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?

In my son’s class there are 8 pupils in out of 28.

I do agree that some parents send their children in because they are struggling but I can understand why. A few of my friends have absolutely reached their limit of trying to work full time from home and also do hours of school work with their children who don’t want to do it. They say everyday is a battle and everyone is miserable.

One of my friends has to work from home all day, as does her husband from 8.30-4, whilst her daughter (aged 6) tries to do her work on her own. Generally she doesn’t get much done as what unsupervised 6 year old would? So it then means that after their evening meal, she or her DH have to spend 3 hours doing home schooling - and by that time of the day their daughter is even more reluctant. She was crying to me about it the other day because everyone is so unhappy. Both her and her husband are classed as critical workers but as they can WFH they decided to keep their daughter....but now they’re thinking of sending her in because the way things are now just isn’t sustainable.

I think if school want to try and prevent people sending their children in because they can’t cope, they need to seriously reel in the pressure and workload because for full time working parents (from home) it’s just not manageable.

I don't know how many are in school here but I live near my DCs school and every break time I can hear all the children playing and it sounds like a normal school day amount of noise, they sound like they're having a great time and it makes me feel sad for my DC stuck at home. I worry that they'll be disadvantaged having me trying to teach them while others will have a qualified teacher and more attention due to smaller class sizes. It all seems unfair but key workers have to work and I'm not sure what the alternative is. I just feel like it's creating inequality. I really don't think there's an answer though and us non keyworker parents just have to accept our DC are excluded because our jobs aren't seen as important. As for those who are blagging a place for their child based on some tenuous reason or loophole, I can't say I blame them.

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

How would you know though? I work part time in a key worker role, my husband works full time in a non-key worker role, we didn’t apply for key worker provision because I knew the criteria was 2 key worker parents.

We are financially secure, with no apparent vulnerabilities however my children are adopted, and have very complex needs arising from early trauma. Their needs wouldn’t be apparent to people who know them in passing and none of the school parents know they’re adopted. I’m one of those parents who would be talked about here “she only works part time, he’s not a key worker, there’s no reason for them being in school, everyone finds it tough”.

It shouldn’t be the case that I have to plaster my children’s very private business to gossiping, jealous, judgemental mums to justify something that is literally none of their business.

They may be envious of my kids having some time in school, but I don’t imagine any of them want to be comforting my child through trauma flashbacks, or helping them settle after night terrors at 3.00am.

Loads in my dc school. Both years. We live in quite a poor area with a big hospital to boot so there are lots of kw

My daughter is in year 1. 5/30 are in. I know this because they show them in the classroom on the Teams calls. Of those two are vulnerable, the rest are keyworkers (or claiming to be - one mum works in HE like I do though mine is not at school). I know that because I live in a small village and know what the parents in the class do. And with the vulnerable ones, both mums have said that is why their kids are in.

My dd attends a village school only 100 kids in entire school. Only 3 not in her class not in. Everyone is a keyworker mine is in. Eldest at a different school well next week will be busier as they have the kids in whom haven't engaged in online learning

@Splodgetastic

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. Maybe we should clamp down on employers effectively taking subsidies to low wages from the state in the form of tax credits to families. Maybe lots of things. But 75% of children shouldn’t be at risk of being at home with their parents.

A crystal ball about 10 years ago that there would be a pandemic in the future better use a condom

In dc school 1/3 is in. I don't think I am only sahm with keyworker husband. Last time around dh wasn't a keyworker and was able to work from home. We could handle together dd's numerous meltdowns but this time we decided to send her in for her own good.

@lovemirage
So you've sent your daughter into school even though you're a sahm?

@DumplingsAndStew I wanted to come back to clarify something, the school release the data every week on a Friday and then share the key worker definitions, how to apply for a place and so on.... so it’s 22% because the school told me so.

My kids depressed.

My kids are becoming withdrawn.

My mental health is suffering.

I have no doubt there are some genuine cases where children are vulnerable. However many parents are massively taking this piss. And it hurts us all.

I don’t feel I can in good conscious send my children in, but I am angry at the disparity.

@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....

In case someone hasn’t said, they could be classed as vulnerable by the school for whatever reason.

lovemirage. I think that’s a disgrace.

15/30 are in school in DD’s class. Wealthy area, high attainment. I know some of the children in the class have parents who are teachers, doctors and other obvious critical worker roles. I know some of them definitely have stay at home parents and parents who work from home full time in non critical worker roles. Why are they attending school? Who knows. I have just assumed they are there this time because they are struggling at home with behaviour or they are behind academically since the first lockdown. Or something similar to that. It’s dubious when one of them was taken out of school for the last 10 days of term at Xmas to go to Dubai on holiday but now during lockdown their parents suddenly need them in school full time. But I guess that’s none of my business.

It just makes a mockery of the whole thing.

@lovemirage wow. Her own good or yours? I suppose you're the only family struggling 🙄

I have 3 friends who have sent their children to school:

• 1 with CW dad who works from home, SAHM mum
• 1 with two non CW parents, both WFH
• 1 with CW mum (nurse) but non CW dad who is WFH

Of those, two have had bubbles burst this week so the children are currently at home and they are able to manage without having to find other childcare options. That should be the test, really.

In my daughter's school the children who are in are receiving the same provision as the rest of us at home. The teacher is at home, there is a TA or student teacher in the classroom and they join the Teams calls with the rest of us.

Let’s not vent at one person so much.

It’s a bit bullying

I find this really galling too, OP.
C. 25% in my younger DCs' school and as another poster up thread said, teachers are often unable to reply to questions from home learning children as they are in school.

Worth noting that the DfE have widened the definition of vulnerable this time to include children who don't have a quiet space at home to work and from knowing some of the parents whose children are in, I wonder if they are in on these grounds (there is a correlation with those who were most vocal on WhatsApp when the closures were announced) . There is nowhere anywhere quiet in my home! It's generally full of children trying to avoid home learning (well, 2 of them, thankfully the other 2 are more compliant!) but mine are here. The irony is that I work with schools and many are struggling to get the children who they ordinarily class as vulnerable to attend.

I try not to let it bother me but I read an article in schoolsweek today regarding the possibility of a staggered return. None of mine could last year, as they weren't in priority groups. If it were to happen this year as last year, two would be able to. I would be enormously annoyed if this doesn't happen due to the number of other children in school (as last year, when Y6 couldn't return).

I also need to stop reading idle speculation in the media .

"We should be asking questions about why they are so many children whose parents are financially, physically or mentally unable to provide for them."

I suppose if you had a child with ds's complex needs you would keep him home and let him be distressed and hurt himself. Well done you.

"So you've sent your daughter into school even though you're a sahm?"

I think you and a few others missed the "numerous meltdowns" part.

[quote DancingQueen85]@lovemirage
So you've sent your daughter into school even though you're a sahm? [/quote]
SAHP in my house, DS still goes into school.

The school have decided that my DS and that poster's DD are better off in school.

No, ours has 5 out of 30 in his class and the other classes have less

@Devlesko

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.

I have always thought that the schools are closed in name only. The list of children who should be offered/ granted a place pretty much covers every child in a school.

My ds is in school and im a sahm. Not sorry. Its also no ones business..

If a child is in school and you know they have a parent at home, that means the child is considered to be vulnerable. So wind your necks in.