‘Going to implode’: Parents at wits’ end over schools being closed until September with mothers hardest hit

‘School is a distant memory. All their emotional, educational and physical development is being stalled. I’m feeling very lethargic and flat,’ one tells Maya Oppenheim

There is anger at the prospect of pubs and bars opening while schools stay closed and childcare options remain non-existent (Getty/iStock)

Parents are at their “wits’ end” over the prospect of juggling childcare and work with schools remaining closed until September, and mothers are hardest hit, campaigners warned.

Women with children facing burnout due to taking on the bulk of childcare and homeschooling during lockdown voiced anger that pubs, shops and restaurants were reopening while schools, nurseries and childcare providers stayed shut.

Some parents have been forced to quit their jobs or cut their working hours to be able to cope with childcare during the coronavirus crisis – with the situation predicted to worsen as more employers demand people return to work as lockdown eases.