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

Sorry should read *schools not child

I don’t know if it would sadly, I guess it would if you only had 8 in a bubble but lots of schools have 15 in a bubble and still not enough staff or rooms. Even with 1m distancing I’m not sure all 30 plus would fit. Hopefully would help some I guess though .

It would make the world of difference for our school. We currently have bubbles of 8 which means they've only been able to bring year 6 and half of year 1 back. Bubbles of 15 would mean all three year groups could return.

We are opening up our Primary school to more year groups in the coming weeks as we have capacity to. It will vary school by school but we are doing the best we can.

Just seen this in case helps anyone

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52981707

[quote Orangeblossom78]Just seen this in case helps anyone

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52981707[/quote]
I'm glad to see this article! This is worth being angry and shouting out for. I do feel afraid the economy reopens and working parents, especially mums, get totally shafted and forgotten.

Someone said it's not about womens rights. Women have suffered or fought centuries (and still fighting today) not to be trapped into a version of the handmaid's tale. This is predicated on a functioning schooling system and afterschool/holiday childcare provisions.

I can't believe some comments, thankfully in minority... the whole Victorian attitude that girls help at home. Rich girl, get home schooled, but still, a vassal for men. If you dared to dream beyond, it must be because you're hankering for holidays abroad or a 40 inch TV.

Even if you didn't care about womens' rights, you'd care about your childrens' right to an education. As for the practicalities of reopening schools for all years, I can only see one way - scrap the distancing requirements. But I'm too tired to fight my case so will leave it at that and see what happens in September.

Lots of parents seem to be reclassifying themselves as key workers to get their kids back to school. The definition is very loose so can be interpreted to their advantage. Doesn’t seem fair.

@Flower246

Lots of parents seem to be reclassifying themselves as key workers to get their kids back to school. The definition is very loose so can be interpreted to their advantage. Doesn’t seem fair.

Why is it not fair?

Fair to who?

Lots of parents seem to be reclassifying themselves as key workers to get their kids back to school. The definition is very loose so can be interpreted to their advantage. Doesn’t seem fair.

Why isn't it fair?
I'm a university lecturer and not classed as a key worker - ironically the students I teach (most of whom are working while studying) are classed as key workers so have had school places throughout.

Why is it not fair?

Are people under some illusion that if you’re not a key worker you aren’t expected to be delivering your role or something?

Some are not what I consider high priority or frontline key workers eg they work from home in head office mgmt jobs and some have one other parent home but the system allows their children to go to school. I’m not sure that is fair - maybe I’m wrong. I could get myself classified in that capacity as a key worker but I don’t feel like one in the way it was originally intended.

worzelsnurzel123

Schools are not free childcare!! Plus blame the government not the schools. Most teachers want to go back. OMG. Teachers are professionals and one of those has told me in her opinion, for the very young the restrictions in the classroom and learning could actually be detrimental to their well being and future learning. A lot of what they do is around socialisation skills. Plus its the older ones who should be going back the yr 6s, 10, 11. 13, They are the ones most affected. Exams and rites of passage. I feel for them. A small child will be fine, learning is through play until the age of 7 in most of Europe and Ch 4 (Dispatches?) documentary comparing results with UK kids, actually recorded better results from those in these areas. Quite bluntly childcare is your responsibility, you had the children. It is not the schools job to provide free childcare.

Some are not what I consider high priority or frontline key workers

That doesn’t mean they aren’t expected to deliver.

We’re fighting very hard to keep the business viable, to protect everyone’s jobs, to keep the tax revenue up to pay for all this frontline stuff.

What do you think people should do? Roll over and watch their business/jobs go under?

I’m expected back in the office two days a week now. It’s important in getting the business back to normal levels of delivery. How does that work with no childcare options?

@amispeakingenglish

worzelsnurzel123

Schools are not free childcare!! Plus blame the government not the schools. Most teachers want to go back. OMG. Teachers are professionals and one of those has told me in her opinion, for the very young the restrictions in the classroom and learning could actually be detrimental to their well being and future learning. A lot of what they do is around socialisation skills. Plus its the older ones who should be going back the yr 6s, 10, 11. 13, They are the ones most affected. Exams and rites of passage. I feel for them. A small child will be fine, learning is through play until the age of 7 in most of Europe and Ch 4 (Dispatches?) documentary comparing results with UK kids, actually recorded better results from those in these areas. Quite bluntly childcare is your responsibility, you had the children. It is not the schools job to provide free childcare.

This is literaly the stupidest argument ever.

Schools are not JUST childcare providers. But of course they are free childcare. We don't pay at source for it. We don't have to stay on site during the school day, sitting in our cars in case one of them needs us like a football training session. We sign forms saying we give them Loco PArentis while they have them in their charge. They LITERALLY are in the care of children.

Both me and DH are working from home with a 5 year old to look at after and home school. Do you really think that's easy flower? There is a reason that usually I have to prove I have childcare in place in order to WFH.
DS would be far better off in school but instead he has to spend most of the day entertaining himself while we work and are in meetings.

Quite bluntly childcare is your responsibility, you had the children.

And where do you think parents of school-aged children should source childcare from right now? I’m sure we’re all keen to hear if you’ve cracked it!

Lots of parents seem to be reclassifying themselves as key workers to get their kids back to school. The definition is very loose so can be interpreted to their advantage. Doesn’t seem fair

... and lots of schools only take children IF both parents are key workers. Who is having an advantage there?

Blame the government. Not the teachers, who you should be supporting as with the NHS, after all they are good enough to look after precious children all day.

They could throw money at the schools like they did the NHS, use other buildings the Nightingale hospitals, empty offices . You don't have to be in a school building to learn, put up portacabins. Lots of solutions to make the physical spaces bigger, so why aren't the government doing this? They used the NHS in Brexit and the election, traditionally conservative governments have not liked the teaching profession and at one time were trying to close teacher training courses in universities. Everyone should analyse proposals from Boris et al as they have their own motives which are not about keeping you safe.

Quite bluntly childcare is your responsibility, you had the children.

But outside childcare right now DOESN'T EXIST.

It doesn’t exist because there was never a need for it, because kids were in school 9-3.

Meanwhile, parents are expected to work as normal and in many cases get back to the office.

Do you see the problem?

This whole situation has really revealed just how ignorant so many people are about how childcare works and what parents usually do about it. “Well why don’t you just do whatever it is you usually do over summer? I have no idea what that is but I’m sure there are some nannies that magically appear like Mary Poppins or something? Can’t you just do that?”

Quite bluntly childcare is your responsibility, you had the children. It is not the schools job to provide free childcare.

FFS are people really this dim and blinkered?
Why bother opening the schools at all? Lets all quit our jobs and stay at home forever.

Lets all quit our jobs and stay at home forever.

Great idea

I take it the tax payer will pay all our mortgages and keep us in the style we’re accustomed to.

GoldenOmber
Just seen your post, absolutely right, well said, totally agree. Teachers are not the equivalent of dog walkers.
Until a few years ago (single) mums could claim benefits to remain at home or working part time while bringing up their own kids, it was the conservatives who stopped this. Used to be till youngest was 16, changed to 12 then whatever ridiculous age it is now 1? Disgusting policy as best person for small children is the parent(s) BAsed on US model of social welfare, the Wisconsin way I think, Labour looked at this too. I am sure there are people on here who know a lot more than me about this reform. Shocking footage on tv doc showing a mum of 6 with no money after a child was ill and she lost her job, and another showing a mum collecting her baby, yes baby form the nursery in the middle of the night after her shift ended.

Women should have the right of choice to work or not, that is true feminism but they are expected and forced to. The only reason the little ones were supposed to go back was so the workforce could go back. The gov has mismanaged the whole shebang. Of course hard to work if no childcare, but you could do part time ?? Single parents have problems so should be supported through this, those with a partner, both can do part time, Employers have to adapt to this for the time being. I heard a saying.... a country gets the government it deserves . Most people voted for them............