UKH

There's a few university staff of here, what's your take on key worker status?

My partner's ex is arguing their six year old daughter should be sent to school as he's a professor, but as far as I'm aware he's engaged in research work and not teaching.

My understanding is that is only teachers, or those who are directly involved in supporting students who should be sending their kids to school?

If she resists this, it's going to result in lawyers letters about denying the kid education, etc.

From a personal perspective whilst having her in school would make our lives easier, from a public health perspective it seems absolutely the wrong thing to do, when we are at home and can facilitate her online learning.

Man is an idiot.  

Let him send the letters.  

From the gov.uk website 

It does not say very important entitled university professors.  

Schools are taking a hardline on both parents being key worker anyway if they don't have enough places for all the pupils.  

Schools are open for children who need to be there.  If she can be at home with her mum then there is no reason whatsoever for her to be in school.  I'm sure if your partner speaks to the Headteacher they will be supportive of your partner.

Quite honestly he sounds like a bully. 

If he's researching cures for Covid, fair do's. If he's cataloguing 16th century Russian Orthodox icons, he can do one.

It doesn't actually matter what he is doing, if the child is at home with her mother in another house it has no effect whatsoever on his work.  

Obviously if he is about to cure Covid then I will retract calling him an idiot.  

Hi.

I suspect kids will get a better education from home schooling during lockdown if they're supervised well. I'm not sure if the key worker kids are getting much more than looked after at school and given same work as the kids at home. Me and my partner were chatting about this as we're key workers. Our youngest, 10, is staying home. Maybe more pleasant for the child too.

It seems that all university staff have been defined as critical workers.

The consequences of this for the position of staff are far reaching and I haven't finished thinking it through.  

Cheers

Indeed, he's a piece of work - used to like using his fists so the divorce is going to be messy.

He's a molecular biologist but not involved in Covid. 

Is an expensive school with very small class sizes to begin with, so I imagine those who do go in will be well catered for. 

Still no need for her to go in as far as I'm concerned though. The online provision seems fine, and she worked away quite happily today on her maths and english.

I am (p/t) academic and haven't been in to my office since April, and won't for the foreseeable future.  There are some academic staff required to attend periodically but generally it isn't necessary and certainly not every day.  Things will vary a bit by institution and subject but this is typical.  Sounds like he's being an arse.

Yep, as far as I'm aware he mostly spends his time writing applications for grants, etc. and doesn't do any bench work any more. There's no reason for him to be going in to work other than because he's too "important" to follow guidelines.

Pisses me right of, because I'm exposed by proxy, despite myself and my partner being locked down.

I know for a fact he was still visiting dealers and having friends round during the first lockdown, and have no reason to believe he'll be behaving differently now.

Not the case.

Not a key worker then.

Do you have a source for that?  I would be most interested as it contradicts our local  management - “Advice from HR is that all of the University’s staff, as critical workers, can send their children to school. ”

Thanks!

That isn't my understanding, but I could be wrong. 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining...

It doesn't mention university staff.  I'd assume staff who are directly involved with the continuing face to face teaching of medical students etc should be, and staff who are responsible for looking after student wellbeing, but it isn't clear.  

I think something may have changed today; this was part of our email

The University and Colleges Employment Association (UCEA) have received confirmation from the Department for Education that that University staff are critical workers and, in the event of school closures, all colleagues will be able to access schools for their children.

I agree that this is not reflected in the link (updated today) that you circulated.

I believe it covers those that actually have to go to work (for whatever reason) but also includes those that have to teach from home.

However, the official guidance could do with greater grammatical precision because the order of the clauses could be read (if you tried quite hard) as "those that go to work (to teach)" and "those that teach from home".

If you are in this position (getting the magical key worker status) then it really depends on what's best for you and the child. Some I know really, really need it (kids and parents), some really don't want it (kids and parents).

While the professor in question sounds like a dick (as many are) I don't think the letter of the advice is going to help here.  More likely the policy of the school will help but these vary considerably, for instance some are refusing to accept kids unless both parents are key workers and no alternative childcare arrangements are possible. If you say it is possible for the child to stay at home then the school is quite likely to suggest that is the best option.

I'd suggest your partner gets advice and support from womans aid or similar. 

He presumably isn't hitting her anymore, but he is still committing emotional abuse and trying to control her by undermining her parenting decisions and threatening letters etc.  It is quite common behaviour.  

Womens Aid have good experience of the best way to stand up to this kind of behaviour and can support her (and you) through it.  

A lot of their work is around ex partners, and helping people after the relationship has ended, its not just a service for during an abusive relationship.  

Usual organisation then.  Along with possibly your HR department trying to do what is best for the university whilst not really understanding the situation in schools.  Who knows what that link will say another day.  Anyone would think the government were making it up as they gp along 😂

However in this particular case it appears to be more about the father using the rules as a way to control the mother (in my opinion) and not really about key workers. 

In the (large) institution in which I work, 'research' has been identified as 'essential' - so anybody who can be associated with that is currently formally allowed to attend on-site if necessary; all others should now work from home. Of course that allows for very(!)  liberal definitions; and of course the situation is still fluid.

We might (?) also be at slight cross-purposes: you refer to 'critical'; I refer to 'essential.' I was assuming that they're the same thing, but perhaps not.

Probably at cross purposes.  I have not seen the UCEA advice, only interpretations thereof.

I've just pulled the plug at least until end of lockdown on a big patient study on one of the research programmes I'm leading. Even with PPE, I couldn't take the chance of taking covid into the non-infected side of a Renal Unit. Theres a purple blow up 'door' in the corridor which separates the infected patients. This is slowly but surely making its way up the corridor. I'm a Uni Prof, but am research only. I saw a message from the VC today that everyones working from home for the forseeable future. 

Schools were saying key last time and are saying critical this time.  How essential fits into this ever changing guidance is unknown. 

Cheers, she was working with the local domestic abuse services in the lead up to separation but hasn't been in contact with anyone since. I'll suggest giving women's aid a call.

At our Uni we are allowed in for essential research continuation (mol bio but not covid related). Socially distanced and work at home if you can. So my lab members go in regularly, but I don't as I'm able to work at home. Seems to have worked well and we've only had one support bubble isolating since March.

I suggest that the 'ex' comes and picks up the child to take them to school each morning and then collects them in the afternoon. See how long that suggestion lasts...

He's backed down now, we sent an unequivocal response that she will be educated here until the end of the lockdown, unless he wants to take a share of the home schooling.

Seems he was only worried about having to home school her himself on the days that he gets her in the evening.

Thanks all for the advice 🙂

Read the OP, it says; "My partner's ex is arguing ...".

This means the child is in a different household to the Professor.

This therefore means (in my mind at least) that said Professor is a tw*t that can "do one" whatever he's researching.

All very well them issuing this, but there must be hundreds (or even thousands ?) of "University staff" who have children from previous relationships that do not live in the same household, or even in the same area (or even country !).

Excellent news.  Don't forget to keep that email about how he doesn't want to home school her for the solicitor if he starts demanding extra contact during the divorce.  

His institution have also confirmed now that they consider all research staff essential workers and free to come into the office if they want.

We had the same bollocks in the bank I'm working in at the start of lockdown one. I'm on a large remediation project, and the guy in charge of our site wanted to send us home but had to argue with his bosses for a week that we were not "essential workers" because we were not supporting day to day banking.

Businesses looking for loopholes are no better than individuals.

The internal guidance should be unequivocal that people must not be on premises doing tasks that could be done at home.