To think that if a school early morning club says 7:45 start, that 7:50 is not acceptable?

She wasn't asking the internet for help watching her child, she was asking if she was unreasonable to expect the club to open at 7.45.

If you are offered the job I would speak to whoever runs the club and explain the situation with the bus times and that you have to do drop off at exactly 7.45.

Will she have any friends that already go the club - that would be getting dropped off at the same time, i'm sure another parent wouldn't mind you leaving you daughter for a few minutes waiting with their child if you know any of the other mums. Or as PP suggested a local childminder who does drop offs

However, you are using a service which offers care from 7.45, and if you are not getting that service I would speak to the school, it will be them who employs the people who run it

I hear you!!! I used to hate this!! I had to be at my desk for 8am, no flexibility and it was so stressful. My breakfast club was really punctual and it was still stressful. Just have a polite word, you're not unreasonable.

Ask another parent to watch your child for 5 minutes if you must. They can help you. The Internet can't.

Ask, but also keep an eye out for other parents. I'm always early, as is one other mother, and we're often asked to keep an eye on a friend's child for 2 minutes while they wait for the gate to open.

Some form of transport to the next town like the electric bike really isn't a bad idea either though - if there's safe parking - depending on how reliable the bus is

Say goodbye and leave her at 7:45 am.

Walk across the road and catch your bus. Your daughter will be fine waiting at the school gate for a few minutes. Children all over the country walk to school. Your child is going to be at the school gate and not leave until the school club opens. Other kids will likely arrive as well. Soon she will recognise those other families and feel fine waiting a few minutes with them.

My DH swam every morning and had his routine scheduled down to the minute. The gym is supposed to open at 6am and he always got there a few minutes early. If the gym opened more than two minutes late his morning was off and he’d miss his train. I can tell you in the few days it happened they got a complaint from him! Don’t pussy foot around. Say you rely on the club being open at 7.45 as advertised and demand that it be so. Yes, please be ‘that’ parent in this case.

If you're able to cycle an electric bike is also an option

I think you should speak to school if you get the job, but also surely there are other parents you could ask to keep an eye on your child for 5 mins if they're late? Or are you the only one there that early!

I would speak to the school head first, as others have suggested. I was always told if you start work at 7.45 that means getting to work at 7.35, to have you coat off and get prepared to start. My DH works in the NHS and he is expected to be changed into his uniform to start shift at 7am.
Could you also ask another parent to just keep an eye on your daughter for the 5 minutes? I drop my grandson at school - similar situation that we wait at a locked gate - I would be quite happy to watch a sensible 7 year old for 5 minutes

In a similar circumstance, I paid a childminder who was dropping off already to wait with my child in addition to the ones she already had. She arrived 5 minutes early than she normally would and I got to work on time.

Can't you leave her with another parent if the doors aren't open.

I would email the school and say your child will be there at 7:45, if they are late then they will have to let her in unaccompanied as you were there with her when it should have opened

I would definately apply for the job. Speak to the school about opening the breakfast club at 7,45 because it's frankly not on to be opening late (after all if parents could truly just be flexible, they'd all find jobs that started at 9,30 and save loads of money!). Look at whether there are childminders near the school that do the school run, as it's likely they will open on time given that they absolutely rely on the income from their parents.

Won't there be other parents milling about for the doors to open who don't have this down-to-the-minute time pressure that you have? I'd stand with a 7yo while waiting with my own if their parent needed to dash for a minute or two.

By all means chat with the head because you’re not wrong and 7.45 should mean 7.45 but I think it might be an unrealistic aim just because all the schools/preschools mine have ever been to are regularly late opening by a few minutes. Are there others queuing outside from 7.45am waiting for it to open? I’d be ok about leaving a sensible Y3 in the school queue but not on the street by themselves if there’s no one else around.

Sorry fron experience this won’t work, I had 10 mins to get to work, breakfast club was always late opening, I used to watch them go in from the car, they then changed the rules, and you had to sign them in, there was always a queue of people waiting to sign in and it meant finding somewhere to park which just added time on. I’d say try a childminder instead.

it definitely is. 7:45 means 7:45 not 'when we feel like it'. Before school childcare is there for that reason - for kids whose parents need to head to work early, and it isn't fair for them to make you late because of their poor time keeping.

That's fair - young children shouldn't be unsupervised. But they wouldn't 'need' to be if the school could get their act together and open the gate when they say they will, so that parents like you who are on a non negotiable deadline to get to work on public transport can make their trip.
As PP have said, speak to the school. You are probably not the only one in this situation.
Good luck with the job!

You sound like a perfectly reasonable and sensible person- I would discreetly talk to the Headteacher

Good luck with application