Critical workers please

[Bramblespoint]

Are critical workers aware of this advice?

Please please follow it if you can. Lockdown will last longer if more children attend school.

Keep your children at home if you can. It's hard isn't an excuse, it's hard for everyone it's a pandemic

@Helpmyhair2019

But how if your husband putting himself at risk any more important than the teacher putting themselves at risk? Surely it’s crap for both sides?

I didn't say it was but he does not moan all the time ... he just does it all we hear about is the teachers .. I had every sympathy but it is constant as it it is the only profession in this crisis

Just to add, not that I think supermarket workers don't deserve places. I mean those who went out at the start of lockdown for a minimal hour contract just to get a school place.

Really can't stand all this putting jobs against each other. It's becoming fucking pathetic now.

Like all nurses and teachers are saints and all supermarket workers, delivery drivers and NHS admin are nothing but piss taking nobody's.

There are lots of critical jobs going on behind the scenes holding everything together that all you blinkered brainwashed people haven't even got the brainpower to understand or know exist.

Quite easy to send in proof of employment - but a job title does not show whether a child is genuinely more safe at school than at home or whether that parent 100% cannot provide any sort of home learning

Well I am a teacher in school full time and I am sending my daughter in. I am happy to look after any children who need the place, as are my colleagues.

Often the other parent earns significantly more than the key worker parent, so the only other workable solution is for the key worker to stop working and look after the children. Do you really think that will help?

@HarryLimeFoxtrot

Often the other parent earns significantly more than the key worker parent, so the only other workable solution is for the key worker to stop working and look after the children. Do you really think that will help?

This is my situation we can't survive on his wage if I gave up work and if he gave up work one less key worker helping this situation

My husband is a critical key worker I wfh full time my son goes to school and my son goes to school I don't really want to lose my house if I lose my job

That's what's causing the issues and resentment though @Spiratedaway. A lot of patents are in the exact same position you are and potentially losing their job and home isn't a good enough reason to get a school place.

School places should be for vulnerable children and key workers, working out of the home.

It is the only profession where we are expected to have no social distancing (please do not believe your child will be staying 2m from anyone) from multiple chidlren from multiple families with no PPE in the middle of a pandemic and lockdown. So they are unique. Not more important. Though with the amount of people screaming for school places maybe they are important after all?

@Helpmyhair2019

I expect the teachers and other school staff don’t want to catch Covid and possibly die and therefore loose their jobs and their homes either.....

Teachers are critical care workers and I think they are the only group who do not wear face masks m/ visors in lessons with the children!!!! I can't understand why!!! They are now looking after all the critical workers children .... They must be v high risk......

During lockdown 1 I wondered how long it would take before the world turned and people started to show their resentment to KW using childcare.

School are strict and we're not idiots/taking the pass.

Its getting to the point where I feel I should take our rotas along at drop off, just to prove appreciate use. Maybe post them in the school mums WhatsApp group. Pin them to the front room window maybe.

Do people ever stop for a minute to realise that we would much rather have our kids safe at home? That we don't have the luxury of homeschooling?

Course not, just keep bashing us over the head for our selfish use of childcare. Or worse, clap.

I am also happy to look after children where is it genuinely safer all round for their families for them to be in school. I’m not happy to look after a child 5 days a week when their parent works 3. Or 5 days a week when one of the parents is a sahp but feels there child is happier at school

Many critical workers will have to stop doing their critical work if their children can't go to school.

Even if critical work can be done from home, do we really want it being done in a sleep deprived haze? For example, I'm sure many of those coordinating the vaccine response are working from home. Do we really want batches of vaccine being sent to the wrong place or wasted because parents are trying to juggle this important national work with homeschooling their primary age children?

@Helpmyhair2019

I am also happy to look after children where is it genuinely safer all round for their families for them to be in school. I’m not happy to look after a child 5 days a week when their parent works 3. Or 5 days a week when one of the parents is a sahp but feels there child is happier at school

And I am not doing that my husband is off on Monday so my son is at home !! And once my parents have the vax they will have him !!!

Nothing is standard and nothing is the same from school to school and situation to situation. We are all struggling in our own way and just have to accept that people respond to things in different ways. The guidance is so vague that it can be used appropriately or abused and there is little that can be done.

All I will say and yes I am a teacher in London that if you can possibly keep your children safe at home even if their learning is not as you would wish then please do so. If you can not then of course use a school place. We all now the situation as it is thrown at us on the news every day, we can't escape the situation. If we know that we have done what we can and we we control to lower the risk then that is all that can be expected. People who don't have to live with that decision or may never have a full understanding or care for the consequences but again that is personal choice.

I'm done rambling now as I am taking a few hours off before I record my videos for next weeks lessons for my class who are at home.

I am not bashing anyone - I am teaching your children so you can work!!!! If my children were younger I would need a school space if my husband was in school not at home virtual learning! But a sahp does NOT need a school place. Nor does a key worker need a full time place when they work part time.

Great! Then none of this thread applies to you then does it?!! Thank you for doing your best to keeps schools safe

We were told by the school that our children had to be in school five days a week to get the place. So there's a reason that kids are in every day when their parents might only work three days a week.

@Bramblespoint
This is the same advice that was out on monday - maybe the link you shared was only updated yesterday. Wind your neck in please! We all have to make the best choices we can for our own circumstances.

Well done OP, you’ve created yet another space for parents to berate each other. Just what everyone’s mental health needs during this time, a nice side helping of guilt about how their child is currently being educated. Parents WFH and trying to home school aren’t happy, parents who are on the front line and have to send their children to school rather than keeping them safe at home aren’t happy.

NOBODY IS HAPPY AND NOBODY FEELS LIKE THEY HAVE THE BEST DEAL.

Why can’t we try being supportive of each other rather than tearing each other down?

I know you were merely highlighting a bit of government advice, but really did you not think it would end up being a pile on?

@messagemonkey totally agree but it’s not the parents that made the schools decision and set the guidance for school places, it was the government and I don’t believe that many who aren’t eligible but are doing bonkers levels of work but happen to not be in the list and juggling at home because children are now at home and need help with home schooling wouldn’t take up a place if they were offered it.

This also completely ignores the demands of many employers who are fully allowed to still demand productivity is the same as “normal” and there is nothing for so many employees to throw against them.

It’s all idealistic as yes really everyone would prefer to be tucked up safely at home but it’s not an option for so many.

You don’t have a need to send a child to school if one parent is at home. If you can’t work out a way to do your job and home school then that’s unfortunate

Because I work in mental health crisis, and that doesn't stop when I am working from home. It's not appropriate for my child to overhear confidential and sensitive topics, and they are too young (pre-school; I'm in Scotland where nurseries also closed) to be doing anything independently. It's not 'unfortunate', it's been incredibly stressful and upsetting trying to work out how I can balance everything if I can't access a key worker place.

Nothing has changed this has always been the case

No, the last part of the guidance about keeping your children home if you can was only added last night.

Eg, DH and I are teachers. We only send ours in when they cannot be supervised at home. If I am working from home, they stay home. I am recording lessons etc so can't spend much time with them but I can set things up for their home learning and make sure they are not setting fire to the house or killing each other so I keep them home even though I'm entitled to send them in.

Well said @Mrsemcgregor The op was obviously trying to start an argument on here.

I agree @Hophop26. But it's also understandable why parents who are working from home but aren't critical workers are frustrated. Also it will mean infection rates won't come down as quickly.