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

It's not about using school as childcare, I never have expected free childcare hence why she's in Nursery and I pay for hours on top of the free ones. It's just a how the hell do I make it work thing?

Will look into childminders, although I suspect they'll be busy and/or full as lots working parents around her.

Not in Wales or Scotland.

My cousins school does this. They have a very cheap wrap around for working parents (they have to prove they are working) that is covered by the TAs.

Our school has started doing random half days throughout the year. There isn’t even a pattern, though they are at least announced at the end of the previous school year. We handle it by me flexing my hours, because I have that option. Other families use leave time, family, or paid child care. It’s not easy for most families. When the school switched to this system they released the financials to show how much money it was saving. I don’t recall the figure, but it was substantial.

Passthecherrycoke-if your school has spare money sitting around, please send it our way. We are having to cut TAs and our supply budget for next year is ZERO-if any teacher is off it will need to be covered by our remaining TAs!

Closing Friday afternoon however is nothing new, my secondary school did this nearly 50 years ago!

Teachers warned this would happen. People voted the way they did. Now this is what you've got.

Teachers get a couple of hour planning, preparation and assessment time a week. It's important because year groups can plan and moderate together. It's really important to have that time: I collate and compare child info, we look at the children in need and compare notes. One piece of the puzzle fits with mine and we discover something about a child and can help. Ppa isn't just having a cuppa. Last week I spent the entirety of mine on the phone to spcial services. Afterschool time is for whole school meetings.

In the past there were PPA teachers. Qualified teachers who taught 1 or two lessons one afternoon a week to cover that, but across 7 year groups they were full time. It was great because the class had a qualified teacher all the time.

Then there was the budget slashing. So then ppa teachers went and TA's did the cover. Then even that was too little. Schools are facing cutting teaching jobs and raising class sizes: again. Faced between choosing to have a reveption teacher this year and closing pne afternoon, what's the best decision? Closing one afternoon means all ppa is uncovered, plus TA positions can be cut back. Maybe then we can afford another teacher and have 3 classes of a smaller size instead of 2 of 36 with one TA between them.

Things really are that shit. I've been buying the gluesticks and pencils this half term. There is a no photocopying rule. Any bits of spare cash go to supporting the school food bank.

People voted for this and now it's here they don't like it. I love teaching kids. I love my school and class. I could cheerfully murder this government. I know it must be a huge pain in the ass and I feel for parents. I'm in the same situation! But complain. Not to the school: to your MP. Moan and moan and kick up a stink and support your school . And never vote for the people who knowingly, and in full understanding, did this to local communities. Schools are not things to be asset stripped.

Sorry. It makes me so sad.

What about another mum friend? I'm a sahm and id happily look after a friend's child.

Today 19:08 spanieleyes

Passthecherrycoke-if your school has spare money sitting around, please send it our way. We are having to cut TAs and our supply budget for next year is ZERO-if any teacher is off it will need to be covered by our remaining TAs!

Closing Friday afternoon however is nothing new, my secondary school did this nearly 50 years ago!

What is your position in your school spaniel?

There will likely be TAs and support staff that are being royally fucked over by this, as they won't be paid for the Friday afternoon, they'll just have their hours cut. Maybe one of them would be interested in looking after a child for cash in hand ?

Really don't see anyone who benefits*

In general I think it's a good thing for children to have more free time to play, relax, do hobbies. In quite a few European countries children finish school early at least one day a week. The difficulty here is that it's a change at short notice which some parents won't be prepared for.

Of course it's very very difficult for working parents. I hope there will be sufficient demand that an after school club/ expanded nursery places spring up. It would be helpful if the school could offer expanded after school club for the first year at least.

Schools are making these changes to save money as their budgets are so stretched. I'd rather they didn't have to save money, but if they do I'd rather they do this than cut teachers/ switch to cheaper less good staff/ cancel educationally useful activities. In the end they are there to educate children.

Sadly carrying on as they are is simply not possible for many cash-strapped schools, they have made all the easy/ low-impact savings already.

passthecherrycoke-
I'm the Head.

This has happened for years in some areas, I never went to school on Friday afternoons back in the 1970s.

You won’t be the only parent in this situation - supply and demand means that childcare providers will see an opportunity and step in to fill this gap eventually but unfortunately that is unlikely to be swift enough for your September quandary.

God my head is the worst for pretending there is no money. The budget management is horrendous. There are actually teachers alleging they are replacing broken laptops from their own money when there’s a £400k capital equipment budget. And this is a primary school. It’s infuriating

This is a thing

Looks I'll be a SAHM for longer than I thought

And it’s not just £400k, it’s a totally unspent £400k. My personal opinion is no one can be bothered to work out how to raise a purchase order to spend it

As I said, send it my way!

Our high school does this but they did consult with the bus companies and bus times were changed to accommodate the early starts and early finish on a Friday. With secondary aged children it really does not pose an issue as they do not generally need childcare anyway.
With younger children then a childminder or after school club is the best bet. There may be after school clubs in your area that collect from the local primaries. They are not linked to any one school but are independent. There are several where we live. Your local council should have a list of these and also childminders. Childminders also do drop off and pick up. It is really no different to someone who starts at say 6:00 am or works 2:00 pm to say 8 or 9:00 pm. People just have to try and organise childcare, favours from friends or look to change jobs. It is not easy in the primary years but looking at the hours you work you would be looking at needing childcare on a Thursday anyway so why not start looking now for a childminder that can do a Thursday and Friday afternoon for you, use the after school club on the Wednesday.
You could put an ad in a local paper or group to see if there are any TA's that offer a babysitting service. I know of several that work part time in schools and supplement this by doing a pick up and look after in your own home.
You do need to be starting to make enquiries now and make sure you have something in place. Spaces at clubs, childminders etc fill up quickly.

In Edinburgh/Midlothian they've done this for decades, childminders are chokka on Friday afternoons. School used to give free school meal DC a packed lunch to take away on a Friday. I don't live there anymore so not sure what the current situation is.

you would be looking at needing childcare on a Thursday anyway

Her dad will be having her Thursday and he will pick up from school - he lives close enough that this won't be a problem, and she can go to After School Club Wednesday which finishes in time for me to pick her up, I am literally stuck for Fridays. As I don't work Monday and Tuesday.

OP what are your working hours on Friday and what was your original plan for the after school care assuming she finished at 2 on a Friday and you are working? Also, do the school do a staggered start for year 1? Some schools have it so they aren’t in full time until October. Find out if yours does this as you’ll need childcare for the extra hours she isn’t in school.

Just to add, We're in the Scottish Borders and have been doing this for years. Traditionally we are a Lib Dem. area!!
It has great advantages for many. Most if not all sports matches etc. are run on a fri afternoon. so less need for children to be doing this on a Sat. morning. Teachers also get more time off at weekends. I used to run a retail business and my Saturday staff ( High School pupils) loved getting an extra shift on a Friday afternoon.

I think the loss of breaks in schools is detrimental. It seems a constant march to cut breaks and reduce the school day. I remember the loss of afternoon break and now it seems morning is on the way out too.

**I think educationally it’s brilliant

Not brilliant when we are expected to deliver the same curriculum with even better results each year, but in less time.

Yep, thanks to government cuts in my LA not just closed on a Friday afternoon, but schools closing completely. No more savings to be made ( small schools, mixed age groups), no one else to make redundant otherwise pupils just wouldn't have a teacher.
Deficit budgets in 1 in 3 schools and by next year 1 in 2.

My working hours are 12-4.30pm, I was originally doing 9am-1.30pm but had to change as I have a medical condition that means I'm more tired in the mornings, this way I get more done at work. The ASC was originally run 5 days a week but has been cut to 2 days as of September as it's run by an external company so assume it's costing to much.

I will have to speak to my manager and/or childminders. Her dad can't change his hours at all (long story short he basically kept changing his hours and pissed off his manager so now his hours are set in stone to stop him messing them around).