different situations from others:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/coronavirus