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Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Primary education

Help me find a way around this tricky situation!

91 replies

SunsetOnTheHorizon · 16/07/2018 16:54

Long time lurker here. I'm only posting as I am desperate for some ideas on how to get around my tricky situation.

We recently moved home to a nicer area with good schools. Currently DC are attending the school in where our previous house was located, which is about 20 minutes drive away now.

Dc2 has secured a place for sept 2018. Dc1 has not but has been put on the waiting list.

Here comes the dilemma... End of the school day is the same for both schools. I don't want to be relying on after school clubs as they both have a language class to get to at 4.30.

What can I suggest to the school to help?

I have spoken to the Head of the current school and she is adamant that i cannot collect dc1 earlier than hometime.

OP posts:

Report

icklekid · 16/07/2018 16:56

Presuming the language class is near home I'd collect the one that's further away and collect dc2 after. She will either need to go to a friends or after school club for the half an hour after school before you can pick her up? Neither schools fault but just how it is when children are at different schools.

Mayra1367 · 16/07/2018 16:57

After school club is your solution. It’s unreasonable to expect the class to be disrupted every day to allow a child to leave early .

SunsetOnTheHorizon · 16/07/2018 17:05

The only other option would be leaving both dcs in the school they currently attend.

OP posts:

PattiStanger · 16/07/2018 17:06

Is the language class every day?

There isn't going to be an ideal solution unfortunately, unless you can find someone at the nearer school who's happy to look after your child for a short while each day until you can get there you're probably going to have to suck up the after school club until DC2 gets into the nearer school

madamginger · 16/07/2018 17:07

How old are the dc?

SunsetOnTheHorizon · 16/07/2018 17:10

Dc1 is 8 and dc2 is 6.

Language class is everyday.

I don't know anyone well enough to ask them to have dc2 while i make my way back.

OP posts:

SunsetOnTheHorizon · 16/07/2018 17:15

I will be looking into the after school clubs to keep an open mind

OP posts:

MidniteScribbler · 16/07/2018 23:30

What can I suggest to the school to help?

Absolutely nothing. This is not the school's problem.

SunsetOnTheHorizon · 17/07/2018 09:59

Oh. Nice to have the support from schools rather than ostracising the parents for moving home.

OP posts:

LockedOutOfMN · 17/07/2018 10:06

Can you find a language class at a later time or closer to the new school? Perhaps you could suggest to the language academy that they consider shifting their class times, as presumably more students will be affected than just your DC?

LockedOutOfMN · 17/07/2018 10:07

ostracising the parents for moving home

I can't see from any of your posts how the school is doing this, OP.

MidniteScribbler · 17/07/2018 10:54

What do you want the school to do though OP?

"Oh, yes Mrs Sunset. We'll have one of our teachers babysit for you because you don't want to pay for after school care."

PatriciaHolm · 17/07/2018 10:58

So your issue is you need to be at least 20 minutes late to pick one of them up every day.

Realistically, unless you pay for after school care, that's not sustainable. Neither school is going to let you pick up either 20 mins early or late. You will need to pay someone - perhaps a childminder - to pick one of them up.

myrtleWilson · 17/07/2018 11:02

You'll have to pay for ASC and it's not really ostracism Where is dc 1 on the waiting list?

Sugarhunnyicedtea · 17/07/2018 11:14

Two options.
Leave both children at the old school until you can get both in the new school.
Or
Pay for after school care

The school won't just let you pick up 20 minutes late (or early) and rightly so. The staff have jobs to do!

RedSkyLastNight · 17/07/2018 12:50

Is there no school closer than the 20 minutes drive away one for DC1 (or both DCs)?
If you're holding out for 1 particular school then you could be waiting years to get both DC in the same school, so you either need to embrace ASC now, or explore other options.

IStillDrinkCava · 17/07/2018 13:56

Use after school club or childminder for one (ASC almost certainly better for 20 mins) and rearrange the language class. You can't expect school to rearrange itself around your children's after school activities. After school club is there for children whose parents can't be there at pick up time. You're not being ostracised any more than anyone else who can't make it at pick up time,

SunsetOnTheHorizon · 17/07/2018 22:31

ASC it is then until I get to know a local parent who can help.

Language class can be arranged at 6pm, as they have two classes operating. Which means I'll the dcs.home by 7.30pm. Pushing dinner time to 8pm.

Looks like I'll be having a total re jig to the routine in september it seems. Not that I'm complaining before any of you decide to lay into me.

OP posts:

SunsetOnTheHorizon · 17/07/2018 22:33

Dc1 has been hoiked to near the top of the waiting list since dc2 will be attending. Head can't give a precise number apparently-school policy

OP posts:

shouldwestayorshouldwego · 17/07/2018 22:38

At 8 they must be in yr 3 or 4 so you could appeal for a place for dc1. You would need more than 'sibling and ease of collecting after school' but you could seek advice on here for that. It shouldn't affect your place on the waiting list.

SunsetOnTheHorizon · 17/07/2018 22:42

Oh wow. What have you tapped into?

Firstly how do I appeal? And as it is a case of no spaces at all until someone leaves what point is it of me appealing?

OP posts:

SuperSange · 17/07/2018 22:49

Surely this is the kind of shit you think about before you move house?

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MidniteScribbler · 17/07/2018 22:52

Surely this is the kind of shit you think about before you move house?

No, some people really don't. Then they get their knickers in a twist because everyone won't bend over backwards to help them out.

The OP's first thought wasn't 'ok, well until both kids are in the same school, I'll have to book one into ASC', it was 'well why aren't the school doing something for me'. And even now when she has admitted she needs ASC, it's only until she can con one of the mothers into looking after her kid every afternoon. CF material, right there.

PandaPieForTea · 17/07/2018 22:57

Why would a local parent offer to look after your child every day after school?

IStillDrinkCava · 17/07/2018 23:21

Nooo surely OP will be trying to find someone in the same boat to trade lifts with. Admittedly a bit of a long shot. No one would expect another parent to take their child every day after school for free, that's bonkers.

OP you could look at feeding the children before 6pm. You'll figure out a new routine. Everything's a phase with children!

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