15 out of 20 children in ds class

[eeliie]

It's a reception class. So there are just 5 children who cannot attend. Is it this bad in your child's school?

I think some schools are being stricter than others. My DC primary school has been really strict and only has about 10% in. I know of other schools locally that seem a lot more relaxed and have much higher numbers in.

There are never more than about 5 in my son's class. I know this because he goes once a week, and when they have their live lessons on Google Classroom the group in school join so we can all see who is there.

40% of my class are in
Why oh why are people risking sending them in?!
Half of those that are have no real reason to be there.
One parent: yoga teacher, kids in school
Another family: run a fish and chip shop, kids in school
Absolute joke

10 out of 17 in my daughter's class today, and the number has been higher. A large proportion have at least one stay at home or part-time home working parent, and in most cases the other parent would only have a very tenuous claim on being a key worker.

Well there aren't many kids on our morning class Zoom so either the rest don't bother or they are in school.
It's really starting to wind me up tbh!

Umm, maybe less about not being bothered and more about limited devices / wi-fi.

Why oh why are people risking sending them in?!

I don't feel it is a huge risk and this way DS does a couple of days work rather than none. (You do school work at school not at home) I however have no idea how many are in because if I ask him he just says "Dunno" .

I don't worry about what others are doing though, but I feel absolutely no shame or guilt in sending DS in.

@DumplingsAndStew My DCs have a weekly Zoom assembly with the whole year so we can see those who are at school and those who at home. It’s 50:50.

You don't know if children are adopted, fostered, there is DV, alcohol or safeguarding risks in the home that make someone vulnerable.
One school may have more Key workers than vulnerable children whilst in another they may have more vulnerable than key.
Parents often have no idea of who is vulnerable.

DD’s class: 10 (including her)
DS’ class: 6 (mix of two years)

The pupils in school have teachers, nurses, a social worker and a firefighter as parents.

My school (secondary): 7 out of 1250.

That seems like a lot OP.

Schools can admit students on the basis of home circumstances as well as whether parents are key workers. Unless you know the exact circumstances of every child attending school I suggest you don’t judge. My DC school has a very vocal group of parents (probably on this thread tbh) who have publicly criticised one family for sending their DC in one day a week when one parent is a SAHM. What they don’t realise is that said SAHM is suffering with crippling pnd after giving birth in lockdown and had been previously hospitalised with it. People really need to mind their own business. You have no idea what’s going on behind closed doors. And I say that as a key worker struggling with home schooling.

I’d say less than a third are in for DS school... two form entrant... 30 per class normally. His year (1) there are 8 in, does depend on the day, some days are busier than others. Not by much though.
Lots of parents are nhs / fire / police etc.
There are more than the 1st lockdown though, he was one of maybe 4/5 back then

@ElevenBells totally agree with this. I personally couldn’t care less why people are sending them in during lockdown , everyone’s circs are different

This has been upsetting me for a long time, the guidance is so unfair. If it's important to shut schools then they should be shut to all but the actual key workers and vulnerable.

I'd be up for signing and sharing any petition that said that:

1.If there is a non key worker parent at home then that family cannot send their children in to school

1. The keyworker definition needs to be tightened. It is currently far too broad and open to abuse.

The government needs to change the guidance to allow schools a chance to implement it for the purposes that it was actually created. The keep children at home "if you can" statement is leading to higher than 50% attendance in all the schools near me.
And this includes children with a non working parent at home.
Ultimately why should a non key worker have to keep children at home if a non key worker who happens to have a key worker partner doesn't. Especially when that non keyworker is at home. It makes no sense.

If anyone would be interested in signing this petition then post here and I'll set one up and add the link here.
Or alternatively if anyone knows of such a petition or has started one then please post the link.

And p.s I have no issues with the guidance on sending any vulnerable children in, it's so important

We’ve got bubbles of 15-20 where I work. More children are coming back each week as not engaging with home learning, welfare calls and Zooms so headteacher says we must have them in as accountable for progress of every child.

@CrocodileFondue

Also noticed all my neighbour's kids in uniform the other day. They go to a different school but he's a landscape gardener and she's a SAHM so clearly both key workers....

Then they will be classed as vulnerable for some reason.

I did get a bit fed up the other day when a school gate mum told me her dd is in (yr1) because she's couldn't get her to concentrate on school work with her younger children around. She's a sahm. I imagine they're classed as vulnerable for some reason, I know they qualify for free school meals. But it's difficult not to feel at the very least a pang of something, jealously or judging. Dh & I are both working from home, home schooling 6yo and with 3yo home some days.

In DC reception class it's around 16 out of 28.

DH teaches primary elsewhere and his class numbers go up weekly as more parents request spaces due to kids not being able to engage at home (lots of parents claiming they simply can't get their 9yr old to do anything at all .... as if there is some special science or magic the rest of us at home are using to coax ours to do anything! And no, these kids aren't SEN or vulnerable as those kids were in from day 1 and already accounted for).... his class of 31 kids now has 24 in. At the start of lockdown the number was 7.

[quote Peculiartimes]@DumplingsAndStew
Really? Don’t you have zoom calls from school for children who are home educated? (It gives you an idea of how many children are out of school). Don’t parents talk in WhatsApp groups? I would have no chance NOT to know to be honest.[/quote]
Zoom calls 🤣 no. Year 6 dd gets a couple of worksheets a day. She waited 4 days for a teacher to reset her password this week (required admin rights to do it apparently) and caught up on the missed work in less than a day.

12 out of 60 in my sons year 5 group. He’s considered vulnerable due to autism, he’s literally not coping at home and so is doing 3:days a week in school. We could have had him in five days but I’m shielding and don’t want him at school at all if I can help it. Fortunately I’ve had my first jab now so slightly relaxing but still he’s showering as soon as he walks through the door and I’m keeping hugs etc lower than usual. He understands thank goodness.

What annoys me is that the numbers are slowly creeping up . Some parents have openly admitted that they have sent their children in as they are finding it too difficult to home school them.

The first lockdown they didn't even bother teaching them anything ( openly admitted on social media) and now that the school are asking to see the completed work they are saying it's too much effort for them.

Guess that makes the children vulnerable.

I have one child in school and one child at home. There are many reasons a child may be in school and just because you don't know what that is doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Hidden disabilities, lack of IT, social care, key worker parents. If the school have allowed a child in then they have deemed it appropriate.

I would be arguing for the home learning to be improved so your children don't fall behind rather than worrying about what other kids are doing.

I don't know the exact number of children in reception DS's class but every other child I know of his age (abs that's quite a few!) is in school at least some days. DH is a KW but I am a SAHM so there's no issue with looking after him but he is struggling with missing playing with other children and I worry about him missing out of the socialisation that is very important at this age.

Of some of the children who are in one has two non key worker parents working part time from home and one had a parent who is furloughed. I don't really blame people for sending their kids in because I'm sure they do it because they feel it's best for them but I am quite bitter about the whole system where a set of children are able to socialise and all day with peers and receive a full days education* and others who don't have the right to see another child at all. It's a two tier system as others have said and very unfair in the children.

• an email from the school this week stated that as the teachers were putting in a full day of teaching ( the kw kids) they may not have time to look at work send in from the children at home!

@eeliie

What annoys me is that the numbers are slowly creeping up . Some parents have openly admitted that they have sent their children in as they are finding it too difficult to home school them.

The first lockdown they didn't even bother teaching them anything ( openly admitted on social media) and now that the school are asking to see the completed work they are saying it's too much effort for them.

Guess that makes the children vulnerable.

How do you know so much about why other children are attending?

I'm a keyworker, but one that gets scoffed at on here, so I've nearly killed myself splitting myself in two between the office and relying on family goodwill to look after dd. I cannot WFH full time, and work are not happy because colleagues have children in school, I was trying to "do the right thing". But, I'm going to contact school next week and ask for a part time place. Shoot me.

Sorry that's full of non sensical typos! Trying to sort breakfast and type!