Letter informing parents about the closure of after school club

Nope, not at all - I'd be quite happy with OOH GP appointments online - it would be perfect for me, actually

My job is more flexible than yours, understandable as you're a teacher

Whatever you say. Good job there’s still some people willing to actually get off their arses and go to work! You’d be the first to complain if your kids teacher decided they needed to teach via zoom for childcare purposes or your gp decided they work virtually ‘fitting it in when they can’ !

It’s all about the area. Our school had a low number for children who were eligible for PEF - low income families who tend to have one SAHP, or other family member who provide childcare. The after school club was very over subscribed. Until Covid when more people WFH then the numbers dropped and it was easier to get a place. The school in the next area over had a much higher number of PEF eligible children, their ASC was never that busy and closed after Covid because more people were WFH.

We have an ASC club who picks children up from schools and takes them back to their base in a local community centre. That seems to be the model that works best, but it is more expensive to run.

Well, you're doing a good job of appearing envious, that's for sure.

Childcare is really expensive to provide and operates on very fine margins. It's such a shame but at £8.50 it's probably just not making enough money to carry on going.

Night shifts. Split shifts. Hospitality where you don't start til after school. Any job where you've got to do a certain number of hours/tasks but have control over when you do them. An other half who's in already because they wfh too and finish before you do. Jobs with core hours that fall within the school day but significant flexibility orherwise. Own business offering your services when it's convenient to you and totalling over 35 hours a week.

Also, loads of older primary kids are fine entertaining themselves for a couple of hours, or potentially having an eye kept by an older sibling. Mine goes to family for preference, but would be fine in the house. You're a secondary teacher, some of your pupils probably do it.

One parent might work 7-3 while the other works 10-6.
Some people work from home and can flex their hours to do the school run.
Some people work school hours and then do extra in the evenings, or at weekends.
Some people work shifts.
Some people have family living with them who can help with childcare.
Some have older siblings at home who can "supervise" while they work and are on hand in case of an emergency.

Also, not all jobs require you to be sat at a desk for eight hours straight. Lots of people can work from their phones, or fit in their hours as and when. It's very normal.

You seem to have a very outdated view of the workplace.

this Is the life of many parents at my kids school, I could name about 15 who post this sort of routine on their social media most days but tbf they could be completely bullshitting as instagram is hardly known for its realism! Couple of of them ‘work from home’ doing influencing so tbh that’s not actually a job.

Thats not a lot of notice. I would be pissed off too.
All the schools round here are 15 a day though. 8.50 seems very cheap. You can get tax free childcare for it too which helps a little.

I’m not envious, they’ll get found out eventually as a lot will are slowly being asked to go back to the office and are shitting themselves about having to put a shift in!

What full time hours allow you to be free before school, during drop off time, and then during collection and after ? If you drop off at school, then come home and log on, then log off in time to get to school for pickup, then drive home, and look after your kids until your other half gets in, how are you fitting 40-plus hours a week in? Or do you work with primary aged kids in the house, if so how do you actually get proper work done?

my own mum worked nights, dropped us off then went to bed for 5 hours, got up and picked up, did tea bath homework etc then went back to a night shift when my dad came in at 8pm. I suspect that’s not what everyone’s doing though!!

Good for them.

Envy isn't a good look

Wow £8.50 a day. I pay £30 a day after school 3 to 6pm for 1 child. No other provision to choose from.

Yes, I'm sure there are absolutely masses of parents at your DCs school telling you all about their contracted hours and work patterns. Dozens, nay hundreds!

it's an unintended side effect of increased wfh, the demand for wraparound care just isn't there because so many parents pick the children up then continue to work.

I teach in a secondary school. Imagine if all teachers ditched their roles for wfh where we can avoid having to pay for childcare! I’m struggling to understand how your lunch break covers a school run both ends of the day. So you don’t take any breaks at all during the day and only stop working to do school run? Don’t eat?

Not all kids esp older primary enjoy after school clubs so a TA ‘s children may prefer to be at home / on play dates/ swimming etc so may not work even if place is free.

Loads of parents at my kids school do a 20 minute walk to school, ten minute chat after they go in, amble back via a coffee shop for a takeout latte. Log on ‘for 9am’ at about 9.20, repeat end of day.

Our after school club, run by the school and in the school hall is 3.20-6.30 and cost £16 per session - they have 50 kids there!
Breakfast club for 1.5hrs is £6 per session

Yes, lots of DC in year 6 will be fine getting themselves home from school and chilling whilst a parent finishes their day of remote work. Some year 5s too, albeit there are schools who don't like it at that age.

The school I work in will have to shut ours. We can't absorb the loss and we don't get enough children to make it break even.

Lots of people work and don't need childcare, for all sorts of reasons.

Some work opposing hours, some work evenings and weekends, some work from home, some have older siblings who can "supervise", or grandparents who can take over etc.

Just because a school is popular doesn't mean parents all work 9-5 and need traditional childcare. Where I live, working 9-5 is very much out of the ordinary.