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've been calling us mugs in my rants too!! Feels like it doesn't it when you see other people taking the piss.

Agree that it's better to know you tried your best and did the right thing rather than being a craphead (but no judgement at all from me )

Ds school is about 60 percent in
They're quite flexible I guess.
But lots in that don't need to be. His best mate has a keyworker place. His mum is a cleaner at hospital. She does 6 am till 10am.
The lad is 15. And is more than capable of doing work at home.
His DF is unemployed since Nov so is at home.
They've abused the keyworker place.

How many people on here have hand on heart attempted to address inequality of education prior to the pandemic or do you only care what others do now it's giving your kids a disadvantage?

There is just under 1/4 of DS’s class in. Probably even fewer in other year groups as there are hardly any parents on the school run.

That’s how I got DC in although I’m a SAHM (DH is a KW) as there were so few in. I expect there will be more parents wanting to send their DC in now the lockdown extension has been announced though!

I've been writing to my MP about schools and inequalities for over a year. It's done fuck all good, but still.

I think the situation as the government have set it up means that far more vulnerable kids (truly vulnerable) will fall through the cracks to be honest. They tried to get away with not feeding hungry kids - it's taken Marcus Rashford to shame them into U turns on that.

I think it's a system that rewards pushiness and selfishness. Reflecting the core values of the government itself.

Nope. We have a max of 48 out of 210 in. And haven't been up to that capacity yet.

@YetiTeri

How many people on here have hand on heart attempted to address inequality of education prior to the pandemic or do you only care what others do now it's giving your kids a disadvantage?

Couldn’t agree more! As someone who has spent years volunteering and fundraising to try and help the most vulnerable children and then the jealousy towards parents whose children are classed as vulnerable. My daughter was at home in the first lockdown but is in school full time at the schools request this time, due to her anxiety. The school have asked her to attend every day for her benefit, not mine . I imagine many more children are in this time because their circumstances have changed and they are vulnerable - often due to the effects of lockdown.

Mental health has worsened in children due to lockdown which is why many more children may need to be in school this time.

I am a keyworker and so is DH inbound calls for me and IT Infrastructure him. We both WFH and didn't send our DS in as we thought it would be a few weeks after Xmas we can manage for the greater good. But its extremely hard and he is missing out we cannot give him the level of support he should have. I have no idea if we could now request a place due to the longevity of it all. The school would probably refuse as we have managed so far sigh.

What about the quiet children who are suffering who don't speak up in class, and less so now on zoom? What about those whose parents are too tired and overwhelmed to advocate for them or communicate with the school? Now they're not in school, what's the chance teachers will pick up on their worsening mental health?

I think it would be better, if such a high capacity of children is ok transmission wise, to have rotas for all rather than such uneven provision.

If not, I think children who are 100% at home should have some kind of bespoke mental health program directed at them. Otherwise I do think many kids will fall between the cracks.

I agree with the above. A 2 week on 2 week off rota with incredibly strict criteria on who can be in full time would be a lot fairer given this thing is dragging on and on

Criticise the policy not the schools or the parents who are taking advantage of it.

Had schools been shut to all but children of key workers in early December as they should have been, these issues would have come to the fore and a more restrictive policy could have been introduced this term. For example, only where both parents are key workers.

@YetiTeri

How many people on here have hand on heart attempted to address inequality of education prior to the pandemic or do you only care what others do now it's giving your kids a disadvantage?

👏👏👏

@GreekGoddessInAPreviousLife

There is just under 1/4 of DS’s class in. Probably even fewer in other year groups as there are hardly any parents on the school run.

That’s how I got DC in although I’m a SAHM (DH is a KW) as there were so few in. I expect there will be more parents wanting to send their DC in now the lockdown extension has been announced though!

Are you saying you've put your kids into school just because there's space for them, rather than because they are vulnerable in some way?

I was wondering why this isn’t all over the news and social media and then I realised it’s because it only affects half of us.

Nobody would argue that key worker and vulnerable children rightly deserve a place at school.

And then there’s the rest..

@YetiTeri

How many people on here have hand on heart attempted to address inequality of education prior to the pandemic or do you only care what others do now it's giving your kids a disadvantage?

No one is arguing about genuinely vulnerable children attending school.

The fact is that there are people who are sending their kids in for no good reason other than they can bend the rules enough to get them out of the house. That’s what people, are annoyed about, not children with a genuine reason for being there.

Also, it’s not just about the inequality of education. Children are becoming withdrawn and depressed being stuck at home for months on end and the presence of children in school who don’t need to be there is prolonging that.

That does seem a lot.

It’s around 25% at my dc’s school but that does vary quite a bit class on class. The year 1/2 class has probably at least 50% in out of around 25 kids, whereas the year 5 class only consistently has 2 or 3 children out of about 20.

6/20 in my childrens year group. Last lockdown was 2/20.

25% in at our school and I know it's right as I work there and have to report the figures to the DfE every day! More in Reception than Y6 though, attendance higher at the lower end of the school.

It's very very hard for schools to refuse children a place without going against the DfE guidance.

• There is no limit to bubble sizes.
• The critical worker list is very wide and encompasses an awful lot of jobs.
• Only 1 parent has to be a critical worker.
• Vulnerable children, including those who cannot access a remote education ( another one that encompasses an awful lot) should be in school.

Based on all that, schools have very little grounds to refuse a place. Some schools layer extra rules on top ( for example insisting on 2 keyworker parents) but that stance isn't back up by the DfE and they could find themselves in hot water if challenged.

Every day in the DfE attendance return we have to declare whether we have offered a place to all critical worker children who want it. I've heard of schools who have said no, who have refused a place due to concerns over the number of children in, being called by the DfE and challenged on why they're not offering places.

In one of the DFE daily update emails last week which all schools get, it said we should be 'encouraging' CW and V children into school.

Don't blame the schools for high numbers, they have no leg to stand on to refuse.

People actually believe that schools have been closed because gov tell you they have.
Attendance has been slightly restricted, but they've managed the propaganda because people keep asking when schools will open.
Gov gave lip service to closing schools to placate those who wanted them closed.

No. My placement school has roughly 10% in the school, there are only 3 primary one children (normally 75 of them)

Also, it’s not just about the inequality of education. Children are becoming withdrawn and depressed being stuck at home for months on end and the presence of children in school who don’t need to be there is prolonging that.

Well said. It's ridiculous that children at home can't meet up with other children at home yet their friends are in the classroom mixing all day long (and worse, they know this, and they think it's unfair, which is terrible for mental health). There should be some kind of socially distanced outdoor PE provision or something for the ones 100% at home. There is so much more that could be done. As usual the government has no desire to truly make things better for kids.

I absolutely don't blame schools, by the way if that wasn't clear.

DH is technically a critical worker, so we're eligible. It's ridiculous, he really isn't a critical worker at all.

Theres around half of ds y1 class in (some of which do have a SAHP) in ds y6 class theres only 1 or 2 in despite having a KW parent. School say overall they are at approx 30% capacity and have stressed the need for it to reduce further

@YetiTeri

How many people on here have hand on heart attempted to address inequality of education prior to the pandemic or do you only care what others do now it's giving your kids a disadvantage?

I can honestly say I have.

Hand on heart it began because of my sons SEND and the issues I saw. I tried to talk to MPs and councillors. All but 1 couldn't even give me the time of day.

I ended up having a meeting with county councillors i discovered had an interest in education through their profiles. The meeting was initially an independent review because I argued we weren't being provided with what we should.

I handed each person in the room a letter afterwards saying I would like this issue addressed as a county wise problem not a personal one.

3/4 got back to me and changes were made. 2 actually personally apologised (wasn't even their mistake and I won my appeal via their panel).

I do think what a poster said above that it's becoming a pushiest and loudest competition rather than an in it all together.

And IME it's not the poorest and neediest families who shout loudest.

We should be asking questions about why they are so many children whose parents are financially, physically or mentally unable to provide for them. This pandemic has been quite an eye opener. Maybe we should support people who can’t manage to look after their children not to have children in the first place by allowing easier access to contraception and abortion or more public information.

I’m fully able to support my children financially, emotionally and educationally, that doesn’t however change the fact that they have very complex additional support needs which are best met in school by education professionals. They go in three mornings a week to access the specialist support they need and which I can’t provide for them. I have absolutely no shame or guilt about that.

Good to know some folk think they should have been aborted.