Manx Bean Posted September 7, 2022 Share Posted September 7, 2022 https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/schools-to-break-up-for-christmas-a-day-earlier/ Wow! Splendid idea if you’re heading off to Whistler or the Caribbean for the old Chrimbo hols, but not so if you’re effing on the bones of your ass and it means another day of childcare you’ll need to cough up for. Yet more joined-up thinking from DESC Ivory Towers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manxman34 Posted September 7, 2022 Share Posted September 7, 2022 Edge was responding to pressure from parents - no one at DESC will have cared one way or the other. Dates are traditionally a low level task done by a secretary with little consultation with schools or parents, so perhaps the procedure should be reviewed. Some parents regard schools as a free child minding service which they are not. Affordable child minding could be state subsidised, or people who can't afford kids could refrain from producing them, but using schools for the purpose is ridiculously expensive. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asthehills Posted September 7, 2022 Share Posted September 7, 2022 10 minutes ago, Manx Bean said: https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/schools-to-break-up-for-christmas-a-day-earlier/ Wow! Splendid idea if you’re heading off to Whistler or the Caribbean for the old Chrimbo hols, but not so if you’re effing on the bones of your ass and it means another day of childcare you’ll need to cough up for. Yet more joined-up thinking from DESC Ivory Towers. Agree. Surely the solution is to keep schools open but not penalise those who are able to either afford to go away or pay for childcare or afford to have the heating on at home for an extra day. School is going to be the nearest to earth and decent meals some kids get this winter, and a decision to close early to allow people to travel away shows a real lack of understanding of what is going on for some people. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Mexico Posted September 7, 2022 Share Posted September 7, 2022 Oh for heaven's sake! It's one day at a time when a lot of parents and kids will be off anyway. Even 22 December for last day seems late to me and expecting families going off-Island to spend Christmas with relatives to have cram their travel into Christmas Eve is mad. And if you're trying to get to Whistler or the Caribbean, even travelling on 23rd is unlikely. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turtleish Posted September 7, 2022 Share Posted September 7, 2022 It's more likely that the teachers want to travel off island early for their holiday? IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellanvannin2010 Posted September 7, 2022 Share Posted September 7, 2022 They could have just moved the whole holiday so schools finished on 21st December and went back on the 4th January Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banker Posted September 7, 2022 Share Posted September 7, 2022 1 hour ago, Turtleish said: It's more likely that the teachers want to travel off island early for their holiday? IMO Correct, understand it’s a lot of the reason but when they take more industrial action I’m sure they will take this into account!! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banker Posted September 7, 2022 Share Posted September 7, 2022 2 minutes ago, Manx17 said: I’m surprised the teachers and all other school staff didn’t kick up a fuss with loosing a days pay, like parents. It wasn’t so long ago they were arguing for more money. They don’t lose anything 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Passing Time Posted September 7, 2022 Share Posted September 7, 2022 3 hours ago, Manx Bean said: https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/schools-to-break-up-for-christmas-a-day-earlier/ Wow! Splendid idea if you’re heading off to Whistler or the Caribbean for the old Chrimbo hols, but not so if you’re effing on the bones of your ass and it means another day of childcare you’ll need to cough up for. Yet more joined-up thinking from DESC Ivory Towers. Did you read the story or just get instantly outraged? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellanvannin2010 Posted September 7, 2022 Share Posted September 7, 2022 1 hour ago, Manx17 said: I’m surprised the teachers and all other school staff didn’t kick up a fuss with loosing a days pay, like parents. It wasn’t so long ago they were arguing for more money. Extra holidays at Christmas it appears was part of an offer made to one of the teaching unions, no idea if it was accepted though. https://gef.im/2022/04/27/new-union-offer-includes-longer-school-holiday/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offshoremanxman Posted September 7, 2022 Share Posted September 7, 2022 Also the only organization you can see still blaming covid for everything https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/new-ballakermeen-head-hoping-to-restore-continuity-of-education/ 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manx Bean Posted September 7, 2022 Author Share Posted September 7, 2022 4 hours ago, Roger Mexico said: Oh for heaven's sake! It's one day at a time when a lot of parents and kids will be off anyway. Even 22 December for last day seems late to me and expecting families going off-Island to spend Christmas with relatives to have cram their travel into Christmas Eve is mad. And if you're trying to get to Whistler or the Caribbean, even travelling on 23rd is unlikely. I normally go in January tbh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hissingsid Posted September 7, 2022 Share Posted September 7, 2022 It’s a day..just a day…24 hours…what on earth is the fuss about. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manx Bean Posted September 8, 2022 Author Share Posted September 8, 2022 15 hours ago, Passing Time said: Did you read the story or just get instantly outraged? I always read the story, and I am not outraged. The point I was making was that DESC clearly haven't considered the impact of this on parents who aren't able to go away, may be single parents, working parents - that have already booked any time off (if they were able to) and now they have the added challenge or having to organise childcare. In reality, this only benefits teachers and school staff. Anyone who is fortunate enough to be able to go away for Christmas will have already booked their travel a long time ago, will they not? In balance, it's not a particularly well thought through decision. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Phantom Posted September 8, 2022 Share Posted September 8, 2022 (edited) 32 minutes ago, Roxanne said: You're right. Not only that but the schools have a history of zero tolerance about parents taking children out of school, even for a day, citing that every day in education is important. As a PR exercise, they've shot themselves in the foot with this decision. They could argue, and they'd be right, that little happens on that day that's of any deep educational value but they have also set a precedent for the future and it may be a precedent that they come to regret. They seem to have become a bit more flexible on this after covid. Quite a few people I know have taken kids out of (Primary) school for an extra few days here and there. I recall one parent friend did tell me they got given some work to take and they had to promise to do some educational trips whilst away and there kid would do a mini project on it or something. It's usually been to visit relatives or go 'home' after not doing so for years. Whether it will continue, is the same at Secondary school or because it is solely due to covid I'm not sure. Edited September 8, 2022 by The Phantom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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