AIBU to think school closures ignore parents' work commitments?

[OhNoItsThePinkyPonk]

AIBU to think that the school doesn’t take much account of parents’ need to work? Primary school have just announced they won’t be opening for the rest of the week, but it’s OK because they’ll be sending us online work for us to do with the children, and whilst they are sorry they have had to cancel sports day we shouldn’t be too upset because they’ve have rescheduled it for a couple of weeks time. Like, I totally get they have to put the safety of the children first and if it’s too hot it’s too hot, but what do they think I’m
doing when the kids are at school, preparing beautiful dinners, ensuring the craft box is topped up, pining wistfully for the moment they come home? FFS, my job obviously comes second to my children and of course I’ll cancel planned surgeries and clinics where I need to. It’s not the emergency that bothers me, it’s the blasé way in which it’s communicated as though it’s a
minor inconvenience, not a major major f’ing headache with serious second and third order effects.

phew, that’s better. Now to go and get the little darlings…

No that's called wrap around care. School clubs are more than often run by outside sports clubs and music teachers who come once or twice a week and charge parents for their services. All if which can be cancelled at a moments notice so shouldn't be used as childcare.
Thechaseison71 · Yesterday 10:26
Many after school clubs are for childcare though

You still haven't read the post I was responding to 🙄

https://www.mylondon.news/news/transport/almost-2000-north-east-london-34212221

Yep. We were told (as nhs keyworkers) that our daughter could only go in 2 days per week as they could only have max 10 children in at a time and 25 out of 28 had claimed keyworker status

I think it was a mistake to only have keyworker kids in during covid. Every child should have got a chance to go into school in groups at least once a week because every child's education is equally important. My child was in year 7 at the start of COVID and missed an entire term at the end of the school year. Then missed another full term between Christmas and Easter in year 8. How is it fair that keyworker kids benefitted from being in school and everyone else had to cope with online learning? Most of us parents also worked . My kid didn't even settle into high school until year 9 and by that time was taking his options. Only allowing keyworker kids was a huge mistake and let down every other child. It should have been on a rota for EVERY child, It should NEVER happen again

Absolutely. Although she actually got the same teaching. All the children were taught virtually by the teacher, it was just that my daughter was looking at the screen in a classroom with 2 TAs, rather than a screen at home with us.

What she did benefit from most was the opportunity to socialise with other children in person, which was really valuable. And giving every child that opportunity even once a week would have been hugely beneficial for their mental health. Learning can be caught up on, but the social experiences are something they will never get back

I completely understand what you're saying. Personally I was lucky that I was a SAHM at the time and my 2 were still in primary and relished not having to go in to school for a period of time. It turned out my DD actually improved her Maths skills in Covid as I could give her 1-2-1 Maths tuition (I'm a further education teacher).... unbeknownst to me it turns out that she was sometimes too embarrassed to ask the teacher if she didn't understand something....so we addressed everything she'd previously struggled with, we did all her schoolwork together and her teacher was amazed at her improvement upon returning to school. Needless to say I continued giving her home maths tuition over the years and subsequently she's always been in the top set following Covid.

I live in Australia and our schools are not all AC. If temperatures exceed what is considered safe, schools will offer the option for parents to keep children home but will remain open for children of essential workers and for children that may live in less than ideal conditions or depraved areas. School can sometimes be the safest place for them.

With less children, a school should easily be able to keep the children that are attending safe. The heat is not the problem for most people, it's keeping hydrated and schools can make sure children drink water and offer water play or quiet time in cooler parts of the school easily with less children.

As a side, I have lived in the UK for half my life so very aware of the school system there.

But as a keyworker how would I do my role if that had happened it was impossible for me to work from home. I needed to see my patients to generate the work to do my job. If my son wasn't in school there would have been no job and nobody was paying for furlough for me.