Posted on 05/04/2008 6:26:12 PM PDT by blam
Parents 'abdicating responsibility for their children'
By Graeme Paton, Education Editor
Last Updated: 1:13AM BST 05/05/2008
Parents are “abdicating their responsibility” by leaving children in school for up to 10 hours a day, according to a leading head teacher.
Extended schools open to 6pm, providing 'wraparound' childcare to help mothers return to full-time jobs
Some mothers and fathers “dump” pupils at breakfast clubs and pick them up late in the evening because of the demands of work, said Mick Brookes, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers.
Britain’s so-called “back to work culture” - which has also prompted many parents to place children in nurseries from a young age - risked undermining family life, he said.
Under Government reforms, so-called extended schools open from 8am to 6pm, providing “wraparound” childcare to help mothers return to full-time jobs. Around 10,000 primary and secondary schools in England now offer breakfast clubs and after-school sessions.
But Mr Brookes insisted teachers should not be turned into surrogate parents.
He said: “Some parents are abdicating responsibility for their children. They dump them early in the morning at school and are late picking them at the end of the day. There is definitely a lack of care.”
He added: “They do take advantage of the system. The dilemma we have got is a moral one. What do you do for these children? The fall back position is if they are being neglected at home that does put the onus some where and it looks like schools.”
Speaking at the union’s annual conference in Liverpool, he said that, rather than promoting the importance of quality time at home, “our country advocates a back to work culture that may well prove to be counter-productive”.
But Beverley Hughes, the children’s minister, insisted Mr Brooke’s comments were “unhelpful”.
She insisted that more schools were now offering wraparound care to give parents greater opportunity to return to work “if they want”. In a speech, she announced a new £13 million scheme to help vulnerable families in 15 areas. It includes more advisors to help parents organise childcare.
But Mr Brookes, former head of a Nottinghamshire primary school, said: “Of course it is important to support those who are unable or sometimes unwilling to provide wraparound care for their children. In order not to perpetuate the cycle of societal failure, there has to be intervention.
”But let’s be clear about this; the vast majority of children will never need to see a social worker, the vast majority of children will never need to see a psychologist, a speech-therapist of counsellor.
”Is it right therefore that the whole education agenda has been skewed to changing systems and arrangements to support a very small number of children?”
The comments come just 24-hours after the president of the NAHT insisted that parents should be paid to stay at home and look after their children instead of being forced to return to work.
Clarissa Williams said the current benefits system “entraps” vulnerable families - leaving schools and nurseries to bring up children.
But Ms Hughes said it was “not possible” for schools to raise standards for all children “on their own”.
In a speech to the conference yesterday, she said: “We need to make sure you’ve got the additional support these children need, when they need it, and that other professionals - social workers, health and youth workers, for example - share responsibility for their progress. Schools are uniquely placed to see at the earliest moment when problems are emerging or escalating.”
I just learned this year that the local school cafeterias are open in the summer to feed kids breakfast and lunch because their parents won't provide it for them.
“I just learned this year that the local school cafeterias are open in the summer to feed kids breakfast and lunch because their parents won’t provide it for them.”
Up here in “The People’s Republik of Madistan” public schools have been little more than feeding troughs and daycare centers for ages. That’s The Socialist Way. Get the kiddies away from the parents as soon as they can toddle, if not before.
Sorry to hear it’s becoming the norm by you, too. :(
(P.S. You need a few more dogs, LOL!)
It's been going on a while here too...I just learned about it.
"(P.S. You need a few more dogs, LOL!)"
I have five now, I love my doggies.
NO. We simply won’t do such a thing. My wife and I will continue to make ends meet on a one income salary, and we’ll not subject our kids to surrogate parenting. Yes, it sucks that we don’t drive a Mercedes Benz, and yes it sucks that we’re living in an apartment(albiet in a good neighborhood) but we will not succumb.
Briton had better get a clue. It starts with 10 hours, and then becomes the government as parents. And, after foresaking one’s own children, who is it that the children should the children trust more? The government IS Mom, IS Dad. The real Mom and Dad are making themselves disposable. Marxism at its best.
my husband drops my daughter off at school extended care at 730 in the morning. He does this because my job starts at 6 am. I took the 6 am gig so I could be there to pick her up at regular school let off time. If I didn’t have this job, we couldn’t afford to send her to the private Christian school instead of the horrible public schools they have around here. She also begs to go into after school care because she loves being around her friends.. so not all of us who do this are careless evil parents.
One alternative is to take her out of school and quit your job. Homeschooling is so much fun and you get to spend a lot of time with your kids. I work at home and my wife works 7:30 pm to 3:30 am. So we have coverage 24 hours a day.
British parents should quit their jobs and go on the dole.
Don’t call me neglectful, buddy.....
Get out there and support my kids!
My kids go to a private Christian school also and we sometimes use the before or after school care too—my 5 yr old in particular loves the after school care; don’t worry about what some of the posters on Free Republic think.
I also work (part-time), basically to afford the private school, which we love. . .its like part of our family. I fully support homeschooling but it is not for me and it is not for everyone.
So kudos to you for fleeing bad public schools and for getting up so early so you can be there at pick up time.
This is a consequence.
I didn't intend to call you neglectful at all. Sorry if something I said came across that way.
Model - sorry - not meant for you - you were the last click on the thread - it was a joke - directed at the Brits who were wailing about “abdication of responsibility” - the idea was I quit my job to take of my kids, then I demand that the people who criticized my child care support my kids - apologies - not a well constructed idea
This is the vision that Hillary and Obama have for this nation, removing children out of the home as early as possible and indoctrinating them in socialistic dogma.
I know! I peeked at your “About Me” page. Nice pack! :)
We’re down to one Basset Hound for now. We had two Black Labs in the past, too, but Husband and I are both getting “Puppy Fever.”
I homeschooled my eldest.. but my little one has an IQ far beyond what I can successfully teach her.. I also need this job because we will be on our own soon. So while I advocate homeschooling and having one parent at home at all times, it isn’t always possible.
Nice doggie!
I was always a “cat person” and then I married a “dog person” and that was the end of that. :) However, after my two elderly (city-fied) cats passed away, Husband was nice enough to search out two “sister” cats that needed a home and couldn’t be separated.
That was really sweet of him; a ‘dyed in the wool’ dog person and all. They’re now “working cats” on our little farm. No free rides around here, but I still get my daily ‘cat fix.’ ;)
[local school cafeterias are open in the summer to feed kids breakfast and lunch]
They do that in my city too, plus free breakfast during the school year. Guess what - all that free food they prepare often gets wasted because the parents ‘won’t bother to take’ the kids there!!
Our library was filled after school, used as a babysitter and the librarians had to stay with the kids until they were picked up at closing!
Finally they called the police in and warned the parents they had to be picked up by a certain time or face fines.
Bet those parents have all kinds of gadgets, jewelery and stuff in their homes but neglect the kids!
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