Schools will be “expected” to accommodate requests for childcare “for a full working day” and in the school holidays if enough parents demand it, Nicky Morgan has announced.
The education secretary told the Conservative Party conference in Manchester this afternoon that she planned to give “more working parents something the best schools already do”.
She said families of children in thousands of schools would be given the “right to request” that their school “provides childcare for a full working day, before and after school and during the school holidays”.
She added: “If enough parents call for childcare at their local school, we will expect the school to take reasonable steps to accommodate it, in a way that works for them.
“Because we want working parents to have the confidence their child is in a happy and safe environment.”
A source close to Nicky Morgan told Schools Week the details would have to be worked out, and declined to comment on what proportion of parents would have to request the childcare to trigger action from a school.
Pic: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire/Press Association Images
We responded to parents’ requests for before and after school provision. As governors of a smallish primary school, through the efforts of the headteacher, we found a provider and established that enough parents would sign up. Then come the start of the new year only one family actually committed. So no provision. Cost I think was the deciding factor for parents and carers. We couldn’t afford to do it from our main budget.
I used to think Gove made up policies with his mates at the pub quiz, now I am fairly sure he does, writes them on a beer mat and hands them to Ms Morgan. What will next week’s idiotic proclamation be..sleepovers, teachers walking all kids to school or just adopting them?
The Conservatives have finally become the socialist party of England. Parents no longer have to take any responsibility to their choice to have children, care for them or bring them up. However, whilst most parents would probably prefer to bring their own children up instead of leaving this for schools to do they feel compelled to work so they can afford to pay a mortgage and other bills.
Who is going to pay for this child care service? Oh, that right schools will just magic the resource from somewhere because parents have demanded it. And how is it going to be staffed? Oh, yes teachers, none of whom have children of their own to get home to, will volunteer or be directed to become child minders, in addition to subject specilaist and social workers.
What is the full working day anyway? Lots of parents work shifts and I regularly see parents returning home from the office at 7pm and later.
In the 1870 and 1880 various education acts made education compulsory as a means of tacking child labour. Now we can faciltiate parental labour at the expence of bring up your own children by fundimentally forcing children to remain in school for even longer. What is this likely to do for the psychology of those kids being ‘left behind’ at the end of the day? How can children feel loved and valued as part of a ‘family’.
Of course it won’t be enough for school to ‘child mind’, they will be expected to provide a meaningful and development experience which will be subject to inspect by OFSTED. This in turn means other parents will want their child to remain just incase their child is falling behind those still in school.
Is there any wonder there is a recuiting crisis in education?
Why on earth would anyone want to have children nowadays?