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Original poster

How do childcare costs go down when kids go to school?

90 replies

Yeahthatthing · 15/10/2019 12:05

We're doing DC1s school applications and I'm astounded at the number of people who assume we must be looking forward to it as our childcare costs will go down. They won't! When breakfast and after school club and holiday care is taken in to account the cost is the same or very slightly more than we are currently paying for nursery.

Do people's child care costs really go down? How?

OP posts:

Frazzled2207 · 15/10/2019 12:09

Well in my case they did because ds1
Starting school tied in with me taking voluntary redundancy and becoming a sahm. Sending my kids to the after school club would actually cost me more than a whole day's nursery fees (which became manageable once they turned 3). And that's not to mention the holiday cover which tbf is cheaper.

But you're right if you need FT care it is more expensive not cheaper.
And more complicated.

Most people I know do a combination of part-ti me working and relying on grandparents a LOT.

TeacupDrama · 15/10/2019 12:11

less hours rather than paying 8.30-6pm 5 days a week with 15 free hours 47.5 - 15 = 32.5 hours
you pay 8.30-9 and 3-6pm +17.5hours a week
you never got free hours in the holidays anyway so holiday care will be the same as before they went to school assuming your working hours remain constant

notmytea · 15/10/2019 12:14

My dd school is 2 mins from work so I won't need breakfast club and DH and I are changing our hours so we can alternate pick ups and work from home more so we won't need after school club every night, so luckily we will see some reduction in costs. Not sure how manageable it will be in practice though

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Childcare & nursery Families

sauvignonblancplz · 15/10/2019 12:14

How on earth will your childcare costs increase if your child no longer needs it all day?

TheBrilloPad · 15/10/2019 12:19

Yup, my childcare costs will increase. I currently work 8-6pm (10 hours) 3 days a week, so 30hours, which are funded.

When he starts school in reception, he loses the 30hours funding, so I have to pay breakfast club £4.50 8-9am, and after school club £11 3-6pm. So about an increase of £200pm.

RolytheRhino · 15/10/2019 12:20

Work as a teacher, school holidays are sorted. Change working patterns so that one can do drop off (start late, leave late) and one can do pick up (start early, leave early). An hour of childminder time after school- sorted.

Original poster

Yeahthatthing · 15/10/2019 12:20

TeacupDrama nursery is £15.80 per day with the free hours (which are spread evenly through the year) = £3870

breakfast club is £5.50 and after school club £9 =£2755, holiday club is £25per day = £1250 total £4005

OP posts:

Nicknacky · 15/10/2019 12:48

Mine went down considerably as I use a childminder and it changed to before/after school rather than all day.

Bucatini · 15/10/2019 12:57

I think many families have one person working part time or compressed hours, so they don’t have to pay for childcare every day. Or maybe grandparents pick up once a week or something. At my DC’s school it’s relatively unusual for a child to attend breakfast club and after school club every single day.

Would compressed hours be an option for you or your partner? Or working from home one day a week so you can do the school pick up and then work a few more hours in the evening?

isabellerossignol · 15/10/2019 13:00

Mine didn't go down.

TreesoftheField · 15/10/2019 13:04

No family help here but really lucky that OH works flexible hours from home and I do 3.5 days.
Friend and I are doing pick up for each other on days off.
So son only goes after school club 1 day a week. However still needs Holiday club.... Works out at £65 a month.
But yes, I was on maternity leave while he was at nursery so haven't paid anything since he was 3!

HelloCanYouHearMe · 15/10/2019 13:05

DS went to nursery FT with 30hrs funding. ExDP and I both had max childcare voucher amount taken from our salaries to cover the cost and had to add an additional £70 to it each month, over 12mths

Now DS is at school, the amount taken from our salaries in childcare vouchers is £90 each over 10 months

unlimiteddilutingjuice · 15/10/2019 13:06

I'm surprised to hear that peoples childcare costs are staying the same or even going up!

DS cost me £30 per day for childminder care before he started school.
Now he costs me £11 per day for an afterschool club.

Thankfully I don't have to pay for breakfast club as I simply drop him on the school bus and then continue to work from the same bus stop.

I guess I'm much luckier than I knew!

museumum · 15/10/2019 13:07

Nursery is normally £50-£80 a day so that will be what people are thinking of. You’re very lucky to have had such low nursery costs!!!

Itsrebekahvardysaccount · 15/10/2019 13:08

I think it really only happens when grandparents help out a day or so after school which they’re more likely to do than have a toddler all day instead of them going to nursery.

Also if one parent manages to do a couple of pick ups as well.

ScatteredMama82 · 15/10/2019 13:10

Mine went down. I was paying a CM for full days, now I'm paying her for a couple of hours before & after school.

@RolytheRhino Work as a teacher, school holidays are sorted. Change working patterns so that one can do drop off (start late, leave late) and one can do pick up (start early, leave early). An hour of childminder time after school- sorted. That's a bit simplistic, it's hardly that easy!

Original poster

Yeahthatthing · 15/10/2019 13:41

Yes, I think our nursery bring cheaper for over 2s means we had the saving then and not now. It's £52 per day for under 2s.

OP posts:

wendz86 · 15/10/2019 13:42

Mine haven't changed much because i got 30 hours free across 4 days. So i essentially got the school hours covered.

NotGenerationAlpha · 15/10/2019 13:43

It went down a lot for mine. It depends on how many days you work isn't it? Full 5 day nusery was around £1200 a month, and then it went to just under £800 once we get the 30 hours fudning. And now it's only £300ish a month to have her before and after school at a childminder. Even at holidays during the summer it was only about £500 for my older one, cheaper than nursery.

mindutopia · 15/10/2019 14:01

We work flexible hours. Half the week dh does school runs while I work long days and then the other half the week I do the same. We don’t need any breakfast club or after school clubs (which is good because our school doesn’t have then, except one club once a week). We do pay for 3 days a week of holiday club during school holidays, which is not awful with tax free childcare except in the summer (August is an expensive month). Then dh takes off one day a week during the holidays and I take off the other to cover the 2 days when holiday club is closed (it’s only open Tues to Thursday). I work compressed full time hours over 4 days so I have Fridays off anyway with nursery age dc.

Honestly, it’s the flexibility that makes it possible. We work evenings and weekends and late hours and travel occasionally and it means one of us can be around when we aren’t working long days. If we had to physically be sat in the office 9-5, it would be difficult. We also share the load equally. Dh is home washing school uniform and doing homework on the days I work til 8 and vice Verda. It wouldn’t be possible if it was all dumped on me.

TheBrockmans · 15/10/2019 14:26

For holiday clubs you only need to book what you need, so say you and your partner have 4 weeks (ignoring bank holidays) each. Say 2 weeks away as a family together leaving another 4 weeks (two each) to be taken separately with the children. That will reduce the bill to 35 days in holiday clubs. As the children get older and make friends you might be able to swap days with other working parents- I have Tuesday off so I can have Jonny then if you have George for me on Monday. Also compared to nursery where you generally have to commit to say every Wed, Thur and Fri so pay even when away, for holiday clubs you just book the days you need.

Some parents will no longer need breakfast club so if one of you were able to alter your hours so you can drop off at 8.45 rather than 8am you can save over a thousand pounds a year. I am not saying that you can, especially if you are a teacher/ doing shifts etc, but many people can save that way.

Obviously these situations might not apply for you, but for many families it can reduce the bill. Those comments might also be from people with older childrenwho did not get the free 30 hours, only 15, so for them school saved a lot whereas for you it is more marginal.

Groovee · 15/10/2019 14:28

Mine did as I only paid £20 a day for the childminder over £60 a day. Then when dd went to high school it was only £10 a day for ds.

vikkimoog · 15/10/2019 14:30

When I needed a childminder to drop child to school and pick them up, I still needed to pay for a full day of childcare because having my child prevented the childminder having another child in that place
Christ, they shafted you. Every cm i know without exception would charge just before and after school for a school age child.#
they also lied to you: once a child starts school they're not included in the early years ratios so the cm can indeed take on another full time little one as well as your school age child.
Are you still with them?

ReginaGeorgeous · 15/10/2019 14:32

Ours have gone down now that DD is in reception. Her nursery charged £55 a day before she was three, then it went down to £28 a day, which was averaged out to include her non funded hours and food. Before and after school club costs £15.90 a day.

Velveteenfruitbowl · 15/10/2019 14:35

Ours have gone down a lot. We use an au pair. If we’d sent ours to a state school we’d be up about £1500 a month.

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