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?

tinypop4
I though it would be polite. If I cancelled a meeting with someone I would apologise. Or even if I cancelled a hairdressers appointment.

School is not childcare, they do not have to worry about what you are doing that day and whether it’s convenient, that’s your job.

@Wheels79

It isn't to do with being allowed as, as a society, many aspire for adults to have children, not 16 year-olds.

It's to do with the expectation that the state pays for your offspring and your choices as opposed to you paying for your own decisions. Personal responsibility. A sorely missed ideal.

Sorry is it just reception that is closed or the whole school?

Please remember that we are educators, not babysitters

Yay! I had this one on my bingo card!

Parents should pay for permanent childcare on the off chance that schools decide to close for the day, clearly.

If it's so urgent that it has had to be arranged at short-notice, then I wonder if something particular has happened at your school to make it urgent. I'm not aware of any national issue that needs immediate training that couldn't wait until the next routine training day.

Why would a school apologise for training its teachers to provide a quality education for your dc

no one ask for that, parents ask for notice. Some parents happen to be teachers themselves

I'm an ex teacher now but, back in the day when I did my PGCE, we spent HALF a day learning about every type of special need. And that was in the 90s. Teachers need to constantly upgrade their skills to do the bloody hard job that they do. If you want your child's school to be effective then you shouldn't complain.

Op did actually mention that she hadn’t had an apology, coddi

It might be that a new child with a background issue or a medical need is starting and teachers need to be brought up to speed. My son's school had to have training for his epilepsy.

Teacher and parent here.

It's way too short notice, I'd be annoyed. Usually decided and published at least twelve months in advance. Never heard of anywhere giving three weeks notice.

And as for the 'we aren't babysitters' brigade op isn't even slightly suggesting that you are. It's such a tired line and completely misses the point. Op isn't expecting free childcare from school, just adequate communication so she can organize childcare of her own when school isnt open.

Id mention to the head teacher.

It might be that a new child with a background issue or a medical need is starting and teachers need to be brought up to speed.

Two whole days????? Unlikely.

There’s nothing to be done, but I suggest emailing the head and voicing your complaint. My DCs school did this last academic year (gave parents very short notice for inset days) and they received so many complaints that they’ve really got their shit together this year and we were told all inset and holiday dates for 2017/18 in the final newsletter in July so we can plan ahead.

You could email and query why the notice was so short, explaining the difficulty from your pov?

When the government stops requiring lone mothers to go back to work when their child goes to school

not sure what this has got to do with the short notice.

I am married by the way and had to go back to work before my childrens' 1st birthday. no choice here. what am I supposed to say??(

but agree that 3 weeks it's a short notice and would be a problem for me/my workplace. One of my DC is severely disabled and we just cannot magic up something like most families.

zeeboo As other PPs have said we recognize that schools are not childcare.

However most families have 2 parents working. They can do this and arrange childcare (sometimes splitting shifts) because schools have term and holiday dates so they can work around and get childcare where neccessary. Clearly most schools also publish inset days well in advance.

When you get three weeks notice of a two-day inset with no apology, something's gone wrong. As other PPs have said, a lot of us -
including medics - have to give six weeks notice for a day's leave. Scrambling for cover along with other local parents will be a nightmare.

I think OP's point was that the school appears both disorganised and unapologetic. I think some of the teachers at the school who have kids themselves may feel that way themselves.

A school near me rearranged an INSET day as a teacher had died and staff were able to attend if they so wished. This was arranged with a few days notice.

How very sensible. It is very hard to keep the school open during a funeral of a staff member. Local Heads here tend to come in and take classes to enable as many staff as possible to attend.

I'm sorry I confused in the lone parents bit. My point is that successive governments (blue and red) have had policies such as promoting wrap around care and changes to benefits at 5 that assume that parents will work and that schools will support that. And so it would follow that parents would therefore choose to work assuming that the system supports this. Short notice schedule changes undermine this demonstrating a disconnect between government rhetoric and what schools can offer.

Such short notice is very unusual. It would be easier to accept perhaps if you knew what it was about.
Schools can be closed suddenly for things like snow days, a tragedy, the boiler breaking down etc too.

Just had a thought. Wonder if they can do it this term because technically none of the children need to be there this term as it only impacts on reception. Therefore doesn't count towards the compulsory days.

I don’t think the purpose of inset days is a problem but the lack of notice. They should be planned well in advance and at least a terms notice given. Not everyone has childcare on tap and will often have significant difficulties finding someone to look after the DC’s.

3 weeks is very short notice, I have to book all my annual leave in April for the entire year up to March, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.

Yes I wondered that op - re compulsory days & reception. It sounds like exceptional circumstances anyway.

If I can't take my DS out for 2 days because it risks his education then why can they do this?

Because they are being trained to deliver his education, or on other occasions to do other corollary things like keep him safe.

Be narked about short notice, but don't say stupid things like that