I pointed out that, since he went to an independent school, his holidays had been much longer, and I doubted that he felt disadvantaged. I went on to suggest that, actually, this was part of the Government agenda to keep children at school so parents would be free to work instead of actually getting to interact with their own children. After all, the parents might actually teach their children to question Government policies, and that would never do.
As an aside, do you think that politicians forget what they've been debating over the long parliamentary recesses?
Technically the news was focusing on schools being able to choose their own holiday dates, but I am rather a cynical type, and I griped that this would be a way for the schools to shorten the holidays without too much fuss, and added that I thought that schools would be encouraged to lengthen the school day too, so as to make collecting children on the way home from work easier...
Well, I never expected to be proved absolutely right quite so quickly!
Today's Telegraph Online reports that the Department for Education is planning to improve the provision of affordable childcare by (among other things) encouraging schools to open for more hours of the day and more weeks in the year.
They have even suggested that schools hold "sleepovers"...
Told you so...
5 comments:
You understand, of course, that all of this is an effort to take children away from the authority of parents and put children under the authority of the government institutions-Where Stalin failed in his attempt to take over the West, the West has done with kulturkampf. A generation of sheep will come from such plans, and the family authority, the real core of civilization will decline.
Parents need to realize that someone else is inculcating, teaching so-called values to their children in childcare and long school days.
But, of course, I was one of those rabid home schooling mums, who decided that it was my responsibility to train, teach and pass on the virtues I had learned to my son. Socialism is very easy to predict.
Yup. It is just as you say! I believe I said something about Stalin only dreaming of getting such access to our children in the previous post...
When I stood as a School Governor, recently,
we had a suggestion that, perhaps,
the school could open much earlier
in the morning, than usual, and parents could then
drop off their kiddiwinks,
whilst they were
on their way to work.
And, oh, yes, perhaps the school could
lay on Breakfast for the Kiddiwinks, as well,
to facilitate the parents not having to bother,
whilst they were on their way to work.
Not to mention, perhaps the school could stay open
later than usual, and look after the kiddiwinks,
whilst the parents were on their way home from work.
I kid you not.
I voted against such a cheap shot.
The government has seen a gap in the market. The issue might be that too many parents would be more than happy with this proposal to abdicate their responsibilities, whether they work or not.
The clamour for child-minding at a younger and younger age is being fulfilled. This is the next logical step.
Single parenthood has been a big driver in this.
Well, fine - but then at least call it what it is. It's a boarding school. And then pay the teachers accordingly, and employ pastoral staff to look after the kids. Oh yes, and pay for living quarters too.
I mean, it's a model of schooling the public sector has had for over a hundred years (and some schools for much longer). It works for them ;)
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