Who qualified for school last time?

[Wednesdayafternoon]

This is a completely hypothetical/information only query. Not scare mongering before I get accused!

My son wasn't in school in the last lockdown so it never applied to me so I don't know what the rules were.
My exH works in a children's home and I work in a call Center in the finance/insurance sector. My colleagues told me that last time they were provided with a letter to give to school to secure a place for them to go. Although we can wfh, there's no possible way we could watch children as we take incoming calls all day. I'm currently working in the office as I am having technical issues with my equipment.
I am living with my parents but my mum watched my 1 year old. She's late 60s, she wouldn't be able to do the home schooling etc.
Ds1 behaviour can be difficult and I'm very concerned what lack of school would impact on him.
How likely would all of the above secure him his school spot in schools did close from your own experience?/what do I need to do to ensure he goes?

Like I said, no scare mongering just after experience

I'm not a key worker and a lone parent. Both my children have places because they both have EHCPs and absolutely will be using those places.

They should have taken a hierarchical approach and split into "essential" and "critical" and "support" - essential being front line doctors and nurses etc, police etc, critical bring teachers and then support sectors being supermarkets etc.

When I was in hospital having my twins - one midwife whose husband was a prison officer couldn't get their kids into the school because of the amount of parents who quite frankly I would say took the "piss"

We could have sent our DD in but chose not too as felt it was the "right" thing to do - shame a few other parents didn't think the same

Police and social services here, with one child EHPC.
Didn't do it first time round owing to not knowing what effects on OH being immune compromised, after that, in all the way.

@abraxan actually, at my DC's school during the second closure the children in WERE taught by their usual staff in their usual classes and taught a normal timetable in full. The only changes were the class zoom check in took place during worship time and lunch was eaten in class rooms. I know this because I receive a full daily written communication from the school.

It depends hugely on the school, some seemed to be doing everything to limit numbers while DDs school seemed to really want kids in. Half her class were in before the end of lockdown this year! If one parent could be loosely described as a key worker they were allowed in whether you were working from home or not! I caved and sent my DD in halfway through as she was an only child and therefore was not allowed to see another child at all.

We are both key workers and we had to fight to get one day a week in the last lockdown. This was on the basis the school knew we had access to some childcare via my mum. When I explained my mum was not able to stop kids interrupting me on sensitive calls to vulnerable people when I wfh, that didn’t matter. The only day they would cover was when we were both in the office. This was an incorrect interpretation of the guidance which said clearly that keyworker provision included people who couldn’t do their jobs at home with kids there. It was all about the anxieties of the management team at the school. I think if that happens again I’ll take it further.

I’m not sure what the criteria was at my school but in the first lockdown I had about 15 kids in every day and the second one I had about 23 and overall in the second lockdown there were about 400 children in school. I had a child in second time round whose dad answered phones at home for BT or something, but his mum was at home on maternity leave 🤷‍♀️ He wasn’t known to be vulnerable and I knew this as he was in my usual class. I just assumed there was a reason he was allowed in.

@Manteo

It depends hugely on the school, some seemed to be doing everything to limit numbers while DDs school seemed to really want kids in. Half her class were in before the end of lockdown this year! If one parent could be loosely described as a key worker they were allowed in whether you were working from home or not! I caved and sent my DD in halfway through as she was an only child and therefore was not allowed to see another child at all.

Remember though not everyone can do their job it they WFH and kids are around. Sensitive calls for example

Once all the actual keyworker and vulnerable children were placed my kids school was willing to listen to everyone’s personal circumstances.

They mainly seemed to prioritise based on the childrens needs rather than parents needs.

So basically if they felt that homeschooling was detrimental to a child’s well-being that child would get placed rather than a child who’s parents were struggling to work from home and homeschool.

@cansu

I think that there will be rotas if anything where kids from different years are in on different days due to low staff numbers in some schools. It will be localised and therefore all the key worker lists will be irrelevant if you have half the staff you can only have half the school.

And this will have a huge impact on what is decided about exams as well.

I honestly think the government think they’ve ‘sorted’ the schools problem with their plan to get retired teachers back as well. I can’t imagine they will get any, tbh.

My husband is a key worker (NHS) so technically my DD could go in, however i'm a SAHM, I had a newborn this time last year, so home schooling was doable.... not sure how I will manage with a toddler in tow.
I'd be tempted to send her in, but she didn't cope well at all when half her class was off with covid recently, so i'm not sure it would even be a good idea!

Here both parents had to provide letters stating they're key workers who cannot work from home.

Oh yes but a lot of people could potentially claim this, I'm sure I could. I sent my DD in so I'm in no position to judge

Quote fail, that was to @ArthurTudor

I work in a v small primary think less then 105 pupils including nursery.

First time we just had keyworkers and ehcp children in which came to just over a 1/3 if they school.

Second time round by the timr we had keyworkers in, children with Ehcps, free school meal children and vulnerable children it left us with about 15 children not in school - so we made the decision to just stay open for everyone as that made it less stressful for our teachers as they didn't have to set lessons on line and well as teach - we will do the same this time if we need to.

The majority of our parents were very grateful

We are a v small team and all pulled together .

If schools remain open which I think is very likely, then the issue will be one similar to what hospitality is facing. It will be a lockdown by stealth meaning that individual schools close to some classes due to staffing issues or high numbers in a particular year or class. Children in those years or classes will be sent home and there will be no key worker provision.

Every school interpreted the rules differently last time- DH and I are both classed as key workers (I'm a nurse, he works in IT for the millitary) but in lockdown 1 the school decided that my husband role was not 'critical' so they wouldn't take our kids. As neither of us can work from home we paid a childminder to have our kids.
By lockdown 2 we had moved house and the kids had changed school, the new school were perfectly for our kids to come in. The school just babysat the kids in the hall though, with one teaching assistant for about 50 kids so they got no education during this time and we had to fit the homeschooling activities in on my days off work and the weekend - this was actually far more stressful than lockdown 1!

At my child's school - both had to be keyworkers and neither able to work from home. I'm frontline NHS and we didn't get a place initially. Husband a teacher but could teach from home. It was due to numbers of people applying.

@cansu there will have to be key worker provision. Police officers, prison officers, nurses etc can't just not go to work!

I'm hoping they keep all children in school but we were lucky that under 4s could stay in education.

lots of schools have had ad hoc closures when PHE have advised them to close a class or a year group has been closed for a few days when the head simply hasn't had enough staff. It may only be for a couple of days but it has been happening. There is no key worker provision. This is already happening.

@PreacherTeacher
Last time my kids school decided that both parents had to be key workers for them to go in. This time if it happens I’m going to insist they go in
If they follow the same rules again, you can’t “insist” they go in if you don’t meet the criteria. I would have hoped a teacher would have a better understanding of that than you appear to have.

[quote Senmumm2021]@abraxan actually, at my DC's school during the second closure the children in WERE taught by their usual staff in their usual classes and taught a normal timetable in full. The only changes were the class zoom check in took place during worship time and lunch was eaten in class rooms. I know this because I receive a full daily written communication from the school.[/quote]
I did say 'May not' rather than definitely not.

I remember it coming up a lot of threads last January, so felt it was worth mentioning that school MAY not be as normal in many schools.

@LadyPenelope68 they can't deny places to those eligible.

I had this conversation with my dp yesterday, I work in a supermarket and dp works for a company that make and fit coupling mechanisms for lorry’s. I’m not sure if he is classed as a key worker. I am also at university, was part time in previous lockdowns but have been full time since September. In the first lockdown I switched to nights so was able to be be at home to help with schoolwork, eldest is secondary so fine to work alone but youngest was year 2 in first lockdown so needed someone with him to help. Second lockdown dp managed to take flexi furlough so on the days I was at work during the week I would do 5am-1pm then he would go in after lunch and we would both help with school work.
I have just changed roles at work so it’s more full on and no option to change my hours and with uni being full time I will not be able to homeschool as well so I said we would need to send youngest to school if there was another full lockdown. Dp disagrees and said he would take flexi furlough again which I have said would be fine as long as he made sure he took responsibility for making sure all school work was done as I have uni work to do in the afternoons now and can’t just let that slide. I do think we managed well in previous lockdowns and neither seem to have fallen behind so if he can make it work I’m happy for them to stay home but if I find I’m needing to do school work instead of my own uni work youngest would have to go to school. I really hope it doesn’t come to it and that they close everything else before schools as children have already lost so much and been so impacted that they should be made the priority