School will be closed at lunchtime one day a week from Sept

[Ilovecranberries]

The school (primary) had just informed the parents that they will be closing at lunchtime on one day a week from September to facilitate "planning".
I don't even know what to say. AIBU to think it is ridiculous? I am a single working parent, not sure how I am supposed to work around this. Extra childcare for these 3.5 hours at the local childminders rates will be £56 a week (two children here). Or two grand a year post tax. I probably will be told I am BU (I probably am), just very anxious right now.

Also janice as you‘be said you rely heavily on your family for childcare ( which is hypocritical as you know they are your responsibility) do you pay them? Do they charge you for child care?

Janice, I never said I am too grand to speak to other parents - I said I don't feel capable enough to offer regular minding service to other families under the terms of the "favours swap". It will have to be an arrangement that realistically will have to include all siblings from all participating families. I just don't feel capable of entertaining a very random mixed age group in my tiny house for a couple of hours. Incidentally, I don't even have a TV. In my opinion, it is just a matter of time before such arrangement fails with very sour feelings from all sides - if the constant playground quarrels are anything to go by.

And, to be honest, I would not feel comfortable leaving my children in someone else's house at this age (outside of the regulated childcare, I mean).

I'd be amazed if there are working examples of such childcare swap groups in reality (participants must be saints then). I think it is one of those ideas that look much better in theory.

@LaurieMarlow

The point about cooperating other parents isn’t a particularly strong one.

Five/Six kids in your house as a regular arrangement is childminding. There are regulations around that.

Can you imagine if one of them had an serious accident. I doubt all these parents will to help out long term will be getting insurance

It's to so with teacher shortages. Teachers need to plan their lessons and have 10% of their timetable dedicated to planning time. Another teacher has to deliver the lessons during that time schools now have had their budgets so restricted that they can't afford to pay the staff so it's cheaper to close the school for a half day

It is the cost. The cover teacher has gone and s/he is too expensive to replace. Likely her wage is being spent on sinks and other things we need at the moment, sadly.

Can you imagine if one of them had an serious accident. I doubt all these parents will to help out long term will be getting insurance

I know right? It’s a nightmare.

@LaurieMarlow

The point about cooperating other parents isn’t a particularly strong one.

Five/Six kids in your house as a regular arrangement is childminding. There are regulations around that.

It's only childminding if it's paid for.

What about insurance, safeguarding, trust in parents with no training that you may not know well, reliability?

There’s a reason why childcare is regulated.

It's only childminding if it's paid for.
I think there was a case of two female police officers looking after each other's children whilst working opposite shifts - caught for illegal childminding. Benefit in kind also counts as "payment".

I think it is one of those ideas that look much better in theory.

but you know that it has been a regular arrangements for months, possibly years with some families? (lockdown excepted obviously).

You make it sound like it's a new thing, but there's plenty of families who have happily "swapped" kids every week and it has worked very well.
Of course on MN you only hear about the "CF" and the drama, but in real life it's hardly the huge deal some posters make it out.

So obviously you don't have to do anything, but the concept of parents providing regular childcare to each other is what allow many of us to work without stress...

This is terrible but I'm not surprised. It's been coming for years with constant cuts to funding. I really feel for you OP. Really hoping that you find a way to see your parents too, could they come to you?

@JaniceWebster
It is a new thing to me, if I am honest. Every working mother I know is (was) using paid official registered childcare. I am on MN a couple of years (nc for this post), but don't think I've read about such arrangements being commonplace either. As one-off - yes, but I suspect in real life the reliability of the informal "school mum circle" childcare is quite low.

LaurieMarlow
From what you’ve said on this thread you’ve relied on friends and family to cover full time working janice. Sounds like extreme cheeky fuckery to me.

On MN, anything that is free is extremely CF, back in the real world, people help each other out. Thankfully, I do live in the real world and not on MN where you must charge for every thing, kick your children out the minute they turn 18 and other gems from this forum.

When you read from another poster Parents up and down the country are just as tired as you - but your in the fortunate position to have child care support. some people seem to have miss the fact we have just been in a lockdown and make a nice little story in their head to start an argument

I don’t know of a single family in RL using those kinds of reciprocal arrangements in ordinary times - except for a very odd emergency.

Everyone I know uses registered childcare or grandparents.

Legal, financial implications are a minefield.

Ilovecranberries

in some places, there's no childcare or very limited wrap around care - when clubs or nurseries are full, they are full. People genuinely do not have a choice and haven't got access to paid and organised set-up for every hour or every day they need. It's really not always possible to find a nursery or preschool that has 5 full long days. it's not even uncommon to put your child in 2 different nurseries.

Some also like the idea of a regular "playdate" to cut the week! Kids are happy, parents don't have to rush to collect the kids and pay a fine for being late when trains are running late.

It's genuinely common for people to swap. Only on MN does it have to be a "mum thing", dads happen to be involved to.

Thankfully, I do live in the real world and not on MN where you must charge for every thing

Well I’d love to know who’s providing you with full time childcare for free. Saintly doesn’t cover it.

Some also like the idea of a regular "playdate" to cut the week! Kids are happy, parents don't have to rush to collect the kids and pay a fine for being late when trains are running late

5/6 kids plus siblings on a regular basis isn’t a play date.

The most common here is dropping the kids to a friend early, so one parent do the school run and another the pick-up, but not only. I would be amazed if this area was anything special.

Even teachers need to start working before their own children is dropped off, not everyone can afford to start work at 9am. I don't know anyone who does actually.

5/6 kids plus siblings on a regular basis isn’t a play date.

you know you can make arrangements with one or 2 families not half the class?
Even with 4 kids I have managed to split them up and keep it manageable for others

The most common here is dropping the kids to a friend early, so one parent do the school run and another the pick-up, but not only. I would be amazed if this area was anything special.

That’s not childcare to cover working hours though, obviously.

Are you saying that people work full time hours based on these reciprocal arrangements? 35 hours a week?

It’s happening in most local schools near me. They shut for deep cleaning on a Friday afternoon!

This sort of thread absolutely does my head in. Schools have to adhere to government guidelines. Which change every other day and sometimes several times a day.
Many schools and school staff spent hours (as well as providing online learning etc etc) to rewrite entire timetables, reorganise classrooms etc to come up with a plan to allow children the maximum time in school in August. The day the plan was to be presented for acceptance the guidelines changed.
My school now has three potential timetables for returning in August, depending on whether its 2m distancing, 1m distancing or no distancing. The government don't intend to announce which we will use until one week before the schools are going back...
The only scenario where planning time can occur as normal is with a totally normal return with no social distancing and no restrictions on staff moving classrooms. Supply staff are not allowed to work in several schools in August and at the moment have been told they can't be in different classrooms throughout the day. So they can't be used to cover an hour for teacher A then an hour for teacher B.

No school is deliberately trying to piss off parents. For all schools the easy option is to return full time with a normal timetable, but we have to adhere to guidelines from the government to keep both staff and pupils safe.

While it looked for a bit like things might be more back to normal, as time goes on and we see the resurgence of the virus in places that eased lock-down its entirely possible that 'normal' wont happen for a while. And anything other than 'normal' means that as well as teaching a full day teachers will also have to provide online learning for those pupils who cant come in as numbers are restricted. Planning time is essential and also a legal requirement.

If you want someone to bitch at, bitch at the government that decided it was ok to squeeze 30+ kids into tiny classrooms, that teacher recruitment was not something they should care about and that cutting school funding was a super great idea.
There are sadly few TAs left to cover any classes, there are severe teacher shortages in many places and there is fuck all money to redo ancient classrooms to fit in socially distanced seating, never mind provide antibac wipes to wipe the classroom after each class.

My classroom squeezed in 32 pupils at normal capacity, when we measured it for the 2m social distancing it could take 8 people. so 7 pupils and a teacher. I would have had to run that class 5 (!!!) times for all 32 kids to come in for a face to face. And that is ONE CLASS.

Yes its shit they are closing half a day. Be glad you know now and have some time to figure out how the hell you will sort it, just like everyone else.

you know you can make arrangements with one or 2 families not half the class?

But then you’re scheduled to mind every second or third week. That’s not worth anyone’s while if they’re having to use holiday.

For it to be helpful to the OP she needs more families involved. And you need to cater for siblings. So it becomes unmanageable really quickly.

You need to think this stuff through you see

That sounds like an utter nightmare do you have a job where you could work at home that daymamd combine it with your lunch. Or work weird hours to accomodate. Employers need to be supportive to what the schools are going to do surely.

@JaniceWebster

5/6 kids plus siblings on a regular basis isn’t a play date.

you know you can make arrangements with one or 2 families not half the class?
Even with 4 kids I have managed to split them up and keep it manageable for others

Oh god bragging again. Turn it in Janice ffs