Schools closed for the Queen’s funeral

[Notme1980]

First off, Queen Elizabeth II was an amazing ruler and an inspiration, we are a forces family and my husband has served her for 30 plus years.

but - I do not want the schools to be closed for her funeral (or for any reason at all), I want us to do what I believe she would have done, press on.

I find it fairly ironic that in many schools and the focus on attendance parents have a hard time getting permission to remove their children for a family funeral but the Queen the whole thing is closed.

All of these were a result of Covid lock down measures not Covid itself and I remain convinced more people will die, have long term health impacts and the country and population become economically poorer leading to shorter lives because of the measures taken against Covid than actually died from the Covid disease itself.

That's the wrong comparison though. You should be comparing to how many people didn't die, or have long term health impacts due to not catching covid at a time when we didn't have an effective vaccine due to measures taken against covid, or due to the NHS not being even more overwhelmed with covid patients than it was. That's the actual trade-off.

There is no extra capacity.

Where are they supposed to staff this extra day.

Cancelled appointments will not be fitted in that week without cancelling other work

You are being naiive especially if you are in the Forces.

State funerals of monarchs are bound to be a bank hol.

Why is that so hard for you to accept?

I think businesses can open as usual if they want to, there may be some legal restrictions esp for certain retailers.

Employees are also not necessarily entitled to have the bank holiday off, see link below,

www.personneltoday.com/hr/bank-holidays-five-things-employers-need-to-know/

Yes but trying to organise unexpected childcare at just over a week’s notice is totally different to ones you know about where you could eg make sure one of you wasn’t working that specific day (and that’s assuming you’re not a single parent when it’s even harder).

A weeks notice is better than no notice, which is what happens when your child is sick.

Every parent has a back up plan incase their child has an accident of illness and they can’t go into work.

Whether that’s taking leave off work which you are entitled to or asking someone else to look after them.

I don't think schools should close either. There would be more meaningful activities in school and the children shouldn't lose any more of their education.

Watching the funeral with my dcs will not be possible.

Oh stop being silly.

Yes, of course, it's 'just' the Queen.

This is the funeral of a monach of 70 years.

No comparison with a family funeral. No irony. And I don't accept your point that schools do not give children time off for a family funeral. You are exaggerating. (I worked in schools for years.)

I want to watch the funeral with my kids. Its an important historical event.

1 day.

It's an historic occasion. Kids will have a glimpse of history.

What is more meaningful in your opinion? Be interesting to hear.

And you forget that the staff may wish to see the funeral or go to London to line the streets.

Some of these posts just sound so entitled. School is not supposed to be free childcare.

I’d be happy to go in and look after any children whose parents’ job doesn’t mean a Bank Holiday is a day off for them, tbh. Greatly respected the Queen, but I’m not that interested in watching the coverage of her funeral on tv.

There would be more meaningful activities in school and the children shouldn't lose any more of their education.

Would you want me to teach them maths, or would you want me to be doing "meaningful activities" about the Queen which would effectively be still losing them their maths lesson?

No comparison with a family funeral? Seriously?

Yes. I agree with you. We always had a back up plan even for when I was at work and DH had to stay on at the end of a shift. Nature of the job and family life.

Actually I found it harder, later,when I was a single parent and my headteacher refused me any time off when the DC’s were ill.

Ah yes, we used to have those before I changed to permanent wfh.

The point is, if nothing else can be arranged then you’re simply not available for work. Employers have a week to work out their rota’s etc and no one with paid annual leave should be missing out financially.

It wasn't always going to be a bank holiday though... It was reported widely that it wasn't an automatic bank holiday.

It seems quite apparent form various threads that quite a significant proportion of parents genuinely hate looking after their own children.

That old chestnut. No, it isn’t free childcare, but it’s not unreasonable or to have anticipated that school would be open that day and we’d be able to work.

i pay for DD’s school so it’s definitely NOT free childcare!!

Well, I’m pleased they will be closing so that I can watch it with my kids. They can’t please everyone.

There will almost certainly be another bank holiday next year for the coronation as well-that will be a fabulous memory for our children, my mum still talks about the Queen’s coronation.

My DH is not happy with the proposed bank holiday. He's just made the point that a lot of NHS appointments will have to be reorganised, stressful for patients who have waited months (or years), stressful for clinicians who have to "catch up". After seeing how stressed he was on Thursday having to cancel Friday's clinics due to staff sickness, I tend to agree with him.

Life has moved on in the last 70 years, we need to update the protocols that go with 'royal mourning'.

@noblegiraffe probably both. Extended Assembly with some prayers, etc. then education as usual.

Unless you are London and can physically attend the funeral everyone will be sat at home with their dcs watching it on TV. Except my dcs will watch about 10 minutes of it and the rest of the day will want to do there things. My ds is disabled and has a lot of additional needs, he loves school and would be much happier being there than at home.

Funerals for immediate family are classed as authorised absence. Extended family is at school discretion. This is a government decision and not a school one.

I personally think everything but essential services should be given the option to close for the funeral.
This is an important event for our history.
I would happily take the day off- even unpaid to watch the late Queens funeral.
I want everything to close that can.

Interesting to read so many Royalists feeling that watching The Queen's funeral live is more important than doing their usual job. It's so far off what The Queen is said to have stood for- apparently she personified duty, sacrifice and hard work .

I can't see why the funeral isn't scheduled for a Sunday, that would cause less disruption for most people. No impact on schools, nhs, jobs, self employed etc..

Those who want to have a day of respect and watch the funeral live can do so.

WRT those talking about 'tradition' - things have changed enormously since the last sovereign died. Back then things weren't televised in the same way, there was no opportunity to watch things unless they were live, fewer women worked, fewer people were self employed, education was more flexible etc etc. There is no comparison and it is ridiculous not to accept changes to 'tradition' following the death of a monarch.