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.

Have posters forgotten that this was been threatened before the pandemic due to lack of funding?

The Worthless campaign by school leaders?

This thread has given me the rage! Anyone who voted Tory knew there were going to be continuous cuts to education and public services in general so if you're one of them stop the fucking moaning! I pounded the streets in the rain and freezing cold delivering leaflets /knocking on doors in my local area and they still voted the fuckers in! I spent weeks feeling really down after the GE and the Covid crisis has made it all the more obvious what a shower of shite this government is. Sorry for the swearing but I still feel angry. Stop moaning and protest about the under funding of education!

Well if people can't be bothered to actually find out what the issue is and try and do something about it then don't expect it to get any better

I think lots of people are at the ‘take it up with their MP’ stage.

What’s the Don Draper line? If you don’t like what people are talking about, you have to change the conversation. Something like that. It’s good advice.

Just for complete clarity, I’ve never voted Tory in my life.

She’s facing performance review because she hasn’t been able to focus fully during school closures.

And so are teachers who have also been home schooling their own children while juggling teaching their own class and the rest of the work that comes with it. Their review is based on children's education at home - if they've not completed the work then it is the teachers fault and their review will take their lack of work into account.

They will also have Ofsted coming in in Sept to inspect looking for good examples of working during a pandemic...because they obviously have a lot of experience in this field. Teachers understand this it is impacting them in exactly the same way.

Similarly, some teachers who are parents (and possible single parents teachers) will also be working while their child's school will shut at lunch. Teachers are in exactly the same situation. They are working parents just the same.

Anyone who voted Tory knew there were going to be continuous cuts to education and public services in general so if you're one of them stop the fucking moaning!
For the second time I am accused of "voting Tory". I don't have voting rights in this country, so I did not vote for anyone. Neither do I have a burning desire to be involved in any political debate here, to be honest.

It's the lazy option to scream "you voted Tory, your problem".

I pounded the streets in the rain and freezing cold delivering leaflets /knocking on doors in my local area and they still voted the fuckers in!
see, I disagree with you, but I applaud your commitment and at least you tried to do something.

It's not a case of "i told you so", but it's so frustrating to see that some people suddenly discover the problem. I strongly believe that no, schools are not childcare but for many of us the actual childcare and wraparound care has been a major issue for years.
Obviously the pandemic has made it worst, but being told you are "lucky" and being childishly mocked because you had to find help for years just shows how little people are involved unless it touches them directly.

Let's hope parents will now finally awake and, regardless what government is there frankly, try to improve our education system AND THE CHILDCARE around it. 2 separate but real issues.

And so are teachers who have also been home schooling their own children while juggling teaching their own class and the rest of the work that comes with it.

Permanent teachers are not going to get fired for their performance during this period, let’s be honest about this.

Private sector workers in businesses looking to make redundancies are in a different position unfortunately.

Sorry should have clarified I meant state sector. Those in the private sector might well do.

Anyone who voted Tory knew there were going to be continuous cuts to education and public services in general so if you're one of them stop the fucking moaning

Just so completely irrelevant to this thread,

My kids go to private school. The state do not fund it so can’t apply cuts. Our wrap around care has been reduced and is on a first come first served basis because because the staff that run it are sheilding and unsure whether they are coming back.

Permanent teachers are not going to get fired for their performance during this period, let’s be honest about this.

No they'll just kill themselves like my old colleague did a few months ago because the culture in many schools is horrific and threatening and if the kids don't make the grade then you will be bullied and pushed to the extreme and many people know this. Excessive pressure has caused 7 of my friends to break mentally this year. 1 died.

@Ilovecranberries I hasa similar situation some time ago, after school club lost a staff member and reduced their numbers, and it was last in, first out for the kids. I was fuming.

I contacted a number of folk who provide activities locally (think dance classes, lego club, coding club, drama etc) and organisations who provide ppa cover and asked them if they would be willing to collect a bunch of kids from school, walk them to the village hall round the corner and run a ub to cover the hours. Many were, and we ended up with a coding club attended by 14 kids. Might be worth a shot trying something similar? I had no choice, I (like you) had to be at work so needed something!

After a term the school gave a room for the club to run in, so it got even cheaper and the kids didn't have to walk round the corner. School providing a room is unlikely to be possible I guess under current circumstances though.

If it’s too much, get out. I’m not sure what else should be said tbh. There will be plenty searching for jobs, it’ll hardly be an unusual circumstance to be in.

@JaniceWebster

It's the lazy option to scream "you voted Tory, your problem".

I pounded the streets in the rain and freezing cold delivering leaflets /knocking on doors in my local area and they still voted the fuckers in!
see, I disagree with you, but I applaud your commitment and at least you tried to do something.

It's not a case of "i told you so", but it's so frustrating to see that some people suddenly discover the problem. I strongly believe that no, schools are not childcare but for many of us the actual childcare and wraparound care has been a major issue for years.
Obviously the pandemic has made it worst, but being told you are "lucky" and being childishly mocked because you had to find help for years just shows how little people are involved unless it touches them directly.

Let's hope parents will now finally awake and, regardless what government is there frankly, try to improve our education system AND THE CHILDCARE around it. 2 separate but real issues.

Like a broken record

I didn't say it was me, I'm not juggling childcare nor being bullied by my headteacher but many are.

I give an example of ppl posting on here as though the issues are exclusive to other jobs when the reality is they are not, it impacts on teachers just the same. And the example shows their outcome for performance management.

You're right....I'm sure that thought will help her children and partner deal with things knowing, if only she 'just got out' she would be alive now.

My friend's DC school did this last year, a group of parents banded together through social media and it's just been announced it won't continue this year, although with CV who knows. Too late for people who had to cut her hours to make the pick up. I believe the school did offer a reduced rate school club but was still ridiculously short hours. She was also told 'just enjoy a long weekend' and it's infuriating. I hope you can work it out, maybe start to reach out to other parents if you can and see what they are thinking.

I give an example of ppl posting on here as though the issues are exclusive to other jobs when the reality is they are not, it impacts on teachers just the same.

I’m not denying any of that, I’m saying they won’t get fired, which is true.

There are many jobs with high burnout and suicide rates unfortunately.

I’m not denying any of that, I’m saying they won’t get fired, which is true.

Teachers are fired all the time - for nothing usually because heads want their old colleagues from their last place in, I have had it done to me and took legal action. My friend being another example, has legal action coming up soon. It is rife in education to be pushed out. I would assume there will be less of that now ppl need teachers more but I don't think its guaranteed.

As for burnout - I never said there wasn't other professions. But they should 'just' leave if they are suicidal or pressured.....like you said...it's so simple to get out if they feel that way. No need for any suicide these days.

This. So much responsibility, expectation and, ultimately, blame heaped onto schools

What about the responsibility and expectation on single parents like the OP though?

THEY’RE HER CHILDREN AND HER RESPONSIBILITY. And, per my previous post, I don’t mean “her” to mean just OP, I mean hers and their father’s (unless he’s deceased, obviously, in which case society should support her).

To all the single mums out there, struggling and juggling and driving themselves crazy with stress and pushing themselves to the brink of sanity, where are the fathers??

Responsibility for children lies with the following people, in this order: parents, wider family, local govt (eg local healthcare providers, parks and recreation dept etc), state govt agencies where required for specific areas of support, the state safety net for children without any of the above.

Teachers and schools are just one part of the govt agencies for specific areas of support: education, social-emotional welfare (they play a vital role in spotting and escalating abuse) and that’s it. There should be others: health care visitors, social workers, mental healthcare workers etc.

It’s desperately sad that schools are now providers of so many children’s only hot meal of the day, 5/7 days per week. It’s bloody Dickensian.

There are lots of parents around here who live in homes which you'd be hard pushed to get 6 kids playing comfortably due to a sheer lack of space.

Others still have to work from home or have a partner who has to work from home.

This makes it unworkable to share care at home unfortunately.

Parents aren't trained to deal with 6 tired and arguing 5 year olds and be impartial in arguments. The behaviour of some kids I've thought were good kids on play dates has shocked me in the past.

It's a recipe for disaster and conflict between parents tbh.

There needs to be some sort of professional service to take up the gap in child care provision purely from a safeguarding point of view. The alternative is even more children falling into poverty which isnt in the interests of their wellbeing either.

Ultimately this is the government not prioritising child wellbeing and having policy in place to protect them through ensuring their primary carer (usually a woman) is supported adequately in the workplace.

ARose your posts are so OTT and you are lumping the op in with parents who are failing their dc. The op is not.

All she wants is to rely on full time school as government said is available from September.

I have no idea why op’s school can decrease hours like this when govt have clearly said full time must be provided.

They will not be decreasing hours. They’re just changing when they are providing those hours. Full time school hours will still be happening, they will not be spread out over 5 days equally any more. Edinburgh did this 20+ years ago. At our school it’s Monday to Thursday,8.55 to 3.20 with a 45 minute lunch and 15 minute morning break. Friday is 8.5) until 12.30 with a 15 minute break. Still 35 hours of contact time.

Pressed too soon 🤦‍♀️ 8.55 on Friday. It’s just an asymmetric week.

THEY’RE HER CHILDREN AND HER RESPONSIBILITY.

Less shouting thank you, it’s rude.

She’s perfectly responsible, how can you fault her on that? She’s trying to provide for them, which last time I checked was a good thing to do. I’m struggling to understand how that changed frankly.

All she wants the school to do is teach them for full time hours.

I’m not sure where the rest of our post is coming from, the Dickensian hyperbole is coming from. Are you reading another thread?

@ARoseInHarlem
Extrapolating much? I am not asking for the society to support me with kindness, neither am I expecting the school to provide my children with "the only hot meal of the day". I am not offloading my responsibility to anyone else, I haven't actually touched a penny of state welfare in my life, and have been a higher rate taxpayer from the moment I stepped on the UK soil. I am simply expecting the social institutions to respect the agreement that I had with them and not change it unilaterally without warning on very short notice. If I am honest, I don't even expect the local school to educate my children, the general level seems to be quite low. Just looking after them would be great.

My children's father has moved overseas before our youngest was born and started a new life and a family there with the love of his life. No, he wasn't a useless waste of space before, I don't actually know why the switch flipped in his head. What do you suggest I do?