Why do schools need to go back to get the workforce back?

[Pitaramus]

I keep hearing talk of the “need” to send kids back to school so that their parents can get back to work. I’ve never really seen school as sufficient childcare to enable someone to actually go to work. My youngest child’s nursery is 8-6 and open about 51 weeks a year. That is childcare. School is 9-3 and is shut for 3 months of the year anyway.

Surely one parent in each family unit (assuming the family has two parents) could go back to work without schools going back. A certain percentage of families of primary aged kids have one stay at home parent anyway because of the cost of the wrap around care they’d otherwise need. And all parents whose children are 13 plus could also go back to work.

I just don’t see the schools being shut as being a massive barrier to a lot of the work force returning, particularly given that they are only open 9-3 anyway and they are due off for may half term and then the summer hols which means you’d be getting 9-3 “childcare” for 12 weeks between now and September.

Of course there will be some who can’t work without school and the after school and breakfast clubs that some schools offer but these people must be in the minority if you’re looking at the workforce as a whole. I know in my workplace I’m one of three people out of about 40 with primary aged kids where both parents work. Luckily I’m managing to work from home as I have quite a flexible job.

If the cost of the furlough is the problem (which I’m sure it is) why not furlough one parent in each family with young kids where both parents work and then everyone else can go back as and when it’s safe to do so.

Even when schools reopen, loads of parents still wont be able to return to work. Lots rely on grandparents to pick up after school, who cant because of shielding etc. Some childminders and before/after school clubs wont re-open, etc.

Almost every mother I know either works around school hours or uses after school club. I know only one who is a SAHM by choice. I work for a top accountancy firm, probably at least 9/10 of our senior workforce have children, many of them women due to the flexibility of the employer. School is absolutely essential for us to do our jobs properly.

It's all academic anyway, surely we will follow what everyone else is doing and reopen schools for those that need them in May. Anything else would be crazy. If you're worried, keep them at home. I agree that this would be an easy way to spread the virus among the under 50 population.

Many young (and not so young! )parents need to work .Date 21st century not the 1950s! To be able to get the workforce back, we need Schools to re open .Even if Nurseries are open 51 weeks a year ,we still need Schools as when children turn 5 they need to start in Reception year!

My husband and I are working 7am until 11pm 5 days a week at home in highly stressful and responding jobs to be productive enough for an equivalent working day with 2 young children (age 1 and 5). It's slowly killing us, we need schools and childminders to start back asap

Just wanted to show some solidarity with this. Ours are 2 and 5. We are both trying to work full time with employers who simply do not get it. We have absolutely no down time any more and it’s horrific.

The education people in government are looking at June 1st. They said there is a window for a few weeks for children to return before the summer. So itl be the last term they think.

I'm worried about September. If the cases are still continuing autumn and winter will be a huge worry. Everytime my kids get a cold etc I'll be so worried. My son gets tonsilitis and I am dreading that too.

@Flaxmeadow because I earn almost 3 times that of my husband. Not all women earn a pittance whilst their husbands earn all the money

I think maybe 2 out of 30 parents are SAHP in my DCs class? And maybe 30% of my team have children at primary school... how are we supposed to go back to work if schools are closed

I think a major problem of 'schools need to go back so parents can go back to work' is as OP says school is only 9-3. It is not school by itself but all the other care around the edges.

I would struggle as it is grandparents who do my wrap around care and I am sure many are in the same situation.

It would have to be not just schools but also breakfast clubs, after school clubs and child minders who need to reopen. This still would not help all families.

The current thinking is that schools would be part time to allow for social distancing but that would not be easy for parents with more than one school age child as the school would have to offer siblings the same hours.

If so many parents cant work due to childcare, what are they going to do in the summer holidays? They cant dump the kids on shielding grandparents. So are they just going back to work if schools reopen start of June only to have to stay at home again when the schools break up mid July? If so, pretty pointless to risk a second wave for just 6 weeks of back to work.

This is a hugely valid point..

What would people normally do over the 6 weeks summer holidays when schools are normally on break?

If we want to get the economy running then allowing holiday clubs/sports clubs/child minders who normally provide the summer childcare is much more effective then expecting teachers to work when they usually would on their unpaid breaks - which then costs money to pay them to continue working and costs the government more thus having the opposite effect on economy..

Well presumably if schools reopen then holiday clubs will also have to reopen. That's how people usually manage in the holidays.

Why is it the children who need be locked up?

What have they ever done to deserve this?

Why are they so unimportant?

Children are not really vulnerable to this disease. Their risk is extremely low. They are vulnerable in so many other ways.

The local holiday club that I use is currently planning on opening over May half term unless told they can't by the government.

Parents sort the summer holidays by....

Term time only working
Grandparents
Holiday clubs
Annual leave
Sharing childcare with friends
Changing working hours

I am sure there are more ways parents organise it!

Luckily I’m managing to work from home as I have quite a flexible job
And there is your answer not everyone has a wfh flexible job .

I would happily pay for childcare over the holidays. Its what I always do.

I would be pissed off though if they were allowed to open in July when the schools had not been open beforehand.

I'm a PhD student, single mum, 2 kids aged 10 and 12. I'm expected to be able to study from home (and also teach seminars from home via Teams) but even with older kids, it's really hard. When I was working full-time, with the expectation to work certain hours, rather than the flexibility study gives, it would have been even harder. I was thinking of leaving both kids for the odd half-day over the summer holidays to go onto campus and work, as I know I'm less productive with them around. (By then they would be 11 and almost 13 - Y6 going into Y7 and Y7 going into Y8). I likely won't have that option. Certainly this will disproportionately affect working single parents.

With my work team 6 out of 9 of us have children, mostly primary aged. All have 2 parents at work. Pretty similar statistics with friends.

We rely on grandparents/ after school clubs/ childminders/ holiday clubs and friends to make it work. It's tricky enough in normal times.

I am an nhs Key worker. My DH can WFH. He is having to work around my hours ( 2 DC aged 5 and 2yo. It's exhausting for us both and we couldn't do this long term.

@Flaxmeadow I go to work because I worked damn hard at school to gain my qualifications and have worked ever since to build my career. I go to work because I enjoy it. I go to work because I have greater earning potential than my husband. I go to work because I want my children to see me working hard and respect that. I go to work because I am a feminist and I believe in equality between men and women.

My best friend is a SAHM. She doesn't want to work while her children are young, and wants to be there to drop them off and pick them up from school everyday. She has never really been career minded and her husband earns enough to provide them with a comfortable lifestyle.

We're both happy and all of our children are happy. We respect each others decisions. It's not hard really, is it?

Seriously, it's not the 1920s! Don't be fucking ridiculous.

Solo no words. Absolutely no words

I have to pay a nanny over the summer hols even tho my Ds is 13, he is sen and can’t be left all day home alone. He cannot access mainstream hol clubs because he needs lots of support

F**king hell Solo, is it the 1950s, what sanctimonious, ignorant bullshit

@SoloMummy fuck off and mind your own business. You've got no idea how circumstances can change.