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Sending kids to school until 6pm - how does this "help families"?

306 replies

gretagrape · 30/01/2014 09:14

To me, it feels as though they are looking at this in totally the wrong way. The idea is that children will attend school until 6pm to help working parents. Why don't they look at it the other way around, eg, create an economy where it is normal for people (not just parents) to work flexible hours and to get part-time SKILLED jobs that pay a decent hourly rate, so children don't have to be holed up in school for longer than most office workers.
I'm so depressed at this government's lack of lateral thinking.

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Dressingdown1 · 30/01/2014 09:18

Your idea might work fine for a large organisation, but what about small companies, which are the backbone of our economy? My family are involved in agriculture and we employ several people. Unfortunately animals need looking after all day, not just at school friendly times and our busiest times are actually outside school hours.

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horsetowater · 30/01/2014 09:19

I agree with you. Flooding the country with low paid shop jobs, subsidised by tax credits and free childcare does not help families and does not help the taxpayer.

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Bonsoir · 30/01/2014 09:21

"Flooding the country with low paid shop jobs, subsidised by tax credits and free childcare does not help families and does not help the taxpayer."

I agree wholeheartedly.

We need viable solutions for childcare but part-time jobs are not it.

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horsetowater · 30/01/2014 09:23

SMEs need much more support to cover employment costs I agree. They are hailed as Britain's backbone but most are just firefighting to keep afloat due to crazy corporation tax.

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harryhausen · 30/01/2014 09:23

Well personally, I'm quite interested in exploring the idea.

I'm self employed so have flex working hours but I really really struggle with fitting in all my work and often work through the night to get through my workload. I'm pretty strung out.

My kids often do after school activities and I think they would be totally fine until 6pm. I know a few teachers who say that they would welcome the extra time to plan/fit in projects etc.

I'm on the fence a bit though until I know more about it in detail.

I spend a huge amount of quality time with my kids and they chill out loads.

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expatinscotland · 30/01/2014 09:24

They want everyone to slave for them and their cronies whilst they cream off huge profits.

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Starballbunny · 30/01/2014 09:25

No way will DDs be staying until six. DD2(12) finds 4.30 because of their shit bus hard enough.

She hates winter, she likes to be home before it's dark and do an hours gymnastics on the trampoline.

When they were primary age they wanted be home in the garden, playing with their toys and yes watching TV and just chilling out.

DD1 particularly needed to get home. She doesn't find the social side of school easy (and got left out at best and bullied at worse). She needed time off from her peers and time to go swimming and go to Guides where there were children she got on with.

I chose not to work to be with my DCs, and doubt I could find a full time job even if I wanted one.

In any case Mr Gove, where are parents going to find 9-5 term time only jobs? Or are we expected to stuff our DCs into 8-6 child care all holidays too.

If that's the case I can't see any point in having children in the first place!

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gamerchick · 30/01/2014 09:26

That's what I said ^^

The government want us to be like Born I think. Work us to death then replace.

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gamerchick · 30/01/2014 09:27

*borg

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Starballbunny · 30/01/2014 09:28

And you might as well have our nice big garden to build a couple of starter homes one as none of our children will be home in day light to play in it.

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DelightedIAm · 30/01/2014 09:29

Of course, we are just numbers on a balance sheet to then.

The government want us to be like Born I think. Work us to death then replace.

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elastamum · 30/01/2014 09:30

My teenage DS is at school until 9pm most nights. I work full time and it allows me to do my job and get all the chores done before picking him up. DS2 comes home 6pm or later 3 nights a week.

I have 2 late school runs to do - not fun on rural roads in winter, but they come home having done all their homework, had tea, played sport etc.

It works for us.

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horsetowater · 30/01/2014 09:31

Staying at school until 6 is better than doing the childminder run, but the reason it's not possible is because teachers still use schools after 3.30. Usual Tory bright spark idea that they haven't got the attention span to think through.

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Picturesinthefirelight · 30/01/2014 09:31

My daughter does attend school every day until 6pm but I am against the idea in principal if its meant to be at all compulsory

She copes very well. She starts the day at 8.55 am with a 90 min ballet class, then academics til 4 PM & vocational (dance /drama until 6pm)

But it's her choice to go to that kind of school, they have sensible amounts of homework.

It would not suit ds at all.

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horsetowater · 30/01/2014 09:32

Elastum is that a state school?

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gretagrape · 30/01/2014 09:33

But I wasn't talking about flooding the country with low paid part time work. I'm talking about employing people in SKILLED jobs but on a flexible basis, whether that's a full time job done by two people or flexi hours - I used to work for a company that had flexi-time, so you had to be in the building between 10-2, but the other hours could be anytime from 6am-8pm, so I used to work 6-2 but others would work 12-8. It wasn't a huge company (about 60 people) and actually the benefits were huge - most staff managed to avoid rush hours so were never late, there was cover to respond to customers for 14 hours of the day, and most importantly staff were motivated to work hard because they were able to work hours that suited their lives.

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Picturesinthefirelight · 30/01/2014 09:35

She also got to the standard to be able to be accepted into her current school by having the freedom to leave her previous junior school at 3.30pm @ attend numerous dance classes of a much higher standard than individual schools could provide.

It's the same for sport. Every single school can't provide sports coaching at a level provided by the local swimming or taekwondo club for example at every single sport.

That's why the specialists coach at centres which take from the whole region. My Bruce leaves school at 3.30pm then goes to swimming training 4-5 nights a week.

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Starballbunny · 30/01/2014 09:35

The park in the village would make a nice housing estate too, as none of us will be meeting up their after school, we'll all be at our desks doing all these full time jobs that are suddenly going to appear in a recession.

Mr Gove don't you read the news, Barclays Bank are closing branches, half the high street shops are closed, local councils are making massive cuts, our school is making people redundant, DHs company did last year!

I've been a SAHM for 15 years, I can't simply walk into a full time job even in boom times, I certainly can't at the moment.

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TheBigBumTheory · 30/01/2014 09:37

I'd love to know what outcome these policy makers are aiming for. If they want to increase GDP, it might work. If they want people to live in cohesive communities and good family relationships I'm not so sure.

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CaisleanDraiochta · 30/01/2014 09:42

How would you feel if after a full days work, your boss told you that you must now stay for an extra 3 hours?

You don't have to do any actual work in that time, but you must physically stay onsite for that time, while many of your colleagues went home to their families.

You also have to pay for this privilege. Would you be happy about that?

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AuntieStella · 30/01/2014 09:45

This policy is directly nicked from Labour.

Here's labourlist.org on the announcement last September.

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horsetowater · 30/01/2014 09:46

It might increae GDP but the profits from these policies will go abroad to the multinationals that own these businesses so their bosses can buy several mansions in London and leave them empty for investment purposes.

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horsetowater · 30/01/2014 09:54

Wraparound childcare is a good idea but it should go hand in hand with options for parents to have subsidised flexible working. And children should have a say in what they would prefer.

And when will the stop using the term 'ordinary families'

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addictedtosugar · 30/01/2014 09:55

And who is going to supervise all this extra time in school?
I'm sure the teachers have enough to do, and then we are back to not having enough skilled childcare.

What about kids who DON'T want / need to be in school that late. It is going to force them there aswell?

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drspouse · 30/01/2014 09:57

If the children were going to be in school, doing something organised by the school (whether that's chilling with some colouring, organised sports, or full on lessons) then they are going to need a lot more teachers so that the teachers get a lot more down time because they are going to need to do their prep and marking during this extended school day.

And CMs are still going to be needed by these extra teachers for even longer hours because you can't let your class go home at 6 and simultaneously be at the CM to pick up at 6.

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