Why can't Teacher training be done in summer holidays

[daffodil10]

Why do summer holidays need to be extended by 3 days to cover inset days when teachers have had 6 weeks off. And before I get shot down I realise they may have been in school over the holidays etc. But what is the point in going back to school on a Thursday

shellygirl78

It seems like you didn't really think it through before you had kids, and now you are running into difficulties. Next time maybe give some thought to it before making life changing decisions.

Shellygirl I have read your post three times, but I'm still trying to get this straight.

You would prefer schools to close for only 5 weeks a year. In addition, you would prefer the schools to open longer each day. Are you therefore saying that children should spend 47 weeks of the year in school full time? So about once every couple of months, have a week off with their parents maybe? Or perhaps go to school full time for several months and then have a couple of weeks off?

Please explain how this would work well for, say, a four-year-old child's wellbeing?

Are you aware that schools are not a childcare provision for parents' convenience?

Do you believe it is someone else's problem that you have a child who needs care while you are at work?

How many more times for @Shellygirl78?

Pupils' holiday entitlement has never changed. Inset was taken from teachers' holiday entitlement in the first place.

Sometimes I despair of how slow in understanding some people are.

Why can't schools open longer? Because teachers already have a full time job. They need time to plan and mark work too
Sports activities run by outside providers. Who's paying? The school most certainly won't have the budget for that.
Schools are for education. Not childcare.

Why can't schools offer education AND childcare provision under one roof? I understand that teachers feel it is their 'entitlement' to work 9-3pm AND have THREE months of 'holiday' whilst the rest of us generally work 8 hour days+ and have around FIVE weeks of leave! I work just as hard in my career as teachers do in theirs. Childcare is indeed the issue here. I still need childcare for the many weeks when the school is closed and I have to work. I would just like to see something in place to help working parents find extra curricular childcare for their children and I am sure that schools could assist with that. Before school we had provision to a great nursery where our children were educated and cared for 8-6pm Monday to Friday. Nursery workers are often paid a lot less then teachers and I don't hear them complaining about their pay and conditions. Schools seem to be closed to the children more often then they are open... holidays, half terms, polling days, inset days. What exactly are working parents supposed to do?!?!?!?!

Why can't schools offer education AND childcare provision under one roof?

Because nobody wants to pay for this. Read a bit more of the thread.

I feel for you, but childcare is a family budget problem not a society budget problem ATM

Shellygirl if you really believe teachers only work 9-3pm then there isn't much point in this wider discussion.

Maybe look into the reality a little more?

Myself and MANY working mothers that I know of would happily pay more taxes to ensure that our children were well cared for on the many school closure days whilst we have to work! So that's debatable..... When my child's primary school closes for a polling day or an inset day there is no childcare provision on offer! We are forced to book a days annual leave, and bear in mind we only have 25 days of annual leave to play with.... unlike the teachers!

Unfortunately you are in a considerable minority if you are happy to pay enough tax so that teachers can be employed and paid for more than 195 days a year.

Face.
Palm.
Repeat. School is not childcare.
If you want wraparound care then pay for it.
Teachers DON'T work from 9-3. Many arrive very early to set up, clear up at the end of the day, attend meetings, mark, plan lessons, assess and report on students. Meet with outside bodies.
You need childcare? So pay for it.

FFS. You'd have had to find exactly the same amount of annual leave before inset days were introduced.

Are you completely lacking in comprehension skills?

How about we turn it around. How about we state that working parents who aren't teachers only work hours that schools are on? That would solve the childcare problem.

Your kids = your problem, I'm afraid.

shellygirl if you use a childminder for childcare when they are little, then the cm will provide wraparound care and school holiday care

We are forced to book a days annual leave

That's part of the reason why you have bookable annual leave, surely

It doesn't have to be trained teachers 8-6 pm 51 weeks per year. Wraparound childcare could be offered within schools by Outside providers etc. In the school building. Sport, music, drama, games etc etc..... Alongside their term time formal education provided by trained teachers. Why don't people understand the point I am trying to make?! It could work....

Out of interest, are primary school head teachers in community schools contracted to work a 48 week year (or similar)?

Currently with every family that has school-aged children or an adult working in a term-time only job all trying to find a week or two of vacation (abroad or in the uk) during one of the 13 weeks that schools are closed each year, market forces of supply and demand mean that holidays cost twice as much when schools are closed than they do in term time.

If schools were only closed 5 weeks a year, the cost of holidays in those 5 precious weeks would rocket still further and become unaffordable for many. Holiday resorts would charge 3 times what they currently do for peak prices and would be fully booked.

I give up. And @Shellygirl78 hasn't even acknowledged her own misapprehension while wondering why people don't take on board her (unworkable) point.

I understand that teachers feel it is their 'entitlement' to work 9-3pm AND have THREE months of 'holiday' whilst the rest of us generally work 8 hour days+ and have around FIVE weeks of leave!

Awww, diddums. Bless you and your innocent perception of the situation.

Of course teachers only work 9-3, sure it's not like teachers do supervision, clubs, marking, displays, planning, parent meetings, staff meetings...oh wait....shit. That's wrong, innit? You telling me those lazy teachers actually work outside their contact hours? Guess they mightn't be too happy about you wanting babysitting then.

Oh bloody he'll, shelley, you're clearly the sort of parent that makes some teachers so viputerative to the rest of us who might be a bit clueless from time to time.

Outside childcare providers are cashing in on the current state of play and parents are being charged extortionately for all these school closure days.

What do you think the cost of provision for holiday care is, if you think what you're being charged is 'extortionate'? Mine is a damn sight cheaper than my nursery charged before DS1 was at school.

Lots of schools do allow their premises to be used for wraparound care. The TAs run ours at the school (I assume to supplement their awful pay) and it's brilliant. But for obvious reasons it doesn't run in the holidays, so I make alternative plans and that's fine as long as the school gives plenty of notice and doesn't piss around and change their minds.

The thing I don't think schools get is how much planning and advance notice sometimes needs to go into planning and booking leave in some workplaces where holidays aren't so set. At the moment, we could really do with knowing the plans for inset days up until January 2019, which is ridiculous but there you go, that's how parents plan for the dates when alternative childcare may not be available - we map out and book leave ages in advance.

School teachers need to prepare and work in school before and after the school day.
Whose going to pay for outside providers to come in (to a school occupied by meetings and working teachers). Schools don't have a budget for this.
Your kids. Childcare is your responsibility.

Shellygirl78 is either a troll or is a total thicko. I'm leaning towards troll, no one can be THAT obtuse.

We have been lucky enough to be able to use our annual leave, to cover numerous school closure days, or pay through the nose for a private operator to offer mediocre over-priced local childcare provision on dates/times of their choosing! I found things a lot easier when the children were young and attended nursery. I feel that some people of this thread don't have a great deal of understanding for those in a situation not similar to their own. Not everyone has family to support them on school closure days. Some people have more then one child to organise care and payment for. Some people don't have suitable childcare provision in their locality. Some people are forced to used very expensive childcare or childminders who can basically charge what they like. Some parents are self- employed or only earn the minimum wage I.E.: They earn less then the cost of childcare provision. I personally know parents who have to give their primary age children a house key and leave them unattended for hours after school and during school closure days because of lack of affordable childcare. Maybe some people on this thread should consider how privileged they, and their children are to not have these concerns regarding childcare. * I quote : "Your children. Your problem!". There are indeed some really ignorant, and thoughtless people here on MN (other then myself, allegedly). I am just pointing out that schools could develop a national policy of good quality wrap around childcare for ALL! It would be a good investment! We are not all as pious and as privileged as those commenting above.......

Schools aren't childcare providers. They are educators.
Schools don't have the staff or money to do this.