To want to have a September plan for schools by end of July?

[Echobelly]

I think it's kind of inevitable that kids will have to be all back at school in some way in September, but presume that form will not be full days/ every day.

I also presume we'll get confirmation of what this is a couple of weeks before they go back, so we'll have no idea until then of what our weeks are going to look like or be able to plan our work around it, or childcare if we need it/if it's available. As I imagine it hasn't occured to anyone in government that parents (read 90% mums) will have to contort their lives around this and might need more than a fortnight to plan this.

I appreciate things could still change a lot in the next few months, but if they could outline even a minimum likely provision that would be a huge help.

I have had some indication from DDs new school that the year will start later for reception kids but this is mainly because they can’t do the transition when they usually do and quite rightly their priority needs to be to their current pupils at the moment.
As an assumption, I would guess that nursery would be able to take the children who are pre schoolers if you are unable to send your kids full time as they take kids usually up to the age of 5 (so I imagine only a few kids in each school would be near the age of 5 at the start of term)

Given we have had nearly 50 guidance notes since it was announced some children would be going back, most of which contradicted another in some small detail, I wouldn't expect any future guidance to be of much use!

I think there will be plans for parents to see by the end of July - that's 9 weeks away. However they will need to be subject to a number of caveats.

@Phineyj this is affecting some of the key workers now. In my school if a child is in one of the year groups coming back in June (rec, yr 1, yr 6) they have to be in that group all day so cannot have wrap around child care with the other key worker children.

If the government are unwilling or unable to provide a framework for the return to school in advance then they need to put some kind of policy / mandate in place to protect mainly women who rely on school to be able to work.

I am due back in the office at some point (thankfully my company are erring on the side of caution and it wont be any time in the next few months) and I am also incredibly lucky in that MIL provides childcare and I am PT but most people cannot wait until August to make their childcare plans. They need to know to plan their return to work?

• obviously MIL is not currently providing childcare .

I know! The whole situation stinks and workers shouldn't be pitted against each other in this way.

For those in London, I recently spoke to the nanny agency that provides after school nannies (I won't name them in case that's not allowed) and they said they have loads of nannies on their books. The cost is the same as wrap around, for us at least.

I need a minimum of 4 weeks notice as that is my notice period at work if I have to give up to enable DS to only attend part time.

@witsfuckingend

There's no further guidance in Scotland so I don't know why you're implying we have it sorted.

As both a parent and a staff member - not a scooby whats going on yet.

Well, I said what they could do 'as a minimum', as obviously even by between the end of July and start of September things could change, but even if by then schools might be able to say 'As a minimum, if kids can go back we'll be able to have kids back two days a week; Mon-Tues YR-3, Weds and Thurs Y4-6/every day 10am-2pm for YR-2, 9am-3pm for Y4-6' or whatever, that would be something to go on.