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.

@ilovecranberries

Do you know for certain that each class has a class TA? Or are they assigned as 1-1 for particular children? If so, they may be funded differently.

I'm not sure the parents charity fund can be used to fund normal school expenditure (such as salary) as schools are not allowed to run a deficit budget.

In a lot of schools, PPA time (half a day per week) will be filled with enrichment activities, extra sport etc so the curriculum may still be covered even with half a day less in school.

It's difficult but the school are not doing this on a whim. They are trying to keep your children and their staff safe.

@skylarkdescending
From what I know yes, each class has a general TA and pupils with special needs have 1-1 or in some cases 1-2 TAs on top.

Deary me. I can still see Janice is bring a stuck record with the mantra ‘school is not childcare’ even though they have family, friends and neighbours happy to oblige to look after her kids for free. Yes yes Janice we know how lucky you are....

Maybe you should try looking at it from the view point of some one that doesn’t have access to that much free childcare. Not every one is as lucky as you

@JaniceWebster

LaurieMarlow When MNHQ decides to delete your posts, you might want to reflect on why that would be, and if your behaviour really is acceptable.... just a thought

Well the passive aggressive smiles at the end of your posts don’t cover you in glory either. It’s quite clear your on the wind up.

@JaniceWebster

LaurieMarlow When MNHQ decides to delete your posts, you might want to reflect on why that would be, and if your behaviour really is acceptable.... just a thought

Well the passive aggressive smiles at the end of your posts don’t cover you in glory either. It’s quite clear your on the wind up.

@ilovecranberries

From what I know yes, each class has a general TA and pupils with special needs have 1-1 or in some cases 1-2 TAs on top.

In that case, I would be asking the school whether the TAs could provide some form of 'childcare' for the half day closure in place of actual teaching.

Have you spoken to your employer about flexible working for the half day?

Have you spoken to your employer about flexible working for the half day?
I've been already granted flexible hours once the lockdown started - 6am to 10 am and 8pm to 12 pm until September when everyone has to return. I cannot ask twice in 12 months. And even if I did, that would likely be the end of my employment.

But when school opens won't your children be back and so you won't need to do the flexible hours from September? Can you ask to revert to your normal working pattern but with the half day flexibility? I know it's usually one flexible working request per 12 months but these are unprecedented times. Would your employer not take that into account?

@Ilovecranberries - If, as you think, there is one all-purpose TA for each and every class in your children's school he/she really should be able to supervise their own class bubble on a Friday afternoon, while the class teachers meet or plan.

In your shoes I would be requesting a meeting with the headteacher to ask why he cannot do that.

@ineedaholidaynow

There is outrage but most of it is directed at the schools or the teachers, not the Government.

I absolutely agree with this. Maybe it is easier to direct it at a "face" we are familiar with, rather than an entity such as the government.

Do the TAs work full-time? In the schools am a governor for, if a class is lucky enough to have a general TA they tend to only work in the mornings, which is when English and Maths are taught, so they can help with group work and interventions.

Although sectors paid by the state have a lot of flexibility, there is no right in law to work part time or flexi time. you can just make requests and it is lawful for them to be refused so most private sector workers have no choice - either lose your career or work full time paying for childcare as necessary out of your before tax wages. May be now is the time for the state to allow full time working parents with no part time working or non working spouse at home to set childcare costs against their tax bill.

I’m in Scotland our schools close at 12.30 and have done for years

only a small number of Scottish schools close at 12.30 (Edinburgh?). I've never been at one that closes early and my kids don't go to one either

Edinburgh, East Lothian, West Lothian, Borders (might be others, I don't know)

If they're closing early ilovecranberries then that might be so that they can save money by not paying TAs for that afternoon (they also potentially save money on heating, lighting etc). As another PP said re PTAs, most have a strict constitution that prevents them spending money on any operational costs (eg staffing). And on the FSM thing, having a smaller number of FSM pupils means less money coming into the budget, not more.

More broadly on the wraparound care question, I agree that there needs to be affordable and easily accessible care available, and that schools are probably best placed in theory to provide it. But that's a big societal question, and in the current set up some schools are just not set up or funded to provide it.

I think it is wrong of schools to be able to close for half a day. We are in a mass economic crisis caused by this Pandemic. People are losing there jobs daily and one profession which has been vastly unaffected by loss of earnings I am guessing are anyone associated with education. The Government is at fault because now we are expected to go back to work but there is a contradiction with home and childcare issues.

12.30pm finish in Edinburgh on Fridays. Every single week and forever!

Out of interest then do people only have to work half day in Edinburgh? Eatsleepread?

@Endoftether2000 school budgets have been massively affected though. There is no extra government funding available for the additional cleaning, hand gel l and cleaning materials required. This will cost thousands extra when added up across the year in my school. We can’t make savings from staffing as all staff are needed and there is no supply budget to raid either. Actually we had to increase TA hours this term to enable the class to be supervised at lunchtime (half by teacher and the other by the TA) as the bubbles must be kept separate. The government should be investing in schools which would massively help in this situation.

@Endoftether2000

Out of interest then do people only have to work half day in Edinburgh? Eatsleepread?

Edinburgh schools start (secondaries anyway) around 8.30 instead of 9, they make up 2.5 hours that way easily. School staff will have meetings in the afternoon slot, many weeks, though others are free. They have done their hours the same as a teacher somewhere else who did fewer hours but the same ones each day.

I understand what you are saying Cookie Crisp. The only thing I would say though in response. My primary school days which were along time ago we had as follows:
1 Teacher per class of 30 children
No TA's
1 Headteacher who also taught
1School Secretary
3 Dinner Ladies who monitored the playground
Parents that came into help with reading and maths.
Parents that did activities such as balsa wood, cooking, crochet, art
This was in a time when there was also very little money.
The Government is not a bottomless pit. Neither are people with families that have to accommodate schools short time working. If these families don't work. The Government doesn't get money. No money no investment in education. Do the staff get paid pro rata for short time school openings? These children will be paying for this Pandemic for years. Not the people that are in these education jobs currently.

@Endoftether2000 teacher and TAs have an extended contact time during the day with the children now and will next academic year. Lunch has been shortened every day to account for the early finish Friday so the staff hours balance out and the mid morning break for staff has gone as they need to be on duty for their bubble.

School from even 5-10 years ago is so different from school today. TAs have to run intervention groups as well as the teacher, there is so much pressure to get data up to speed in primary and secondary schools. All children have to be pushed to meet the expected standard or greater depth even if there are lots of barriers to their learning such as poor attendance or significant trauma. SEN budgets have been cut and many special schools closed so we have had children who need a significant amount of extra adult time in school to meet their needs hence the need for TAs and inclusion managers.

When I was in school we didn’t have diagnoses of needs such as autism or attachment disorder which we have now and every child’s learning must be personalised and accounted for. That’s why TAs are vital to support learning.

Council services have been cut to the bone so schools are required to fill in the gaps. We need learning mentors to support children who are going through traumatic home lives such as domestic violence, self harm and abuse. This all costs money and will be needed so much more going through the pandemic.

If the government are prioritising education then they at least need to fund the additional cleaning required as a bare minimum. Money is the reason why I think school staff are not being given visors to use when working closely with children. I think the government just don’t want to give it but this is a whole other issue.

We considered doing this at my school but decided against it. However when it was a possible plan single working parents or parents both working would have been able to access childcare.

Cookiecrisps I will be wearing a visor in September, funded by the school.