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.

@jbonsor exactly that. Private nursery is taking them back 5 days a week and they have 25 kids in one space (only one room nursery).
The school nursery is taking them back 2 days a week.

Money talks hey?

Your child will be the same age as mine OP. He is in his first year of nursery too, January starter though and they weren't rolling out the 30 hours in our area until August this year so he was 15 hours from starting in January until they closed. It's a little frustrating not hearing anything as I do have to propose to my work what I can work. I'm contracted to do 25 hours a week and this was previously working by DS being in nursery 12:20-3:20 Mon-Fri, me working 12:30-5:30 so I did drop offs and DH did pick ups as he works 6-3. That all went to pot when this 30 hour funding came in so I told my work I would switch and do 8:30-12:30 Mon-Fri from August as I'd applied to have DS in 8-1 at nursery from August. I would be the only one available to do drop offs and pick ups as DH works until 3. That was going to work ok but now I have no idea. We have 4 local childminders that do pick ups from that nursery but they're all full so I've no idea how all this is going to work. It's becoming a real headache. Just knowing he has a place would be a start. We were meant to find out around the end of April but no one has. Also, they decided to shorten the summer holidays by a week up here. It feels a bit like we're all just expected to make do and find a way which is ok for a while but it can't go on forever

@flumposie no explanation.
They are splitting the class up between 2 days so half go in Monday and Tuesday and half go in Wednesday and Thursday and the school is closed completely on Friday. Not sure why it’s closed Friday. I’m guessing maybe for a clean but they have provided no explanation.

There are going to be many redundancies, so maybe childcare won't be an issue for many anyway

You sound pleased at the prospect .

Honestly I’ve seen you on a lot of threads about schooling and you seem to think that as you survive on little money, we all should. Forgetting of course that many people are single parents, many took out mortgages based on higher incomes which means they could lose their homes, many have two parents working out of necessity, some just people work because they want to and it’s better for their mental health than being at home... all sorts of reasons why other people have different circumstances to you.

I get the issue with part time schooling but what exactly do you want? Do you think that this is a choice that is being made or a necessity. Or would you rather you take your chances with your child falling ill?
At the heart of this decision is the fact that they don't really know the impact on children and the spread in reality. In Scotland, it is exactly why they are introducing this. They cannot possibly maintain social distancing in schools otherwise.. Part of that reason I reckon they don't know the true picture which children is I I assume because schools have not been in since the end of March or thereabouts.
When they were in, nothing was ever said about the virus having any impact of children. I am referring to the Kawasaki type disease. It may be rare but who knows when they bring children back.
I am a teacher and I have no idea how this will pan out but I am more concerned about my children going back than I am how to mange my home life when they do.

Children will be just fine with missing a bit of nursery/primary school.

Yeah, stuff all those of secondary school and college/uni age and those with SEN.

It will only affect women more if we don't stand up for ourselves and ask the children's father's to take on their share of childcare too. E.g. you could both ask to WFH one day a week or work 4 days a week, rather than one person giving up their job.

Totally agree, it's up to us to say what we want and not be dictated to by our partners. Make sure you get equality and keep your job.

many couples can't live on just one salary any more.
Oh yes they can, they choose not to, which is their prerogative. Plenty of us live on one min wage with tc top up. Plenty of us live on one wage without top ups. Plenty manage to share work with a partner both doing pt.
With the cost of childcare taking out one salary, both working is choice not necessity. There's nothing wrong with this choice, but stop with the crap about needing two salaries.

@SansaSnark sure, that goes without saying, we will have to take a desicion based on what makes more financial sense, and of course my husband takes responsibility for his role, my point is this will have a negative impact in families for years to come whether is having to give up a job, downsizing house, or in our case he will probably have to give up his education and with that the possibility of a better job. Like another poster was saying this will Have a huge impact for social mobility

I am a teacher and I have no idea how this will pan out but I am more concerned about my children going back than I am how to mange my home life when they do

As a teacher, your employer will probably have some sympathy as to your plight. Many private sector employers won’t give a shiny shit who is going to look after their employees children. They’ll be expected in every day for their normal hours regardless. Those who can’t do that... they will be the first out of the door when redundancies are made. And it will mainly be women.

There are going to be many redundancies, so maybe childcare won't be an issue for many anyway

Oh, yeah, great! Mass unemployment poverty, repossessions and homelessness (UC does not cover mortgages) and foodbanks are wonderful.

So what should people with existing mortgages do Devlesko? As far as I’m aware, UC doesn’t cover mortgages.

Nothing is happening to our children. They will not be damaged by this

@masonmason I beg to differ. I have a DD in yr10 - before lockdown she was predicted to get grade 4s in all her GCSEs next year which means she's on the cusp of only just passing them. She is now missing an entire term of her five-term GCSE curriculum. In my view the support she's getting from school is inadequate and they are not going back before September. There is a very strong possibility she will leave school without a single qualification. She will not be able to progress onto the course she would like to do in year 12, or indeed, any course. Right now I'm incredibly angry about it - her entire future is unravelling.

I feel same my 5 yr old reception child cant go back as school have refused. If they take yr5s back she will be going bk ill have to demand it as I'm.a key worker working from home and 10 year old watches her at moment

@devlesko ir eapect your choice of living on 1 income and tax credits top up but imagine thousands having to give up their jobs and therefore not paying taxes, then those thousands applying for tax credits top up! Where do you think the tax credits money comes from? Tax payers of course! So this should not be our default option.

@Devlesko so can you explain to me what you think single parents should do?

I get the issue with part time schooling but what exactly do you want? Do you think that this is a choice that is being made or a necessity.

Of course it's a choice. All things governments do are choices. Not necessarily the wrong choice, but a choice all the same. Some on the govt's education recovery group wanted schools open full-time because they felt the risk to kids/teachers/country was very low, so that was another choice they could have made and didn't.

Or would you rather you take your chances with your child falling ill?

I do that all the time, every year, in flu season. All the evidence we have about covid is that children are in very little danger from it - about as much danger as they are from seasonal flu, even though we vaccinate for that. So no I'm not worried about sending my child in. I'd be more worried about the risks to adults (staff) and the risk of the virus spreading again, although I'm not sure why the government think they won't be able to suppress this enough with test and trace by August that it's not even worth aiming towards reopening schools fully.

Children will spend the next however long (months? a year? indefinitely?) not being fully educated. The attainment gap is going to widen massively and a lot of parents, mostly mothers, are going to lose jobs.

And Devlesko do you understand where your TC top ups come from?
Higher earners who don’t claim TC top ups.
How do you think TC will be paid if everyone goes down to one income plus TC top ups?

Tax credits? You can't get those anymore. They are a legacy benefit. It's all UC now.

I'm slightly dreading what will happen once DS goes back to school (older sister is at secondary so can move herself around) as during July and August work will start booking in meetings for September (we have a huge digital project that has basically saved my team from furlough) and I presume I will have no childcare and possibly short/irregular days. If DH is working - he is contractor - it likely falls to me to drop off and pick up because his work is full-on and paid by the day.

My work will be very understanding, but it's going to be a real head spinner managing everyone's movements.

And some of us do have employers who'll let us work from home a few days a week, but most of us don't have employers who'll pay us for 15 hours a week spent going through Twinkl worksheets in work hours.

Plus you can no longer get the TC anymore, Driving. It's UC. If you have the relevant NI contributions it's JSA for 6 months, then UC for everyone! You know, that programme designed to incentivise the work that's no longer there so it's set at subsistence level for the unemployed, hence foodbank use rose.

I don’t think anyone can say with any assurance the impact this will have on a generation. It’s an experiment in that we’ve never taken every child out of school, forbidden social interaction outside the family for over 2 months (Wales) and removed their access to fun things likes parks, swimming pools and other activities. We know some children are being abused and their parents now have an excuse to keep them locked away, we know Some parent’s are very stressed and we know that many children will not receive a formal education for 6 months. The impact of this might not show for years when we see declining grades and terrible mental health. Maybe things will be fine but no one can guarantee this, unless you have a crystal ball

I do that all the time, every year, in flu season.
I've seen this mentioned a few times. My dc had the flu nasal spray every year throughout primary, is this not a thing elsewhere?