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.

Just as reassurance:

And won’t be able to get job seekers as childcare issues mean they are not available for work...

I've been on JSA since 18th March and had one phone call - in which there being no available childcare was accepted without question. I start a new job tomorrow and when I called today the recorded message said all signing-on is excused for the foreseeable.

It is an absolute nightmare. The only way I have been able to find a new role is to go very part time, take a salary drop, and be in the position where DS is too young for funded hours so we're paying £5 an hour, therefore nursery is keen to take him.

Need argh for you. How difficult. People who need to go back to work must be finding it so hard.

By the way, I have nowhere blamed the teachers or said they are lazy, people seem to be reading between the lines. I am just angry at the world, to be honest, and have a strange sinking feeling that it is not the end of bad news.

A lot of schools were considering this well before Covid, our local authority were although they backed down. Covid might be the excuse they use but it won’t be the reason.

I'm Edinburgh and since the 80's we've had a half day a week. My two have always been a Friday but for me back in the days it was a Wednesday,

It just meant I didn't work Friday pm and in my job due to the fact nursery was still open the council used to schedule courses then so there was always supply needed but rarely available due to the fact I earned £27 for the afternoon but my childminder charged £65 for 2 on a Friday after school 😭 it wasn't worth my while financially.

but teachers are allowed to move across different bubbles in September - exactly like they will be doing in secondary schools.

The guidelines vary for primary a little than for secondary regarding this. Mainly as the 1m+ social distancing isn't appropriate for younger children and therefore, there is no real social distancing in primary - especially infants.

OP, I would start planning your Friday after-school childcare NOW.
Already booked and paid. It was actually the childminder who rang me up in the morning and asked whether I will be needing the hours - other parents from the school who are using her obviously bothered to read the newsletter before me

School is for education, not childcare

Wondered how long it would take before that was trotted out. First page, wasn’t disappointed.

@Ilovecranberries yanbu. This would be anxiety inducing for me as well.

The idiotic comments like 'school is for education, not childcare' and 'you're not on the breadline so suck it up' are giving me the rage on your behalf.

I wonder why they can’t put it at the beginning or end of the day?

@Stannisbaratheonsboxofmatches

I wonder why they can’t put it at the beginning or end of the day?

What do you mean? I assume it isn't in the middle of a day!

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

This isn't universal though and no teacher gets the choice of whether they want to return. If their school is deemed Covid safe they must to return unless they are in one of the vulnerable and/pr shielding groups.

At my school all but 1 teacher, 1 SLT and 3 LSAs returned to work FT (or T if that was hw they were previously employed) fairly quickly. Most didn't stop going to work. We have been full bubbles with KW and vulnerable children pretty much from the start.

The 5 members of staff who are not in school are working full time leading the home learning. They are at home due to being at varying degrees of clinically vulnerable themselves. All are due back in September I believe.

There has been no days off and easy going life for our staff at home at our LEA state primary here. Children get a minimum of 5 pieces of HL a day term time, holding activities in the school breaks and feedback from class teachers for this. We cover all subject areas, as well as 5 english, maths and phonics a week. Not live lessons but plenty of pre-recorded ones.

It's probably because they also have to do a thorough clean. I don't have a problem with it.

Going it closes at lunchtime

I wonder why they can’t put it at the beginning or end of the day?

Do you mean week? So a Monday morning or a Friday afternoon?
PPA is half a day a week for most FT teachers - its more for NQTs.

@Stannisbaratheonsboxofmatches

I wonder why they can’t put it at the beginning or end of the day?

OP means it closes from lunchtime so that the kids are only in school for half a day

OP there has got to be help you can get with childcare as a single working mum? I was told when I had to go on UC that they'd literally pay for 85% of my childcare if a job opportunity came up?!

I'll be a SP and a student from September (Mental health nursing -hopefully) it's not a job, I'll be relying a hell of a lot on my parents for free childcare and THAT makes me feel guilty! my young boys (4 and 8) are hard work, full of energy and wanting entertained constantly. They want to climb, jump, swing, roll and run around, ride their bikes. They won't sit and stare at screens for long. If there wasn't enough help with childcare I'd be stuck on benefits until they were teens. That is mostly down to their dad leaving us all.. But he's an angel obviously... he works FT. He pays tax. He is NOT a single dad, oh no. He is a full time working single bloke who happens to have two children too.

Stuck I did go on to say that there are many excellent teachers in excellent schools, but they’re definitely doing it despite the current state of education. I had class sizes of 34 and class sizes of 12, I enjoyed both equally and worked just as hard for both, but purely by virtue of numbers, the class of 12 got more dedicated individual time than the class of 34, for example.

@MarshaBradyo

Going it closes at lunchtime

I know! Well that seems logical. I suspect the poster I quoted wanted to know why the teachers didn't do it before or after school. I hope I'm wrong though.

Oh I see!

@Ilovecranberries I would echo what @Straycatstrut has said, it’s worth checking UC if you haven’t already. I’ve been getting help because my salary is decent but my childcare costs are just astronomical. It’s not at the 85% level because of how the taper works but I’ve been getting about 40% of it paid and it’s ultimately meant I can stay in work.

OP there has got to be help you can get with childcare as a single working mum? I was told when I had to go on UC that they'd literally pay for 85% of my childcare if a job opportunity came up?!
I am on a good professional wage, not entitled to any help. I am paying a mortgage though and the regular after school and holiday childcare cost nearly kills my budget. I said before that I won't be starving because of this extra £2K / year cost, but it is an unwelcome amount. Yes, otherwise it would be earmarked for luxuries such as seeing grandparents once a year.

I don't see a problem with half day closed to kids a week.

This school though appears to have not consulted on the change and given barely a weeks notice. Neither of those meet any sort of guidelines on changing the school day, and the school should be challenged on those points.

Blimey people on here are harsh!

This is not a normal situation! If a school was to suddenly remove an afternoon normally, there would normally be a much longer notice period / time for discussion. This is very late notice. And it’s unusual circumstances. Smug teachers and childless? Well I’m a teacher and childless but I completely understand that when there is no wrap around or holiday clubs available things are going to go pear shaped and it’s not OPs fault or anyone else’s.

The school would have essentially been stuck between a rock and a hard place. I give them that - mine have had to make hard decisions too and PPA is mandatory (and needed!). Schools are completely underfunded so I’m pretty sure the TAs who normally work that afternoon will either have their hours dropped or will replace the cleaners.

The government need a bloody wake up call with schools. I know they won’t care. No, I don’t believe school is child care directly but ultimately it’s somewhere children need to go and it frees parents to work. Suddenly remove it and parents (especially mums) have a problem.

OP it may be worth asking if any TAs are willing to child mind and earn some more money? I know it’s still costs but it may not be as high - I for example would consider it for a family of two and charge per hour rather than per child so to speak and it might be cheaper.

Is your kids father around to help?