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.

I think some people are being a bit unfair to the OP. Being a lone parent with primary school aged children is really tough and any small change can make things really difficult. I have been there, done that...

Also, in my experience it’s very difficult to arrange reciprocal type arrangements with other people.

I’m not sure if private are seeing an increase or decrease in demand. Some posters have said they have heard of teachers being let go. Oth people moving from state due to provision. Not sure which side is greater.

It's going to be so hard for a lot of parents

Teachers are parents too. These decisions affect us as well.

If you're in England then the school can't just announce this, there has to be consultation
Not any more - 'appropriate' consultation is 'advised' but not mandatory now, and it's up to the school or the LA what is appropriate and how it's conducted.

@ftm202020

Covid has really opened up my eyes to the amount of people who can't stand their own children. We are in a pandemic and so many people are moaning about having to look after their own children. 🤣 You will have to take a half day from work or pay a childminder. Surely between you and your child's other parent it is only a couple of hours?

Does your name suggest you've become a Mom for the first time this year? In which case ikel still in mat leave not juggling homeschooling and full time work of several children?

The "hate your kids" comment is such an immature way to view the world. It cometely ignores the complexities of balancing what working parents have been asked to balance with zero warning. Hey from Monday can you home s hook your 3 kids whilst working the same number of hours at work but from your sofa. Thanks.

And the "just pay someone to do it then or cut your hours" ignore how many families live close to the breadline.

**
Why not question what the actual fuck the government are doing to support schools than point out the differences in a privately funded school and one funded by a Tory austerity policies?**

I don’t believe it’s just money though
Money will play a part
But I think it’s more about drive. The staff at my son’s private are paid only marginally better than state. And they were furloughed.
Not so for the state.

Yet their drive to educate the children and get them back was forceful and contrasted with the state school very obviously.

Maybe every working family should have 1 (or all if you are a single parent) person stop working so that we can all look after the children we can't stand. Then watch as all those making idiotic comments about 'taking an afternoon off a week', 'use non existent childcare', 'school isn't childcare' start moaning when they can no longer get their nails done, go out for lunch, see a GP, have their kids taught in schools, have life saving surgery because working parents are now no longer working.

Society would crumble without working parents.

@LaurieMarlow

For anyone who can even remotely afford it, private is clearly the way forward.

State education isn’t fit for purpose any more.

Shame for the vast majority who don’t have the £££ though.

This is not the fault of the schools though, however, they are constantly ridiculed for doing their best with limited resources.

Some of the responses on here - good grief, #bekind didn't hang around long did it!

Its horrible for schools trying to manage through this pandemic. As a school governor I see the efforts in our primary school to keep kids in school, to try and offer wraparound care in September so parents can work, and I also see how knackered and upset the teaching staff are from trying to work this all out. Its really hard on them and I don't think anyone is out to blame schools.

However I can also see where the OP is coming from. I'm a single parent too, there is just one childminder (who's full) locally who collects from the primary school where I have children who as of September will be in reception and year 2. I am faced with 1/2 days for the first 8 days back, one has mornings, one has afternoons. Its wreaked havoc with my working hours, so I'm taking that week off to basically do school runs all day. Can't afford a holiday anyway!

When they go back full time they're on staggered start and finishes 20 mins apart. School run in the morning will take me an hour, same in the afternoon. I have a full time job, but admittedly do have flexibility and can work from home. However, this will really impact on my working day, I cant expect my employer to pay me for doing nothing, so I make up my hours every evening. Wraparound care has doubled in price to staff it safely, and I've been on a pay cut of 15% since the start of April. I think if school told me they were closing 1/2 a day a week and I'd got to find childcare or take unpaid leave I'd cry....

I get it OP. Comments about school not being childcare, not liking your own kids, its not all about you - not helpful, and probably not made by full time working single parents who would understand exactly where you're coming from.

This is not the fault of the schools though, however, they are constantly ridiculed for doing their best with limited resources.

I think lots of people are past the point of caring one way or the other. They just need a system that actually works to educate their children.

Yet their drive to educate the children and get them back was forceful and contrasted with the state school very obviously

There is no drive to educate children if teaching staff were all on furlough.

Private schools are, out of necessity, run like businesses. They have to get children back in and/or provide an education if they want to continue to exist. Personally I would be asking lots and lots of questions as a parent because you want to be clear corners are not being and staff are not being expected to do more than can be reasonably expected of them.

@LaurieMarlow state education , not state childcare. State schools are perfectly equipped for education. What they are not equipped for is 12 hours a day care for children. Never the intention.

Covid has really opened up my eyes to the amount of people who can't stand their own children. We are in a pandemic and so many people are moaning about having to look after their own children. 🤣

Screw you. Who's funding you to be able to be at home doing childcare at whim? Because without a higher earning partner, living on benefits, or family giving you free childcare, it's not possible for many of the rest of us. I love being home with my kids, my time as a sahm was my happiest ever. My time trying to balance working full time and being a sahm and a teacher has been my worst. No fucking baking and rainbows here.

Many parents have maxed out leave on lockdown, and nobody has planned their lives for an epidemic that would leave them without childcare but still required to do their job fully for 6 months.

Your comment is smug, twattish and unbelievably privileged.

@LaurieMarlow

This is not the fault of the schools though, however, they are constantly ridiculed for doing their best with limited resources.

I think lots of people are past the point of caring one way or the other. They just need a system that actually works to educate their children.

But don't you see, with this attitude the level of expectation gets ever lower and the government get away with their systematic underfunding of education.

@Howaboutanewname
They Were on Furlough when the school was closed.

State schools are perfectly equipped for education

During lockdown ours emphatically wasn’t unfortunately.

[quote user1471507295]@LaurieMarlow state education , not state childcare. State schools are perfectly equipped for education. What they are not equipped for is 12 hours a day care for children. Never the intention.[/quote]
I would argue they are barely equipped for education these day due to an overwhelming lack of resources.

As soon as reopened
All came in
And the school was able to offer children a superb well rounded experience

State - many of the teachers didn’t want to return

Ffs if my school do this I might lose the plot. You have my absolute sympathy OP as someone who has no extended family to step in. Some of the comments on this thread are disgusting.

I do sympathise OP, I changed my career completely to accommodate child care and school etc and was looking forward to going back to teaching in September when DS starts reception. Now, thanks to Covid, I’ve put those plans on hold because I fail to see how we won’t spend a winter in and out of self isolation and testing. DP is a higher earner than me so it would make financial sense for me to take the time off if needed... my usually flexible boss is refusing to be flexible at the moment when I have next to no childcare.

HOWEVER, the idea of closing early was being floated around since well before coronavirus, because the government continue to slash education budgets. Teachers are entitled to PPA time, which is how they stay on top of planning good, engaging differentiated lessons for your children and provide detailed marking etc. You can’t just rock up to your lesson having not done resources etc. Traditionally, schools had teachers employed specifically to cover PPA time, I was one for a while! Then that stopped being allowed because it was expensive, so TA’s covered the lessons. That’s expensive too because they had to take more qualifications and thus be paid more for that time.

Schools have to cut their cloth just like everyone else and sometimes that means making decisions that not everyone will like. It’s a pain in the arse for working parents, but it’s not being done to piss you off. On top of that, many teachers I know now don’t get lunch breaks/break times as they are required to supervise their classes so they don’t mix bubbles, so they don’t get those 20 minutes to Mark work etc like we used to.

I’m glad you’ve got childcare sorted and I’m sorry it’s crap. FWIW, I ‘only’ work 2.5 days a week and if my school did this in September on a day I work, I’d be up shit creek because I can’t afford childcare.

But don't you see, with this attitude the level of expectation gets ever lower and the government get away with their systematic underfunding of education.

Yes.

But there’s very little (nothing really) I can do personally about that. And I have enough on my plate.

My child needs educated, that’s my priority.

There is flexibility for schools to manage PPA time without denying children access to the school for an afternoon. If schools persist with this then something will have to be done about it.

PPA time is a very reasonable expectation, but so is the expectation that school hours are morning and afternoon 5 days a week.

If schools do not find ways to manage PPA time better using the flexibility and autonomy they have, then structural change will be required.

Its nice that some people work in jobs where they can drop half a day just like that...I'm not able to do that and even if I could it would mean half a days loss of pay which is no small thing.

Like a previous poster mentioned we only have 2 childminders locally.

Interestingly enough I do work in childcare and myself and my colleagues rely on wrap around care in order to work ourselves. I couldn't open our childcare provision in June because myself and my staff had nowhere for our own children to go. Impacting many other families.

Its not simple at all.

Oh and I dont hate spending time with my own children I love it and I love teaching them. I hate trying to work from home and carry out caring responsibilities and try to teach/spend time with them all at the same time.

@oldwhyno

There is flexibility for schools to manage PPA time without denying children access to the school for an afternoon. If schools persist with this then something will have to be done about it.

PPA time is a very reasonable expectation, but so is the expectation that school hours are morning and afternoon 5 days a week.

If schools do not find ways to manage PPA time better using the flexibility and autonomy they have, then structural change will be required.

Share your suggestion for schools to manage PPA please.

Someone on another thread challenged the school as discriminatory against working parents and the school eventually backed down.