school start delay threat - am I alone being worried and annoyed at the prospect of childcare nightmare for working parents?

[exrebel]

I am so worried at the prospect of school start delayed until November. I am screaming insside with worry. How are we going to find childcare? Because some of us will have to go to work. I am applying for jobs at the moment and the last thing I want to say to a new employer is: sorry but there is no school until November so I cant come into work because I cannot find childcare.

I hope it does not come to this, I want to scream at the scientists who are promoting the idea to curb the spread. we are not going to keep our children in quARANTINE are we? They will still be mixing with other children in the park, in play areas, in playdates, and everywhere we take them to keep them entertained. Or for those that can find childcare, with the other children in the group.

has anyone started to think how they are going to cope if they go ahead with the closure?

I am concerned but I can't see anyway in which it would be feasible for the government to do this.

So many people work, as others have said, parts of the economy would just slow to a stop if we all had to stay home and look after children.

I would probably have to take unpaid leave. But then what if all the parents with school age children in the hospital I work at did the same? there would be no-one to work on the wards

I just don't think they could do it.

yes I agree LIZS "it is only one of many contingency proposals..."

Surely they would be better to keep a bit quiet until more definite proposals have been assessed, rather than this constant scaremongering/sensationalising.

Are lots of govt people/medical people deliberately "leaking" confidential information. What possible benefit is there for us to know about all this, until it is actually more definite?

Out of interest, are England (and Wales) the only countries in the northern hemisphere where schools close so late in July?

look article on BBC site "Call to close schools to curb flu", it looks like they will not do it, but these experts from Imperial College London should just think before they speak

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8160314.stm

'These experts from Imperial College London should just think before they speak'

Oh FFS. Do you really think you know better than them? These people that spend their life tracking the movement of these viruses and their risk to the public? They are suggesting this option to SAVE LIVES. Of course there are logistical problems to this idea, but do you really honestly think for one second they would suggest it if it weren't for a good reason? they are seriously worried about hospitals and intensive care units coping this winter. What if it were your child that were turned away for hospital as they were too full?

Hopefully it won't come to that, and of course people have the right to worry about the logistics in their daily lives, but please, juut think before you speak instead of thinking you know better than the scientists who have been working around the clock recently to make the public health risk less.

FFS poface, calm down!!!! Jesus!!!
It is just my opinion and scientists are not perfect, they also can get it wrong. Do I need a qualification in medicine before I speak now???
Having said that, don't assume for a moment that I am so shallow to dismiss scientists work, what a patronizing and aggressive comments you have just posted. Of course there would be noone in the intensive care units if a lot of the staff is at home looking after their kids.

Totally agree with pofacedandproud. We should have done this a long time ago, look at Mexico; they managed to contain the spread by closing schools etc so it clearly DOES work.

Of course scientists are not infallible. But you have no evidence that these particular researchers at Imperial have got it wrong, and more to the point, they have been spending their careers tracking and studying viruses like this. And they're not saying they know, they are saying what might happen, and how we might have to be prepared to act. But because we don't like it no need to slag them off.

I wasn't aggressive towards you at all exrebel. Sorry if you expect everyone to agree with you. As I said I totally understand the worry involved.

The scientists may not be wrong, but the media are notoriously bad at quoting them out of context or just plain making stuff up...

I'm a teacher so childcare wouldn't be an issue for me...but i dunno how the hell i'll get my classes through the syllabus if they don't come back till November!

I can see "that sentence" look a bit like a silly thing to say and I take that back. I meant to say it appears they have not thought through the implications of such a measure. But reading around a bit more , they have made some of the points I have raised about the cons of such move. I was not slagging them off gratuitously at all. You have read too much into one sentence.

You are doing the patronising bit again by saying that I expect people to agree with me, it was the tone of your post. (your sentence "Do you really think you know better than them?" really wound me up)Perhaps you could have made the same point about the topic without telling me how I should think or what I am like I don't mind that you or any other disagree with me at all. Apart from that, the points you have made are a valid and I am not dismissing them at all.

I have heard (word of mouth) there is a school near Nottingham that has already just shut early for the holidays and announced they will be going back a month late.

well my statement 'do you really think you know better than them' was in direct response to your statements that you could 'scream at the scientists' and 'those experts at Imperial College should just think before they speak' . Reasonable I think. And ok for you to feel anger at them but not for me to feel it in their defence? Okaay. Look, the govt won't do it, even if it would have saved lives. So don't worry.

I am worried for other reasons.

I'm a childminder and in the last few weeks almost every day i'm getting letters from our local council about the latest thing:
They say this about school closures:
"The government will be monitoring the development of the disease over the summer (and the Southern Hemisphere Winter) to assess the level of risk at the time the schools are due to reopen. We will contact all schools, pre-schools,nurseries ect shortly before the end of the holiday period, and will also put an update on our website. As things stand, we would expect MOST schools to reopen as usual, BUT the situation may change."
They say this about working parents:
"Q- What could working parents do if their child's school or childcare setting was closed for an extended period? Would they have to stay off work? A- We appreciate that closures would present a challenge for working parents, but believe they would agree with a decision taken to reduce a significant threat to their children's and community's wellbeing.
Parents would have to make other arrangements for looking after their children. Some might be able to work from home, work flexible hours, or use INFORMAL childcare arrangements with a relative or FRIEND.

To me that is interesting as they are saying it would be OK for your friend to look after your children for quite a long time without being registered as a childminder, BUT how many people have such a good friend? Can they be paid?

More info can be found on:
www.direct.gov/uk/en/Parents/index.htm
Hope you found this useful

The full list of Q and A can be found on:
www.teachernet.gov.uk/educationoverview/flupandemic.

The thing is - it is a mild virus for most. So would it not just be best to let it run its course? Because once schools return from their 'extended holiday' the virus will take hold anyway (November is prime flu season, no?) and by then it may have mutated to a nastier virus?

Ripeberry, your posting is very useful, thank you.

It males me think that officials have not taken into account that informal childcare is not an option for the majority, friends and family are also at work or don't live close enough.

The option I would have is asking the favour to parents who don't work (but they would be looking after a few more already, wouldn't they?, spreading the virus...) or paying for a nanny.

Of course if happens that a nastier virus require closure, I will resign myself to the consequences of losing a job opportunity or unpaid leave if cant find childcare, but I am not yet convinced that closures is the right answer.

Pofaceandproud, we don't understand each other at all. I give up.

Well I work from home and DD is home educated so this really isn't a problem for me, but in my opinion I have to agree that this should have been done right at the start to stop the initial spread as per Mexico.

It says something when a backwater country (no offence to Mexico) shows the world how to deal with health issues.

People have suffered worse fates than school closures, my lord what would have happened if some in this country had to live through a world war?

Sacrifice and make do for the good of others, a little inconvenience might save some lives.

Hear,hear Atlantis, if there were widespread school closures, you workplace can't sack you anyway...drag them through the courts if they do Not everyone has familly on hand or even friends that can help.
We really need to find out what other countries are doing, especially Australia or South Africa, because its their winter down there and the flu season proper.

Why don't you ask Andy Burnham the Health Secretary tomorrow when he does his live Webchat on MN?

Hmmm, questions for andy burnham?

Do you dye your hair?

Do you pluck your eyebrows?....

Oh wait different issue.

there will be a lot of dc left at home unsupervised should the schools really remain closed.

asking Andy Burnham is a good idea. That 'informal childcare' line from govt. makes me want to spit (which would clearly be a health risk atm...). We aren't all lucky enough to have parents nearby, actually, given the way our economy is structured.

I'm freelance, if I'm not working, I'm not being paid - how the hell are we supposed to eat if ds's school is shut?