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.

as cutting out days or half days is hardly a new concept

I’ve never known this to happen. When have schools dropped days?

@LaurieMarlow

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.

Agreed!

There's a very useful little tool called google

but I guess insulting posters is more fun than actually researching your point.

www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/closing-early-every-friday-improved-15836502

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-48886116

I could carry on but I am not doing work for you.

They might be really happy with themselves but what a pain. It does say this

‘Teaching time is exactly the same as it was before half-day closing for Key Stage 2 pupils, and we provide 40 minutes more teaching for Key Stage 1’

Wonder if op’s school can say the same.

The government seems to have completely forgotten about child care and parents who work. They need to face the problem head on and get a grip.

Sorry, haven't read the whole thread, but shorter days is definitely increasingly a thing around here to tackle PPA time as cheaply as possible (pre Covid). Typically finishing a couple of hours early on a Friday afternoon or starting a couple of hours late one morning.

As I said in my original reply, half day closing has been going on for years and it's to save money by not paying for PPA cover during the school week. Schools will have to deliver the required hours of teaching.
I never accused you OP of voting Tory, I'd read your post when you said you weren't eligible to vote but you could be more politically active.
For other posters who say this has nothing to do with politics, you're deluded. Every political party sets out their manifesto and spending plans and the electorate vote for the party they agree with most. So this country voted for TAs to be made redundant, funding for schools to be cut etc. By condensing the teaching hours into a 4 and a half day week the schools are able to spend more on equipment for the children. Take it up with your MP if you don't like it. Thank you @JaniceWebster for taking the time to look up what's been happening in Birmingham and other local authorities for years.

Here's something else for you to read
www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jul/05/labour-mp-jess-phillips-son-leads-schools-protest-outside-no-10

Do you all seriously think schools are going to open in September. Oh look transmission is high lots of new cases. School closed indefinitely. Wake up

It totally sucks, OP

I wish the govt would abandon all these changes that totally bugger up working parents, especially women:

keep ft school hours as they were
drop the staggered timings
bring back breakfast clubs & after-school clubs
bring back holiday clubs & childcare

Instead, let teachers wear masks / visors if they wish

Let any pupils who wish, also wear them (as in Germany, where I live)

Make masks mandatory in school corridors between lessons, for secondary pupils (as Germany)

Perhaps we will all have to get used to paying more and personally doing more to ensure schools can continue to work. We are all aware that thr nhs is on its knees but how many people know the issues facing education? It's easy to blame teachers, even heads but the problem is so much bigger. Unless we want pt education in the future we need to fund education now. Whether that funding comes from tax or from parents having to kit their kids for schools to reduce expenses. Change will have to happen.

As with the NHS schools now need to become a priority.

@Ilovecranberries children don’t have 35 hours contact time with a teacher. In Scotland it’s 25 hours a week contact time for children. In England directed time works out similarly.

BigChoc yep. Completely agree as usual. Btw who pays for the teachers visors etc? School or teacher

User numbers nope not going to happen.

That is ridiculous. They need to arrange it so the TA attached to that class covers the class teacher while they have PPA time. I am a teacher so I understand the difficulties but that is really unfair on the parents.

@FortniteBoysMum The guidance states that wraparound should be on. Where possible students should be in the same bubbles but many schools are mixing year groups for wraparound. It's definitely one of those situations where it depends on the head/governors. I know of one school who aren't providing any because the head won't mix bubbles. If that was my child's school I'd be pushing back massively, emailing governors etc.

The PPA situation isn't "just" due to corona. As shown above, plenty of schools have done it before. Funding cuts and needing extra money for cleaning means schools will be looking v carefully at their budgets for September. Standard PPA cuts a full time salary in a lot of places. Even if its a TA covering that's £10k per year.

Reading that Birmingham article again (I had to scan before the PR we are great tone was too irritating) a few things stand out

• the parents were furious although the school says the children happily do homework, dart off for the weekend etc (yeh right I’m sure it’s all country houses and mini breaks for them)

• teaching hours has not changed and if you work full time you get play hours at school. So obviously the op would be fine.

The latter is key.

Why is Birmingham in particular facing such issues?

[quote Ilovecranberries]@mondaywine
I can't see how 35 hours of contact time are possible on this schedule. It looks like 5.5 hours a day for 4 days and 3 on the fifth day - so 25 in total?[/quote]
25 hours per week is pretty standard. Our KS2 children are in school from 9.00 to 3.00 with a total of 1 hour over lunch and break. That’s 5 hours per day.

When we switch to half day Fridays that will reduce but it is ONLY for Covid reasons - to do the deep clean that is needed to comply with legislation.

When DSs school had half days every Tuesdays they extended the other days slightly to make up those 2 hours (secondary).

Just hoping ours opens at all TBH. Not convinced.

Janice hasn't found any articles saying schools are dropping days, I see.

Janice found one example in detail that gave ft parents play hours to cover. So op is still worse off than that school.

"However, Birmingham receives per pupil funding significantly above the national average: in 2019-20, an average of £5,080 per pupil; well above the national average of £4,689.
"So we are also clear that schools in Birmingham should have no need to move to a shortened week for financial reasons."

Why are these schools so poor at managing their money

Perhaps we will all have to get used to paying more and personally doing more to ensure schools can continue to work.
I absolutely don't mind if "we all" pay. Covering planning time costs £10K / year? Great, it is £3 per student per month. Will gladly contribute.

Just hoping ours opens at all TBH. Not convinced.
I started this morning with (work related) reading a fresh paper on the second wave modelling and now it feels like the shortened hours will be the least of my worries tbh