To feel I can't cope with schools only going back part time in August?

[jbonsor]

Just that. I was coping OK with lockdown, and trying to keep positive about juggling kids and working from home til June, then take a few weeks holiday over the summer just to do things with the kids even if still restricted. This week I have received a letter from my son's nursery to say he has a space for the 2020-2021 school year but that due to covid 19 they can't confirm pattern of attendance, as in, they can't confirm if he will have the 30 hours he was having since August. I also have read a lot that primary school might be 2 days only a week or a very day but only morning or afternoon session.. This has really tipped me over the edge as I am dreading having to keep juggling all this for over a year. This really puts a strain in family life and finances because now we have to basically decide on one income only, and not onky that but I don't feel I am that good at home schooling and feel like my kids are going to fall behind. Sometimes I can't believe how everything fell apart so spectacularly and how is the Scottish government deciding this is the best course of action without any regard for the mountain of problems this will bring to a huge amount of families.

@fatimashortbread I have a specialist job in a large NHS ICU. There's only two of us who do this job and we're both parents of primary school children. I can work full time while my DS is in school full time but if not who is going to look after him on the days he is off school. My employer will not be flexible as my job has to be covered full time. Perhaps if I had a desk based job she would but my job is on the ward full time.

Oh and I emailed my MSP today but not sure how much good this will do.

Would it be unreasonable to suggest that life would be better all round, for children, women and men, if there was less pressure to get mothers back to work as fast as possible post partum? I don't pretend to know how it could be done better to preserve women's career paths, but I am certain that women's careers and prospects would serve the economy better and for longer if there were more re-skilling for the (mainly female) cohorts who took time out to have children and get them to reception/primary.

JassyRadlett
classic trap oh ok forgive me I'm too 'daft' to understand....and Too patronising ....did you read your post before posting?
Obviously not being a parent or a teacher I would not know a thing about it .....ah oops ...I forgot I am both.....never mind, you crack on expert in the field of everything parenting & education .........I've got to go now as I've really got to start organising an anti anxiety classroom.......

@Yorkshiretolondon. I’m not saying anything about you as a person. Your post was daft and patronising, the hashtag was passive aggressive. You then did the classic of accusing a person who pointed these things out of being ‘angry’.

I’ve laid no claim to be an expert on anything except parenting my own children in my own situation.

Suggestions that I and other in our situation have not weighed up the pros and cons of returning our children to school and nursery when those options are available to us do seem to come from a place of having a very low opinion of the capacity of parents for critical thinking.

As things stand, we lose vast amounts of knowledge and skill to attrition by maternity.

It's a bit of a thing with me: DH has a micro business, in an old fashioned but essential industry, that is not going away via technological progress, unless physics is rewritten. During the Victorian era, the skills to deal with this were refined and fine-tuned. DH's business uses all those Victorinan skills and technologies still: to keep hospitals (and the rest of us) supplied with clean hot water. It sounds so basic and easy because most of us assume it's as simple as turning on a tap.Actually, when stuff goes wrong in a posh hotel, or on a cruise liner, there's an iceberg of engineering underneath stopping norovirus. But the viruses are evolving all the time.

mmmmm ok perfecto

I feel the same. My primary 2 was already struggling at school with his work before school ended. My primary 1 is basically at the same level of work that he is. I am worried long term about how far behind he will be, seen as he will be going into p3 after summer.

As everyone is going to be in the same boat employers will have to be flexible about hours for all employees

Massive unemployment means beggars can't be choosers. There will be plenty of people with no childcare obligations ready to step up.

Are secondary schools going to be part time ?

Most posters seem indifferent or critical. With the price of crude in the tank, where's the money coming from to fund the dream?

And the other big industry, tourism, is down the swanny with extended lockdown.

I'd like to buy out IKEA and re-furnish my house but without the money to pay for it, it's not going to happen.

Are secondary schools going to be part time ?

Yes, they are all 'blended learning'

In the early years of primary they’ll catch up. My youngest was behind already as we had to move him to a new school in p6 and he was supposed to be getting support to catch up for the rest of p7 before starting high school. My eldest is going into s3 but he’s miles ahead in pretty much everything so I’m less worried about him.

I’ve lost my job and rough as it may be on others I am hoping the fact I won’t need childcare for my kids as they’re both in high school will help my chances getting something else.

@trumpisaflump surely you are a keyworker though? The plan (I am pretty sure!) is for part time (or this blended lark) schooling for all but still provision for key worker children.

@Mistressiggi I don't know. Where I am at the moment there is only childcare for key workers if both parents are key workers. My DH is not classed as a key worker but will be back at work by August. Plus I'm not sure where this childcare for key workers will be. At the moment it's in schools (hubs) but when schools reopen, where do key workers' kids go?

I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to upset so many here. Mine was more of a remark against parents concerned about their children falling behind in school. I think I’d rather have a healthy child than a clever one. Plus coming from a family of teachers, there is enough going on in classrooms without having to keep children apart. We are social workers supposed to look out for signs of distress or abuse. Believe me that is enough of a burden. As for other European countries who’s children are back, take a look at the support they have. Extra teachers, teaching assistants, toilet duty assistants and cleaners then see what extras our government are putting in place.

It's a really awful situation for parents, especially working parents, not classed as key workers. I am so angry with the SNP's approach to this - there has not been any open consultation on their plans and it smacks of wanting to nationalise the approach to education rather than allowing LAs /schools to lead.

@GoldenOmber and @Dinosauratemydaffodils - it is complete nonsense about the benefit of the standardised start date. Children aren't going to have any more teaching time as Councils now have to negotiate when teachers are going to get their lost holiday back.

we are both working parents and we won't be able to follow along with any standardised nationally rolled-out programme - we will be doing what we can in between trying to keep our jobs to pay the bills.

I thought NS was handling this well until now - but can't help think there is an agenda here that I'm not seeing

it is complete nonsense about the benefit of the standardised start date

Agree, it's also frankly insulting to think all children will have the same opportunities with the home components. On balance, it will work for us but I used to work with vulnerable families. No way will it work for the majority of those. My mil used to teach at a high school in the worst area of a Scottish city...you can imagine her feelings on the topic.

My concern is that once it's centrally set up, it won't be removed. That will make it harder for women like me to return to work. I wasn't going to looking for something within school hours but I was expecting a full week of school every week. It definitely makes private school look much more tempting (if they survive).

So the idea is that there’ll be a central standardised curriculum rather than each school setting it’s own work? If that’s the case it’s would allow them to overcome one of the biggest weaknesses with CfE (the vagueness of it leading to massive variation in the quality of education) without having to openly admit that it’s been a disaster.... There is an election coming up after all, and that was a big train coming down the track towards them. Of course I can’t help thinking that the new scheme will lead to an even bigger disparity in results as it essentially becomes survival of the fittest (in terms of input parents are willing/able to give), but then you could hold your hands up and say ‘COVID, global pandemic, no other choice’ and hope enough people buy it.

We will also be fitting the curriculum where we can as we also have to work. If they’re creating this problem they can work around us.

There won't be a standardised curriculum in school, sounds like that might be the plan for when they are out of school - but if so, how does that link together? I think it would be easier if a teacher did all the introducing and explaining stuff face to face, and they then worked on tasks related to that at home.

@Mistressiggi this is what I can't get my head around this though. How can children work through tasks at home if parents work full time and are therefore out of the house all day Monday to Friday? How can this work?

@Mistressiggi this is what I can't get my head around this though. How can children work through tasks at home if parents work full time and are therefore out of the house all day Monday to Friday? How can this work?

Oops! Sorry about the double post. I'm so stressed about this I'm posting twice

Do you mean secondary children? I know they might not always do it but should be able to work at home alone for a while.
Primary children I don't think could be at home alone while parents were out could they? Not younger ones. I know the next question is, what do people do about work? I have no idea. I don't know what I will do myself.