To think closing schools or making them "optional" during the heatwave is putting pressure on working parents and is just a bit silly?

[Suchevilforebodings]

This doesn't actually effect me directly as neither of my children's schools have closed.
But some of the schools iny area are either closing or are making school optional IE: it won't be marked as absence.
I mean.... Really? Do kids actually need tome off because it's hot?
And is it fair on working parents to send out an email the day before to say school is closed? This heatwave was forecast last week.
Even making it "optional" puts the pressure on as the kids will want to stay off and many of their friends will be.
I just think it's bullshit tbh

But this thread wasn't started by a teacher saying they had to have time off was it? In fact I can't see anyone saying that.
This thread has been started by someone moaning that their school is closing.

As twas ever thus. Teachers get accused of moaning when actually they haven't, someone has started having a pop at them and they've defended themselves (as have many other non teachers).

I didn't say no running water, I said no hot water.

If you are going to use my post to demonstrate how awful and lazy teachers are, them at least read it properly.

There is another thread running by a teacher. Plus, obviously this thread is full of replies from teachers saying the same

People only ever think of primary schools and primary school teachers when they talk about stuff like this. I'm secondary, the kids don't need childcare, we can't just teach them under a tree because there's over a thousand of them.

It's not essential that I go to school to babysit a bunch of teens in a boiling classroom while the government pretends that they're learning something because they're in PE kit.

I just don't understand the energy put into shit like this.
If you think teachers have it unfairly easy compared to other professions I guess they just won at life.

The amount of headspace given to teachers and their work is just so weird to me.

This. Spot on.

Apologies for the error but I really think that has a minimal impact on my point

“As soon as the first student died from heat stroke, everyone on here would be saying ‘ if it was that hot at school, why did they not close?’”

round here it would be more likely “If it was that hot at school why weren’t they allowed to take their blazers off?”

I don’t think they won at life- that’s my point I think it’s a pretty shite job that actually impacts hold psyche and leads to profession wide group think.

im a professional, I have it much easier than teachers and am about to go into my air con office to earn 4 times what a teacher will. It’s not about being easy, I think it’s a really tough role.

Lol you tell yourself that. One of the purposes of school (in addition to the primary purpose of education) is childcare. You might not like that but it's true.

It is not

1. Statutory Definition

Under Section 18 of the Childcare Act 2006, childcare excludes:

Education or activities provided by a school during normal school hours
Health care
Care provided by a parent, step-parent, or relative
Care in a hospital or care home

What’s the purpose of that definition? Definitions obviously don’t exist in isolation.

Tell me you’ve never been in an overheated classroom with 30 overheated children without telling me you’ve never been in an overheated classroom with 30 overheated children!
Closing a school is NEVER a decision that is taken lightly by the leadership team, and will be based on many factors such how hot the school is getting, how much shade is about, how easy it is to keep the children cool etc etc! That is why there is such a disparity between which schools are open and which are closed even in the same area! No 2 schools are the same!

Not just old schools. My kids school is brand new. It’s made out of steel and glass either no aircon and no solar shading (they cut down all the surrounding trees to build it 😡). It’s an oven inside. Absolutely disgraceful that it was waived through at planning in this day and age. I’m waiting for the email saying they’re closing.

I don’t have school children anymore but mine did go in when it was in the 30s a couple of years back. There was no option for a day off and I wouldn’t have given them one either.
The hospital I work for in London also has no air conditioning, we can’t use fans for infection control reasons and there’s 6 patients to a bay plus nurses and equipment. It’s also stifling and all the nurses then have commutes home on the tube or bus - no new air con car.
Everyone is coping because we can’t just sent patients home

@Backedoffhackedoff I agree wholeheartedly. I was a primary teacher for 22 years before changing roles to become an EOTAS Tutor (education other than at school) two years ago.
The difference it has made to my life and that of my own family has been transformative; my only regret is that I didn't leave sooner. My little girl has benefited massively in a way that my much older sons didn't for sure and I still pinch myself that I can do school drop-offs now and attend things like nativities and sports days! I am going to collect her at 2pm today as her school is giving us the option due to the heat - this simply would not have been possible had I stayed in teaching.
The sizeable pay cut was so worth it - there is no holiday pay throughout the many school holidays or bank holiday pay etc, no pay if off sick, no excellent pension. But I have back my life and can be a far more present wife and mother.

You think the teachers have any say?

Yes but my point is that it is, in reality, used as childcare. Hence why COVID was so hard because suddenly parents had their kids at home whilst trying to do a full time job. Also, the schools literally care for the children. If they get hurt, they look after them. If they're in danger, they look out for them. Schools are required to provide pastoral care to students not JUST to teach them.

Currently 35 degrees and 65% humidity. I'm sweating buckets. But no drinks allowed in science labs. The kids are getting scratchy already. I givr it an hour before first fight breaks out.

But we are not closing. Because we are childcare.

It's not just us - random mumsnetters - that are viewing them as such.
The government clearly sees them as childcare too. Yes, it's not their primary purpose, but they are childcare.
That's why they let children of keyworkers only go to school during COVID - because they wanted those parents to work.
That's why they change the benefit claim requirements when kids get to school age - because they expect parents to get able to work whole kids are in school.

The "school isn't childcare" line only gets trotted out when it's convenient

I just dropped my kid into a state school and had to go into class to sign an injury form. It’s already boiling at 8.45. With 30 kids in a tiny room who can’t outside and a measly fan the teacher has bought from home. Absolutely ridiculous so no not unreasonable to close. Unreasonable they don’t have AC

We are almost at 40. Bit of a competition now between depts who can get the hottest room. We will win as we are on 3rd floor, have no blinds and south facing rooms. I'm taking my next class to sit in the direct sun light as it's cooler (this is a joke).

Oh and our outdoor space is a concrete waste land on the roof. No trees, no shade. We go to the local park for big PE. I'm going to take the temp up there later - think it's going to rival the sun.

But it's ok. All good here. Childcare needed for all the very important people out there. My own DD is in a hospital which has space and opening windows and not full of small rooms crammed full of too many bodies.

My DC at school in London - no early closure. In fact, we have been told it would be unauthorised absence taking them out. They only just cancelled a school trip to Central London because it involves trains and train operators have warned of trains not working. And they cannot get stuck on a train with no water, as they would be legally liable potentially.
Some of our local schools have air conditioned classrooms - not sure how they are funding it. Neither of our schools have any aircon units.
Our schools also ran a full programme during Covid online pretty much from the get go. They barely ever close or drop the ball. They only close when the top dog at the top is too scared that someone may sue him or her and their head will roll or when the DFE mandates them to. Otherwise the teachers are expected to be martyrs and the parents are threatened with unauthorised absences.

School isn't childcare. Yes they did all the things you said but they also call home to ask for pick up if a child is ill, has an accident, it snows, it's hot, is suspended etc etc. yes they care for kids during the school day but it needs the parents to pick up as soon as they are asked which means parents always need a plan b. Schools can call for a child to be picked up at any point during the school day because ultimately child care is the parents responsibility not the school, they are their to educate.