Two days teacher training sprung on us with less than three week's notice

[Wheels79]

Just had a letter from school saying reception will be closed for two days after half term for teacher training.
I'm new to being a school parent but I find that 1) a bit short notice; 2) lacking in an apology or acknowledgement that it might leave parents with a childcare issue; and 3) hypocritical given that their policy is to refuse to authorise any holiday requests and yet missing two days out of the blue is fine when they say so.
Am I being unreasonable for feeling miffed? Should I accept now that school will arse around with our lives willy nilly?

Schools have 5 teacher training days throughout the year, this maybe added on to school holidays, or random odd days. The teachers are training to make things better for the children, including yours. It may well be the only day that an outside trainer could attend.

Ours have 7, three of them are this month. Massive pain. Two were at short notice as well.

You're not being unreasonable at all to be narked. That's very short notice and will be impossible for some parents. I think it should be raised with the school.

Three weeks is not short notice

It's not on. Reasonable notice should be expected so parents can arrange annual leave and childcare

I don't see the relevance of children being taken out of school during days they should be attending, and teachers being trained to do the job when all parents should or do know that there will be five training days per year. Why would the school apologise for these training days? They happen every year and as teachers work 195 days per year.

They won't be missing 2 days of education - these are most likely to be 2 of the 5 days per year that are allocated as inset days, usually used for teacher training, so your children won't get any fewer days at school over the year than they are supposed to have.

However, that is late notice - I'm a school governor and we try to issue our inset days at least a term in advance, and ideally more. It is bad practise and will cause ill feeling - many working parents will struggle to cover at this late notice.

It’s a pain but they need training so sometimes they have to do it when the providers are available

As for the point about holidays - surely you can see how the whole class being off (in one of the allocated days off) is different from from one child having time off?

VocalDuck - that's clearly not what OP is complaining about.

Or do you think it is fine for schools to give little or notice?

YANBU that's not enough notice. Schools publish term dates at least a year in advance and expect us to stick to them so they should as well. Apart from anything else you could have chosen to book a holiday in half term based around the dates they have published only to have them amended. As you say they wouldn't be flexible if you took your daughter out for two days.

It's not hypocritical, the school has 5 teacher training days that they can allocate whenever. When these were introduced, the school holidays were also decreased by 5 days, so your child is only getting "normal" time off.

3 weeks is a little short notice, however it might be that the school had no choice (and possibly they did announce them before, you just missed them).

It's a bit short notice, but not that short notice. And definitely YABU about your srd point. It is not hypocritical at all. Your dc are not missing any days of school - they will be having exactly the number if days they are supposed to have, which takes into account a set number of staff training days, which are necessary for important training so that they can teach your kuds appropriately. It is not 'arsing around with your lives willy nilly'. You could point out the late notice to them, but I expect they'll have had a good reason for having to change it.

Your child will still get 195 days of school, they will not miss any of their education. These are additional days, built into the school year to update training in safeguarding or or essentials.

Are you sure they weren't published last year and you have missed it? We publish in the summer term but also send reminders as have both DS's schools.

YANBU that's not enough notice. Schools publish term dates at least a year in advance and expect us to stick to them so they should as well. Apart from anything else you could have chosen to book a holiday in half term based around the dates they have published only to have them amended. As you say they wouldn't be flexible if you took your daughter out for two days.

^This^

Sorry, that should be 190 days, the other five days are teacher education/inset days.

These are additional days, built into the school year to update training in safeguarding or other essentials.

This is such a sad sentence. The preoccupation with "safeguarding" by people who don't actually grasp the concept kills me!

That's weird, INSET days are usually set well in advance rather than on the hoof. Are you sure you just didn't realise and this is a reminder rather than the first notice?

You are right to feel it's short notice - more notice is good practise. My daughters school advise parents in September when all 5 will be taken.
You're point about not taking children out of school for holidays is totally misplaced! The school year has 5 days built in and schools can use them when they want - your child is not missing any of their statutory school days!
Having a child in school may well mess with your life - welocme to the world of parenting!

The inset days were already on the term times. This is literally the first time these extra days have been mentioned. Apparently there has been a change to the Early Years Curriculum and Assessment and they need training.
If I can't take my DS out for 2 days because it risks his education then why can they do this?
I'm hoping that his old nursery can accommodate him for the two days because we will be running short of leave if we have to take the days off.
I work in a healthcare setting and doctor have to give at least 6 weeks notice of leave and so I think 3 weeks is short notice. It's not a crisis. Nothing has leaked or burned down and so why not schedule it two days before/after Christmas instead?

@ottershatefeminists I'm not sure why you have a problem with that? Teachers take duty of care seriously, and safeguarding training helps them to spot possible problems whether at home or in school.

Doesn't ever seem to occur to anyone that many teachers are also working parents who also need to find childcare and who experience the same frustrations as everyone else.

So the kids are losing two days of school and staff will have 7 INSET days? Is it an academy?

It is very short notice, but maybe something has arisen that requires urgent training, e.g something that could affect safeguarding of children, that cannot wait until the previously prescribed dates.

Phone the school office and tell them you were not aware of these days and where do you find out about them in advance for future years.

Ours are in the school calendar a year in advance and in 9 years of school I've never known them to change.