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Original poster

Will you send your DC to school if they're open for keyworkers only?

389 replies

BlowDryRat · 20/12/2021 09:31

Hopefully this won't happen but if it does (probably with hours' notice like last Jan Angry)...

DH and I both qualified as keyworkers (medical supplies) for all the previous lockdowns. We could WFH though so kept the DC at home so they weren't taking up spaces really needed by others and to minimise the risk to the school staff. The DC got on with it but both struggled socially and DD in particular fell very behind academically.

Now that everyone who wants a vaccine has had at least 2, if there's another partial school closure I'll be prioritising my DC and sending them in.

What are you planning to do?

OP posts:
Covidworries · 20/12/2021 14:51

Those with no concerns. Does that mean you dont think you will need medical attention in the next 6 months for any reason?
So child brakes leg you wont be concerned if you meed to treat this at home either?

Comedycook · 20/12/2021 14:55

@Covidworries

Those with no concerns. Does that mean you dont think you will need medical attention in the next 6 months for any reason? So child brakes leg you wont be concerned if you meed to treat this at home either?
It's not acceptable for my DC to miss school for several months each year because the NHS is underfunded
Covidworries · 20/12/2021 14:58

Ok but along as you understand that a colapse NHS that shuts its doors meams no treatment for anyone for anything

Comedycook · 20/12/2021 15:01

@Covidworries

Ok but along as you understand that a colapse NHS that shuts its doors meams no treatment for anyone for anything
The government need to fund the NHS properly...not expect the country to lockdown to protect it every few months
OnlyFoolsnMothers · 20/12/2021 15:01

@Covidworries

Ok but along as you understand that a colapse NHS that shuts its doors meams no treatment for anyone for anything
Pretty sure it means we have a high number of vaccines, if nothing else works it’s survival of the fittest- shutting down society, particularly for those least affected isn’t an option!
Senmumm2021 · 20/12/2021 15:04

My son broke his collar bone a week and a half go and we were in and out in 75 minutes. I've never seen it so efficient Blush

As an aside though, I absolutely refuse to feel guilty for prioritising their education when the government are making a mockery of us all. Why should children go without the MOST important parts of their lives so they can sit and eat cheese and wine or drive for fricking eye tests in Bernard Castle. I absolutely will ensure my children have their places they are allowed and think it's hideous that other children could miss out yet again.

bjjgirl · 20/12/2021 15:08

Yes can't take mine into work (high risk emergency services)
Ex p working in hospital

No other option

OneOfTheGrundys · 20/12/2021 15:09

All our kids are (in theory) back in one, then we are doing mass lfts in an extended form time. Positives will be sent home. Unfortunately staggering starts to school didn’t work for us as most parents didn’t send their kids in to be tested.
I don’t want to teach online again but I am so scared for my DH who is ECV. I’m so scared I’ll bring it home and kill him.

Juanbablo · 20/12/2021 15:10

Yes as I am a preschool assistant so cannot work from home.

Silversun83 · 20/12/2021 15:11

Both technically key-workers, but WFH. Eldest went in three days a week last lockdown (youngest at nursery so also went in). As long as we still count as key-workers, DC will definitely be going.

AshLane · 20/12/2021 15:12

@Kokeshi123

Repeating, but what if omicron continues to spread in spite of mitigations?

Will schools take the attitude of "Well, we've all done our best, will just have to crack on now" or push for closures? And if so, what will the metrics be for reopening?

I'm just wary because, being somewhat more involved with the US side of thing, I've watched schools in blue states like California demand more and more mitigations (including some pretty insane stuff that looks miserable for the kids), and now that we're moving into winter, COVID is spreading anyway regardless, and the schools are closing.

LA's are already 'emergency planning' for January.

There is a risk of the government closing schools but the bigger risk is that there will just not be enough school staff to open.

This term we've had so many staff ill, teachers teaching across three classes - the teacher 'virtual' from the corridor.

Legally schools must meet the safeguarding requirements of 'Keeping Children Safe in Education' - the roles and responsibilities have not been amended by the government to allow for a decimated workforce - so again schools have been unable to legally open safely (DSL/DDSL). In tricky circumstances legal duties can be arranged temporarily with another school, however towards the end of last term this wasn't working either, as the 'next' school were also without safeguarding staff. Amending the rules is dangerous as it puts children at risk and by the amendments the government would be accepting the risk.

DfE are already calling on retired teachers to sign up for supply (as if!).

The concern is schools ( and other LA services) grinding to a halt. No capacity in the system would mean LA staff prioritising social care roles, those that really can't manage.
For schools with not enough staff plans would have to include limitations on KW places too - child to attend only whilst KW is 'on shift', only where there are two key workers etc. Schools will do their best but can't run safely and legally without the correct number of qualified staff.

Senmumm2021 · 20/12/2021 15:14

The thing I don't really get is that once everyone has had omicron it means your immunity is there so in reality it may be a grim month or two. I'd rather that now with the boosters at their highest benefit than after a 3 month closure when benefits of the boosters have reduced. Closing schools really isn't going to help

tiredanddangerous · 20/12/2021 15:22

Mine would be going in but they just do the online learning like all the kids at home so there would be no academic advantage to sending them in if they didn't need to be there.

Original poster
BlowDryRat · 20/12/2021 15:25

@OneOfTheGrundys

All our kids are (in theory) back in one, then we are doing mass lfts in an extended form time. Positives will be sent home. Unfortunately staggering starts to school didn’t work for us as most parents didn’t send their kids in to be tested. I don’t want to teach online again but I am so scared for my DH who is ECV. I’m so scared I’ll bring it home and kill him.
If it's any comfort I'm CEV, shielded last year, caught covid this year after being double-vaxed and am completely fine. I felt pretty rough for a few days and absolutely exhausted for a few weeks but didn't have any concerning symptoms or need hospital treatment. DD had it too so we didn't see the point of isolating from DH and DS but neither of them caught it (LFT every day and 2-3 PCRs each).
OP posts:
Covidworries · 20/12/2021 15:29

@onlyfoolsnmothers @comedycook

Survival or the fittest maybe but im pretty sure you still want an opperational fire service and utilities etc

Its all well and good saying a better funded NHS but that cant happen overnight. Takes yrs to increase medical staff to the levels we need during a pandemic. Im pretty sure there arent 1000s of doctors and nurses looking for work at the moment.
So fund and respurces our hospitals but how do we cope with high levels of covid and hospitalisations that are likely happening very shortly?
Are you happy for you child to not recieve any medical care they could need in the itrium.
Ir are you saying that all covid positive patients should be refused care ?

OneOfTheGrundys · 20/12/2021 15:29

Thank you @BlowDryRat that’s good to know. I love my job and it broke my heart to see the damage the interruption did to my vulnerable pupils. We were only just getting a lot of it back tbh. But knowing DH doesn’t have very long to live and isolating from him again is just awful. I’ve got teenagers too and they worry about infecting their DF on top of all the other emotional stuff with him being ill.
I’m glad you were ok after a few weeks x

Covidworries · 20/12/2021 15:30

@senmumm2021
Do you have evidence that infection will stop you getting it again?
Everything seems to state prior infection does not stop reinfection of omicron?

Helpstopthepain · 20/12/2021 15:32

Last time we had no choice but this time DH won’t be working so we won’t need to if it happens.

Svara · 20/12/2021 15:34

@Covidworries

Those with no concerns. Does that mean you dont think you will need medical attention in the next 6 months for any reason? So child brakes leg you wont be concerned if you meed to treat this at home either?
I was agreeing with a post that was responding to your previous post about protection and mitigation for school children. I know no one IRL who is worried about their children catching Covid unjabbed or single jabbed.
VaccineSticker · 20/12/2021 15:34

Lockdown or no lockdown I’m afraid that most of the school children and their families who will come down with omicron and are going to isolate. The idea is to slow down the domino effect and not end up all ill with it to the point that essential services are completely broken. All the key workers are going to catch it in the next few weeks. There’s no doubt it, this time round is very different to previous waves. It’s going to come fast and hopefully go fast, but it will infect everyone standing in the way. Be prepared to isolate again and home school even if you have had covid recently. Reinfection with omicron is high.
They know this.
This is why they are begging retired teachers to come back and help out in the next few weeks. Our essential services are going to break down.

mindutopia · 20/12/2021 15:35

It depends on school policy and practicality, I suppose. I am a keyworker, technically, and I can work from home. Dh cannot work from home, nor is it safe for him to take dc to work with him (heavy machinery and other H&S risks). I enquired about a keyworker place for mine during last lockdown and we were told we wouldn't be allocated one as I could wfh (even being a keyworker handling confidential patient information and needing to have private conversations with patients). I think that is probably pretty sensible, but I don't think there will be another lockdown.

Wellbythebloodyhell · 20/12/2021 15:37

Work for the NHS so yeah they'll be going in otherwise I can't work

ichundich · 20/12/2021 15:39

Yes, I will get a job in a supermarket or a warehouse this time, because my kids have had enough of their education disrupted.

UneFoisAuChalet · 20/12/2021 15:43

@VaccineSticker

Lockdown or no lockdown I’m afraid that most of the school children and their families who will come down with omicron and are going to isolate. The idea is to slow down the domino effect and not end up all ill with it to the point that essential services are completely broken. All the key workers are going to catch it in the next few weeks. There’s no doubt it, this time round is very different to previous waves. It’s going to come fast and hopefully go fast, but it will infect everyone standing in the way. Be prepared to isolate again and home school even if you have had covid recently. Reinfection with omicron is high. They know this. This is why they are begging retired teachers to come back and help out in the next few weeks. Our essential services are going to break down.
This. Why are they begging retired teachers to help out? Aren’t they ‘looking at the data’ before making any decisions? Yet they obviously know the data if they anticipate school staff to be off when they return on January 4th?
christmascovid7356 · 20/12/2021 15:46

Yes. Nursery not school but we're both emergency services so will have no option but to use his place.

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