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Original poster

This is a crap day for a Jubilee holiday

103 replies

BlowDryRat · 31/01/2022 07:36

All schools have a discretionary day's holiday to add to this school year to celebrate the queen's platinum jubilee. DD's school chose today Confused It's cold, raining, windy and generally miserable.

AIBU to wonder why they didn't choose a day in the summer when the kids could have a picnic, go to the park, play outside etc.? Instead, I'm at work as usual while my parents look after her. I'm sure she'll have a lovely time with them but it just feels like a waste of a holiday.

OP posts:
megletthesecond · 31/01/2022 08:30

How odd.
I can't blame the school staff for wanting a day off in winter though.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 31/01/2022 08:30

I only know its an added day to the summer holidays from when I was transferring the school holidays onto the calendar and diaries.

Original poster
BlowDryRat · 31/01/2022 08:30

There will be another one somewhere. It's not allowed to be in the school holidays.

OP posts:
Original poster
BlowDryRat · 31/01/2022 08:31

Sorry, ^ was @FingersofFish

OP posts:
Shouldbedoing · 31/01/2022 08:33

Ours was last Friday, tacked onto a Monday Inset. Very thoughtless to do that to families on the 3rd week in January before Pay Day. I missed the memo about Jubilee so was at work.

ancientgran · 31/01/2022 08:34

@Cryingbutstilltrying

Ours are in March, just random days. Primary and secondary are different too. Can’t work out what the logic is behind it at all, other than it being a long term as Easter is late. Hopefully it won’t be quite so wild weather as today 🤞🏻
Yes long terms are hard specially on the younger kids. A day to stay home, keep warm, have a rest might be good for them.

For the love of God, why wouldn't you just finish a day earlier in the Summer? Maybe the thinking is they get a long break in the summer and a day off now will be of more benefit for children and teachers. A chance to recharge the batteries.

GinPin2 · 31/01/2022 08:39

My grandson is 10 today,
his mum does not work on a Monday,
his dad has taken an extra day this weekend from Scotland ( Navy) all the way down to the southwest to be here,

he would have loved today off school !!!

Brunonono · 31/01/2022 08:39

@ClariceQuiff

Obviously they couldn't have known for sure what the weather would be like, but there'd be more chance of a half-decent day from May onwards.

It pissed it down for the Golden Jubilee in June 2012 - anyone remember the regatta with everyone absolutely drenched? The bedraggled choir singing 'Land of Hope and Glory' was possibly the most British thing I have ever seen.

Looked this up and it's really made me laugh so thought I would share the link Smile
CallmeHendricks · 31/01/2022 08:43

As ever, this thread just goes to show that you can never please all of the people, all of the time and schools in particular, can never do right.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 31/01/2022 08:55

DS"s school have tacked it on to the Monday after May half term. I'll be working anyway so makes no difference.

TabithaHazel · 31/01/2022 08:58

This does seem really random considering the jubilee is being officially celebrated in June. I guess maybe they thought the staff could do with a day off today!

FingersofFish · 31/01/2022 08:59

Thanks for the tip both! I'll have another look as our current calendar doesn't have the extra day (we seem to have also lost half a week of the summer hols this year) I wonder if it'll be tagged onto the new school year. Not complaining as covering school hols is usually a nightmare but this year I've managed much easier!

NoResolutionsHere · 31/01/2022 09:02

Our school chose early Dec, clearly so staff could Christmas shop. We were working so had to arrange childcare. I agree having an extra day in summer I'd have taken a day's holiday and done something with them. Rainy December day, not worth me wasting a day.

FingersofFish · 31/01/2022 09:04

Checked our website, school is taking the Monday of our half term as the extra day so our June half term is effectively 3 days of bank hols!

Whitefire · 31/01/2022 09:05

@TwoleftUggs

Ours was November 26th. An equally rubbish day and when half the school was off relating to Covid anyway. A waste of a holiday and like you i would rather have had it during the summer when there were at least more daylight hours to take advantage of.
That was Black Friday. Lots of schools already have it off.
NorthSouthcatlady · 31/01/2022 09:08

Today is a stupid day. It’s kind of obvious the weather would be poor and it’s not too far from the December holidays. Sometime in the spring would be better

Porcupineintherough · 31/01/2022 09:13

@NoResolutionsHere heaven forfend the staff benefit rather than you and the kids eh?

BlueMongoose · 31/01/2022 09:13

I suspect school management prefer days off in the winter because they save money on heating.

NoResolutionsHere · 31/01/2022 09:22

@porcupineintherough I'm married to a teacher, he had the same December week but a different day, he thought the same, waste of a day's hol!

HavenLane · 31/01/2022 09:23

@BlueMongoose

I suspect school management prefer days off in the winter because they save money on heating.
And not just that, no supply staff and even when there is, no money to pay. Schools are on their knees staffing wise, due to COVID.

Perhaps this is a way of keeping the school functioning just now when it is most useful.

DaisyDozyDee · 31/01/2022 09:24

@CherieBabySpliffUp

The teachers won't be taking a duvet day, they'll be in as normal. Maybe today was a convenient day for booking some staff training?
Our random extra day this year has been pitched as a day for staff well-being, with the emphasis on staff doing whatever they like (activities are available but optional). I’ve only just realised that it was in any way connected to the jubilee bank holiday.
Vanillaradio · 31/01/2022 09:26

There's supposed to be an extra Jubilee holiday in term time?? Haven't heard anything about that from ds's school. Hope dh has some leave left as I have none I can book till September.

UndertheCedartree · 31/01/2022 09:30

Oh what a shame. It is beautifully sunny here, although the wind is biting.

My DD's school have added an extra day onto the end of May half term which is when the Jubilee is so makes more sense. I can't imagine feeling particularly 'jubilent' today.

Quackpot · 31/01/2022 09:30

Dd1s school chose mid December so they could have their staff Christmas party night on the Friday night after a day's xmas shopping. Didn't work for us, but worked for them. They deserved a break to be honest. The kids are off for the jubilee anyway, it's summer half term. I can't get wound up about it. Dd2s school has added the day on to summer half which is great, but makes no difference, it will probably be raining then too.

BogRollBOGOF · 31/01/2022 09:30

We had ours at the start of the Christmas holiday which combined with a twighlight INSET brought our late finish forwards to something more sensible and gave us 2.5 weeks off which was a solid break.

Much better than a random day in January.