AIBU to think school closures ignore parents' work commitments?

Except it isn’t unprecedented at all. It’s hot for June but it isn’t as if we haven’t dealt with 30 degrees over the past few years. We need to adapt, this is going to keep happening.

Our school has given parents the option to collect their kids at 1:30pm or keep them until 3:15pm. Seems pointless but I think it’s more to do with attendance if anything!

You're in a classroom?

But is it? Don't the schools themselves have control over anything about the buildings? Couldn't they all have had plans for this?

But safeguarding children’s health would trump a customer relationship and convenience- like when a nursery asks you to collect an ill child.

I'm in London today. It's bearable. This is totally ridiculous.

Schools have never given a shit about working parents. Which is ironic as I imagine most teachers are probably parents too. I guess it’s just not their priority. And of course it’s true that schools aren’t childcare but childcare options aren’t available for school age children during term time and school hours. They’re only for pre school children, after school and holidays.

I agree it is getting hotter but they can't just magic it out of the air overnight and saying they're not fit for purpose is a bit of a stretch

It's unusually hot now but we are getting hotter and hotter.

I hope you can sort something.

We have the choice to take dc home at lunch time. Seems the best way to do it.

99% of time they are fit for purpose
The current weather is unusually hot.
Where is the money coming from to provide and run all this AC? just in case we get a few days of extreme weather

Safeguarding trumps your work commitments.

Blame successive Tory governments that have underinvested in school building. The Conservative governments cancelled or significantly altered several major school building projects during their time in power, most notably the previous Labour government's £55 billion ( Building schools for the future)programme in 2010, which scrapped hundreds of planned rebuilds.

But hey as long as you and they are nice and cool in your fancy air conditioned offices whilst children are squashed 30 and above in tiny airless classrooms teaching record temperatures.

We are one of many primary schools closing at lunch for the next two days, for pupil and staff comfort.
I think it is best for the children, but as adults in the school I feel we should just get on with it. They are refusing to offer any alternatives for working parents or any after school care, which as a member of staff makes me feel uncomfortable.

Tbf, my dcs' school did a whole "we would never do this lightly, extreme weather warning, safety of children and staff" type email

I came on to say the same thing.
OP you're critical of the way it's worded. How could they have worded it that would have made it OK? It's not going to change the outcome

Our London prep school is staying open with after school care too. No AC, just a few sports fixtures are cancelled and some timetable tweaks. I think they generally see parents as customers and try to make things convenient for working parents.

School are considering the safety of the children and the staff and whether it is possible to continue providing education.

Your work commitments don't factor in.

You need to take your complaints about work to the government - it's their responsibility to ensure school buildings are fit for purpose.

School isn’t childcare. If they feel they can’t safely stay open then that’s an end to it.

You will have to take leave.

I do understand the frustration but I think it's less about not realising it will impact people and more about making it clear that complaints would be fruitless.

Emailing that you're terribly sorry for the inconvenience and appreciate this is likely to cause issues is more likely to result in complaints than a blasé message. Over apologising suggests the school is at fault and the decision can be challenged. (kind of like when you thank people for waiting rather than apologising for being late 🤷‍♀️).

School isn't set up to be childcare. The issue is that we lots of us don't have the same casual options our parents/grandparents had (family help, a sahm, leaving young children home alone... not that I'd want to go back to that as an option!). And more formal out of school childcare provisions are still patchy and not helpful in an emergency. I'm not sure what the answer is really.

The problem is, it would be very expensive are rarely needed. For example, there have been fewer than 10 days in the last 5 years where temps have exceeded 35 degrees. Obviously it's possible to plan for such temperatures but I don't think it's particularly surprising it hasn't felt like a priority given the infrequency of the problem.