So if they close schools tomorrow...

[ilikexmas]

What do I do about work? I cannot contact the school to see if my child qualifies to go in as a key worker before work.

Do I wait till the morning and see what I can sort out, or contact my employer tonight and tell them I will be late/ off tomorrow at least.

I'm so stressed I feel like my head will explode!

It's a guessing game alright. My guess is that our school will email tonight and take all vulnerable and key worker children tomorrow (if they are closed that is).

I imagine you will get an email from your school after the announcement has been confirmed at 8pm. Hopefully that will include details of what key worker/vulnerable children need to do. This is a link to the list of who should qualify
www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision
It might well be that if you are a key worker you can send your DC in tomorrow whilst you make the application. Or if the school are unable to open at all then you will have to contact your employer then.

I think you need o give your employer a heads up, that there is a strong possibility you will need to take some time off tomorrow morning to set up your childcare arrangements if schools are closed as widely expected.

Last time they have us a few days warning didn't they?

For working parents that cannot work from home it is such a stressful situation.

I don't even know if they will qualify to go in as parent of key worker. Last lockdown I was furloughed, this time my workplace insists they will stay open

What's your job op?

I think they Will open until Friday and then close to give parents and staff time to prepare

I would email your work and just say your a parent and your not sure what’s going to happen. But if it’s an immediate closure, you’ve got a childcare problem.

I think this is going to be a huge issue.
Last time businesses were happyish to furlough and mothball business. This time businesses can’t. So your either going to have parents sacked or huge resentment from non parents who are picking up the slack.

I don't think they will close tomorrow, they've left it too late to do that. As 3littlewords said, maybe they will later in the week or next week, but I think the government is dead set against closing them at all, so it might not happen.

He won’t close schools, I’d put my house on it. He said at 12pm today he regrets closing primary schools in the first lockdown so he’s not going to change his mind eight hours later, he’d look even more of a prick than he usually does.

@GameSetMatch be careful on that bet, both Robert Peston and the FT are pretty confident that schools will be closing...

@ilikexmas I know that in Wales both parents have to be keyworkers this time and only to use schools as a very last resort we been emailed tonight

Can they really close schools so late in the day you can't even inform your employer?

@GameSetMatch being a prick has never worried Boris before, I don’t think it’ll worry him now.

Surely your employer will know you have kids

@GameSetMatch I'll take that bet

I'm in Devon and received an email from my kids primary school this afternoon saying that it will be closing for 2 weeks, effective immediate. Today was a teacher training day.

Schools will be checking their email tonight so you can definitely contact them

Have you had an email from your school yet OP? Ours came through at 9.30 asking for replies by 7 am! Its crazy that the govt have given less than 12 hours notice when they’ve had the whole of the Christmas holidays.