Head talking about moving to homeschooling as staff are running out of fuel

[Lemons1571]

This is one of our local secondary schools. South England. No fuel in our town, within 30 miles, or maybe more. DH is a teacher and he has about 2-3 days worth of petrol left. The Head of his school is putting in plans to close year groups and move to homeschooling again. Is anyone else in these dire straits? AIBU to be a bit scared? We didn’t panic buy because the government said not to, and now we’re completely stuck.

Exactly my point, solutions to problems, do what you can and what ever needs doing to keep things moving.
Not lets throw our hands up and close schools again because the bus will make me 15 minutes late.
Education is essential too.
Again in rural areas I can understand the difficulties, one of my good friends lives very rural and her job is essential, I'm sure she will do everything she can to get to work even if it takes longer or costs more money.
Just get the feeling some people would be happy with more school closures without coming up with less than perfect solutions for them.

@PanicPrevention

Exactly my point, solutions to problems, do what you can and what ever needs doing to keep things moving. Not lets throw our hands up and close schools again because the bus will make me 15 minutes late. Education is essential too. Again in rural areas I can understand the difficulties, one of my good friends lives very rural and her job is essential, I'm sure she will do everything she can to get to work even if it takes longer or costs more money. Just get the feeling some people would be happy with more school closures without coming up with less than perfect solutions for them.

Some near to us could use the motorway service station but are twisting it's too expensive. We live 10miles from a refinery, no shortage around here it's just more expensive at the minute!

People aren’t stockpiling it though. Many people will use a full tank in a week going to work, schools, clubs, appointments etc
So everyone saying it will be back to normal by the weekend as people can’t stockpile are clearly people who don’t need to use much fuel.
My DH uses £100 during the week on fuel so he will be hopefully filling up again on Friday after filling up on Sunday.
It’s not selfish muppets, it’s people who have lives.

Is your husband hoping he can fill up on Friday even if that means driving to more than one station or waiting in a queue?
Or is he saying he cant get to work and his service will have to close?
The only people I've seen claiming the latter are teachers and school staff at this point.
I may be gullible but I'm hoping things will be more normal by end of this week.
let's wait and see before jumping to worst/best case scenario.

@PanicPrevention he will drive around until he gets some.
Like you, I’ve only seen teachers claiming they cannot work. I worry that the easily accessible home learning has now provided them with a justifiable response to enable them to make excuses not to go in.

Some of the service stations near me had deliveries on Saturday & again today but most had run out within a day. The best time seems to be around 7.00 - 8.00 in a morning, don't go to stations at supermarkets, better offal smaller stations.

Update: DH went out at 10.30pm last night to the 6 petrol stations around our town. No diesel on any of them. He then tried the next town (where he works), no diesel there either.

So now he’s down to 2 days fuel left before he runs out.

He doesn’t want to move to teaching online. No one does do they? He wants to be in person teaching. But we can’t magic up a local bus route with local bus drivers and buses full of plentiful diesel.

Hence I’m up at 3am stressing.

We have 2 diesel cars and live rurally. Petrol seems to be delivered fairly regularly but is running out a few hours after delivery. No diesel though and the garages within a reasonable distance are not sure when they are going to get it. I don’t have enough left in either car to go anywhere further than the nearest garage and am loath to do that when it seems like a pointless trip at the moment. No public transport to get the kids to school. At the moment I’m not stressing though. In a couple of days we won’t be able to get the children to school. I remember the same happening in the late 90s (Ish?) and it blew over within a few weeks although from memory that was to do with strikes? Hoping the same will happen, we will all get through this but priority needs to be given to nhs, caters etc.

@Lemons1571

Update: DH went out at 10.30pm last night to the 6 petrol stations around our town. No diesel on any of them. He then tried the next town (where he works), no diesel there either.

So now he’s down to 2 days fuel left before he runs out.

He doesn’t want to move to teaching online. No one does do they? He wants to be in person teaching. But we can’t magic up a local bus route with local bus drivers and buses full of plentiful diesel.

Hence I’m up at 3am stressing.

Snap. We live rurally miles away from school. No public transport near us. Would take over 4 and a half hours to walk to school. No other staff local to us. Been phoning petrol stations but unsurprisingly no one answering. Feeling a bit stressy now.

One thing that has really worried me re COVID, is that a sort of precedent has been set and schools are going to get into the habit of defaulting to "online learning" (which is mostly shit) every time "something" happens.

A spell of hot weather, some snow, some interruptions to transport, a slightly larger number of flu cases than last year, teachers deciding they don't want to risk germs this winter for whatever reason...

We need to establish some clear rules that if schools close due to snow days, petrol days or {insert reason here} then everyone takes an actual holiday on that day (kids AND teachers) and the time off will need to be made up for lengthening the school term by a day or a few days or whatever is required. In the country where I live, that is basically what happens. It keeps everyone focused on making sure schools stay open and closures are really and absolutely the last resort.

If the teacher is teaching remotely, they are doing the job they're paid to do.

This is exactly the sort of attitude that is making me feel so worried about precedents being set. We need kids in school. Remote learning has piss-poor outcomes for the bulk of students, regardless of how committed the teacher is and how hard the teacher is trying to make remote learning work.

@Kokeshi123

If the teacher is teaching remotely, they are doing the job they're paid to do.

This is exactly the sort of attitude that is making me feel so worried about precedents being set. We need kids in school. Remote learning has piss-poor outcomes for the bulk of students, regardless of how committed the teacher is and how hard the teacher is trying to make remote learning work.

I was pointing out a fact. Not sure how that is an attitude.

Just chiming in to say absolutely no fuel of any kind where I live - and I’m not rural. Southwest/West Mids area. I’m on the red light so I can’t go driving around. I’m holding tight and hoping this blows over. None in the motorway services near us either (not that I have enough fuel to get there anyway!)

I’m very fortunate because I’m self-employed and WFH anyway - plus my DC are now home educated. So no urgency re fuel - it just means I can’t get to my DM which is a bit of a worry as she’s old and vulnerable as she’s disabled. I have enough for an emergency dash to the hospital but that’s it.

@Kokeshi123

One thing that has really worried me re COVID, is that a sort of precedent has been set and schools are going to get into the habit of defaulting to "online learning" (which is mostly shit) every time "something" happens.

A spell of hot weather, some snow, some interruptions to transport, a slightly larger number of flu cases than last year, teachers deciding they don't want to risk germs this winter for whatever reason...

We need to establish some clear rules that if schools close due to snow days, petrol days or {insert reason here} then everyone takes an actual holiday on that day (kids AND teachers) and the time off will need to be made up for lengthening the school term by a day or a few days or whatever is required. In the country where I live, that is basically what happens. It keeps everyone focused on making sure schools stay open and closures are really and absolutely the last resort.

Online learning means that teachers on "snow days" can no longer be regarded as having the day off. They set work, they are at work.

Online learning "shit"? Quite a generalisation, based on what?

Hot weather? UK schools don't close for this.

The term dates are set for the year, and can't be changed unless the contract changes.

As for teachers deciding they don't want to risk germs this winter for whatever reason

How would that work? Teachers can't close schools. HTs close schools.,

So the teachers can’t get in so there’s a return to homeschooling? Right
Both my kids and I can and will walk to school or work therefore I’m expected to go in as normal
So how’s that going to work with homeschooling. I can’t be in two places at once

Not everyone is affected by this ‘crisis’

@Kokeshi123

One thing that has really worried me re COVID, is that a sort of precedent has been set and schools are going to get into the habit of defaulting to "online learning" (which is mostly shit) every time "something" happens.

A spell of hot weather, some snow, some interruptions to transport, a slightly larger number of flu cases than last year, teachers deciding they don't want to risk germs this winter for whatever reason...

We need to establish some clear rules that if schools close due to snow days, petrol days or {insert reason here} then everyone takes an actual holiday on that day (kids AND teachers) and the time off will need to be made up for lengthening the school term by a day or a few days or whatever is required. In the country where I live, that is basically what happens. It keeps everyone focused on making sure schools stay open and closures are really and absolutely the last resort.

I work in a primary school and we haven’t closed in term time for years and were open throughout every lockdown with staff attendance on-site required each day (full staff attendance in lockdown 2&3. ) No chance of just deciding not to go in because of germs. The sick pay is very generous (6 months full pay) yet the staff absence rates are low in the school.

As a PP said the decision to shut a school is made at a head teacher level anyway.

@Heatherjayne1972 and some of us are. Some of us are teachers who between them teach around 400 pupils a week. Just hoping we can find a station which is open with fuel before school.

I’m lucky - I queued up Sunday morning for an hour and filled up my tank so I will have enough now for 10 days.

I really couldn’t do my journey car-less just did to time constraints. I drop my DC off at breakfast club at 7.30 (earliest they open) and collect at 5pm (when they close). I have to be in school at 8.15 and my last lesson ends at 3.40. The only way I could make those times is with a car so it would be trying to get a taxi. When I accepted my post/had children/decided in primary schools/decided where to live I didn’t factor in a 2021 fuel crisis.

*due to

@TikTokNutcases

What a load of fuss over a temporary inconvenience. Whatever will people do without the use of a car for a few days, max. Total overreaction from most people

You don't see non drivers panicking that they can't get to work / the shops.

Ride a bicycle. Get a train.

Stupid post - I am 14 miles from my school (teacher). There are 4 buses a day from my village. According to Google maps, I would have to catch a total of 3 buses and the journey would take 2 hours 29 minutes as bus timetables don’t match.

@monkeytennis97
Totally get that
but my point remains
My boss expects me at work - no excuses

How then can I be at home homeschooling at the same time

Once again. Same storm different boats

Teachers don't decided to close schools. Schools close when it is deemed unsafe for them to open. Got an issue with your school's risk assessments stand for parent Governor next time there's a vacancy.
It is not only teachers saying they will have difficulty getting in.

@Kokeshi123

One thing that has really worried me re COVID, is that a sort of precedent has been set and schools are going to get into the habit of defaulting to "online learning" (which is mostly shit) every time "something" happens.

A spell of hot weather, some snow, some interruptions to transport, a slightly larger number of flu cases than last year, teachers deciding they don't want to risk germs this winter for whatever reason...

We need to establish some clear rules that if schools close due to snow days, petrol days or {insert reason here} then everyone takes an actual holiday on that day (kids AND teachers) and the time off will need to be made up for lengthening the school term by a day or a few days or whatever is required. In the country where I live, that is basically what happens. It keeps everyone focused on making sure schools stay open and closures are really and absolutely the last resort.

We’d prefer an actual solution to this particular issue. How about the army / law / other enforcement checking the queue of vehicles and turning away anyone with more than a quarter of a tank still in their vehicle? So people like us, who obeyed the request to fill up as you normally would, can actually do so? And people who are panicking and putting in £4 every day can be filtered out?

I’m a school business manager, I have worked on site every single term day (and many days during the holidays/weekends) for the last 18 months. I cycled when the roads were quiet in Lockdown 1, but it’s a rural 3.5 miles each way with no pavements and the footpaths across the fields are longer and will be impassable soon. It’s ridiculous and insulting to suggest school staff are work shy and keen to close schools.

Just watching the news.

One garage had 8000 litres of fuel which would usually last 3 days.

It lasted 8 hours.

The issue is the continual panic buying but eventually it'll stop because no one will need it - their tanks will all be full!