Parents are to be given the right to request schools offer childcare in the holidays

[rollonthesummer]

Apologies for posting this twice, but I'm not happy!

bbc

Parents in England are to be given the right to request schools provide childcare for the full working day during term time and in the holidays.

So, school just is childcare then, thanks, Nicky!?

Who is going to pay for the wages of the staff doing the childcare?
Where is it going to happen?
When will the essential maintenance and repair work that can only be done when there are no children around take place?

No, probably not! ??

It wouldn't be 52, you'd be entitled to four or five weeks off the same as the rest of us.

So if the teachers were working direct contact time for 48 weeks, when does the planning and prep, and assessments get done?

To be honest so long as NO ONE is expected to have their contract suddenly changed and have to work longer, and that the provision comes from people applying specifically for that childcare job - then fine.

Many LSAs, although on lower wages, may not want it. Many do NOT have their own children at the school they work at. They may have chosen a term time job so that they can be at home in holidays with their own children.

It shouldn't be an expectation of anyone to have to staff it.

We are so under-resourced in my school-there is no money for pencils, paint, rubbers, blue-tack, photocopying, toys, new PE equipment etc, most teachers buy these things out of their own pocket. I would seriously resent a holiday club coming into my school and touching any of the things we've paid for ourselves.

Would holiday clubs provide and store their own resources etc. There's not a spare inch of storage at my primary.

MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig

"It wouldn't be 52, you'd be entitled to four or five weeks off the same as the rest of us."

Have you factored in the extra 13 weeks pay that would be required?

"Would holiday clubs provide and store their own resources etc."

It would be up for individual negotiation.

Round here, the local private school hires out its facilities to a provider for holiday camps. Very popular. Usually full. AFAIK, staffing all arranged by the provider. Nice earner for the school (which still manages to fit its maintenance in).

I suppose it all comes down to whether you see this as an opportunity if a problem. And if the 'right to request' means parents will speak their wishes, then that's your market research done for you.

I suppose it all comes down to whether you see this as an opportunity if a problem.

It entirely depends on how it would be done. I suspect it would poorly funded which would become a problem.

Funding? That's for the provider to bill to the parents. Loads of successful schemes out there getting it right.

Well I would imagine that the funding would come from the fees. Where were you thinking it would come from?

And as for working an extra thirteen weeks whilst fitting in prep and planning, I assume it wouldn't be mandatory for all teachers to work full time throughout every holiday? Is that likely? No, it isn't, is it? It would be manned by people who actually applied to do it, like any other job.

Are you looking for an argument? I'm only suggesting ideas, not recruiting teachers.

As others have already said, I think some people are taking this too literally. They are not saying teachers have to provide the care. All kids clubs I have ever come across are in effect nothing to do with the school. They are managed by an independent business for the mutual benefit of the school. They pay rent to the school to use space and facilities that would otherwise be left idle. They are however (or should be) a massive marketing tool for schools. Certainly one of the reasons why I chose the school my kids go to was due to the excellent kids club provision. My local catchment school did not offer what I needed and would have meant I needed to give up work due to a lack of childcare options. This would not only have impact my personal family finances but of course would have a knock impact on my financial contribution to the government's tax coffers. I appreciate that I am lucky to have been able to secure a place at a non-catchment school and as such I don't think that a parent's opportunity to work should be tied to school place allocation. (In practice the club does have lots to do with the school - their staff are often TAs who wish to supplement their income).

I suspect it would poorly funded which would become a problem

Why do you suspect that, given the multitude of very successful holiday and after school care services that already operate from schools across the UK?

This just re-enforces the idea that school is just childcare for your children, somewhere to send them to entertain them.

I cannot see a problem with schools offering holiday clubs, it's a good use of a building, there would probably be a few friendly faces for the children. But it doesn't sit right with me that the parents badger the school to run it or do it. If sooner their energy is put into teaching my children, not having the headaches of this

Why would parents badger teachers? What right would they have to expect this service to be provided by teachers?

Rather than using negative language (i.e. badger) why not think in more positive terms? All parents are doing is highlighting to the school that this is a service that they would want, and the school, in conjunction with the LA, looks to local service providers to run such a service from the school. It wouldn't be staffed by teachers, and wouldn't even be run by the school. It works perfectly well here and elsewhere - and guess what? Our children's education doesn't suffer in the slightest.

And it doesn't 'reinforce' anything of the kind. We are perfectly aware that schools are there to educate, childcare providers are there to provide costed childcare.

SirChenjin you are aware, but there are some parents at my children school that are obviously not aware.

At our school some of the parents would badger the school (not the teachers, but the school) not approach the LA or the school in a nice way but continually ask them as "I read you HAVE to provide it" - even if they don't 'have' to.

Like i said using the building, employing some of the staff so theres a friendly face there - great. Parking it at the schools door, making it theirs to administer (even getting an external company in, its still going to make additional work), not so great.

It all depends on your experience of parents at your school as to where you will come from on this one i think.

That's up to them. You can't hold back a much needed/wanted service on the strength of a few parents not asking you in the right way.

As I and many others on here have said - it works perfectly well in many other places, with a myriad of different types of parents. It works, because it has to work and because the LA and the schools are forward thinking and see the wider benefit.

I think it's a great idea!

I work for the NHS and we have no family help at all. We have a lovely childminder though but she takes holidays and we end up stuck.

It would be great to have Christmas week covered (not Christmas Day/Boxing Day) as I really struggle for childcare then due to childminder holidays. All nurseries/childminder tend to close over Christmas...the NHS is always open 24/7 365 days a year.

My eldest has just started secondary school but I still use the breakfast club at school. Only £2 a day for care from 8am. Very good value (I would pay more).

There should be no cost to the school. Our school provides the facilities, nothing more. I couldn't even tell you the names of the people who run it at our school, that's how little I have to do with it. They use our buildings, and I believe they use our sports equipment. Consumables are all paid by them. The parents liaise directly with the company, pay them, nothing to do with us. The school gets payment of rent for use of the facilities from the company.

I'm sure there will be plenty of quality trained people who sit at home all year, leaping into action on highdays and holidays to provide long days of childcare whilst feeding them mince pies and candy canes all day. Sounds like a right treat. Genius!

I really hope HTs and teacher hold out against this. There are already too many parents who confuse school with childcare.

They are not 'holding out' though - they are already offering the service up and down the country with great success. Midnite explains how it works in reality.

I'm sure there will be plenty of quality trained people who sit at home all year, leaping into action on highdays and holidays to provide long days of childcare whilst feeding them mince pies and candy canes all day. Sounds like a right treat. Genius!

A lot of ours are staffed by pre-service teachers or child care workers, and I know I've had pre-service teachers who work for the various after-school and holiday clubs. They're quite happy to have the work outside of university hours, it's good experience for them.

I really hope they don't.

It'll raise money for the school, sorely needed by most, and I don't think there's a particular difference in attitudes to school between those with or without wrap around and/or holiday clubs.

There was no way I could have coped with the school holidays without a good range of available clubs, and when a chain opened up in the long holidays in DCs primary it was an immense relief (familiar commute for me, familiar site for the DC)

I'm sure there will be plenty of quality trained people who sit at home all year, leaping into action on highdays and holidays to provide long days of childcare whilst feeding them mince pies and candy canes all day. Sounds like a right treat. Genius!

I volunteer in the school all year and would be happy to undergo any training necessary to run a holiday club. Especially if there are mince pies and candy canes involved.