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.

Ridiculous statement ! I'm a single working mum I have no choice but to go back to work to keep a roof over it heads and food on the table

One of the reasons I don’t want schools to go back is because I will be expected to go back into the office as normal because of the perception that school is sufficient childcare

So millions lose their jobs. Families bear the brunt disproportionately and vulnerable people with children have to go back to work.

Just so op can be safe.

Only on Mums net

vulnerable people without children that should say

Agree, OP, Iain Duncan Smith said that re-opening primary schools is ‘key’ to unlocking labour.

Clearly there are lots of people who can return to work without schools open, and lots of people who are unable to work even if schools open because schools are not designed as childcare and they rely on grandparents to pick up the slack.

Opening schools, if we follow other countries, would be done in a staggered way, with not all the kids in at the same time.

I don’t think they’re being honest. Or they fundamentally don’t understand what having primary school kids and working is like.

@cinammonbuns
You have such a warped concept of parenting, that I hope you're not a parent.

But to respond to your assertion. I worked before children. I saved to manage to raise by child at home, bit in childcare until they were school age. I now work in school hours from home. Again working in a way that is in the best interests of my child first.

If parents want to work, then don't have children and palm off to childcare! Get a pet instead!

Is there any need solomummy? What are you getting out of this?

What is it that politicians don’t want us to talk about by allowing this speculation about schools to run riot? The Welsh education minister has shut down speculation there by saying no plans to go back before the end of summer. What is being hidden here?

The poor preparation? Lack of testing? The situation in care homes? Lack of PPE?

With about 750k live births a year there's just over 5 million kids aged 5-12 in the uk. If 2/3 are siblings that's 3.5million families.
I don't know % sahp but guessing around 20?
So that's 2.7m kids. If 70% have 2 parents (guess) thats about 20% of the working population in dual income households with kids in school under 12. Add in preschoool and this increases to around 30%

I guess parents in dual income families could both go part time but would be tricky.
If only one parent went back to work the genders at gap means v likely to be the mum. That would set back the gender pay gap even more.

I'm in the same boat as pp working 7-midnight most nights and still only 70% of work gets done.

Weird outlook @SoloMummy what if like me your planned childcare dies?! Circumstances change all the time and it was not unreasonable to assume school schedules wouldn't change too drastically until this when planning to have children and go back to work to support them financially ?!

@SoloMummy The thing is that what is best for your children may not be for someone else's. Different ways work and suit different people and different situations. I think I you need to have a deeper think and try to be a little more open minded.

The Welsh education minister has shut down speculation there by saying no plans to go back before the end of summer

Is that what was said though? I have seen someone post a link to one article saying this. But when you read article it didn't quote this.

I have seen other articles yesterday which read differently. They say Welsh schools will not open imminently.

oh what a world to live in - where jobs all revolve around 08:00 - 18:00.

We rely on grandparents

Which will be the big problem in the Summer holidays. Many grandparents are vulnerable and many will be shielding due to being the most vulnerable. They won't be able to look after kids in the Summer holidays.

So even if kids go back to school in June after half term, it's only a temporary 5/6 week respite where parents can return to work. Come breaking up mid July, those same parents will be back looking after their kids because they won't be able to fob their kids off with grandparents. Is it really worth it for such a short period of time?

Until there's a vaccine, many grandparents won't be doing childcare!

Ah @solomummy. Yes all those plentiful school hours from home jobs

You are being a GF and a wind up merchant

Interesting point OP, I hadn't thought about it before, but you are right - the majority of the workforce probably don't have primary and younger aged children. But from what Matt Hancock was saying in interviews this morning, life won't be going back to normal without a vaccine so on that basis I'm not sure how the government could reopen schools any time soon anyway.

The poor preparation? Lack of testing? The situation in care homes? Lack of PPE?

Agree Noble.

How closely do we usually follow Wales?

life won't be going back to normal without a vaccine so on that basis I'm not sure how the government could reopen schools any time soon anyway.

You’ve misunderstood. Life not going back to normal includes things
Like social distancing etc. Schools will clearly go back. That doesn’t mean life is back to normal.

The Welsh education minister has shut down speculation there by saying no plans to go back before the end of summer

No she didn’t. She said she’d reopen when the chief medical officer etc said it was safe to do so and that it wasn’t now or imminent Ie next week. She also said there would be disruptions for considerable time.

But she certainly didn’t say there were no plans to not go back before the end of summer, in fact not even anything like it

It’s slowly killing us, we need schools and childminders to start back asap.
@Scottishgirl85
No it’s not “ killing you” you are exhausted, coronavirus is killing people - have some perspective!

But she certainly didn’t say there were no plans to not go back before the end of summer

Blame the journalists then, because that’s what they’ve been reporting!

You’ve misunderstood. Life not going back to normal includes things
Like social distancing etc

Yes I get that but how do schools - which can be germ factories at the best of times - get their pupils (especially the younger ones) to practice social distancing measures? It's just not possible.

@alloutoffucks

The real reason government wants to reopen schools is to make sure most people get infected with covid 19.

Yes, I agree.

I am a teacher at a secondary school and it is well know that schools breeding grounds for viruses.

What many people seem to be willing to gloss over is that it can be several days before an infected person shows symptom of having the Corona virus, and some people can carry the virus without having any symptoms at all.

Even though most children appear not to be seriously affected by the virus it does not mean they won't be returning from school with it and passing it to the rest of their families.

The Government talked of creating a 'herd immunity' at the beginning of the outbreak.

The problem with that is that notwithstanding the deaths that philosophy will incur, no-one knows for certain whether having had Covid-19 will have detrimental health consequences in years to come.

Personally, I would prefer not to be thought of as cattle.

@Bluntness100 - I can see your point, or rather the Chief Medical Officer's point about social distancing needing to be in place for some time. So, it could mean that people are able to go to work and school only but no social life, so restaurants/bars/pubs closed. Presumably that would also mean no travelling. Grim.

The vast majority of mothers work

Those citing that these mothers NEED to work, perhaps now more thought will be given before having children. If you cannot afford children with one parent at home, then you shouldn't be having any!

We constantly hear the crap of beefing to work, living pay pack to pay pack. Well plan better. Live somewhere cheaper. Don't have children until they can be afforded financially but also to be cared for until school age without needing childcare provision.

I don't get the point I'm having a child that you only see at weekends in essence!

Seriously go fuck yourself