Todays u-turn from DfE, key workers working from home should NOT send kids to school

[Esmerelda01]

In case you've not seen.

Could cause a lot of people issues on Monday

www.theguardian.com/education/2021/jan/09/school-guidance-for-children-of-key-workers-changes-again?CMP=twt_a-education_b-gdnedu

@Parker231

For those saying you need a place for your DC’s in school. What are your plans if the bubble gets sent home due to Covid cases or if you get Covid because your DC brings it home from school? In these cases, which were very common before the latest lockdown and are already happening again, your DC’s will be at home with you regardless of whether you believe you can or can’t work from home.

Yep. And then all those who actually can’t work from home and who am really are critical to the COVID response - doctors, nurses, people running vaccine clinics - will also have to stay home with their self isolating children

In my school the medics are doing everything they can to not send their children in. I’m SLT and we have a few families who are rearranging shifts, juggling everything to not have to send them to school. The rates in our area are the highest in the country (1 in 16 infected) and presumably that’s the reason for their worry.

For those saying you need a place for your DC’s in school. What are your plans if the bubble gets sent home due to Covid cases or if you get Covid because your DC brings it home from school?

My dc have not had to do this yet but I have as colleague tested positive. I wfh for 10 days & caught up when I went back in. If I was sick I am entitled to statutory sick pay.

The government really needs to spell it out clearly that,other than for vulnerable children, the places in school are only available so that critical services can continue to be provided. So they shouldn't be provided for key worker parents who have another adult at home, either working or non-working. The worker in the non-critical role will have to manage the same as other parents who WFH in a non-critical role.

If you are a critical worker working from home but your kids are over, say, 7 and you could take 10-15 minutes out a few times a day to set them up with home learning then you could keep them home. It might be easier for you if you don't, but you could.

There also need to be some onus on employers. Not all roles within the critical worker sectors are essential. Some admin-based or IT-based jobs can be done from home while offering some supervision to children.

And yes, there needs to be obligatory furlough for childcare reasons if needed. There will be some parents of critical workers who are sending their DC in even though they are in a non-critical role at home as they feel they can't meet their employers' demands otherwise.

There is a vaccination programme underway. We need to use the time until the results of that start to take effect to reduce the infection rate by keeping the numbers mixing to an absolute minimum.

The government won't clarify these things though. They will leave schools to try to police things so that parents will be angry at them instead of at the government.

I would imagine this would cause a lot of key workers to go back into working from offices etc

If my dc got sent home once they go back in I will use a combo of AL & unpaid leave & some work with DH. There are things I can leave for a wk or so but not more than that.

What I'd be interested to know is how many spaces are being taken up by families in which one parent is a CW and one is a SAHP. I don't see how this has been allowed in the first place!!

I can work from home, I've been trying to send my children in as little as possible. I frequently have to have discussions with / about people in crisis (suicidal, post-attempt). Absolutely not appropriate for children to hear

What I'd be interested to know is how many spaces are being taken up by families in which one parent is a CW and one is a SAHP.

I'd say it's low because why would you. However don't forget having a SAHP doesn't mean a child isn't vulnerable.

The Interpretation of “key worker” is far far too wide in my opinion. I know a lot of people who are allegedly key workers when it doesn’t seem hugely feasible to me (I'm including myself in this - I’ve had a letter from work to say as much but we’re keeping our kids at home as DH Is around and isn’t working much).

That said, what are you meant to do exactly if you have two primary kids under 7, as we do- homeschooling and doing your jobs at the same time- regardless of whether you’re a key worker or not. Especially if your employer isn’t sympathetic. It’s a nightmare. It would be ok for a few weeks but if it really does go on til April, I dread to think what sort of state people will be in by then.

I wonder whst will happen with sen children. These must be upping the percentages going in as children with ehcps are allowed in this time whereas last time if you were at home or working from home you had to keep them off

I think there is some recognition that certain kids fell through the net last time hence no access to tech/space is a valid reason now.

I think the issue is - If your taking up of a key worker place isn’t motivated primarily by it making it possible for the key worker parent to do their job, then you need to think about whether it is totally necessary.
Again, vulnerable children and families do not count in this.

@OverTheRainbow88

I would imagine this would cause a lot of key workers to go back into working from offices etc

Which is why there also needs to be much closer scrutiny of employers who are not allowing employees to work from home when it is possible. Workplace transmission is also contributing to the infection rate.

Which is why there also needs to be much closer scrutiny of employers who are not allowing employees to work from home when it is possible.

What does that look like in real life?

morph it's a bit of a myth that children with ehcps are all allowed in. plenty of special schools where all children have an ehcp are only admitting key worker children.

it's easier to send your healthy non disabled child into school of mum does some admin NHS job that can be done from from that getting a place for a severely autistic child with an ehcp.

@wonderup I know of quite a few, I think people would be surprised how many are if we had that info. And I don't include EHCP children in this.

@Nicknamegoeshere do you work in a school?

@Kitcat122 although some of those companies are providing essential frontline services and facing unprecedented demand, so they also need to keep functioning to higher and higher levels.

The problem is this whole situation is pitting schools, families and employers against each other. The government needs to understand the bigger picture and provide appropriate support to all.

Not sure if been mentioned already but furloughing now costs a company money. The first lockdown it was all government funding but now the government pays the gross and the company foots the ers ni and ers pension. This may make it more difficult for company’s to furlough Staff if the person being off results in a direct reduction in income. A lot of businesses are struggling more than they were last year having had nearly a year of disruption

Children of one key worker parent with the other at home (regardless of they are working or not) shouldn't be offered a space at school. I know very many families like that here in north London - all their kids at school. Seems more prominent at private schools maybe because the schools feel less inclined to say no to fee paying parents. The more we make this lockdown count and short, the earlier we can all benefit - even those families described above will be able to have the proper in person education back for their children earlier. Government must change the rules around this properly as a matter of urgency.

@wonderup Primary teacher with 20 years' experience, currently on mat leave. I also have three kids - a baby, a primary child and a secondary child. Both older two have additional needs. They are of course all at home with me.

In my school not every staff member is privy to safeguarding lists?

They are of course all at home with me.

Why wouldn't they be?

@wonderup

They are of course all at home with me.

Why wouldn't they be?

Some children with additional needs are much better off in school. it depends on the children of course but some families are pushed beyond breaking point by caring for severely disabled children. Is that so hard to fathom? Do you want to elaborate on your own experience of being at home with disabled DC, wonder?