Schools should 'provide sleepovers' to help parents with cost of childcare

[Itchyandscratchy]

Here

Speechless.

[scottishmummy]

Great!theyll be nicely refurbished to accommodate the extended day

[MadBannersAndCopPorn]

But bico your dc's school is set up for overnight care. Most state schools aren't. To get schools prepared for overnight care for some children, sometimes, would be ludicrous and unfair, government spending wise.

[Portofino]

But I get so cross when I say that my school is open 7.30 til 6 and this implies that kids are left there all that time, whereas what it offers is flexibility. Mum can drop kids early and dad can collect early or the opposite, this is what happens in my reality.

[scottishmummy]

Most working parents I know would be keen to be offered such a scheme

[morethanpotatoprints]

So

[scottishmummy]

So,there is demand for extended day.if one requires it

[Portofino]

About what?

[IwishIwasmoreorganised]

Our experience of our ds's school is not crappy - far from it, but the actual school building is Victorian and no longer fit for purpose. They are bulging at the seams - this is recognised by the teachers, governors and council but there is no money to do anything about it.

I struggle to see how they could possibly provide the type of care mentioned in the article on-site and taking it off site would surely only increase the costs.

[MrButtercat]

Erm not all that need repairs get funding,those that do don't get a Grand Designs makeover.Our school had to wait years to get loos in the same building.The rest of the building was still a creaking,poorly heated Victorian school with crappy lighting.

Your flippant,couldn't give a shit attitude is quite sad.

[scottishmummy]

Either they are getting billions refurb or they aren't?my kids don't attend crappy school
As I've repeatedly said,yes I'd use extended day on school premises as would majority I know
There is demand,the govt is discussing how to meet demand.participation wholly optional

[MadBannersAndCopPorn]

I think after school clubs are great for children, if they're the type of children who enjoy it and want to go or if used occasionally for a one off.
What i don't agree with is childern's needs coming second to the parents, they're being disregarded and placed after work and money.
Purpose made buildings seem to work well and when children have lots of play space/ free play but these are rare. Most are in a teaching environment, not suitable for play. Children and staff are restricted as it's not thier space.

[ravenAK]

Seriously, I'd be happy to have a flexi-boarding option at my dc's state primary; build it, equip it & staff it properly & I'd probably use it occasionally.

But I don't think this is what's being mooted here - the 'sleepover' bollocks is an eye-catching headline distracting from a cheapo childcare sop which in turn is to distract from the awful mess this govt. are making with education generally.

[musicalfamily]

It's sad that people still see working as a sin, something to be ashamed of, something terrible that makes one a lesser parent.

Surely it is better than living on benefits, with no prospect for oneself or one's children, surely single parent families who struggle need help to get back into work by provision of adequate and cheap, reliable childcare, surely this is a real issue which as a society we cannot keep shying away from.

Sure I agree it would be great if we all could work 20 hours a week from home, and I am one of the uber lucky ones who does work from home, BUT I recognise it isn't all ABOUT ME it is about the wider society and the reality people are living right now.

As for overnight care, the rich have been using it unashamedly and unjudged for hundreds of years, it only seem to become a problem when it is offered more widely, if you don't like it don't use it, I don't see why you would have a problem in it being offered and helping others who have a genuine need.

[BehindLockNumberNine]

Haha regarding the funding and the school makeover....

We had to wait years before the problem of the sewage smell seeping into the ICT suite was resolved. (some plonker built the ict suite over the drains and did not sort it all properly, bleurgh...)
And our leaking roof was finally sorted a few months ago. After an interesting few years involving lots of buckets and quite a few mops!!
The water stains on the ceiling are there as a reminder of those damp days... (and it will no doubt be years before these are overpainted)

Then there are the walls, solid, 1920's building. Walls riddled with damp and rot. Crumbling away. Paint flaking off, damp spores and mould on all walls underneath the windows. Caretaker scrapes off flaky paint and repaints the walls but it makes no difference

Oh yes, parents are queueing up to let their children spend more time here!!!

[scottishmummy]

Address your query to buttercat he reckons billions £££ being spent on refurb

[MrButtercat]

Bollocks nobody has said working is a sin.

10 billion doesn't go far when it includes rebuilding schools.

[BehindLockNumberNine]

musical, no one sees working as a sin. And everyone appears to be in agreement that child-care is much needed.

But I for one do not agree that this should take place in schools. The same schools in which the child has already spent 6 hours that day... The same schools which, for the large part, are not for the purpose of extended child care....
It is not the solution. It is a solution, but not a good one...

[MrButtercat]

And that amount is tiny compared to what labour was spending which doesn't seemed to have made much of a dent.

[bico]

I doubt that the proposals mean dcs will be sleeping under their desks. Whilst there is a cost factor it doesn't have to be hugely expensive. I'm sure we all know shiney new academies where plenty of money has been spent.

I also doubt the intention that this be available in every single school everywhere. Where we live there is no before or after school provision because there was not the demand. Three schools got together to share and after a year gave up when they had a total of three pupils out of a total of 500 using the after school provision. One of the three continued to offer a breakfast club but the other two didn't bother. It is a very wealthy area so most mums are SAHM or have nannies or au pairs to do the school run. Those of us who don't fit into that category ended up choosing private schools that offered good wraparound care provision at very low cost on top of school fees (£4 a day to have cover on top of standard school hours, 7.30am to 6.30pm).

[scottishmummy]

It fulfils a need that working parents have,that's bottom line

[merrymouse]

But loads of schools have breakfast and after school clubs already. Schools that don't tend not to have adequate facilities or staff. I think this sounds like the nurseries thing - cut costs by allowing standards to be lowered.

[FannyMcNally]

What will happen if all schools are forced into extended days is that some children will access high quality wraparound care but the majority won't. There just aren't the qualified personnel to go around. It will be nuggets and chips and a few colouring books supervised by pressganged MDAs.

[MrButtercat]

Sorry at some point you have to put the needs of kids first- like the nursery U turn.This is another crap back of fag packet idea which no Tory would dream of using for their children.

To be honest it's insulting.

[IwishIwasmoreorganised]

musicalfamily. I agree with the sentiment in your post, but really don't think that children spending extra hours in premises that aren't intended for play and relaxation is going to do them any good at all.

I wholeheartedly agree that making childcare more affordable needs to be a priority - making it tax free, using childcare vouchers, subsidising it in a means tested way etc, but the children's needs have to be at the centre of it and not the government just going for the cheapest option.

[musicalfamily]

Fair enough, I just get annoyed at the old "why have kids if you want other people to raise them" tripe.

I am not entirely convinced about this school idea either, but I am pleased that it has been recognised that something has to be done as it is a huge problem having a school day that is so short and doesn't fit into most parents' working day.