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

[quote robinwisperer]**@robinwhisperer because if we don't do our work then services that are vital to the covid response don't happen.

but why don't you. Millions of parents up and down the country do it whilst WFH? If if it's a role where you work from home, then how is that different to a non key worker with younger kids who is working from the bedroom. That was my question?[/quote]
Use some critical thinking for god sake - it's the content of the work and the age of the child(ren). No two situations are the same, why do people not get this?!

@tinierclanger

"Employers need to cut their employees some slack"

You see, I would say THIS is the critical point. And not just about flexibility of hours. Employers should, where possible, be accepting lower productivity from staff WFH with kids at home.

Why should they if they're busy industries atm, rubbish, lower productivity means things don't get done, our economy is already broken

@CaptainMarvelDanvers

Contradiction and mixed messages again.....

There's no contradiction in it at all, it's asking for critical thinking, if you don't have that, ask someone who does to explain it

Use some critical thinking for god sake - it's the content of the work and the age of the child(ren). No two situations are the same, why do people not get this?!

I do understand this. I just don't understand what is different if you are a home working key worker as opposed to a home working no -key worker. not sure what is so hard to understand

@robinwisperer because I can't have the kids in the same room as me. The subject matter of what I do means I cannot have children or vulnerable people in the same room. Same for dh. This means we can't even supervise the dcs and keep them safe. Maybe if they were older, but they're at the younger end of primary school so they need supervision, which we can't give them. We can't work flexibly due to the nature of our roles.

I have every sympathy for non key workers in the same position by the way. Everyone has been thrown under the bus. I was just trying to explain why key workers who can wfh are treated differently in the guidance. If I was a key worker but my role was less of a safeguarding risk, I would be keeping the dcs at home.

@tinierclanger

"Employers need to cut their employees some slack"

You see, I would say THIS is the critical point. And not just about flexibility of hours. Employers should, where possible, be accepting lower productivity from staff WFH with kids at home.

I agree - but then they should not expect those who havent got kids at home to be picking up extra or be forced to come in if they are not wanting to. My SIL is being told she has to be the one in the office, and doing loads of stuff she wouldnt normally do, just because she has got teenagers who can stay at home without her.

@robinwisperer

Use some critical thinking for god sake - it's the content of the work and the age of the child(ren). No two situations are the same, why do people not get this?!

I do understand this. I just don't understand what is different if you are a home working key worker as opposed to a home working no -key worker. not sure what is so hard to understand

It depends on your role surely, in the case of PP who was child protection you'll have to use your imagination, I strongly believe anyone inhibited from working should have the option to send their children to school keyworker or not.

I’m a uni lecturer for a health care course and a lot of my students are already having this issue. Their kid’s head teachers are saying they will have the kids when my students are on placement but not during theory blocks.

They have exams coming up, some of which are face to face. They can’t revise with young kids at home, they can’t attend exams and are having to leave the course. Which seeing as these are the future nhs workforce is not good.

I've never been a people person but reading MN at the moment has really opened my eyes to how vile, selfish, self-obsessed, full of self imporance and unwilling to compromise many people are.

It depends on your role surely, in the case of PP who was child protection you'll have to use your imagination

I get that bit and agree that you cannot have kids around but most home working key workers do not work in these kind of roles. My neighbour is in customer service for British gas, I have several friends who are key workers who do admin roles at home. I just don't understand how that is different to so many other jobs. virtually all key workers I know who are home based (and there are a lot) do this this if stuff and I don't not see how that is different to doing something like that in a different sector where you just have to get on with it.

@robinwisperer

It depends on your role surely, in the case of PP who was child protection you'll have to use your imagination

I get that bit and agree that you cannot have kids around but most home working key workers do not work in these kind of roles. My neighbour is in customer service for British gas, I have several friends who are key workers who do admin roles at home. I just don't understand how that is different to so many other jobs. virtually all key workers I know who are home based (and there are a lot) do this this if stuff and I don't not see how that is different to doing something like that in a different sector where you just have to get on with it.

Speak to Boris

"it's not really different to those WFH without keyworker status. most of us just have to get on or is there anything which makes a home working key worker extra special?"

I'm a childminder, working with my husband. We are keyworkers. We have up to six under 5s here on any one day, two of whom are babies under 1. We have some keyworker older children for wrap around care who need school runs.

We're working from home, but it's impossible for our DD to take part in online lessons here: she couldn't work and the children are very likely to disrupt the classes for everyone else.
Like many other childminders, we're taking up keyworker places in schools.

If they decide to close Early Years, we'll have just keyworker children here and it may be possible for her to work at home. Until then, it's necessary that she goes in to school, where she is with just three or four other children her age or older, getting on with their lessons.

I'm a childminder, working with my husband. We are keyworkers.

I have been talking about the huge numbers of admin and standard office workers not childminders. Some people need to read.

@robinwisperer

I'm a childminder, working with my husband. We are keyworkers.

I have been talking about the huge numbers of admin and standard office workers not childminders. Some people need to read.

Do you know all these admin/office staff personally?

No - then how can you know what their role entails and whether they can school their children.

You might know of a few, you don't know of them all.

@Covidcovid

I’m a uni lecturer for a health care course and a lot of my students are already having this issue. Their kid’s head teachers are saying they will have the kids when my students are on placement but not during theory blocks.

They have exams coming up, some of which are face to face. They can’t revise with young kids at home, they can’t attend exams and are having to leave the course. Which seeing as these are the future nhs workforce is not good.

Surely revision can be done in the evening, or when kids or popped in front of the tv. Or perhaps there is another parent who can look after the kids for a while so study can be done.

I was in this exact situation last year and made it work (whilst also juggling a full time job). I’m not saying it’s easy but having children at home doesn’t stop you being able to study.
The face to face exam is strictly, and hopefully there is another parent of emergency childcare that can be utilised so they can do that. My exam was online so the children were just kept out of the room I was completing it in.

Do you know all these admin/office staff personally?

about 10! and I just asked a simple question. not sure why some get so worked up about it....

Something needs to give. I think they need to say both parents have to be key workers (or single parent is keyworker) and I think employers Need to provide evidence of people’s working days and hours to schools in letter form so we aren’t having part time workers sending their children to school 5 days a week. I would also say the government needs to look at the criteria and list of essential workers and workplaces. Why are places like
b and q open for browsing to general public? Or B and M? My cousin works (currently from home) for local paper doing advertising and apparently her job is
Counted as essential!! Really?! The local newspaper is an essential is it? I am pretty sure society would function without a local paper. National papers fair enough but local ones we could surely all do without temporarily.
This whole lockdown will be pointless if we don’t cut transmission. Numbers in many schools are too high still to be reducing community transmission rates that significantly. And that is very galling.

@robinwisperer

Do you know all these admin/office staff personally?

about 10! and I just asked a simple question. not sure why some get so worked up about it....

It's not a simple question though is it?

As everyone's situation is different, personal work health.

You are probably basing your assumptions on your own job.

@Zeldaaa some of the students are single parents. I’ve suggested the evening revision, etc but they all just say they are being disadvantaged compared to the students without kids. I guess we can just say “tough”. That they chose to start their course with kids. But I feel sorry for them, nobody predicted a global pandemic.

You are probably basing your assumptions on your own job.

I WFH, private sector, lone parent, one at primary and one severely autistic and with severe learning difficulties. I have to make it work because otherwise I have no income. HTH.

@robinwisperer

You are probably basing your assumptions on your own job.

I WFH, private sector, lone parent, one at primary and one severely autistic and with severe learning difficulties. I have to make it work because otherwise I have no income. HTH.

Well then you are entitled to a place under the vulnerable category?

Just because you can make it work for you, doesn't mean others can make it work for them.

You can't walk someone else's path and assume we should all take the same route.

Well then you are entitled to a place under the vulnerable category?

not all special schools are open and some children with SN are also shielding. It's not that easy, you see. And it's not 'working' for me. it's bloody tough. but what choice do I have...

not sure what to make of your snotty responses anyways. I have asked a simple question. if you haven't got anything to say on it other than some narky replies, maybe don't

@robinwisperer

Well then you are entitled to a place under the vulnerable category?

not all special schools are open and some children with SN are also shielding. It's not that easy, you see. And it's not 'working' for me. it's bloody tough. but what choice do I have...

not sure what to make of your snotty responses anyways. I have asked a simple question. if you haven't got anything to say on it other than some narky replies, maybe don't

My answers don't suit you so you take offence, you have made judgements about those using spaces, I'd say your the snarky one

@Makingnumber2

Something needs to give. I think they need to say both parents have to be key workers (or single parent is keyworker) and I think employers Need to provide evidence of people’s working days and hours to schools in letter form so we aren’t having part time workers sending their children to school 5 days a week. I would also say the government needs to look at the criteria and list of essential workers and workplaces. Why are places like b and q open for browsing to general public? Or B and M? My cousin works (currently from home) for local paper doing advertising and apparently her job is Counted as essential!! Really?! The local newspaper is an essential is it? I am pretty sure society would function without a local paper. National papers fair enough but local ones we could surely all do without temporarily. This whole lockdown will be pointless if we don’t cut transmission. Numbers in many schools are too high still to be reducing community transmission rates that significantly. And that is very galling.

Our school has said all with a key worker place need to send them in full time as the chopping and changing is a logistical nightmare.

We are in a similar position Flamingo and we have sent DD, aged 8, in on a keyworker place. Her mental health was so poor by July and she had learnt nothing at all despite her school making valiant efforts at remote learning. We sought (and got) an ADHD and ASD diagnosis and I am trying to get counselling and doing my best with DIY CBT stuff off the Internet.

Fortunately her head agreed she needed to be in and it's private so only small numbers are in, mostly doctors' DC.

It is about the needs of the DC as well as the parents.

She cannot stay out of a home study. She just can't. I lock her out but I'm not prepared to do that several hours a day.