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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

School closed next Monday!

261 replies

Schoolclosure · 28/11/2019 12:15

I’ve been meaning to post this all week, I got a text from my dc’s school on Monday saying that due to the electricity board doing work on Monday 2nd dec the school will have no electricity and therefore will be closed. AIBU to think that it’s a tad ridiculous and. They could have just done the work over the bloody weekend!!??

OP posts:
drspouse · 29/11/2019 18:36

The government needs it to follow this pattern though. Society depends on it following this pattern and if it didn't they'd have to put something else in place that was also, more or less, free.

Mistressiggi · 29/11/2019 18:50

Op I take it you are not in scotland as ours are shut for st andrews day on Monday
I know the discussion has moved on but I want to know where in Scotland this is happening, as it isn't where I live!
It's certainly not a national holiday like St Patrick's day is.

bamboo12 · 29/11/2019 19:00

@frasersmummy shopping day for teachers is definitely not a thing. They will have a huge amount of planning and marking to do! Plus the ones that have scheduled to be closed will have training all day - believe me I know as I work in a school.

eeyore228 · 29/11/2019 19:11

I think you are being a tad naive if you expect the school to have unlimited funds to pay out for weekend work - schools are living to tight budgets and will (like you and I) go with the cheapest option. The electricity company don’t give a hoot that little Janets parents work they won’t give a discount for weekend work and they won’t care if the school closes. It’s one of those annoying things but ultimately they are a school and not childcare, i get it’s hard but it’s a parent thing.

LolaSmiles · 29/11/2019 19:13

The government needs it to follow this pattern though. Society depends on it following this pattern and if it didn't they'd have to put something else in place that was also, more or less, free.
It's still not childcare.
That's why there's a need for wrap around childcare.

People complaining about the inconvenience of term being 190 days like it always is need to wise up and stop complaining that it's too inconvenient for their working patterns, it's bad for them to sort childcare etc. The point of school is to educate for school hours, 190 days a year, not provide convenient childcare in a way that suits parents.

OhMyDarling · 29/11/2019 19:16

Xmas shopping days? Been a teacher for 15 years and never heard of this. Are you sure it’s not just an inset??

drspouse · 29/11/2019 19:21

My two DCs schools both have inset days around now as I have said and my experienced teacher friend (well over 15 years) said "ah yes Christmas shopping days".

So they are a thing.

icemelting · 29/11/2019 19:26

Ours have a Christmas shopping ‘inset’ and have done since eldest was little- currently on year 20 of primary (just 5 to go😂)

yogafailure · 29/11/2019 19:29

27 years of teaching and I've never even heard of a Christmas shopping day. I'm obviously in the wrong region. Even when there's no heating/water staff tend to be in school for a few hours at least. I feel shortchanged 😫

Lipperfromchipper · 29/11/2019 19:32

@eeyore228 if you RTFT you’ll see it’s not the schools I’m bashing at all(I am a teacher myself) it the electricity board I’m annoyed with.

FelicisNox · 29/11/2019 20:55

  1. it's not up to the school when the work is done.

  2. at least the work IS being done.

BoneyBackJefferson · 29/11/2019 21:00

drspouse

Call it what you will, but its a day that teachers have worked extra for so that they can have the day off and the pupils wouldn't be in school on that day anyway.

Some have it around Christmas and others have it at the end of the school year.

drspouse · 29/11/2019 21:08

Oh I call it an inset day. It's my teacher friend who called it a Christmas shopping day.

brighteyeowl17 · 29/11/2019 21:16

Who are these teachers that get Xmas shopping days?!

And also if they do it’s because they are owed it in directed time ..

And teacher training days the teachers are in.

Literally read this thread for the teacher bashing which always ensues.

WatchingTVagain · 29/11/2019 22:23

It’s a training day, which the school might have chosen to flexi by making up the hours as twilight sessions. It will come out of the training day allocationsZ

This. Ours was today, time made up doing twilight sessions and time taken today as it fits with mock/assessment timetable. You can bet every parent thinks it's a designated shopping day though.

Oblahdeeoblahdoe · 30/11/2019 02:25

Back in the 70s teachers may have individually been given shopping days but these stopped years ago. Ofsted would never allow it as they scrutinise training days

sashh · 30/11/2019 03:35

It could be a 3 day job and they are working over the weekend.

My dad believes |INSET days are 'shopping days'

EmmaGrundyForPM · 30/11/2019 06:22

The school my DC were at always had an inset day in early December. Dh was a school governor and the staff did training in twilight sessions so had the inset day "off". Some teachers used it for shopping, some to catch up on marking and others to just chill out. Everyone referred to it as a Christmas Shopping Day but obviously on the school communications it was called an inset day. Ds2 left school 3 years ago but I think it still goes on.

Teachers work hard. This is effectively a day off in lieu and so they can do what they want.

My only gripe with it was that for some reason the day was always mid week rather than tacked onto a weekend.

CallmeAngelina · 30/11/2019 12:48

Ffs, THEY ARE NOT SHOPPING DAYS!!

busybarbara · 30/11/2019 13:13

They could at least have organised an impromptu day trip to the museum or something

Piggywaspushed · 30/11/2019 13:45

Do you at all appreciate the paperwork that has to be done for a daytrip!!??

I don't know where you live Barbara but for many of us , a trip to a museum would mean booking coach companies...for a start.

LolaSmiles · 30/11/2019 13:48

They could at least have organised an impromptu day trip to the museum or something
In other words "they could have at least increased term to 191 days, work d an extra day for free in order to provide childcare in a way that is convenient for us".

I do hope you go around telling anyone with TOIL that they too should also do the additional hours AND work the time for other people's convenience. But I bet you wouldn't, because that would be stupid.

BeanBag7 · 30/11/2019 14:02

@busybarbara are you joking??

Day trips take weeks or even months to plan. Risk assessments, permission forms, costing, staffing, arranging transport, liaising with the museum (you cant just turn up with 200 kids without letting them know!)

BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou · 30/11/2019 14:02

They could at least have organised an impromptu day trip to the museum or something

I don’t know where you are but we have to give at least three weeks notice if we want to take large groups on the bus or train and coaches need longer too book and cost a fortune. Museums also need lots of notice for group visits. Plus this all costs money which not all families can afford, especially at this time of year.

fedup21 · 30/11/2019 14:03

a trip to a museum would mean booking coach companies...for a start.

And providing enough staff to support a trip for the whole school-which would be all of them!

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