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.

My issue is the privileged refusing to see why this is an issue.

We are in the biggest cost of living crisis (which has conveniently been forgotten/put on hold)

Either businesses have to pay an extra holiday or people have to take it unpaid, where is this money coming from?
It isn't as easy as staying open as all businesses are connected. When the supplier closes it is impossible for the customer to continue.

Regards it happens for the weather, I've never known a full UK wide closure due to weather.

I'm not saying we shouldn't have a BH but the privileged saying 'ffs it is just one day have some respect ' would do well to realise their privileged and that others are not.

I'm not saying we shouldn't have a BH but the privileged saying 'ffs it is just one day have some respect ' would do well to realise their privileged and that others are not.

Yes, exactly this. I say this as one of the privileged who does get them off work.

Bank holidays as a whole aren't that equitable in the way they work, so of course a very short notice one, however unavoidable it might have been, is going to be a problem for many people. It's not actually a very big deal to not argue against something that's so blatantly obvious.

Bank holidays as a whole aren't that equitable in the way they work, so of course a very short notice one, however unavoidable it might have been, is going to be a problem for many people.

I completely agree. The only issue I have with this thread is the demand that schools and their employees should be the ones required to mitigate the problem.

My issue is the privileged refusing to see why this is an issue

I think all the teachers that have posted here are more than able to understand that school closures at short notice may cause problems for a number of their parents. I also think we are capable of understanding our relative priviledge compared with many of the children we teach and the financial state of the homes they come from given that we too are impacted by the cost of living crisis and indeed, our wages have depreciated considerably in real terms since 2010. Many of us are feeding children on a regular basis from our own pockets and many schools are collecting and distributing uniform as well as washing it for some children. And that's despite our own personal circumstances which, in some cases, are really not good.

I get that closing on one additional day, at short notice, will exacerbate the issues mentioned above in some households. But opening won't solve those issues either and, frankly, it isn't the responsiblity of schools to somehow manage the cost of living for it's students and their families. We have been told to close. If you don't like it, complain to the government.

I understand the importance of the occasion, but as a day rate temp staff it just means that I cannot invoice my client for a bank holiday, but will have to work unpaid regardless as no one moves the project delivery deadlines, obviously. Plus one more day of emergency childcare at £150.

Yeah I can understand that. While schools do function as essential childcare in our society, people can't just have their employment contracts unilaterally changed at a few days notice. And plenty of school staff have preschool aged DC or adults in their families who require care, and who aren't able to work without that care provision which may not be open either. So it's just shunting the problem around really. It's not the answer.

I don't have any solution other than people not talking complete nonsense about it. Although I suppose as someone who doesn't respect or value the monarchy, I should be encouraging those who do to keep showing themselves up telling people who are worried about cancelled medical appointments, loss of earnings etc to have some respect, get over themselves or similar. Fertile ground for republicanism!

The upset here isn’t really about a Bank Holiday or about the funeral.

Its a reflection of economic write that many have at this time, and also a reflection of growing individualism and lack of a sense of community/society that many feel - especially those who are struggling.

In the past, going back to WW2 and beyond, many people were extremely poor. However, people didn’t question a day like this and embraced the idea of something for the community. Today things haven’t changed for many, but for large numbers they have. Those hit hard by the cost of living crisis are managing their budgets to the nth penny. An unforeseen day of childcare or a loss of a day of pay for some workers who won’t get paid on the Bank Holidays tops a finely balanced budget into the red and causes panic.

Additionally, lots of people no longer have a sense of anything being ‘national’ or ‘community’ based. They are estranged from these ideas for economic, social and political reasons. Many can only think and see an individual impact on themes levels and are unable to think about wider impacts or society impacts.

Lots of people try to make justification for what would suit themselves by trying to create a broader argument….but often these don’t really work, becaue actually they are just personal desire. An example is demanding schools remain open so people can work who have to…..without considering how those who work in schools with young children might manage without childcare. Often people are only able to think about the problems a government choice causes themselves and not how their preferred option impacts others.

But I agree that some are so close to the edge of managing at the moment, that any thought for others and wider issues is a luxury they feel they cannot afford. It’s a reflection of our struggling and polarised society.

You're assuming there that school staff would want to work voluntary paid overtime to cover the Bank Holiday

And assuming that the government would fund the staffing required?!

Exactly

There’s also the assumption there that NHS staff working the bank holiday would need childcare.

Keeping open a secondary school with all the related costs and staffing so that one single kid in Y7 can attend from 8:30-3:30, because his NHS parents were both working the bank holiday and who couldn’t call in grandparents or friends to help out for one day? That’s a bit of a drastic solution.

Considering teachers are leaving in droves, your suggestion of denying them a bank holiday is just going to exacerbate the recruitment crisis! It would certainly tip me over the edge to resigning!

I see the bank holiday as reasonable payback for having to put up with a large amount of the country succumbing to mass hysteria about an ancient billionaire they didn't know, and then being silenced (not so much this website though) for not being 'respectful.' I felt sadder about Mikhail Gorbachev, someone who made the world a better place for millions of people.

It is one day extra in 70 years. There will be a few people inconvenienced but the vast majority of the public want a bank holiday. 72% of MN voters think OP is being unreasonable and that's on a site that will be skewed by people inconvenienced by school closures. There would have been an outcry if it wasn't made a bank holiday.

Anyone else looking forward to the Bank Holiday? 👀
I just wish the Queen gave us the heads up on when she was going to inconveniently pass away so we could all plan for this. 😂

LOL 😂😂

@MarigoldPetals please provide PROOF! There is no proof, none, that the royals raise money. It’s bollocks put about by the RF PR team!

@pleasehelpwi3 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Mn is skewed the other way, much more likely to have jobs where they will get BH pay and a day off. Much less likely to be on 0 hours contracts, or in the service industry.

I am gagging for the bank holiday as are my children. Wont be watching one second of grief fest though.

So many on here saying that schools shouldn't closed for the bank holiday. yet so few of the names are regulars in supporting more funds for education or better conditions for teachers.

Waitrose, John Lewis, Aldi & Lidl have all announced they will be closed on the September BH.
What a disgrace! (not)

Sainsburys, Tesco’s, WHSmiths & IKEA will also be closing stores on the day according to BBC news

It's probably because none of their staff can get childcare.

Nothing to do with the Bank Holiday and respect for the Queen's funeral, of course.

Something that has amazed me, returning to this thread, is the perception that schools exist in a vacuum, and can be declared 'opened' or 'closed' in isolation without any dependence on other services. If schools had been open, then transport companies would also have to have to have been open, for school transport and for the transport of staff. Catering supply companies, for meals, etc etc.