Local schools shutting at lunchtime on Friday? And what do I do about childcare?

[WhiteWavingCat]

Is this common?

Seems the schools here are starting between 5 and 10 minutes earlier. Then the primary schools have cut lunch by 5 minutes and have no lunch break on Friday to then close at 1pm on Fridays. High School has cut morning break completely and lengthened lunchtime by 5 minutes (gone from 40 mins to 45 mins) but is still shutting at 1pm on Friday with no lunch break.
All bar one of these schools (6 in total) are academies, the none academy is religious and run by a local religious group.

Is this normal? And am IBU to think it’s ridiculous? Not just because it saves costs (I assume no meals on Fridays saves £££s) but the missed education. And what about the families who rely on Free School Meals? What happens to those children on Fridays?

Also we live in a town with several rural villages around who bus the children to schools in our town, surely the very young children (8 years and younger) can’t be left alone?

This actually worries me as I am single parent and my DD starts school in September. Her school only runs After School Club on Tuesday and Wednesday as it is, and my working days are Wednesday – Friday, I cannot change this as it works around her dad. But what the hell do I do with her on Fridays when I have no help? Her dad has her EOW Sat morn – Sun teatime but works 2-10pm Fridays, she’s currently at Nursery until 4.30pm Friday but they have all their spaces filled from September (which is understandable) and don’t run an after school club. Her dad will be having her Thursdays after school and her gps on her dads side will have her if she's ill and neither of us can but they're emergencies only.

My work cannot change my hours as I’ve had to change them this year once already. What the hell do I do? I have family nearby but they’re not reliable so I am literally stuck with giving up work or trying to find a job that will let me leave early Fridays which I don't want to do as I love my job and it saves my sanity at times

Schools will be going down to a four day week soon. You heard it here first!

It does seem to be going that way, @Polarbearflavour.

Unless something drastically changes in the next budget.

What would schools save on a four day week though? Still need the same number of teachers and teaching hours. I can understand the Friday afternoon PPA scenario as saving on cover. (Although not at our school, PPA is covered by support staff at no extra cost )

Mrschook, support staff shouldn't be covering regularly, it's against the rules.

I don't think schools will go down to 4 days, we wouldn't fit everything in. There's a huge curriculum to cover. The early closure is for a very specific reason, there'd be no benefit to closing any more.

Wellmet support staff have covered PPA in every school I’ve worked in for the last 10 years. Does yours still use qualified teachers for PPA?

Our school uses qualified teachers for PPA cover

Qualified teachers are the only people who are supposed to cover PPA. I've never come across a school that uses TAs on a regular basis...as I say, it is not allowed.

Academies can employ whoever they like to teach classes, qualified or otherwise so ppa is often covered by tas.

Is this primary or secondary?

That's not correct : there is a difference between cover and teach. Most secondary schools have cover supervisors. Teachers emphatically are not supposed to cover ! I know they do but our unions mad good inroads with this with 'rarely cover'.

Is this primary or secondary?

I’m in primary. All our PPA is covered by Support staff.

I think for the children it will be a good thing. I think our children have far too much pressure on them at far too young of an age. I think the curriculum should be looked at and tailor what is being taught that will actually prove useful.

I understand how this will be an absolute disaster for working parents as it will leave them with massive childcare issues. But I agree that the school should be there for the interest of the child and I believe it will benefit our children to have more "down time" with less pressure.

The schooling for a lot of our children has been on a downward spiral for some time, the teachers have had external pressures rather than "just" teaching along with funding cuts, something was always going to have to give.

No, it is NOT a Tory thing!
If anything it's teaching union thing. They pressure schools into putting all their meeting time into friday afternoons so the teachers can avoid the more traditional Monday night meetings.
And don't forget, the big bad Tories only made 'cuts' because (some, wealthier) schools were being over funded in the first place!

We are part of a MAT and during PPA cover supervisors at our secondary schools get paid more that the support staff at the primary schools even thought the primary staff have to actively teach and the cover supervisors supervise work already set. Doesn't help relations between schools!

Any in roads the inions made have been utterly destroyed by the academy ‘trusts’ (I think they would be better called academy businesses). You don’t have to be qualified to teach in them so ppa is obviously taught by unqualified teachers. Just like teaching posts are now advertised for unqualified applicants.

It’s totally wrong but it is happening.

If anything it's teaching union thing. They pressure schools into putting all their meeting time into friday afternoons so the teachers can avoid the more traditional Monday night meetings.

What?!

How have teaching unions done this?! I have never worked in a school with Friday afternoon meetings.

Aquilla, you are totally deluded if you think any state school has ever been overfunded. It’s been a race to the bottom for the entire period of Tory government.

Free schools and Michael Gove are entirely the fault of the Tories. Those are the first two things that came into my head. I'm sure other people can think of a raft of others.

Michael Gove did such damage when he was in charge of education; I dread the thought of him becoming PM.

In time I suppose a private provider will step in and run childcare/activities in schools as this is rolled out further - remember is normal in other countries for younger kids to finish at lunchtime and full time work is common there too, you just use childcare or change your work schedule. What I'm wondering here is why no one has a dp who finishes early??? Why is it always women who sort out childcare (especially when couples have separated)

But the children are having the same amount of teaching time. There is a minimum number of days they must have in a year, they are just having more in the other days of the week and less break time.

Less is more - we should follow some of the Nordic mantras

And then the OP would have even more child care issues

I have an idea. Support staff form a business. Schools hire out the building, equipment and resources to the support staff on a Friday afternoon. Parents charged £10 a session. After costs, support staff share the profits. Everyone happy. (Especially the support staff who could make more in one afternoon than they do all week)

What happens in Ireland where I’m sure I read that schools-particularly infants-finish early?

Anyone from Ireland here who can comment? What time do they finish and what do working parents do? How does wraparound care work?