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?

Dd said most of the older pupils (and teachers) were celebrating when Leave won

Aaaargh. DS's school had a vote, and Remain won by a massive majority (among staff and pupils alike).

Agree that good boarding schools take in loco parentis very, very seriously, though.

OP - being a boarding parent, you need to trust the school. Especially being so far away. If it takes so long to get to school, I'm presuming you have a local guardian for emergencies. Are they fully stocked up and prepared?
I haven't asked our schools about contingency plans, so I can't answer that question. But I think my dc will be ok in their schools, and we plan to continue as normal (as we can).

I think you have had a hard time on this OP. Of course the Head should have made plans because some fallout after Brexit is POSSIBLE even if not guaranteed. He has his head in the sand. I think some of the scenarios you mention are going a bit far but he should be considering how he is going to feed his staff and pupils if the supply chain is disrupted. How students especially those travelling overseas are going to get home for the Easter hols and even if his staff are going to be disrupted getting into work.

For context our local Boarding school is allowing overseas boarders to end the term early before Brexit if they wish

Try posting this again in the Brexit section as you may get a more informed response.

I think people have been very harsh in the op. It isn't too hard to think that disruption will extend well beyond the Easter holidays. Which means folks need to have some comfort over situations thier children may have to live in following Brexit. Normal life means you expect your chilren to be able to access their education!

"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)."

Have you built your bunker yet, OP? I've had one built underground in my garden since June 2016 - solid 3-foot thick concrete all round - when David Cameron told us there's going to be war! All your present preparations may come to nothing if you haven't had one built yet.

Can't you just fill a couple of jerrycans with fuel beforehand?

If you are genuinely this worried then surely you’ll go and get her in plenty of time and have her at home with you.

This^

Just drive up on 28/3 and bring her home

Then take her back when you feel sure everything is to your liking

The school may not have a Brexit plan but they will have contingency plans for most of the situations that people are concerned that could arise.
We were a military family with dc at boarding school. Based at 1 end of the UK from their school at one point. A very long drive but I did it in a day once in an emergency.
We were also abroad at one point.
We lived through the Ash Cloud delays/flight cancellations, Foot and Mouth disruption and road closures and the petrol crisis - even with our military allowance we could not get to school, it was so we could get to work.

My kids survived and even enjoyed their extended term and the adventure it threw up.
From memory due to the petrol crisis and their rural school being in a foot and mouth area (2 different occasions between 3 kids) the school did run low on supplies and have stranded students. They managed for the time. A few odd meals but they loved it. Some local families took some kids to stay, some stayed at school with also stranded staff. School went on with extra fun activities etc.
The Ash Cloud was chaotic. My dc were ferried back and forth to an airport several times. School were fab. Had staff on hand, remained open. 1 dc ended up staying at a friend house for part of it. The Ash Cloud crisis came out of nowhere. I don't think there was a boarding School without pupils affected. Many boarding schools just had to deal with the fall out there and then as it unfolded. No one I know- and I know quite a few military families with dc or had dc at boarding school at that time complained at how their school reacted. Not the most pleasant time, but well dealt with.

I'm sure if there are kids trapped in schools with no water, food and heating they will be higher up the list than those kids in their own homes with families that also didn't prepare, to get help. The military will be sent in to do something like they always are at a time of crisis.

Personally if I was as worried as you I'd be sending supplies and picking my daughter up well in advance of the Brexit apocalypse to cover both bases.

Have you thought about contacting other parents at the school to gauge their concern? Do you have emails or a parent contact list? Social media page you can tweet or post on? You may find others may have better ideas or want to lobby your school to get a Brexit plan asap with you!

Foot and Mouth was before internet was big for us. No online orders etc. But today you could easily start your own planning. Get onto Amazon Pantry and send your dc bottled water, tinned food, packet foot, multi vitamins, water purification tablets and even ration packs and a little stove.

Amazon and Amazon Pantry could be useful. Send water and easy to prep meals in packets and tins, multi vitamins, water purification tablets, loo roll, perhaps even a little camping stove, camping cooking set and small fuel supply. A sleeping bag and thermals for when the heating goes off, torch and batteries too.
But personally I'd be collecting dc in advance if was as concerned as you.

• sorry fie repeating myself could only see half my first post initially after i posted.

WorriedJu as resourceful as you sound I don't think a parent paying a school approx £30k a year should need to send a camping stove and supplies via Amazon

You are right that things happen and plans should be in place to deal with them rationally and without panic. Therefore the school should be reassuring parents by saying if there is a problem getting home for the Easter hols then school can accommodate them for a few days and yes we have a good supply of tins and dried food just in case.

This is so weird
Fwiw one of my dcs is at boarding school. I expect if there's civil unrest and shortages like you are expecting, then the school will close, and we'll all be wishing we'd stuck to the local state school. What else are you expecting fgs?

Yes the school may well close and that is a valid option

However the op was saying that her school has NO PLANS and shouldn't they have a plan whatever that may be?

OP I've also asked dd's school what preparations they are doing for a No Deal. We are in Kent and the council have warned schools may close due to severe disruptions when the lorries start to jam. I've asked the school and had nothing back. I'm interested in whether they have to close if there aren't enough food supplies as of course not everyone will be able to make a packed lunch.

People are only just starting to realise that actually everyone not having the choices they used to have means there will be very limited fresh produce. I suspect many haven't really thought it through and are just expecting someone else to "sort it out".

If I were you OP I'd arrange to go and get her a few days beforehand. The supermarkets warehouses should at least last a couple of weeks, it's just the fresh food that will be the initial shock for people. At least if she is with you you know you have your purification tablets too.

Fuel, food and medication shortages if they happen will be short term and mostly due to people whipping up a frenzy.

Or hoarding, possibly? However,
Kitkats (made in York) - they may be, but unless the government has managed very successfully indeed to suppress details of the extent of localised climate change in North Yorkshire, the cocoa beans aren't grown there. So perhaps we should all be panicking more.

To those saying I should drive and get her on 28 March.
If I tried to get there in a day I would likely have an accident - really not safe. It's also possible that there will be panic buying of petrol, so early fuel shortages. Carrying spare fuel in the car would be dangerous and arguably illegal. This is a really bad idea.
It's not up to me to make contingency plans for the school. But I would expect them to stockpile some supplies and to be prepared to accommodate children for a few extra days if needed. Not worried about heating, as will be spring.
If I sent supplies to dd, she would realistically have to share them with the many other children. So that wouldn't work.
If I contact other parents about this, it will no doubt piss the school off. I imagine that they are scared of the reputational repercussions of speaking to overseas parents about a likely no deal Brexit.
I will have to hope that they take some last minute measures.

I do think that Brexit will have very much been considered in terms of future admissions. Coming to school in the UK may not be impossible but likely there will be more hoops to jump through. Often higher fees than uk pupils will need to be paid too.

Any existing EU pupils in UK schools will need to apply for right to remain by the end of 2020.

I am sure all that has been discussed at governor meetings.

Interest to know where roughly your school is OP? As a PP said schools in in Kent with proximity to Dover should be even more concerned with making plans than schools in the Scottish highlands.

We'll in that case you need to weigh up.the pros and cons of this situation and decide if leaving your child at school and hoping it works out ok some how is better than another plan of picking her up in advance of the mass potential petrol shortage.
You've thought this through many havnt so use your foresight to your advantage.

I will have to hope that they take some last minute measures.

Or decide that doomsday is NOT going to happen on 30/3 🤪

I wish that hoping/deciding that our government wouldn't screw up our country was an effective strategy, Gina. But I've followed that strategy for 2.5 years now, and it's not working out.

I pasted this from another thread earlier and it's proving quite useful on a regular basis .

Boring bit: The millennium bug issue didn't cause problems because if careful advance checking, planning and investment. Which is the exact opposite of what we have at the moment.

OP I would want a plan in place too for the school tbh.

I think as the pp said forewarned is forearmed. Although if it is a little consolation, I think we have enough for a week or two after we drop out. Still no way to confirm that or how people will be reacting but the day itself could well be relatively stress free.

I suspect this is all about reputational issues and the whispers between parents. The head is amateurishly trying to do a "nothing to see here" act for public relations reasons - he wants you to get the message that Brexit will be mostly harmless, DON'T PANIC! He's probably mainly concerned about not causing panic among parents further away by talking about this.

That doesn't mean there's a plan. The plan might be stiff upper lip, look on the bright side, it'll never happen ...

I understand that Brexit is a disaster for boarding schools. The head won't want to tell international parents about likely food shortages and problems with flights.