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Original poster

No hourly rate for after school club

143 replies

Mackonadragos · 08/11/2022 10:38

Hello everyone,

We are new to Oxfordshire, and I have just found out that I can only book an entire after school club session per day in our primary school. As opposed to book let's say an hour per day. Our school charges £13 per session and it runs between 3 and 6. I would need only 1 hour per day, between 3 and 4. I looked around nearby schools in town, and it seems that it is the common practice here, except one primary (further away), that has got short and long sessions with different rate (£7 and £ 12.95).

We've moved from Bedfordshire, where in our old school we could pay hourly rate and could book one hour per day if we wanted.

I am very annoyed by this, that I would need to pay for something that I will not use.

I am going to raise this with the headteacher, but curious to see how other people think about it. In my opinion it is very inflexible.

Thank you for your answers.

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GappyValley · 08/11/2022 11:43

The poor headteacher having their time wasted on this.

Youve been at the school for 5 mins and ‘can’t understand’ why a system that is the same up and down the country is being used here

It is exactly these whinging parents that get things like optional clubs and residential trips cancelled
They complain when they don’t get things exactly their way, and then act surprised when the school realises it’s more trouble than it is worth to keep these things on - talk about no good deed goes unpunished!

CherryIce · 08/11/2022 11:39

Very standard as other posters have said.

PlankingHillClimber · 08/11/2022 11:39

Jijithecat · 08/11/2022 11:34

You're making the choice to pick your children up after an hour. You can make full use of the time being offered.
I think you're pretty lucky to get into an after school club without a struggle. There are lots of waiting lists in my area.

^ This, you are choosing to use it for one hour, you could utilise all of it.

ASC places are hard to come by, there are usually waiting lists.

Original poster
Mackonadragos · 08/11/2022 11:38

AnnaTortoiseshell · 08/11/2022 11:34

How old is your youngest? That’s a lot of responsibility for your older two…

I have 4 kids. My oldest is 13.5 and my youngest turned 5 in October. It is, indeed.

OP posts:
Basilthymerosemary · 08/11/2022 11:38

Sorry OP but it doesn't matter what your old school did. You can only ask however be prepared to accept that they won't change it.

Just use the entire time and enjoy some free time?

gianfrancogorgonzola · 08/11/2022 11:36

I agree with the others. Very reasonable and normal to charge per session.

Original poster
Mackonadragos · 08/11/2022 11:36

This is how my old school does. I though this is everywhere in the UK.

www.derwentlower.net/docs/ASC_and_Breakfast_Club_Info_pack_21-22.pdf

OP posts:
Jijithecat · 08/11/2022 11:34

You're making the choice to pick your children up after an hour. You can make full use of the time being offered.
I think you're pretty lucky to get into an after school club without a struggle. There are lots of waiting lists in my area.

AnnaTortoiseshell · 08/11/2022 11:34

How old is your youngest? That’s a lot of responsibility for your older two…

Original poster
Mackonadragos · 08/11/2022 11:32

Thank you for all the answers.

To be honest, I was surprised to realise that this is how schools operate here. It never occurred to me, that it can be done like this, so I was very surprised and angry. The hourly rate is what I only knew. (Never paid childminder, never paid for any childcare, but I know how my old school operated and operates to this day.

My childminders are going to be my two older children, who are in Y9 and Y7.

Also I cannot see why the school cannot try a short and long session (perhaps as a pilot) (just like a neighbouring school does), especially that I have the impression that they have spaces available, and I also can think that it would benefit other families too.

OP posts:
SunlightThroughTrees · 08/11/2022 11:30

Flat fee is normal where I live. I don’t think the headteacher will ignore you if you speak to them about this but they’ll probably roll their eyes when they read your email. They won’t be raking in huge profits from the after school club. If they felt it was financially viable to do long and short sessions they’d probably already be doing it. I’d just be relieved that there’s reasonably priced after school provision available.

ethelredonagoodday · 08/11/2022 11:27

It's the same here. You pay for the session.

ShallowHalWantsAGal · 08/11/2022 11:26

Flat fee here too

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 08/11/2022 11:25

I used to run an ASC. Flat rate is just about the only way to make even the smallest of profits. There's nothing we can do with the 4-6pm time of a child that only wants 3-4pm, but have to staff up, and pay rent for the whole session.

Original poster
Mackonadragos · 08/11/2022 11:25

Quveas · 08/11/2022 11:15

The NMW is £9.50ph. Where do you think that you are going to get childcare which is always available when you want it, flexible and doesn't care / charge more if you are "late" (as in picking up even one minte past 4), plus inspected, insured and properly monitored, for less than £13? If you don't like it, you can collect your child after school at 3. Or is your time more valuable than theirs?

You are being very unreasonable, and I hope the head teacher ignores you. I suspect they will.

I hope the headteacher will not ignore me.

OP posts:
Snugglemonkey · 08/11/2022 11:24

It is the same at ours. Who would use the remainder of that session once you collect your child? You are taking a space for a session, I think it is fair that you pay for it.

maddy68 · 08/11/2022 11:23

Your child is taking a space no matter how long they are there for it's usually a fixed fee. It's a business

Beautiful3 · 08/11/2022 11:21

It's the same here. You either have the full session or not have a space. It's a privately run business, so nothing to do with the school.

tenbob · 08/11/2022 11:16

Flat rate here as well…

Quveas · 08/11/2022 11:15

The NMW is £9.50ph. Where do you think that you are going to get childcare which is always available when you want it, flexible and doesn't care / charge more if you are "late" (as in picking up even one minte past 4), plus inspected, insured and properly monitored, for less than £13? If you don't like it, you can collect your child after school at 3. Or is your time more valuable than theirs?

You are being very unreasonable, and I hope the head teacher ignores you. I suspect they will.

AnnaTortoiseshell · 08/11/2022 11:14

It sounds completely reasonable to me. They will have the same costs for staff and resources whether your child is there for one hour or three.

LBOCS2 · 08/11/2022 11:14

Our ASC does a hybrid of these two - you can either book until 4.30 or until 6. It's £5.50 to 4.30, and £11 to 6, but they serve a tea at 4.45 to all the children staying later - beans or hoops on toast, crumpets, pasta, that sort of thing. I think that is a good compromise between the two 🤷🏼‍♀️

SatinHeart · 08/11/2022 11:13

my DCs school charges a flat £15 and only runs 3.15-5.15 so yours doesn't sound too bad, OP!

itmustbemyage · 08/11/2022 11:11

I think you have just been fortunate where you have been before. I am in the U.K. but geographically about as far away as possible from Oxfordshire and it’s a flat rate here as well. My DIL works in an ASC which is how I know it’s still the case but it was a flat rate even when I used it for my own youngest more than 10 years ago.

bigdecisionstomake · 08/11/2022 11:04

I think these sorts of provisions are run on a shoestring and asking to use one hour and leave the cost of the other two hours for the setting/other parents to pick up is really unreasonable. As a PP said, no one is going to drop their child off at 4pm at an after school club.