How the hell are parents meant to work?

[worzelsnurzel123]

With this latest blow from schools and yet further delays, I predict employers will cease to be “ fair” and they will run out of the patience BJ vaguely muttered about hoping they’d have. So what are the options?

1. Resign from jobs? This could have massive impact on income, likely to affect women and the future of women’s’ rights and progress in the workplace, creation of mental health issues and socio economic problems
2. Will some parents be pushed in to feeling the have no choice but to leave kids home alone? Esp those who are borderline age group eg 8-12. Not ideal at all. Clearly this will impact on MH, safety, parental work performance.
3. Leave kids with grandparents who are likely to be over 70 in many cases, shielding or vulnerable. Risks of passing the virus on would lead to guilt , worry on both sides.
4. Wait for everything to fuck up work wise, scrabble for child care here there and everywhere, lose employers good will due to time off needed and eventually get dismissed for poor attendance, breach of conduct and or poor performance

This is a disgrace. An absolute disgrace

Im very grateful for my employer, i’m a keyworker but i’ve only been with them since the day lockdown happened.

The school situation is a shitshow and i’m struggling with childcare but have been given only so many hours that I can use for covid related childcare issues. My wraparound care is none existent and the school are refusing. But as a keyworker and emergency services at that, i’m struggling beyond belief.

It’s really hit me hard as i’m unable to do much about it!

I’m a single parent, haven’t had time off, my cousin (who mun also works) has had to come and watch my kids. If I don’t work they don’t get fed!! Yet I would be better off financially on benefits!! WTFL system is an absolute disgrace

Being able to wfh is of course better than not being able to as at least there is someone physically in the house to keep eyeballs on the kids. But not that much. It is simply not possible, in the vast majority of jobs, to both wfh and homeschool. It’s one of the other or a half arsed attempt at both, which is not sustainable for the times she’s being touted. For the first few weeks I was relatively happy splitting my day; early start for work, school in The middle then work late. But I’m on my knees with exhaustion now. Again, I acknowledge wfh is ‘better’ than people who can’t but it’s not a magic solution.

To the poster who said about parental uptake...(sorry can’t see on phone) - this will vary across regions and schools. It’s about 50% in ours. But once furlough ends and/or employers stop being flexible, I would expect that to change. And less in means easier to keep distance! The concern of course is if vulnerable children don’t come in, but I saw a suggestion previously that shielding teachers could ‘target’ engagement there, which didn’t seem an entirely bonkerballs suggestion?

I’m going to send a link to this thread to my MP (a woman).

There needs to be a national effort - like the one to increase critical care capacity in the NHS - to set up summer childcare schemes for working parents starting ASAP. It’s summer - a lot of this stuff could be done outdoors where the risk to kids and staff is virtually nil. University students/out of work actors (often vg with kids, just ask Sharky & George) could help out, supervised by trained teachers/sports coaches. The condition must be that the hours must be 9-5 5 days a week, no 9.30-12 nonsense - so parents can go back to work or productively WFH without getting the sack.

“We are still in the middle of this virus..... it’s far from over “ the daily Downing Street briefing said ... nothing will be straight forward .... zoos are open air so are safer .... ... schools have been a worry for the for government .... and the unions are not making it any easier

@Sonineties there would be many people keen to access this kind of service. It would need to be run in leisure centres not schools as I know many schools are behind with essential maintenance due to being open for key workers during the holidays and difficulty with getting contractors in.

I work in a school so I fully understand both the school situation and the frustration felt by working parents.
Schools have worked tirelessly to try and resolve this but with very little support from Government agencies. Put simply, schools just do not have enough space to accommodate all of the children safely, and at the same time have a duty of care for the health of their own staff.
Companies that are requiring their staff to return to work should try and help a bit here and perhaps provide some sort of temporary onsite creche for their employees for a few months. Creches were common in the workplace in the 80's but like everything else useful has gone out of fashion, so childcare is every one else's problem now which isn't fair on parents or schools.

I just find the majority of these posts confirms the real issue here, people moan on about the detrimental effects to the children's mental health and how much their education will suffer It isn't, unless its mentally stressful to be at home with your parents, and it won't, most kids, as many posts state countless times are being supplied with home learning from their teachers. Parents aren't being expected to just make it up! The key issue again and again, in reality is childcare . Well teachers are not childminders, they are educators and as another of these posts points out the guidance is work from home if possible. If you have no child care you shouldn't be going to work.

Parents who who have to return to work are considered “key workers”.
Schools have never been closed for key workers,in fact many children have been accommodated in schools During weekdays longer than school hours, half terms & bank holidays ( yes.... without extra pay holidays in Lieu & just to support other human beings) staff have also still had to continue with their previous responsibilities.... school staff are parents too ! The virus has affected everyone. Contact your school register your child for a place & carry on. Exactly as school staff have & will continue to do until the new normal resumes.

Nice to see sooooo many people “now”value the tremendous job school staff collectively do to support parents, children & the economy.... Instead of just a baby sitting service. 😬

cyclingmad oh do fuck off...I bet you think working mothers only work for 'luxuries' don't you?

Working full time AND homeschooling is hard. Working full time from home and caring for a child and homeschooling is a bloody nightmare.
It doesn't mean I can't appreciate that others have it hard too.

I print out the teaching pack for my kids every day 5 and 7.

7 year old is okish at getting on with it, well
not maths but not a chance with 5 year old.

They need help too as they're learning obviously.

Kids that young need someone teaching them and supervising them to help them when they get stuck and encourage them.

It's not enough to give them the school packs and tell them to get on with it.

I'm working full time to keep the wolf from the door.

I can't teach them at home properly. 10 mins here and there.

My kids' education is suffering

lisasyns will you pay my mortgage then?

As much as the government have said schools to remain open for keyworkers, my daughters school stated both parents had to be keyworkers to attend school. Yes my daughters mental health is suffering, she's bored at home and anxious. School have provided very little in regards to home schooling, a website and a blog. My husband.d still has ti work from home, so can not do anything educational with her. I work in a care home. Now my daughters school have only just opened up year 1 and we will only find out on Thursday or friday whether they will open reception at all. If this is the case, my husbands job will be at risk, unless we have our daughter go to childcare, which we just cannot afford the costly daily fees. We are screwed. I have no idea how others will manage.

@pollymere

If you cannot work from home, then I suspect schools officially have to let your child attend, whatever year group they're in. Please don't all shout me down on this. Schools are open for children of key workers, vulnerable and SEN. They've begun to open for students who can't work successfully from home for whatever reason. If you are under pressure to return to work, I would be working with the school so the child can go into school.

They don’t have to. My child’s school can’t even fit in all of those allowed to go back, not a chance they can fit in any more.

@Lisasyns11 but that logic hits the poorest families (often single parent families) hardest. Many, many people can only afford to work once their children are in school. So what should all these people do resign and go on benefits? If you can’t afford a full time nanny you shouldn’t go to work?

Re. Getting volunteers to help out - we better start processing their CRB checks now

As a primary teacher, I’d happily have a bubble of 30 rather than 15 (well, my class is 31, but one shielding). Takes a huge amount of pressure off trying to balance full time teaching and home learning, parents could then work and we’d have children learning again.

We’re not allowed to do this though, as one of the only things that the gov has been clear on is that classes mustn’t exceed 15. Maybe this needs to be changed to facilitate wider opening.

Takemetogreeceplease
What would you have done normally? As the 1st of July would be the school holidays in Scotland anyway, perhaps your employer is actually thinking the same as I am asking.

Lisayans I couldn’t disagree more. Such a lazy comment. School isn’t ‘childcare’ like a nursery eg and I don’t expect it to be. But primary children cannot be just left alone to ‘get on with it’ - the home learning requires near constant supervision. And as is evident from the many (many) threads on here there is a huge variance as to the quality and quantity of work provided from schools anyway.

@cyclingmad

Tough shits to working parents...well I think everyone needs to realise lots of different people are having to make sacrifices some have lost their business or jobs already, some are going to stuck with no opportunity to move upward in their role for some time, some might have to take a pay cut, unemployed will find it harder to find jobs. Yet working parents are making it out that it's so unfair to them like they are the ones having to give up so much. If you life might mean no more holidays, a bit more having to cut out some extra luxuries then so be it.

This a piss take, yes? Vast numbers of working families are already at best the squeezed middle, at worst living hand to mouth.

I'm a key worker but have been told DS2 (7) cannot return to school because of his SEN. I can't be the only one in this predicament.

@misshoney1 I cannot do my job from home but it is not a key worker job. The school won't give my child a place.

@Lisasyns11 so what am I supposed to live on then, seeing as I'm a single parent and my wages are what pay the bills?

Lisasyns11

Agree.

Schools have to accept children if both parents are workers - not critical workers - all working parents however if 1 parent can or is stay @ home then school may stipulate child stays home in order to minimise risk to staff children & families

What they may ask is that you collect as soon as you finish work if before the end of the school day
FYI staff have to sanitise every area children & Adults have touched & are expected to do this after all children have left, this means deep clean for upto 1 hour after last child, as you can appreciate this impacts on staff own children’s childcare/ school placement so in order to be as fair as possible we expect mutual respect (Staff & parents) that we are all supporting each other the best way we can.Hope that provides the rationality

of schools decisions .. that , risk assessments & Gov guidelines