To think schools should get with the times re working parents.

I didn’t judge, but when you’re cradling her crying/sleeping child in my arms, then it’s really tricky. I wouldn’t have minded if she told me she had an appointment. Very often schools do two showings of their nativity for the exact reason that there may be a reason (such as work or appointments, or important shopping etc) that they can’t attend at least one of them, this parent didn’t come to either performance. Sadly the 2nd one was close to pick up time.
Anyway this debate is about using teachers as childcare, which it feels like the OP thinks we are :(

Maybe she had been shopping for Christmas presents or food or had to go to an appointment she didn't want to mention then grabbed some shopping afterwards? I wouldn't judge parents for not coming and I wouldn't say that working is a better reason than any other.

That's so sad.

No of course not, he sadly saw her shopping bags though :(

Oh I know @Supergirl1958. However I never say that to the children.

It’s not always the case though. My first year of teaching (this is going back some years now) I’ll never forget the heartbreak on one of my children’s faces because his mum didn’t come to nativity. He fell asleep in my arms crying. Why didn’t she come? Because she had been shopping! Teachers fully understand working parents being unable to attend events but they don’t always not attend because they are workinf

I've made an agreement with my friend when she was a single parent to pick her youngest up from school and keep him at mine until she finished work (for a couple of hours). I would've happily done this for my other working friends with primary age kids. I wish I had the means to do this in an official capacity. I'm currently a SAHP. My DH works 12 hour shifts.
It gave my DS someone to play with. (We live in a rough area so playing out is limited). It was so difficult for my friend to find wrap around care. She could put her kids in breakfast club but afterschool care is difficult to get here.

That's why schools have an breakfast and afterschool club so they can be looked after from 7.30-6

I think the pushback needs to be on employers with employees saying yes I am committed to my job and work hard, at the same time I have a child / other person or pet to care for / medical appointments / life admin. like moving house, doing work on house, paperwork / legal / bank like a will, etc. and cannot magically pretend those don't exist or that I can go to appointments at the bank or doctor or at my child' s school after work on at the weekends (or outside of working hours).

Nope - YOU need to adapt for your child. Don’t force our kids into school for 10 hours a day because you don’t want to adapt for yours.

Ditto.

Absolutely-we always reassure children about things like this. I have genuinely never heard anyone -member of school staff or otherwise- being unpleasant because someone’s parent couldn’t attend an event.

I tell my class that not every parent can come to these events. I couldn't go as I'm at work with them! It's because they can't rather than they don't want to. No judgement from me.

This is so true, we really struggle to recruit at my school. People no longer want the very low wages, that are paid pro rata because of the long holidays. Yes, it’s nice to have the holidays off, but it also means paying for very expensive holidays in school holidays on low wages. It means not being able to take your children out a couple of days early to get a better deal. I am surprised at the quality of staff we do get given the terrible wages tbh. I know quite a few who want to leave. I think that it will only get worse.

A lot of the time the wraparound care is run by school staff, TA’s and MDS’s. We run in 2 sessions. The first session until 4.30pm is very busy but the second session until 6pm is very quiet, only ever a few children, so it really wouldn’t be worth having schools open until 6pm. I think our club is only viable financially as it is so busy for the first session and it is not for profit. However, the holiday club has stopped running as it wasn’t financially viable 🤷🏼‍♀️.
The government can’t or won’t fund education properly so I doubt they will ever fund wraparound care. I think that’s up to parents but it should be available and affordable. If there are extra funds they should go into education, as everything has been cut to the bone, and it is sorely needed .

Teachers will be required to - who covers sickness, lack of childcare for the staff etc?

We can't mark and prepare when kids are under our feet...can we?

No one is saying they work the hardest of all other professions, however, when ppl call teachers lazy they have a right to say no we work hard. If someone said you were lazy when you worked hard would you not defend yourself?

Maybe read the OP. She hasn't said anywhere that teachers should provide the wraparound care. Or are you ignoring it because it doesn't fit quite with teachers portraying themselves as the most hardworking profession there is!

Sadly, any time anyone ever dares to discuss a wraparound childcare problem on here, there's always a parade of smug posters embarrassing themselves by saying she should've planned ahead. As though anyone can predict the exact availability of local childcare for a decade.

OP hasn't exactly helped herself in this case. But probably it would've happened even if she weren't BU.

This whole thread reminds me of a parent who posted here that schools should operate 48 weeks a year to match people’s annual leave entitlement (head/hands). And then proceeded to slag teachers off as lazy. No prizes for guessing who they have been voting for.

Never noticed any bad-mouthing of working mums, eh? And yet there are a lot of comments here saying parents should just change careers and work more flexibly etc. Do you know how hard it is to do this and still provide a decent standard of living for your kids? In 25+ years of parenting I’ve not figured it out yet!

Not something I have ever noticed in 25+ years of working in schools or being a mum. Loads of parents could and couldn’t come to sports days/performances/assemblies-I have never heard any negative comments. Of my two close school mum friends-one is a nurse and another works for customs and excise, both were there at events sometimes and not others-depending on what they could wangle.

I'm sure the odd last minute thing can't be helped. The rest are planned in advance and shared in multiple ways - texts, website, facebook, newsletter. However you do have to read these. We hear that all the time that we didn't give notice. We can also check who has read the texts and emails which is kind of helpful when parents use that excuse.

Nope it isn't passed onto the kids. Your assumption and guilt is not the same. You are feeling bad and assume that and so you want someone to blame. The teachers do not care who turns up and who doesn't. They know parents work - they are usually parents who work themselves who have less flexibility than most.

No shit sherlock - what do you think teachers do when their kids are having a day like a sports day? Just leave their class and go?

By the teachers! Seroiusly, I remember one of my mum friends being bad-mouthed in my presence by a teacher for not attending a school event. She was very hard-working and it was difficult for her to get the time.

By who?

Well of course if you are a teacher that is seen as Important. If you do some other job you are seen as not bothering to go and support your child.