With schools set to close for the vast majority of students at the end of the day today (Friday), the Government has confirmed who is classed as a key worker and which students should continue to attend school.
As previously reported by Island Echo, children are being sent home from school until further notice in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus. It is unknown when schools will fully re-open but it could be several weeks, if not months.
In short, students who have an Education, Care and Health plan (ECHP), those who are most vulnerable and children of key workers within society can still go to school. Everyone else will stay at home and complete school work remotely.
Parents should keep their children at home wherever possible and only send their children to school if absolutely necessary and if they meet the criteria set below.
Am I classed as a key worker?
The confirmed list of key workers – that’s those vital to running the country and responding to COVID-19 – has been firmed up.
Only 1 parent or carer who is identified as a critical worker by the government is required in order to send qualifying children to school.
Key workers include but is not limited to:
Health and social care
Doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care workers, other frontline health and social care staff including volunteers, support and specialist staff and those working as part of the health and social care supply chain including producers and distributors of medicines and medical/personal protective equipment.
Education and childcare
Nursery and teaching staff, social workers and those specialist education professionals who must remain active during the COVID-19 response to deliver this approach.
Key public services
Core members of the justice system, religious staff, charities and workers delivering key frontline services, those responsible for the management of the deceased, and journalists/broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting.
Local and national government
Administrative occupations only essential to the effective delivery of the COVID-19 response or delivering essential public services such as the payment of benefits, including in government agencies and arms length bodies.
Food and other necessary goods
All involved in food production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery (including shop workers) as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods (for example hygienic and veterinary medicines).
Public safety and national security
Police officers and support staff, Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue firefighters and employees (including support staff), Ministry of Defence civilians, contractor and armed forces personnel (those critical to the delivery/defence relating to COVID-19), National Crime Agency staff, those maintaining border security and HMP Isle of Wight prison and probation staff.
Transport
Those involved in keeping air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the COVID-19 response, including those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass.
Utilities, communication and financial services
Staff of postal services, waste disposal sectors, financial services (including banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure), the oil, gas, electricity and water sectors (including sewerage), IT and data infrastructure sector and primary industry supplies to continue during the COVID-19 response, as well as key staff in telecommunications (including network operations, field engineering, call centre staff, IT and data infrastructure, 999 and 111 critical services) and payment providers.
If workers think they fall within the critical categories above they should confirm with their employer that, based on their business continuity arrangements, their specific role is necessary for the continuation of this essential public service.
Is my child classed as vulnerable?
Vulnerable children include children who are supported by social care, those with safeguarding and welfare needs, including child in need plans, on child protection plans, ‘looked after’ children, young carers, disabled children and those with education, health and care (EHC) plans.
These children should continue to attend school, if absolutely needed.
Does my child need to attend?
Although some children are permitted to attend school, it is not compulsory if parents think their child can be home schooled instead. But children shouldn’t be left with grandparents or other vulnerable groups during this time.
Only those who absolutely need to attend should.
Which schools does this effect? Does this include higher education?
The action effects all primary and secondary schools, as well as higher education establishments such as Sixth Form and College. All state, independent and private schools have been instructed to follow the Government’s direction.
Residential special schools, boarding schools and special settings continue to care for children wherever possible.
Can my child socialise with other children whilst off school?
Parents should do everything they can to ensure children are not mixing socially in a way which can continue to spread the virus. They should observe the same social distancing principles as adults.
What if my child’s school cannot open?
If your school is closed then contact the Isle of Wight Council, who will seek to redirect you to another local school that your child, or children, can attend.
Those key workers list is probably 75% of most working family’s!! so be a lot of kids still at school!
prob being, that the key workers are then MORE at risk of their children bringing home a dose of CV, as the key workers, in care, are at a higher risk so likely to infect their children.
An impossible scenario to sort out, a massive ‘catch 22’.
My child is on a EHC, but a parent in the household is vunerable. I want my child to go to school for his needs, but based on your comments, which is also my thoughts is this advisable? Confused.com
Totally agree. I’m a dental nurse and I feel now treatments very limited we are not all needed to go into work esp if have kids and can be at home keeping them.safe too . The key worker list was huge so lots of kids still at school
Defeats object.
I honestly cannot believe that people have to wait to be told if they are a key worker. I really despair at times. Common sense gone then obviously
So school is shut unless the parents have any job at all???
Surely if there are two parents one can be at home if the other is a key worker so the child can be at home? Also good luck parents out there with older children getting them to do social distancing for the foreseeable future!
Just had my first argument about it with our 15 year old. The morning of day 1 and I already was nearly throwing him out of the house
Time to stop winging and do what we can, we need to pull together, thoes on the front line have loved ones too.
Stop panic shopping because deliverys will still happen, there’s plenty of food if we all do a normal shop. Remember, those who work in the food industry are very stressed because of selfish buying.
This problem is worldwide and it’s come from nowhere, as during war time the nation pulled together, god bless those generation’s.
I personally have suffered extreme anxiety for the last five years, but there’s no magic pill it’s about accepting your situation and ryding it out.
This may take a long time or a short time to battle, but we Will definitely defeat it.
All the best to you all…
I would like to thank the staff at the co-op in Ryde for going to work. I have to stay indoors as much as I can as I have a severe lung condition. I did need to and do some basic shopping. The staff were cleaning all the shelves and keeping the tills a lot cleaner the usual. Wiping surfaces between customers. Most people out and about are keep a good distance from each other. At the shop was not that busy and no one was buying too much. Again, a big thank you to the staff for your hard work at keeping the supermarket open and clean. I’m lucky to be able to work from home, they have little choice to put themselves in harms way, please consider these people and don’t go out if you do not need to. I’m now locked down for the next two weeks.
Thank you co-op staff. 🙂
I really see this social distancing working with the older secondary school children and six formers. so when mum and dad go to work first thing they are going to do is head for the buses to meet up with friends. with nearly everything closed they will probably gather in groups head to parks or shops. So you have the buses which are probably a high risk contamination area. All you need to have is one person with the symptoms choosing to be selfish and ignore self isolation then you have the probability of many other catching it in a confined space and Then they go of to the shops etc etc hopefully you get the idea. Yes maybe over the top but a probability and what does the bus company have in place as regards to social distancing cleaning etc as people are very close together in a confined space same as shops as well just my pennies worth.
As a child of a key worker, do I HAVE to attend school? With the paranoia in my specific area of the country, I would consider school grounds to be a social gathering and therefore avoided.
Well done!! No disrespect but even you as a young adult can see that all being at school is a gathering!!
Both my parents are key workers but its not like i need an adult to be home with me all day. And if schools should br closed they should be properly closed because otherwise it can be spread anyway. Also we get lots of worl to do a home anyway so there is no point.
My grandson who is 8 years old has a lung condition. His mother is dental nurse and classed as keyworker so she is expected to go to work. This endangers my grandson. Does anyone know what her rights are with regards to getting paid if she has to insist on staying away from work to ensure his safety?
I’m in exactly the same situation with both my children
He can go to a school or they find one so she doesn’t have to look after him. All nurses etc have p p e . So should be fine as limited treatments etc too
We are both key workers and our 1 year old son has 2 underlying issues what do I do?
If I’m a private dental nurse ..does this still qualify my son for a key worker childcare space with his childminder
I want to send my son to school as he is on a EHC, but his father falls into the Vunerable group, is it still advisable to send him in and mix with other children from key workers?
Is a school caretaker classed as a key worker if not why are we being asked to still go into school during this outbreak
My wife is a cleaner supervisor in the school near us her staff are beginning to panic with the increase in cases. Is she classed as a key worker and if not does she still have to go in can any body help with this question as her company does not know where they stand either on this subject.