Tiery Weary & Crackers!

[Bikingbear]

As a carry on from the last thread

@NotAnActualSheep

We were just about to email parents saying we'd still provide care after school which would at least give folk a break.

It is just shit statistically. As I mentioned a while back, DH is a trustee for our school after school club... They would normally run a holiday club for the day or two in January before schools opened. We were assuming they'd just be able to extend that until at least the 11th, and possibly til the 18th, depending on how "online learning" is supposed to work... whether parents could cover it with children in an hour or so rather than a full school day? They'd at least have maybe half a day where the children could be entertained and they could work... Of course the staff would be fine with that as they'd be able to work more hours than usual if they wanted, so more pay. But no, today, in a tweet (ffs) that idea was scuppered, so everyone will have to be furloughed again. So the government is paying (some of) the wages of people not to work looking after children, while people who want their children looking after so they can do whatever useful, tax- raising thing it is that they do, can't. Surely there's a simple way around this!!?

It's horrendous isn't it? We thought the same, then ASC hours from 11th. The setup of our clubs means we'd have been able to offer 3.5-4 hours care which for working parents would actually be a useful chunk of time to get some work done.

Finding out from twitter has made me insanely angry. Off the scale angry. They haven't emailed childcare providers or anything. We genuinely had the email written and DH was in the process of plugging in the mail merge when I saw GoldenOmbre's post above.

This isn't just tier 4 - this is lockdown again. Tier 4 rules do not close childcare providers.

Hm you have to make those, forget that. There's 'cook' as well. What a nightmare

@WouldBeGood

I’ll try Iceland. He can’t really cook as too frail. He's quite, ahem, difficult, so I need to handle carefully.

Have you tried the local butcher? Ours is doing Christmas day meals for 1/2 already cooked just reheat in the oven might be worth a look on Facebook.

Yes @WouldBeGood it's worth ringing a few local to him food shops as a lot will be doing new things or may know someone who is.

Or you might find someone who could do a shop for him and deliver it for you?

We haven't had a single case (well, symptomatic case anyway I guess...) or anyone required to isolate from our nursery.

I'm so furious at the way preschool education is a total afterthought. Never mentioned in announcements, so we're always left scrabbling around for confirmation of what it means for us. Dropping a major bombshell like "oh we are closing private nurseries from Boxing Day" on bloody Twitter on a Sunday morning is just such a poor fucking show of it.

@WouldBeGood

I’ll try Iceland. He can’t really cook as too frail. He's quite, ahem, difficult, so I need to handle carefully.

I'm so sorry to hear he's been put in this position (and you trying to sort it...obviously!) Good luck with getting something sorted. Would those Cook meals work for a bung in the oven kind of thing? They are a bit soulless, but a cut above other similar things and they deliver. May be low availability though.

*Dropping a major bombshell like "oh we are closing private nurseries from Boxing Day" on bloody Twitter on a Sunday morning is just such a poor fucking show of it.^

It’s just mad. Not like they could have dig up any new information to base this on between the press conference yesterday when she couldn’t answer what was going on with childcare and this morning’s Twitter announcement. It really is just a total afterthought. “Oh oops, we have nurseries and after-school clubs too, forgot about that. Best close them too, what’s the harm?”

[quote anon444877]@Bikingbear I'd have thought the virus has shown the absolute interconnectedness of the UK, but alas I suspect others feel somehow exactly it's the opposite and Scotland just needs a wall. [/quote]
Yes, 100% this! (interconnectedness... not the wall)

See the situation elderly or those alone find themselves in- it’s too late to get online shopping slots. Those that can, will have to leave home to visit a supermarket anyway and stand in a long, nightmare queue (I drove past one yesterday with a queue right around block). It’s truly not as simple as ‘you'll have to stay at home’. It’s even harsher for those displaced at the other end of the U.K. or Scotland, who may have been travelling home or had relatives coming to them with food and supplies.

@rogueantimatter

Prof Linda Bauld "the scientific community hasn't had the chance to see or scrutinise the information "

Everyone who's struggling please know that there are many thoughtful people who are horrified on your behalf. My heartfelt sympathy and best wishes to everyone who's struggling through these horrifically difficult times.

I think Linda Bauld is spot on but coming at it from the wrong angle. The Scot Gov are not making decisions from a scientific perspective. The numbers are a clear indication that their shutting everything down and banning Christmas is wholly unjustified.

It's political, it's one-upping Boris and willy-waving with Drakeford to see who can go furthest.

PLEASE remember this shitshow in May.

Thanks for the ideas.. I’ll try the latest ones. No slots anywhere before 28th.

I’m now thinking I might just drive up and do a shop if he’s determined to stay there.

I’ve also had his gifts delivered to where he was meant to be going, just to make matters worse!!

See the situation elderly or those alone find themselves in- it’s too late to get online shopping slots.

My parents weren't expecting to travel, but were expecting to have us for the day next weekend which is now obviously not happening.

They cannot do "online". No wi-fi, no smartphone, no laptop. Have never made an online supermarket order in their puff. So stay at home doesn't really work for them as they have to go to Tesco to eat.

Please please please start a parent pressure group who aren't crazy conspiracy theorists and who don't teacher bash. You have no idea how much I would love to see Usforthem trying to debate with the wit, reason and research that this threads often shows.

@FourSeasonsTotalLandscaping

We haven't had a single case (well, symptomatic case anyway I guess...) or anyone required to isolate from our nursery.

I'm so furious at the way preschool education is a total afterthought. Never mentioned in announcements, so we're always left scrabbling around for confirmation of what it means for us. Dropping a major bombshell like "oh we are closing private nurseries from Boxing Day" on bloody Twitter on a Sunday morning is just such a poor fucking show of it.

After school care are even worse - it took about 3 days and a question in parliament before we got confirmation that we were required to close in the first lockdown. They just...forgot that there's a childcare sector beyond early years. Don't get me wrong, early years have been spectacularly shat on too.

@GoldenOmber

*Dropping a major bombshell like "oh we are closing private nurseries from Boxing Day" on bloody Twitter on a Sunday morning is just such a poor fucking show of it.^

It’s just mad. Not like they could have dig up any new information to base this on between the press conference yesterday when she couldn’t answer what was going on with childcare and this morning’s Twitter announcement. It really is just a total afterthought. “Oh oops, we have nurseries and after-school clubs too, forgot about that. Best close them too, what’s the harm?”

"a few more will go bust, ah well, not like parents need to work"

I feel so sorry for the providers. I realise my last post might have sounded like I run a nursery - I don't I just have a nursery aged child!

@StatisticallyChallenged I feel terrible for you and everyone in OSC. It is almost forgotten about, you're right. Even when you get your childcare qualification, it's all aimed at early years.

I’m wondering now how this will affect students who planned to come home for Christmas. I work in a university and the decline in student mental health this semester has been heartbreaking.

My colleague from NE England lives alone here in Glasgow, recently had to postpone plans to see his family for his 40th birthday because we went into tier 4. And now no Christmas unless he fancies the round trip in one day.

WouldBeGood
Have you tried WiltshireFoods, quality ready meals targeted at the elderly market?

Is it possible for you to go and get him, care of vulnerable people?

I see that group are encouraging parents not to engage with online learning. So teachers will spend their time providing work that kids won't do.
They would be up in arms if the lazy teachers sat on full pay doing nothing like last time.
Damned if we do, dammed if we don't

@Lidlfix that would be good! I think I mentioned before I got kicked out of UforT for questioning the lunacy 😂

[quote JamesMoriarty]@StatisticallyChallenged I feel terrible for you and everyone in OSC. It is almost forgotten about, you're right. Even when you get your childcare qualification, it's all aimed at early years.[/quote]
And I'd say the vast majority of OSC won't be eligible for the business support grants - because they require rateable premises. Almost every OSC I can think of uses some sort of non-rateable premises (churches in our case).

For weeks I was convinced they were going to close schools before Christmas. I really didn't expect this bombshell.

She really is just trying to willy wave and show power. Everything getting pushed into law.

@Bikingbear maybe. However, I think he’s been terrified by Nicola. And he’s really very difficult so would spoil the day for my dcs, one of whom has had a truly shite year and now more time out of school.
Dilemma!

It’s just all been done so late in the day. I had left his delivery slots in as normal but cancelled them, ironically, in case people were struggling who needed them.

It’s just all a total total shitshow

There should've been suggested support places for people now on their own to sign up or be signed up to, to see if anyone local could offer help.

Surely it wouldn't take that long to think that through - what about all those people that signed up as volunteers before?

As for not doing any work provided, what an idiotic idea that is re UfT.