Boarding schools - planning for Brexit?

[Tonsilss]

My DD is at a UK boarding school. We are also in the UK, but hundreds of miles away.
We now have only 50 days to a likely no deal Brexit.
I've asked the Head what contingency plans are in place for the effects of a no deal. This is in the current context of expected serious food, medication and fuel shortages, the possibility of contaminated tap water, no facilities for disposing of waste, civil unrest and an increase in crime (eg looting / burglaries).
He has told me that the school has not made any plans in respect of Brexit. And that other schools haven't either (the school is in some kind of independent schools association). Apparently it is too early to be making any contingency plans. The school has not written to any parents (whether UK or international) in relation to Brexit. I imagine that some international parents will have little or no idea of what is going on in the UK.
Can I ask whether anyone else has a child at boarding school and is worried about what will happen, both in respect of the Easter holiday (shortly after Brexit), and in respect of the summer term? Have your schools made any preparations or even just plans to do so?

[AnotherNewt]

They don't really need to prep.

If the school cannot run for any reason (part destroyed by fire, flood, landslip, contamination, disease etc) they will close or partially close and require parents to pick up.

How to retrieve your DC should it be needed should always be something you plan for. That's one reason why regulars on this board regularly recommend a school that parents (or grandparents/other relatives/guardian) can reach easily.

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

People do use boarding schools. I don’t think the op is one of them.

[Dapplegrey]

She can get the train pre-Brexit, obviously

Surely trains will be running in the UK after Brexit?
I think you should go and collect her asap and home educate her until after Brexit if her school cannot put your mind at rest.

[Windyone]

So my sons boarding school are not making any plans because they break up on Brexit day for Easter holidays.

When does your school break up @tonsilss can’t be more than a week or two pre holidays?

Personally I’d take my son out and have them miss a couple of weeks of school to be safe home with me. I can’t believe you’d think any other way! (Except of course if this thread is nonsense 😀)

You can be doing GCSE/A level revision at home

[HeathRobinson]

The UK is only about 880 miles in length. I think even a Reliant Robin could do that in less than two days.

😂

[Boardercontroller]

Ridiculous. Children go to boarding schools all over the world. Go in any boarding school and there’ll be loads of children from Asia, from Africa..... all over the world.thats the point. Parents are in the military, or jet setting slebs, or any other of a million reasons.
Boarding schools are supposed to have contingency plans for all eventualities , that’s the point!

[Oliversmumsarmy]

I don’t get why it would take 4 days.

I have driven to Southern Spain and back in less and that is 2880 miles in total.

[Boardercontroller]

It’s reaaaalllly hard to picture if your child is not a boarder. But the reality is that there will be times when a parent of a boarder can not get to the child. It may be an acute situation. But the parent still can’t get a flight.... cos there isn’t one that day etc.
You really do hand your children over to someone else. And you want to know what they’ll do in all situations, illness, child missing, brexit , and so on.

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

My young adult dc are boarding across the uk at universities. Does that count 😀. Nah, not worried.

[Boardercontroller]

I’m not really commenting on the Op as such. Just that there’s such a weird attitude to boarding school on mumsnet!

[Tonsilss]

This is not about what I should be doing. It's about whether your schools (if your child is at a boarding school) are doing anything or not doing anything. It's a request for information. It was put in Talk, not in AIBU. You don't need to worry yourselves about whether I have a partner or not, whether I'm a fast driver or not, why my daughter is at that particular school. You can just answer the question or ignore it, as you prefer. Are your schools doing anything? Do you think that schools should be doing nothing, and should be giving no information on Brexit issues to parents, many of whom live abroad?

[uer587392]

I get you OP. I want to keep my family close if it looks like going tits up. I:m thinking of asking DS to come home from uni, but I bet he won't.

[CoachBombay]

Friends children are.military children and in boarding school, no their schools have not made any massive Brexit plans.

HTH

However side note: where on earth takes 2 days travel in the UK. I've done South Wales to Edinburgh in 8hours. Do you have a reliable but slow donkey?

[Boardercontroller]

But really all boarding schools should have extensive contingency plans in place , especially to protect their children from overseas in the case of emergency, or transport delays. Also to ensure their healthcare and overseas nsurance policies remain valid. That isn’t craziness it’s just totally sensible.

[Tonsilss]

Well if they plan to close the school down, it would be nice if they could give a couple of days' notice? My issue is not what they plan to do or not do, it's that they are refusing even to think about it.
So people think I should get my daughter home early, disrupting her education, but don't think that the school should even give 1 minute's consideration to contingency planning?

[Boardercontroller]

The schools should absolutely have plans in place op. Imagine a kid returning to the Uk from Asia on a chaperone flight.... with a stop at say Amsterdam. Travel chaos in the Uk , connecting flights delayed, etc etc, kid stuck in airport for a week alone . Omg it’s nightmarish.

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

You’re just a brexit shit stirrer op. You don’t want us to worry about your situation Just to generalise. Why?

[Boardercontroller]

You should get your daughter early and complain to the school about their lack of planning and organisation. It’s crappy.

[Boardercontroller]

Just for the record ...... I am not a brexit shit stirrer.
I totally get concerns of parents of boarders though.

[Tonsilss]

Unlike university students, school children don't feed themselves. The school is responsible for feeding them. And they are children, not adults.

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

My uni ds is all meals included. Does that not count?

[Tonsilss]

I'm not a shit stirrer (nicely put). I'm a worried parent who has approached the school and been told they have no plans in place. I'd like to know whether other schools are behaving the same way, or are dealing with the situation differently. If other schools are doing something, perhaps our school can learn from that?

[Windyone]

@ThroughThickandThin01 I think you are spot on!

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

No you’re not. You’re talking bollocks.

[Tonsilss]

I'd be worried about an 18 year old at university too. But less so than about a child in the care of people who are ignoring Brexit.