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.

That is certainly something that we should all get behind.

Isn't it funny how the words 'teachers', 'schools', 'day' and 'off' ends up being 21 pages long.
Always happens doesn't it?

For fuck sake. It's one day. It's a very important day in British history. The queen's funeral. She ruled for 70 years. It's a big deal. You don't get the day off? You can't get childcare? Your child is missing one day of education? Poor you. It's one day, deal with it.

Why do people go off on such a tangent about these things? It's really NOT a big deal.

@Sherrystrull that isn't how I view teachers at all- I think it is understandable that they are happy about the bank holiday, and of course they (like everyone) should prioritise their own families.

Neither do I think they exist to look after other people's children. Parents and carers look after children, teachers teach children.

I'm referring to the bitter, weary, scathing way the job, young people and year groups have been discussed in some of the posts within this thread. Along with an attitude of always being right which I thought belonged to teachers of previous generations rather than those of today.

Isn't it funny how the words 'teachers', 'schools', 'day' and 'off' ends up being 21 pages long.

Yet ones about the perilous state of school funding (or the teacher recruitment crisis) can't hope to generate such interest, even though they are more damaging to education.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4623297-schools-facing-catastrophic-winter

I can remember when Diana died,colleagues, friends banged on in real life (no internet) about a day off and how awful people were for saying it. They were well pissed off the shops/supermarkets closed on Saturday morning to allow people to watch. So i hope they do close.

"I'm astounded by the amount of teachers posting who seem to really dislike their job and the young people who they teach"

Ignorant arguments like this can be easily repurposed. E.g

I'm astounded by the amount of people posting who cannot cope with a loss of a day's pay and dislike of the financial security of being Self employed. Maybe they should get a salaried job

@freckles20 there haven't been any posts of the kind!!!

Just because (some of us) are glad there is a bank holiday, does not mean that we are hate our jobs and the children we teach. It means that we are happy to be allowed the time to watch a historical event on TV. I never met the Queen, or even got close to meeting her, but she still means something to my life!!

Errr no! Inset days are training days! This would mean us losing out on the public holiday and having to work! It's one day! An historic day! Can people really not see the significance of it and do they really begrudge children and school staff the opportunity to watch or even attend the funeral?

Agreed.

Everyone moans about some aspects of their job including all the self employed people who are upset that about the implications of a BH being imposed on them at short notice without pay (while others are getting paid to stay at home).
It doesn't mean they really dislike their job or the customers (in teachers case, children) they work with.

Just out of interest will GP Surgeries be closed. Ours was for the Jubilee.

I'm not watching the funeral. My preference will be doing something else. But I can still see it is a historical event which it is appropriate to call a bank holiday for. Just because it's not personally and emotionally important to me, that doesn't mean it isn't important constitutionally, socially, politically, religiously and historically.

However, I'm not lying.

Primary evidence doesn't just mean you have to have stood there as the actual main players took part - I didn't have to be standing underneath the World Trade Centre buildings to describe just how clear, blue and quiet the skies were afterwards - and the way people froze and looked up when they heard the first plane following the flight ban being lifted.

I don't have to have seen Patient Zero of covid to be able to describe how, as the lockdown started and my breathing was getting more difficult, the lack of cars and noise meant we could hear birdsong all day long in the town centre and, on the third night, there was a tawny owl in the tree opposite my bedroom window overlooking the kebab shop and another responding to it from the direction of a school.

With both of those, the reduction of flights meant that the skies I saw were more like those seen in previous decades. Would that be in a book?

She has been involved in the planning of this so of course she knew the schools would be closed. YABU.

Watching live va watching a recording later isn’t the same experience at all.

Can you not see how comments such as yours at the end of this post cause bitterness and resentment?

It's wearing constantly having to defend yourself from accusations that you hate your job, hate the kids and should give up.

Where has anyone implied they're 'always right?' Everyone is sharing their opinion. No one is more right than anyone else.

Such a shame they Queen’s death is such an inconvenience to you.

That’s very true.

I get some people aren’t really bothered about watching the funeral. Ideally it would be good if people could take the day off or work, giving them the choice.
But schools will close, so some people have no choice. However , this is a very historic and also rare occasion, that will only happen a few times in our lifetime.

Many millions of people in this country alone people were born and died during the Queens reign.

"Such a shame they Queen’s death is such an inconvenience to you"

You realise I was quoting someone else, right?

Those saying teachers should just wheel out a TV/ hold an assembly - that does seem to imply that schools are childcare - because, if we are not going to teach lessons anyway, what is the point in schools remaining open?

Those bemoaning a day of lost pay, that was always going to happen and the Queen has been unwell for quite some time. The actual date may have been in question, but it was clear that she woukdn't live forever and given the number of mobility issues and cancelled appointments should have been a big clue.

Those cying out about children's "lost education" - a few choices here: educate your children to make up for lost time yourselves (at young ages there is no debate that the very vast majority of parents can - it's not like the content is difficult, and at older ages there are plenty of resources out there they can get on with themselves), use the time to educate off the National Curriculum to include a historic event, perhaps even research why then Queen was such an important figure for this country if you think she's never done anything for you.

Those harping on about an extra bank holiday in general, please compare BHs in the UK to the rest of Europe and think again - we already have far fewer days than the rest of Europe, and their children usually have longer holidays (and often shorter school days), too.

Those moaning about teachers pointing out the reality of being in an assembly with 30+ students per teacher while also moaning about not being able to watch the funeral uninterrupted by their own (hopefully fewer than 30) children, please see the ironay of this. Yes, there will be many children and teens who have not yet learned to show respect for anyone or anything.

Those moaning about schools and teachers in general, please come and boost our numbers.

And lastly, those saying they don't care that our Queen just died and that she had priviledges others don't, please show some bloody respect for a person who barely ever had any private life, had to watch every word every day in case she offended someone, who did more for PR with other countries than many of our politicians ever will, who has always acted as a draw for tourists (I would know, I was one of them before deciding to make the UK my home) and who, while having no real powers, has certainly acted her part in keeping some of our more "interesting" public figues (including politicians and members of her own family) in check. She was 96 years old, has worked all her life and was still working in her last few days before her passing. How many of you can claim the same?

I would not have been happy if my DC were plonked in front of the TV all day to watch a funeral! I would much rather schools close. Typically, I am working that day (NHS shifts) but will get something sorted for DC, I am sure. We wouldn't be watching the funeral regardless though as I personally think they are private matters and it is a bit like staring at a car crash - not my thing at all.

And lastly, those saying they don't care that our Queen just died and that she had priviledges others don't, please show some bloody respect for a person who barely ever had any private life, had to watch every word every day in case she offended someone, who did more for PR with other countries than many of our politicians ever will, who has always acted as a draw for tourists (I would know, I was one of them before deciding to make the UK my home) and who, while having no real powers, has certainly acted her part in keeping some of our more "interesting" public figues (including politicians and members of her own family) in check.

No. This thread is not your pro monarchist safe space.

Yes sorry, it was the original post I was referring to!

Bore off with your last bit

Lost education- we’ve had two years of disruption to education. I hardly think one day will make a big difference.

Whenever the Queen was going to pass away, this exact scenario was going to happen- unless she died during school holidays.

It's not pro-monarchist to have a lot of respect for the Queen and her work 😂

Most of the RF, with few exceptions, have not acted in such a restrained way throughout their lives, and have done as much for our country as she has. There is a reason that, not long ago, many on here have said that the monarchy should die with the Queen.

And why the "safe space" rubbish? Last time I checked, we have freedom of speech and freedom of expression, so don't tell me to shush just because my opinion differs to your clearly republican one 😆

Don't know if it's already been asked, but will schools have to make up the day elsewhere in the school year now? As children obviously won't have the correct number of days of education this academic year?