Wrap around care for those who don't work??

Staffing these breakfast clubs is a huge issue. Who wants to work for a single hour at 8am? Not the TAs, before anyone suggests it - most put up with low wages because of the relatively family friendly hours so leaving the house that early doesn't suit a great many of them.

If you’re not working and don’t have a particular reason to need it, dropping kids to school earlier in the morning is not usually something you’d actually want to do, and having them in school an extra couple of hours is not necessarily something you would want to do either. I don’t work and wouldn’t use either even if they were free. I don’t think there would be as much demand for it as you might think anyway.

Another kick in the teeth to working parents.

Why exactly?

The problem is if too many use it it will need lots of staff and space

This is a huge problem. If every child (even half of them, to be honest) takes up a breakfast and after school place at our primary, we will simply not have the space to put them. We are also extremely concerned that the money offered will not be enough to pay members of support staff so nobody will want to do it. It can’t be another job for SLT or teachers to run it, so if it’s financially unviable, it just won’t happen.

It’ll end up like free dentistry and free nursery hours. You might be entitled to them on paper, but if you can’t find somewhere that offers it, it’s not happening.

I work full time and my kids don't use breakfast club or after school club - it's almost like peoples situations can be different. idk...

It will be great for me. Single parent household income 25k. Not entitled to any benefits. Cost of breakfast club for 2 kids is £14 a day, after school club is £26. (Well - minus the 20% so whatever that works out at). I'm sure there are lots like me that don't get much if any state help but aren't well off.

The problem is if too many use it it will need lots of staff and space... Currently they do it in the nursery classroom with nursery staff and there's only about 10 or 15 kids from a school of 100.

This

Ah yes, there was also a paid after school club which was just general arts and crafts, etc. we hardly ever used that one unless for some rare reason neither of us were able to collect at the usual time.

Imagine being annoyed that children will get before & after school care.

Free breakfast clubs, free lunches until the age of 8, funded childcare with household income up to 100k. Personally, I think this is all madness. Happy that those in need get help but it need not be universal.

If they can get kids on before after school clubs
Then it will help kids from low income poor households in damp unsuitable or overcrowded home
If the rich sah parent uses it so mummy or daddy can go to the gym so what ? they are being inclusive and mixing with kids from diverse backgrounds playing together or helping each other with homework

Some parents end up with kids at two different schools and can't collect them both at the same time.

Is that "dire need" enough for your approval?

Or maybe the kids want to go because their friends are?

Whilst free, wrap-around care is not meant for everybody and is not compulsory. It is there for children whose parents need help before and after school and those children with difficult/chaotic home lives who might not get breakfast or be able to do activities outside school. Parents who are home based or families with other childcare arrangements do not have to use the service. And that is great for those children who want a home breakfast or to be able to come home straight after school because they are tired.

@Raisinsandweetabix - please elaborate.

Why would it be a kick in the teeth for working parents?

No family with kids has 7k total income. They will get most of their income from benefits at that level.
Not saying it's wrong, just that someone on free school meals won't have parents that work lots of hours and therefore need childcare (mostly, I'm sure there are exceptions).

That's a different type of after school club

Right and? That's what some families have as income.

Have you just made up some random policy to be angry about or does this exist?

Not much - the threshold is 7k of earned income a year I think? That's only a few hours a week work by one parent

We didn't work but used after school clubs once or twice a week so the children could try the different activities. Most were free but I remember paying for Spanish, drums and Cookery classes. In our school they were open to all the children, not just those whose parents worked.

How is it a kick in the teeth to working parents ? Don't their children get this ?

Those clubs aren't designed with SAHP in mind with a partner on ££££, they are designed to increase cultural capital / narrow the gap for those that can't give their children access to extra curriculars either through finances, transport limitations or having other children or themselves with disabilities. Also, often if you don't work it's because you have your own additional physical, mental or other struggles and benefit from the respite allowing you to parent better when they return.

Why do you think it's wrong? A lot of kids getting free school meals have parents that work!

It’s for the child, not the parents. It’s to make sure they can get to school on time and have some food in their stomach so they can concentrate at school.

My children's school offered free breakfast clubs and after school clubs as standard which I think is good.

But they offer holiday activities free to only those in receipt of free school meals which I think is wrong. For working parents it's about £20 per child.

Yeah like a link to a news source or something