How much value do you place on being able to pick your kids up from school?

It was really important for us and our daughter that one of us was able to take her to school in the morning and pick her up after school. She always came out of school bursting with things that she wanted to share ablut her day, and we then had a couple of hours to sit and play every evening before dinner.

It’s very important to me. It does come at a (financial) cost though and I’m conscious in the future for all I know they might say they’d have preferred the money!

I do also think it depends on the school. Not many children stay in after school clubs at our school and they only go on until 430 anyway.

Doesn’t bother me in the slightest, admittedly mine didn’t go to after school club though but did have family picking up most of the time. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything by not picking up.

I wouldn’t want to have to use after school club every single day. I think it’s good if you can pick up occasionally to socialise with other parents. It also limits what other after school activities DC can do, if you’re not available to take them.

My DD didn’t enjoy after school club, and she only went two or three days a week, I think that was mostly about not having any friends there. A child who goes every single day would probably find it easier to make friends.

I pick up 3 days a week, gives enough opportunities for play dates, after school activities like swimming so the weekend can be free or just lazy afternoons to watch TV.

2 days they do after school club / dd1 comes home alone as she is secondary school now.

I miss it. We lived in a village less than 10 mins walk from school. It was my favourite part of the day, doing school runs, and spending a few minutes with my child.

He needed a specialist school though so now he’s in a taxi for 45 mins each way. It’s the best thing for him for school but I think we’ve lost something too.

Same here my dd needs me more now aged 13 then she did when younger

2 days breakfast and after school

2 days work is flexible and I work into the evening anyway

1 day non working day

it’s a good balance but it’s just my job / company I work for has an excellent flexibility policy

It was really important at primary school. I worked evenings and Saturdays so I could do drop offs and pick ups

In Reception DS was exhausted by 3.15pm - after he fell asleep on the carpet at after-school club a couple of times, we rejigged our working hours so one of us could collect him and bring him home at 3.15pm every day. We are extremely fortunate that we could do that, though - if we weren't both fairly senior and able to wfh when needed we wouldn't have been able to do that.

Now DS is in Y3, we use after school club 2-3 times per week till 4.30pm, and it works well (DS can just curl up with his book if he's tired).

My child goes to ASC with all
their friends. Their grandmother often wants to pick them up from school and they hate it.

Reception and Y1 I worked 5 short days, Y2 onwards I did 3 full days and 2 short days (and still do he's 17 lol). He did breakfast club 3 days and ASC 2 days and my mum picked him up one day

It depends on what exactly you’re talking about. If it’s 4pm at school gate (so finishing at 3-3:30) vs 6pm (so finishing at 5-5:30), that alone is already 25% less working time. Realistically the salary will drop even more as usually full time salary is proportionately higher than part time.

But yes, I value it a lot and have switched jobs in order to have more time with my children. It’s a very personal decision which depends on your circumstances and also on arrangements with your partner.

It's so much better for younger kids to be picked up when the school day ends. If I had the choice one of us would do pick up at 3 every day but our hours aren't flexible at all, no WFH and I have to work three days a week so DC are in after school club until at least 5 on those days. We are all knackered by the weekend.
The main reason I don't increase my hours is to be able to give DC at least two shorter school days a week.

I think it is helpful to do one or two a week - makes it possible to do a playdate or fit in swimming lessons/other stuff

But it isn't a big deal IMO. (Sadly) my children are not exhausted by school at all and so they don't need to come home and "chill", they would rather run around at after school club, they have made loads of friends in different years, it's kinda like playing out really

I've dropped to 22hrs per week so that DD1 only needs ASC 2x per week. She's a young reception (June birthday) and i was worried about how tired she would be if she had ASC 5x per week. School is also much further away than nursery was (20mins walk vs 3mins walk!) so i knew she would find the adjustment hard. We are fortunate enough finance wise that we could take the hit on our household income but i have found the drop in income to be an adjustment. It has worked well though and it also means we get some 1:1 time together as we dont go and collect DD2 from nursery until 5ish.

I pick my kids up every day. It is important to me, but also, the cost of ASC is quite high where we live, so even if I worked longer hours, we wouldn't be much better off overall. So definitely worth it for me.

Its important for us, we both work three days a week so we usually only need after school club once a week for our daughter. Our son usually takes himself to the park, if the weathers bad he either opts to go to after school club or he’ll message us asking to walk home with him. He has always really enjoyed after school club, to the point that when his sister came along he kept going as he missed it when we didn’t use it due to lack of need.

Being able to do school pick-up at least once a week is definitely beneficial.

• it means you are seeing their teacher face to face which usually provides for a better relationship than a being a parent they never see.

• you will see other parents and your children's friends, which again promotes a better relationship than being a Mum that no-one knows/has ever met.

• it provides an opportunity for your child to come home early and chill out, this will likely be much needed when they first start (particularly during the cold/flu season where they're likely to be under the weather a lot).

• it gives you an opportunity to spend some weekday time with your child that isn't first thing in the morning (stressing to get to work/school) or last thing in the evening (stressing to get dinner and to bed because everyone is tired).

• it allows for playdates, park trips and out of school activities that they may want to do.

I felt pick up was important as that was when they were most likely to tell you about their day as it was fresh in their minds.

The difficulty is mainly homework if ASC doesn't do any of it with them - if it is a school with homework every night it is much more challenging to get it done in a shorter evening.

It's very important. I took a job that allowed it although financially it's been hard. It's a price I was prepared to take but not everyone can do it so no one ever judge you. It's more important your child has food and a safe place to live

Mine tell me about their day after they've been in after-school club too! It's not either/or!

They also like nattering to the ASC staff - they're like substitute aunts/teachers/cool older cousins.

Indeed
I worked full time so wasn't a choice

I think it depends on the child. I really value pick up as get to hear all about their day.