If you think the key worker guidance should tighten up for school attendance please sign this petition

[swooby]

I can see from other threads that people are just as infuriated as I am about the current key worker guidance leading to schools being half full whilst the other half of kids get excluded.

So I made this petition. It basically suggest 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.

I just can't get my head around how a non key worker has to home school kids UNLESS they happen to have a key worker partner.

If you feel the same please sign this petition at change.org on the link below:

chng.it/g4Zjg792Gn

Please share the link too

Oh and I have to spend one afternoon a week doing face to face work too while DH covers.

The pandemic affects me as it dies everyone.

The pandemic does not affect everyone equally.

"People in some of the lowest-paid, manual jobs were also found to be three times more likely to die of Covid-19 compared with those in higher-paid, white collar jobs, prompting trade unions to call for clearer workplace safety guidance and an increase in sick pay."

You basically are arguing to lower your risk which is already lower as you are wfh even though that may have financial implications & mental health issues for others.

Mainly relates to more workplaces and more shops (some for click n collect only) being open (which also = more kids needing to be in school

You don't work in a shop & can wfh.

Also support bubbles and childcare bubbles allowed this time but not last

You don't live alone & both parents wfh.

and you can have cleaner round now and couldn't in March.

presume you are not a cleaner

Plus nurseries of course

don't need one

Gotta leave monitoring thread now to do some work I didn't have a chance to do Friday as home schooling . . . But I overall though I totally agree with the sentiment and have signed the petition it's likely too blunt an instrument.

I know that there are many jobs which cannot be done from home or with kids around at home. I appreciate that in some situs one key worker parent may = child needs place in school. My frustration, and the OP frustration is with those who could cope with kids at home, like many are, but are using key worker places when they don't have to. For me this means people in similar job to me, who also have a DH at home to balance the load with (we are both working), as I could have a place but dont. But that nuance is hard to write down here. Let alone reflect in a petition.

I guess my appeal to all parents is please only put your kids in school if you really have to. If you can cope (and get more than three hrs sleep I should add - key workers doing nights should be able to get a place) and your kids can manage, muddle through but manage, don't use the KW provision. The more kids there are in school, the more the virus will circulate and the longer the lockdown will be. As the govt scientists have said, we should act like we have it and I think by extension that means acting like your kids have it.

@marbellamarc

The pandemic affects me as it dies everyone.

The pandemic does not affect everyone equally.

"People in some of the lowest-paid, manual jobs were also found to be three times more likely to die of Covid-19 compared with those in higher-paid, white collar jobs, prompting trade unions to call for clearer workplace safety guidance and an increase in sick pay."

You basically are arguing to lower your risk which is already lower as you are wfh even though that may have financial implications & mental health issues for others.

Mainly relates to more workplaces and more shops (some for click n collect only) being open (which also = more kids needing to be in school

You don't work in a shop & can wfh.

Also support bubbles and childcare bubbles allowed this time but not last

You don't live alone & both parents wfh.

and you can have cleaner round now and couldn't in March.

presume you are not a cleaner

Plus nurseries of course

don't need one

No I'm not. I'm arguing for us all to do all we can to reduce spread because the pandemic affects everyone. I know people in deprived communities are worse off.

Yep, me too. I have to attended zoom sessions at certain times, normally late afternoon. Sometimes DH takes time out of his working day to cover this, but this causes me even more work as dcs don't bother doing much and he doesn't bother doing it properly so I have to make up the lesson afterwards. Then sometimes we use iPads for the dcs if home schooling has finished- which I absolutely hate having to do. Then extra time outside set times I work too which is the prep for these timed sessions. No different to others, yes it's a stress, yes I have cried many times, yes this week my mental health has taken a hit, I almost emailed the school to put them into KW club this week.

What if both of you have back to back meetings all day - as is often the case in our house - and children that are too young to be left unsupervised for hours?
We're using a school space 3 days a week because if we didn't our 6 year old would be left unsupervised for up to 6 hours a day.
We're already working evenings, early mornings and weekends just to keep up with our workload and to accommodate 2 days of homeschooling. There just isn't the capacity to do more of this. Unless we stop sleeping entirely....

Have you spoken to your DH about how he's making more work for you?

No I'm not.

How do any of the more stringent measures you favour impact you?

But that's the point, it does effect everyone else. Normally I have the attitude, each to their own, and don't pass judgment. But in this situation these people are potentially making the risk and number of cases higher, meaning schools stay shut for longer. It effects everyone else too. It's a matter of social responsibility.

To protect ourselves and be socially responsible, we haven't socialised since lockdown 1, we get our shopping delivered or do C&C, go for walks away from people, never had a support bubble or any other bubble, haven't been away from our neighbourhood since Covid and had not a single playdate. We haven't gone on holiday or seen family and friends. Not once.

My kids are in school 3 days a week during this lockdown as both dp and I are KW. We both work from home but are completely unavailable during office hours and can't home school, support live zoom lessons etc. We provide a key pandemic related service and the government has decided that our dc can be supervised at school. Neither dp nor I can be furloughed. I can either resign for the sake of 1-2 more months of home schooling or send my kids to school.

I have chosen the latter. In terms of social responsibility, please don't make me laugh. Everyone we know has been and continues to break social distancing, tier and lockdown rules. They meet in large groups to go for walks or in gardens, have in promptu parties on their driveway organised playdates and sleepovers as "kids are in class bubble anyway".

We have been 100% socially responsible because we felt it was the right thing to do. Sending my kids to keyworker school does not make us irresponsible, on the contrary it allows me to do my job, which is essential to alleviate some of the very damaging consequences of the current pandemic. Please stop with your moralising.

I'm a public sector worker.
Secure job & good sick pay
I also have been told to do what I can at what times I like without an impact on my pay.
That's a huge privilege which many others key workers who wfh but take a place don't have.
I'm self aware enough to know that.

Ill informed sweeping sentiment OP

We have been 100% socially responsible because we felt it was the right thing to do. Sending my kids to keyworker school does not make us irresponsible, on the contrary it allows me to do my job, which is essential to alleviate some of the very damaging consequences of the current pandemic. Please stop with your moralising.

👏🏻

@hopsalong

What about a petition saying that everyone who wants a place at school for their child should get one?

I would sign that petition for the under 8s (ie those children who definitely cannot work at home unaided).

I can only speak for our class at school. We have half the children back in our classroom. Of the 10 children back:
4 have two key worker parents
1 has no access to internet
1 is struggling academically, but no official diagnosis.
1 has anxiety about looking at a screen
1 has no access to a screen (parents do, but they don’t let child have access)
2 have 1 key worker parent (teacher) and 1 parent who doesn’t work.

This is just one class in one primary school. It’s not indicative of the country as a whole (as per the stats shared on this thread), but it’s interesting to see how widely the guidelines have been applied regarding ‘vulnerable’ children. I know the parents well and they have told me the exact reasons for their child’s place. I don’t disagree with any of the reasons. I do however think that the remaining children could argue for a place back in class too, based on reasons such as ‘lack of access to a screen’. This is a private school and we could potentially have the whole class back in. Both children in school and home are being taught lessons by the teacher. Provision is excellent, but the poor teacher is exhausted and wishes all the children could come back to the classroom. Let’s hope this is allowed soon - at least for the very youngest primary school children.

@marbellamarc

I'm a public sector worker. Secure job & good sick pay I also have been told to do what I can at what times I like without an impact on my pay. That's a huge privilege which many others key workers who wfh but take a place don't have. I'm self aware enough to know that.

I'm in same position. My biggest beef is with people like me who are using kw provision despite super flexible employer, I know a few. But I'm guessing there are not many of these types so prob not worth a petition or as much worry as I have. Infuriating though.

Also in terms of what further restrictions I'd like to see. I don't know, I hate lockdown. I'm just repeating what the scientists said about this lockdown being too lax.

Anyway must go and do my work. Really don't want to but needs must

As part of a 2 keyworker family this wouldn't affect us, but there is no way I would support this, you can't know individual family's circumstances, maybe some are abusing the system but I'd bet the majority aren't. It's too late anyway - you should have started this campaign weeks ago if you wanted it to have any success OP.

Anyway must go and do my work. Really don't want to but needs must

Bye then

I've just peeked at your petition OP, I can't believe you are expecting to be taken seriously with such a whiny sounding blurb. Also a pp published the DoE's statistics about school place uptake and its nowhere near the 50% you are claiming.

I'm in same position

I'm shocked & yet you argue for others to be financially impacted. And feel morally superior to those who do take a place.

My biggest beef is with people like me who are using kw provision despite super flexible employer, I know a few.

Yet you took umbrage with me saying my sister who was a midwife who had increased her hours to help needed a place because her DH wfhs. The fact he has 3 under 6 including twins was ignored.

Also in terms of what further restrictions I'd like to see. I don't know, I hate lockdown. I'm just repeating what the scientists said about this lockdown being too lax.

Maybe just think about it a bit more & question the impact of nursery closures, no support bubbles, closing more shops. Think about those not in your position.

I am a bit astounded at the sentiment that those of us who are using KW provision are mostly scamming the system unless we are medics. Believe me, I tried to do it all, be here working, present and attentive and have two ks1 kids at home learning. It didn’t work. It did work last time when we were both wfh, but only just about.

I do have an employer who is considerate and understanding, and I do have large chunks of the day blocked out when the kids are here, and an out of office explaining that I’m possibly not at my desk. The being understanding is really just about hours and visibility. It is not about not doing the work. That is not an option. It all still need to get done.

There probably are some people who look like they’re taking the piss, but I have no idea if they have been invited by school for learning or well-being reasons, if there are SEN I don’t know about. The only thing I think needs consideration is full vs part time provision, because obviously the more kids who are part time, the lower the daily school numbers.

I won't sign the petition for the reason others have explained up thread.
I'm a critical worker, so is my DH.
We qualified for school places last year, and used them. We qualified this time, but the headteacher of one school decided we didn't, so on his say-so my DC in year 2 with additional needs (no EHCP) is now at home with me while I struggle to do 1/4 of my workload which can only be done during office hours due to access to other teams (safeguarding, council, MH crisis teams etc). DH is still out all week. This is impossible. I can't be furloughed, I work for a government body, and I'm classed a critical worker for a reason.

@studychick81

Signed. I know several people who are technically key workers but wife's/husbands work from home and are using a school place. They are friends but it has lowered my opinion of them.

This was explained to you in detail on another Thread.

NHS Business Critical roles are not just clinical front line but can be both and include Admin working from home.

I won’t be signing this Petition either.

Cases are falling and rapidly - it's starting to do the job of reducing people jn hospital. So why are people wanting more restrictions at this stage?

I'm hoping to start seeing a plan to get out of it over the next months - not more restrictions

@Reachersloveinterest

I won't sign the petition for the reason others have explained up thread. I'm a critical worker, so is my DH. We qualified for school places last year, and used them. We qualified this time, but the headteacher of one school decided we didn't, so on his say-so my DC in year 2 with additional needs (no EHCP) is now at home with me while I struggle to do 1/4 of my workload which can only be done during office hours due to access to other teams (safeguarding, council, MH crisis teams etc). DH is still out all week. This is impossible. I can't be furloughed, I work for a government body, and I'm classed a critical worker for a reason.

On what grounds have you been refused a place for your dc?

No need to answer if you don’t want to

@Flamingolingo

I am a bit astounded at the sentiment that those of us who are using KW provision are mostly scamming the system unless we are medics. Believe me, I tried to do it all, be here working, present and attentive and have two ks1 kids at home learning. It didn’t work. It did work last time when we were both wfh, but only just about.

I do have an employer who is considerate and understanding, and I do have large chunks of the day blocked out when the kids are here, and an out of office explaining that I’m possibly not at my desk. The being understanding is really just about hours and visibility. It is not about not doing the work. That is not an option. It all still need to get done.

There probably are some people who look like they’re taking the piss, but I have no idea if they have been invited by school for learning or well-being reasons, if there are SEN I don’t know about. The only thing I think needs consideration is full vs part time provision, because obviously the more kids who are part time, the lower the daily school numbers.

Not when some schools then decide to give those days to other families which increases overall number of contacts considerably.

Places are full time or nothing according to the guidance, for this reason.

It’s really difficult for everyone at the moment and misguided Petitions don’t really help anyone much.

I will not be signing.

Hyacinth- I understand that and in that situation a KW place would be ok IMO. These friends do not work for the nhs. They work in finance/tech/high education/ government bodies. I have not said no one who works from home needs a KW place. I understand there are some exceptions- but not many I imagine.

@studychick81

Hyacinth- I understand that and in that situation a KW place would be ok IMO. These friends do not work for the nhs. They work in finance/tech/high education/ government bodies. I have not said no one who works from home needs a KW place. I understand there are some exceptions- but not many I imagine.

I don’t know either about other sectors.

Just making the point which you are agreeing with that working from home does not automatically = able to Homeschool simultaneously.

Plus some jobs are not flexible when they are done kw or not!