How will you cope logistically / financially / mentally if schools are still PT in September?

[Bollss]

Just wanted to ask, really... Get an insight into how many families this will totally fuck things up for.

For us, if school is PT whatever we do we will be under massive financial / mental / logistical pressure.

We both work FT, and neither of us can WFH. I have so far been furloughed but am starting a new role where I won't be able to do that (NHS).

I guess there's a possibility key worker provision will still exist but I'm not certain.

If it doesnt, and we get say 10hrs a week (based on Scotland's plans!) Then really our only options are... One of us taking unpaid leave (which we cannot afford), finding a childminder for the 3 days a week ds isn't at school and having to leave work early for the other 2 days (no childminders pick up from his school) which will cost us more than a full time nursery place does now. Or keep him in ft nursery until school goes ft (which we could only afford to do if he keeps his funded hours half of which we haven't been able to use)

How will you cope? Will it affect you? Do you have any better ideas than my crap and expensive ones

I'm also a bit worried about isolating the whole class every time someone tests positive. Now I understand in nursery / reception class that's probably quite unlikely to happen repeatedly when the community spread is as low as it is but we can't be expected to take unpaid leave for 2 weeks every time can we?

I understand why these rules are in place but they simply do not work in the real world.

I'm not sure...

I'm wfh with a very supportive employer. So I hope that will continue.

DS2 has special needs so we can insist on a place for him - we were given the option now but didn't take it up but I would come September. Although the school have said nothing yet about their plans.

Ds1s school has said they are aiming for some sort of opening in September.

I'm gearing up for PT school in September as DDs school's long rambling emails give the tone that they're not going to organise themselves to do more. I'm determined not to give up my job. Me and DH can both WFH up until January. I've hired a part time nanny for DD, to coach her through some of the links the school send already and I'll keep him on when/if they go back.

DS is in secondary. Their school is providing much more help and he's getting on with it. Main issue for him is he finds it hard to organise himself so ends up stuck in front of a screen for 8-10 hours a day. I've started getting up early to take him running as I've realised he is getting very unhealthy (lots of minor illness during this time, and very low levels of fitness.)

I am also going to hire a cleaner (to free up my time). So yeah, basically I'm going to throw money at the problem. It makes me incredibly angry that provision is going to be even less fair now, but I can't see my kids neglected in this way.

My main concern as a working parent is fitting in the remote learning. My DC are already disadvantaged as keyworker dc at school as they do no learning there at all, even though I send in the worksheets with them. This means we have to try and squeeze it in on our days off. This gives us and the dc no downtime and means the work is rushed and unifinished.

Knowing this setup is likely to continue for another few months of the new school year is heartbreaking.

I am surprised that parents who don't work cannot see how much of a disadvantage that is. I would love to be able to stay at home and teach them during the week then have weekends for fun stuff. All my annual leave has been cancelled so far this year (NHS) it really has been a massive struggle.

To the pp who said why should vulnerable kids be prioritised, all children matter..... you do realise you sound like one of those uneducated people who say 'All lives matter'? If you cannot see that vulnerable dc start off at a significant disadvantage and therefore bringing them back to school is aiming to move towards some equity for them, then you really are deluded. You do realise that the main reason is making sure they actually get to eat that day?

We are lucky as DCs are in a small private school which has excellent online learning and support. We are both WFH for the foreseeable. It's a big juggling act with work and school but we're ok.

I'm hoping that because the school already has small class sizes of approx 15 that they'll all be able to go back full-time in September. I realise we are super lucky and my heart goes out to people who are struggling.

I’m in Scotland, If this part time, half weeks in and half at home or different weeks etc goes ahead I will need to give up my job as a community nurse. And before anyone says make your DH work less that will not work for us. He works away in a specialised job only he does for that company, it can’t be done from home and it is Monday-Friday with odd weekends, if he starts saying he can only work odd days they will just replace him and we are lucky he has managed to keep his job at all. I am already on flexible part time working so can’t be any more flexible, my off duties are done months in advance due to the pandemic and how things have changed in my health board. I have 3DC across different year groups and schools as well

They attend the hub currently but there is no teaching just childcare, they aren’t keen on doing school work when they get home now, it is just a worksheet emailed every few days and some work on sumdog and my eldest gets next to nothing (p7)

I do have a childminder for holidays but she has 2 DC of her own with SN who she will need to home school, childminders and nurseries are thin on the ground in my area especially those with space for 2 children, I had a job finding my current one who had space for my 2 together and it’s going to be even harder if everyone else is needing the same

I’d encourage people to take legal advice, or at least check their employee policies on n things like unpaid and parental leave.

www.gov.uk/parental-leave

I’d urge people not to resign from jobs they don’t want to leave. Write to your MPs. Make a fuss.

Seriously thinking of going private,which is totally against my long held principles.

But I think I must put my DC first
My youngest in particular needs to be educated ,exams in the next couple of years (hopefully )
Will mean some economies

I'm a teacher, so fully understand the reasons why schools may have to be part time, as there just isn't the space or the staff to offer full time places to all children if any form of social distancing is still in place.

It will be a complete pain in the arse for childcare for my family though. And we've only got one child, who will be in year 6. We will be asking for a full time keyworker place (as I will obviously need to be in school, even if I'm only physically teaching half the kids who would normally be there). If that's not possible then dh is going to need to wfh the days when dd can't be in school. We may be able to get together with some of her friends families to organise informal group childcare in our homes. Dh would "happily" do one day a week of home schooling dd and 4 friends if their parents could offer the same thing so he could have 4 days of going out to work. A lot of dd's friends have one parent who works part time, so we might be able to make it work.

Obviously, what we're all going for, is that there are such small numbers of people with the virus by September that we can all go back to normal as much as possible. I'm not sure I'd want to be in very crowded places for a long time, but hopefully it will be under control enough for schools to operate normally.

Dh is starting a new job soon after being made redundant at the start of lockdown. It's shift work so some weeks he'll have 1 weekday off and others 4 days. I do a mixture of public sector work and my own private work so I'll be either working from home or working around dh. Dc started last week doing 1 day a week as key worker. I'm the higher earner but luckily way more flexible than dh.

Edinburgh here; it looks like our kids are going to be in a 3-week rotation in school - in school one day per week for two weeks then two days per week for one week. Totally hopeless.

@Sunbeam18

Edinburgh here; it looks like our kids are going to be in a 3-week rotation in school - in school one day per week for two weeks then two days per week for one week. Totally hopeless.

That is terrible. Honestly what is the bloody need for that?

Is it primary or secondary?

In primary I can't see how they can't manage at least two full days a week? Surely you just split the class in half?

Have written to my MP this morning.

Woke up this morning at the end of my tether and had to channel my anger at feeling completely forgotten as a WFH parent trying to juggle everything somewhere. At least this way it may have a positive effect.

Was really easy and highly recommended it.

Googled MPs name and email address - sent email. Never done it before and so am slightly proud of myself.

Googled MPs name and email address - sent email. Never done it before and so am slightly proud of myself

I've emailed mine too I would recommend everyone does. Unfortunately I think it's a case of who shouts the loudest gets listened to. We need to shout about it.

I also emailed the children's commissioner who has spoken of her worries re lack of schooling.

Now googling children's commissioner

I expect to be made redundant and that'll fix it. Likewise for DH. We're planning how long we can survive without income.

Its primary and secondary! All schools in Edinburgh Council area

I'm in Scotland too and the school have said it'll be a three week rotation, with kids in for 4 days of the week they are in. So, 4 days and then 2 weeks off. I'm tearing me hair out. I have no idea how I can keep my job.

Financially - can just about crawl through I think (but no treats or holidays - just bare essentials from budget supermarket). I'm a freelancer; Covid has killed off most of my commission streams.

Mentally? God help us. We've hit the 12 Week Wall. Hard. Hoping it's temporary. Lost all oomph. Worried for DDs mental health. She's lonely and getting angry and sullen, quite understandably. Gah.

I've got an idea but I can't imagine it would ever be approved.

If they're only offering 10hrs education, they should offer the other 20hrs for funded childcare like 3 and 4yos get.

It would enable parents to pay for childcare a bit easier at least.

Though it would need more childcare providers to set up presumably.

But if schools were only receiving one-third of their normal budget, how would they pay teachers (who would still be working full time, albeit with fewer children in each class, and setting online work as well)?

I'm not suggesting that at all. I mean parents should get the 20hrs to enable them to pay for childcare. Schools need the same amount (if not more tbh) funding as they still need the room, teachers resources etc.

In primary I can't see how they can't manage at least two full days a week? Surely you just split the class in half?
I would assume it's because a half class is to big for social distancing. It's actually really hard to achieve that in most rooms, given you have to have the space on all sides of you. This is also why you get complicated arrangements such as described here, it would be a lot simpler to bring in 50% than 30%. Staffing must play a part too.
I don't know what I'll do - lucky to get keyworker provision but that won't cover before and after school and I really don't want them in it.

It won't make any difference financially to us, we are saving money at the moment due to the lack of days out/holidays/kids activities. But I am sure we will be affected when the taxes inevitably go up!