Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Education

Join the discussion on our Education forum.

Original poster

Coping with Teacher Training days

606 replies

bacon · 19/10/2010 17:05

I'm new to education, DS1 in reception DS2 19 months old. But this is really going to get right up my nose. Teacher training days tagged onto half terms. 1st one Friday just before the weeks break.

How do mums cope? Ive got something planned - booked months and months ago and have to leave really early and now just checked diary and DS1 is home and I'm paying for DS2 to be in nursery!

Why cant they do these training days in the evenings or even Saturday morning like the rest of us? Why has education have to be so disrupted? Surely with the number of weeks off they get it wouldnt be too much to expect a few days to be put towards training?

Struth, we are self employed here, hubby never hardly gets time off, when we were farming we worked well unto the night, expected to get up at the crack of dawn, 7 days a week, working when completely exhausted and so hanging and no paid holidays!

So many families are struggling with childcare, trying to hold onto their jobs, and then this is slapped in our faces.

Surely this doesnt happen on the continent??

OP posts:
MM5 · 28/10/2010 08:41

Yet, most manage to successfully organise or pay another agency to organise holiday clubs and before or after school clubs in recognition of the advantages of such services to its children, parents and the school.

LOL... they did this through extended schools money that.... oh no... has been cut and discontinued by the government.

fivecandles · 28/10/2010 08:44

' BTW... who do you think REALLY sorts out all these activities for your children? Who do you think they employee to care for your children before school and after school?'

My dcs' school employ a lovely couple to run the before school and after school club and holiday club. They organise everything and parents pay directly for the service.

fivecandles · 28/10/2010 08:44

'they did this through extended schools money '

Out of school care is paid for by parents actually. I think it's subsidised by some schools.

piscesmoon · 28/10/2010 08:46

The obvious answer ,fivecandles, is that you get the dates, you hold meeting with other parents, you form a committee, you hire a hall or school room, you hire qualified staff and stop expecting it all on a plate-laid on by people who have nothing to do with out of school childcare!

MM5 · 28/10/2010 08:47

My dcs' school employ a lovely couple to run the before school and after school club and holiday club. They organise everything and parents pay directly for the service.

Then, actually, this is NOT organised by the school. It is a business that this couple has set up to meet a need and rent space in the school. (A school could not employee people and then have parents pay directly to them for their service. Illegal.) It REALLY doesn't have anything to do with the school except that there is a letting agreement with the couple.

MM5 · 28/10/2010 08:47

Out of school care is paid for by parents actually. I think it's subsidised by some schools.

BY EXTENDED SCHOOLS MONEY.... which is no more.

fivecandles · 28/10/2010 08:47

'Of course schools arrange trips, homework diaries or anything to do with the children'

I think you'll find that looking after children IS to do with children. As a teacher I would be very happy to think that my students were being well cared for during INSET days rather than roaming the streets or being left with someone unsuitable. In all my years of experience teaching I also find that stressed parents make for stressed children.

piscesmoon · 28/10/2010 08:48

Exactly-out of school care isn't run by the school-it is run as a business-it just happens to be in the school-although actually my local one is next door in a hall.

fivecandles · 28/10/2010 08:49

Parents pay anyway MM5. I pay cost price. It's still cheaper than a childminder would be and it's really hard to get a childminder to look after children just before school and holidays.

fivecandles · 28/10/2010 08:51

Not sure what your point is pisces. I've said many times that most parents wouldn't mind who runs the provision - the school, tas, volunteers, an outside agency - as long as it's run.

fivecandles · 28/10/2010 08:53

'stop expecting it all on a plate-laid on by people who have nothing to do with out of school childcare!'

I just don't follow this at all.

Who has nothing to do with childcare?

What is wrong with paying for a service? How is it any different or less responsible to pay for out of school provision at a school than it is with a childminder?

piscesmoon · 28/10/2010 08:53

I will finish-you are on a loser fivecandles!
Once you have DCs you can't expect everything on tap. IF you need childcare you either come to an arrangement with family, friends or neighbours or you pay for child care. It is inconvenient but so are DCs. School is there for the certain days and times and the rest is up to you. I think that it should be-it is enough of a nanny state without parents getting their child to the age of 5 yrs and thinking the state will take care of them around your working hours!
If schools are taking responsibility for out of hours and holidays there simply isn't the budget.

fivecandles · 28/10/2010 08:54

How is out of school care during INSET any different, in principle, from out of school care in breakfast or after school clubs or holiday clubs?? Do you think it's irresponsible to use these too?

I just don't understand your logic?

fivecandles · 28/10/2010 08:56

'there simply isn't the budget'

You're just not making sense pisces. I would pay for out of school care during INSET the exact same way I pay for before school care.

Are you against holiday clubs and breakfast clubs too pisces??? Why?

piscesmoon · 28/10/2010 08:56

My point is that it isn't run by the school-it is a business. If you want cover for INSET you sort it out with a committee and do the work.

piscesmoon · 28/10/2010 08:57

Of course not fivecandles-I wish they had been there when mine were at that age. HOWEVER they are NOT run by the school and the school doesn't get involved.

fivecandles · 28/10/2010 08:58

'you can't expect everything on tap'

I think you need to think more carefully about your arguments because they're not making sense.

How is wishing there was organised childcare during INSET days that would be paid for by parents 'expecting everything on tap'?

If I paid for a childminder instead would that also be 'expecting everything on tap'?

Am I expecting everything on tap because my children go to breakfast club?

piscesmoon · 28/10/2010 08:59

I really will finish. I have perfect logic. School is about education. What parents use for cover is up to them outside those hours. If it doesn't exist and you want it then it is up to you to organise it-get up a committee, hire staff and hall etc but don't moan about schools-who are not about chaild care.

piscesmoon · 28/10/2010 09:00

child care even!

fivecandles · 28/10/2010 09:01

'My point is that it isn't run by the school-it is a business. If you want cover for INSET you sort it out with a committee and do the work.'

Well, it depends.

As I keep saying, the couple who organise the out of school care at my kids' school are employed by the school but parents pay directly for the service. Some schools pay TAs to do it others employ an agency.

I think in this climate people would be very grateful to be employed to organise and provide this care and there would be many parents who would be grateful in turn.

piscesmoon · 28/10/2010 09:01

I think that you ought to read all the post again fivecandles-they are perfectly logical and boil down to they are your children and your responsibility.

RustyBear · 28/10/2010 09:01

Getting dragged back in to this again.....

"My dcs' school employ a lovely couple to run the before school and after school club and holiday club. They organise everything and parents pay directly for the service"

So have you asked this lovely couple why they don't provide this service on inset days?
What did they say?

fivecandles · 28/10/2010 09:03

No, pisces, you're not listening.

I'm not actually 'moaning' which is quite a derogatory term.

I'm suggesting that schools or LEAs or schools buddying up or schools employing agencies organise out of school provision in the same way that most currently organise before and out of school care and holiday clubs.

The principle of out of school care during INSET days is exactly the same as out of school care during these times. Don't you understand that?

fivecandles · 28/10/2010 09:04

'they are your children and your responsibility'

As I have said it is a sign of my responsibility that I want my children to be well cared for.

It is a sign of my responsibility that I am also concerned for other parents and their children.

Do you understand that?

fivecandles · 28/10/2010 09:06

It is completely illogical to see parents who want their children to be looked after in an out of school provision during INSET days as less responsible that parents who leave them with a childminder, mad grandma or anybody else.