School closed next Monday!

[Schoolclosure]

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!!??

Of course that's not really a thing. That is 100% made up.

It is 100% a thing. I can’t tell you how I know that, of course

My DDs school is closed on Monday for an 'occassional day'
I think that means xmas shopping for teachers?
The teachers will either be having a training day or they will have 'earned' that day off by working the extra hours having training sessions over several evenings (on top of their usual marking and planning). The children have always had those 5 occasional days off but teachers lost those 5 days holiday as part of a pay deal in 1985 and have to use them for training. They were originally referred to as Baker Days after the education minister who brought them in but are now usually called Inset days (in service training).

Schools don't care that when they do this, we have to run around sorting childcare.

You’re absolutely right, staff in schools are nothing for children and their parents

• care

My DDs school is closed on Monday for an 'occassional day'

I thought those died out decades ago - how is a school getting away with that? Have you checked that your child is being taught on the correct number of days?

Would anyone like to name an actual state school where the teachers have an official shopping day?

My DDs school is closed on Monday for an 'occassional day'

I would love to see a school’s term dates/calendar with ‘occasional’ day on. I suspect it’s just an Inset...

Our school calendar says "school closed" whereas inset days say "inset day 1" and "inset day 2" etc. I don't believe the shopping is compulsory just a historical anomaly - I'd rather they finished a day earlier before Christmas.

I worked in a school with a Xmas shopping day, as mentioned upthread the teaching staff did the training after school a few times to make this be a shopping day. Really good for morale actually. Its a grim term up to Xmas

You would rather your dear child sat there in the cold and dark? It won't be the Head with a screwdriver. A couple of our roads are being closed, it's what happens.

Dh's school is off tomorrow for a shopping day. Though he is doing no shopping as I have done it all. I think it's more a wellness day for all the staff and now seems to be a bit of a tradition
It's not although it may have that effect and if the teachers have done the hours at another time they can do what they like with the day. The children would have had that day off anyway. See my previous post.

Schools don't care that when they do this, we have to run around sorting childcare.

Newsflash, the school isn't there to provide free childcare! Glad you have no educational concerns though, your convenience first and foremost.

My last school had a "wellness day" that could be cashed in almost any time with enough notice. Some used it for Christmas shopping. Most used it to attend a child's school show, sports day, assembly etc.

My primary school (in the early 80s) had a christmas shopping day in December every year... and yes it was actaully called that.

An occassional day is not an inset day... it's a day off for puils and staff.
Yes, they probably have made up the hours with twilight sessions.... but unofficially, it's a day for shopping cos weekends are mobbed... so my teacher friend tells me.

Well, schools are for education not childcare. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I'm sorry it was apparently 1988 not 1985 but everything else I said is here.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inset_day

quote:
This development of teacher training days is thought by some education bodies to cause additional disruption[5] and burdens on working parents who do not have easy access to flexible childcare, although the five training days were introduced as an addition to teachers' attendance days and the total number of days children are required to be in school was not affected.
Teachers who are parents themselves may have greater problems than other working parents since they are unable to take ad-hoc days off to look after their own children whenever an Inset day is scheduled at their children's school.

It would be impossible for the School to open at all ,as they would have no heating or lighting ! They are at the mercy of the Electricity board like we all are .W/E rates would be very expensive and genuine emergencies would be priority .

My DH is a teacher, they close for a 'shopping day' which is actually an inset day but instead of going into school to train, they do evening training on a couple of nights after school and then basically that time is given back as the day off. It's made transparent to parents that the day is given as a day off to the teachers because the training is done but at another time.
No parent as ever complained as whether the teachers did the training on that day at school, or in evenings and took the time back, the result is that kids still wouldn't be at school that day. And as is often pointed out, school isn't a babysitting service.

My DDs school is closed on Monday for an 'occassional day'

I would love to see a school’s term dates/calendar with ‘occasional’ day on. I suspect it’s just an Inset...

Well here you go then...

From school website

This is not my childs school tho... this is my nephews.. their occasional day is tomorrow. I just checked my DDs school and Monday is in fact an Inset day.

I would love to see a school’s term dates/calendar with ‘occasional’ day on. I suspect it’s just an Inset...

I haven't heard them called that for a very long time but that is exactly what they were called before 1988. Perhaps whoever does the school calendar is an old timer.

are all these schools closed for the election too? lots of "shopping days" this year...

No... they have inset days too

I always think schools must have very poor business continuity plans. I'm surprised they don't have a back up generator. They're not dear in the scheme of things. Don't get me started on how they always close when it snows which causes huge issues for parents and particularly those of us parents who work in the NHS and other parts of the public sector that manage to stay open.

Schools close when it snows to stop parents suing the school if their little darling slips over on ice in the playground.

As for the electrical work at this school, perhaps it is going to take three days and will be over the weekend as well.