Schools

If I were a key worker and had children, I would do everything I could to prevent my children having to go to school.

To be honest, there are going to be so many redundancies over the next few weeks (unless Sunak really does find a magic money forest) that most families will probably have one adult at home. Who knows what will happen when they get ill?

I have just found out from my teacher DD that if a parent is at home working or otherwise they will not be granted a school place. This is County Durham so unsure about other authorities. I would much prefer my GC to be at home rather than be exposed.
Some children sadly will have as yet undiagnosed conditions and will be unknowingly extra susceptible to this virus. Just last year DD lost a little boy in her class due to an unknown heart condition. It can and will happen. Children are safer at home.
Some workers in the key worker list will be able to work remotely as is the case of my probation officer DIL. The reopening of schools for key workers who are frontline is what this is for.

It didnt surprise me that our daughter would be determined as key worker (private sector large Pharmaceutical Company) but she has two underage schoolchildren (4 & 1) and the nursery closes today and isn't reopening for approx 12 weeks. Her company needs her to work so we offered to look after them but it isn't ideal and we were hoping that the Govt would instruct some nurseries to provide a service even if it was mornings only.

Hi Kissngate, my DD is a frontline social worker and GD private nursery have been instructed by our local council to remain open for key staff. There is no way DD can work from home except maybe some paper work during the evenings. Our council will be checking eligibility vigorously in preparation for Monday. SIL works away. As soon as his company shuts down, which it will, DGD loses her place and will be expected to stay at home. I would much rather she was home.

Annapops - update - nursery been in touch normal service Monday. They have enough staff and key worker children to open so our gc can go in. I would rather our DD didnt have to go in but she works with frontline scientists developing a vaccine and they need all the support they can get.

Everyone is affected. My DS and DIL are not key workers but their children (3 and 6) will be off school. We can't help as we usually do with holidays as we are over 70. They will manage of course but their input into industry (Ford Innovation) will be seriously impeded. {My DS's main priority at the moment is driving his team at Ford to produce ventilators and he is working hard to make that happen, not easy when you are working from home with a 3 & 6 year old needing attention.} This is about immediate affect on long term growth - it is not just about key workers although I admire and appreciate their efforts (as does my DS). Everyone is playing their part -we need to acknowledge everyone's input.

It does feel strange not putting in a good share of taking care of our beloved GC.

They are at boarding schools because their parents are both in the Navy , so son is working at home with great difficulties to maintain his role. Mum is at sea so not here to help out.

It is not easy , as they finished today. My grandson has a very prescriptive day laid out by the school we just hope the internet can support him , sister and Dad.

Everyone has their own difficulties to sustain. Not an easy time for any of us.

So pleased you are sorted kissngate. Such valuable work that your daughter is doing. Those children certainly deserve a place so she can concentrate on what needs to be done.

Amazing work too kaycee. How hard for your DD and DIL not to be included when they are doing such amazing work too. So difficult to know where you draw the line. My DS's company work maintaining and installing air conditioning units in hospitals, air ambulance and 111 centres. Of course he's not a key worker but they are all vital jobs.

haven't read through all the thread but was anyone aware that the children that can! attend school because of a parent being a key worker is limited to a percentage!

My dd is a single parent and a key worker(hospital)

Today she has had to wait to see if her her child was in the percentage that they are allowed.

So some children will not be going to school as the number that are allowed has been reached.

How the pupils were chosen I really don't know.So for example there may be 50 children eligible but only 25 places. or that was what it was at our local school.

Agreed bikergran
All our different grandchildren have key worker parents.
One DGS has been told not to come in again, and the others
Have been told they may be contacted ( to attend school) on a part time basis, but it’s not at all certain.Their NHS working parent was all prepared to work more shifts to help out, but now may be not able to do any shifts at all.
So although the government wanted it to happen, the teachers say they are not prepared to go ahead with it.I think the unions may have been putting pressure on the teaching staff over this matter.

Am not criticising teachers btw ....it is what it is, difficult all round.

Hope your gchidren all get sorted Lemongrove

Boris failed to mention this didn't he!!! (it was probably in the small print)!!

If they have to be at home, then their parents will cope and do schoolwork with them and make sure they get fresh air and exercise too, but it certainly isn’t helping ( confusing) when all we hear on the news all the time is that the children of key workers will go to school.
Did the government always know it would only be a percentage or did they expect schools to try and accommodate all the children of key workers and are now being unpleasantly surprised that they won’t?
Dare say we shall find out, but at the moment it’s unclear on that point.

Here in North Somerset key worker groupings are being informed that Head Teachers will decide on Monday how many pupils will be allowed into each school based on the eligibility of the pupil and how many staff are in attendance.

The education sector now has the recourse to play a key role in this crisis and many I am sure are hoping the profession really can "step up to the plate", as much may well rely on that happening.

Typically badly thought out and confusing government decision which the teachers will have to sort out. There will also be some schools with large numbers of children who are deemed at risk or special needs who will need to be catered for. It is going to cause dispute and division.

I was talking to the headteacher of a large secondary school today. The school has no idea how many pupils will actually turn up on Monday. They don't have a list of parents' occupations. The staff had been expecting to work online and have been preparing materials. They've also been given, at short notice, the responsibility for awarding GCSE and A level grades. Now they have to organise rotas and activities for mixed-age groups of energetic children, with no clear idea what they're supposed to do with them. They're also putting themselves at risk of catching Covid-19.

Schools have been told to operate as hubs, although academies operate as private schools and don't have systems for sharing resources. Secondary schools will almost certainly not have many pupils because they are old enough to look after themselves. However, some primary schools in deprived areas are likely to have a very high percentage of eligible pupils. SEN pupils have priority. Schools have been told to sort it out themselves without clear guidelines. They also have the responsibility of issuing vouchers or providing food parcels for those children eligible for free school meals.

Not only that, but employers have been told to decide whether certain workers count as key workers. For example, care workers are listed, but not the admin staff responsible for organising rotas and payroll. Anybody involved in distribution is listed, so drivers are certainly on the list, but it's a the employer's discretion whether those involved with maintaining vehicles are included.

It's a shambles. I hope nobody will dare claim that teachers aren't working.

lemongrove As far as I can work out, teaching staff were prepared for organising online work via video conferencing etc. However, they weren't prepared for being seconded to a different school to work with age groups they're not familiar with, with no plans in place as to how the pupils should be occupied. They'll probably make them all watch a video, do a bit of running around and maybe art/crafts on Monday, but they can't carry on like that for months.

Most staff can work online, but there are others in high-risk groups (including pregnant women) who shouldn't be in contact with children. They've also been told that they will have to work during the Easter holidays. Teachers are as confused as anybody else. I don't think they've been refusing to do as they're told, but they want some clarity and I don't suppose it helps when a few members of the public blame them for the shut down and call them names.

I work in a school as a TA. All staff will be going in on Monday. If one parent is on the essential workers list your child can go to school. The school decides by consulting the government list if this is the case.

All children not going to school have been provided with online learning in the form of Google Classroom. This is a platform where teachers will post, mark and comment on the work the children do.

I'm not surprised the system isn't perfect - things are changing daily which is what I expect happens in any apocalypse. Everyone seems to be doing their best. My daughter was told yesterday she qualifies as a key worker (works in Utility water, gas etc) but she isn't certain she'll take up the place for various sensible reasons. School had asked for key workers to contact them before 2 but she didn't get the text about her status till 4. That doesn't feel like chaos it feels like people doing their best in an unprecedented situation.
We all have to be patient, work together and support each other.

When schools were closed unexpectedly , usually due to bad weather, staff were expected to report to their nearest school and offer their services. I don't know if this still applies but it would make sense.

The problems are compounded by the number of academy schools, which regard themselves as private schools and are quite literally a law unto themselves; run by business partnerships their first concern is money. How much they will co operate with other schools remains to be seen.

Nearly twenty five percent of families in Britain today are single parent and many of those parents will fall into the category of being key workers.

Therefore, if on Monday those charged with accomodating the children within the schools ensure that category gain access then that I feel will be seen by many as a success.

All other problems can then be "sorted out" over the next few days.

Grandad1943 that just shows how the general public view education and anything to do with caring for children. The "Oh they can just turn up and you'll get on with it" idea. Well yes they can and people will, but it isn't exactly ideal and it could just rebound. If the virus is active in a school one morning 25% of the children (which will usually be more than 50) could turn up to find one member of staff fit and well. So that member of staff will have to contact the parents or carers of the children to arrange their collection. Result none of those key workers will be in for work that day. If at all possible it would be best for key workers to arrange small group care for their children whilst they are working. Not only would it be safer as far as infection goes it could be more reliable.

I would agree that the government needs to think the key worker situation through more thoroughly. With the state now paying 80% of the wages and salaries of all those laid off from their regular places of work, there is no reason why those persons should not be "seconded" in areas that are key sectors in the economy.

By example to the above, someone who is laid off from the hospitality industry could easily be seconded into an essential distribution centre as a picker replacing a regular employee that requires school child care. In the foregoing, there would be less risk for the children, teachers and parents of infection.

Becoming a picker in large distribution centres usually involves training in manual handling and knowledge of the systems and they are away within a day usually. They would have to be fit though as you walk very many miles every day in those roles.

If carried out widely, eventually many schools may be able to close.

Some comments here are completely disregarding the strong medical advice that we should stay home so far as possible. The virus is spreading quickly, people are dying. Yes, we need to keep essential services working but we also need to minimise the spread of this disease.

In my family we have one couple who are both in key worker posts. They've decided not to take up the offer of continuing school because of the medical advice, the risks of groups of children coming together with the result this disease spreads. That's also the advice from their school, don't take up this place unless you have to, keep your children home.