Anyone else heard the DfE? advert/public service announcement re schools

[middleager]

I heard it on the radio tonight.

I think it was DfE. It felt like onr of those old propaganda adverts. It was sexist too. It feels surreal, like I imagined this.

Tell me you've heard it too.

Voiced by a fictional busy 'Mum of three, 'Sarah' who talked about the challenges of having 3 kids to home school during lockdown and how great it is to have the children back at school now'.

DfE voiceover: if parents have any questions please call xxxxx

The message seemed to be 'parents send your children to school' it's great. It's safe, nothing to see here.

I'm not sure where 'Dad' was in all of this and if Sarah's employer gets a mention (you know I'm a mother of two who had to home school and please a demanding employer. Not sure what era the DfE is living in? 1950s?).

If Dad wasn't around you can report it to the ASA as harmful gender stereotyping - of dad as being feckless (stereotype) and mum holding the baby (or school aged kids in this case) (stereotype).

And of course mum was busy because they always are. Are there any other mums who are willing to admit that they're not "busy", because I'm not (all the time).

True. It was depressingly stereotyped.

There’s also one about a delivery driver. First sign of a cough he’s staying at home, getting a test.

Makes it sound so simple to stay at home on a zero hours or self employed contract and also to get a test.

The biggest problem with both of them, is they are so utterly fake I don’t think anyone would believe it for a second.

The actress sounded fake, like she was trying too hard. Totally unbelievable.
I'm sure she'll be really chuffed when little Sally's class gets sent home and there's nobody to take the other two kids into school because Dad's too busy to bother himself with school. That's mums' work that is!

On a related subject, just read that the DfE paid approx £15k for Kirsty Gallacher and a celeb GP to promote "safe back to school" message

Source:
schoolsweek.co.uk/tv-star-and-celeb-gp-hired-for-back-to-school-promo/

@Spandang

There’s also one about a delivery driver. First sign of a cough he’s staying at home, getting a test.

Makes it sound so simple to stay at home on a zero hours or self employed contract and also to get a test.

The biggest problem with both of them, is they are so utterly fake I don’t think anyone would believe it for a second.

Haha. I hate that advert. "I'm staying at home, getting a test" the last thing he wants to do is give someone coronavirus!

I turn the radio over when these adverts come on now. The bus driver one is annoying too, and the head teacher one.

Not heard the other ones luckily!

During lockdown the BBC had several news reports and interviews with parents whose children were doing really well at home, better than at school in fact! That seems to have changed now and now they interview parents who are saying that school is the best place for children. They feel "ready " to go back and feel that school is very safe.

It's all fitting in with what the government wants us to do at the time, just like those adverts.

Yes, it feels like propaganda. I don't know what else to call it.