Charged for sending my child to school during lockdown

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Hi, just want to see / get an idea if anyone else is experiencing this. I work for emergency services therefore my child has been attending school during lockdown. Recently however the school advised that i need to pay for the outside school hours my child is attending ( breakfast & after school club). That was not the case the first 3 weeks but now it changed. It works out that I will be paying circa £250 a month for childcare. I'm a single parent, normally friends and family help but now obviously its not possible. Anyone else facing this?

What sort of thing? The OP not wanting to pay? I don't see that the fact that she usually uses friends/family for after school care is relevant, to be honest.

No @CallmeAngelina, for people who struggle to pay for things because they are single fucking parents, or on low incomes. Don't be a dick. It's not OP's fault she has to continue working, but can't leave her kid with family members, or that her ex is a cock. Cut her some slack.

DC's father who is refusing to see him atm is the only family he has here as I'm not from where we live

I agree with you OP and think it hasn't been fully thought through.
Frontline nurses and other key workers are potentially paying hundreds of pounds extra each month to risk their lives and their childrens health to help others. Its bad enough just wrap around care for school but if they are going to a nursery it can really add up.
You could speak with tax credits or univeral credits or at a push the local council and see if there is any help you can get.
People should not be worse off going to work when they could be better off staying at home and being furloughed.

Thanks to the understanding users. Appriciate it

I actually think it’s really unfair that the OP is being charged for wrap around care.

And I say that as one of the teachers having to cover a hub from 8-6.

I've just checked my areas local authority plans, a few hub schools have been opened 8-6 staffed mostly by teachers pulled in from all over the area, parents do not pay.

OP, you're being given a hard time unnecessarily so.
As a single parent in a limited income, the OP has probably got very little spare cash in the budget already, she isn't able to use family or friends for after school care as usual now, so has suddenly got to find an additional £250 a month. I don't know what her actual job is, but imaging that she's a frontline nurse, risking herself and her DS catching the virus, and you knobs on here think she's being grabby asking about paid childcare?
Shame on you all.

OP, speak to the Head at school. Speak to your manager. I'm sure there's some way of getting help with this.

Goodness - I wish there was a world reset button. Everyone's views of how stuff works is becoming massively skewed. Everything can't suddenly become free because of COVID 19 - whoever you are and whatever you do. Please can everyone stop and think where the extra money is coming from!

Thought I assumed it would be free for some reason, it doesn't seem really crappy that it's costing you extra to send your children to school.

It is not costing you anything extra to send your children to school, what you are paying for is before and after school childcare. It's part and parcel of being a working parent.

@Soontobe60 As a single parent in a limited income, the OP has probably got very little spare cash in the budget already, she isn't able to use family or friends for after school care as usual now, so has suddenly got to find an additional £250 a month.

So as a single parent who works in schools, should I pay for childcare for my own children after school hours so that I can provide free, unpaid child care for the OP's children? If I provide after school child care then I expect to be paid for it so I can pay for the child care for my own children.

@Nicknacky
They can still use family/friends as childcare.
No you can’t !

It's interesting that some schools in Scotland and Wales are providing these extended hours for free - any in England?

Aldi Yes they can. Read the legislation properly.

Its not free because it's a business thats separate, to the school that runs the wraparound care. If you don't pay then you'll have to withdraw from their before and after school club. If it were me I'd just pay it, because it's a temporary situation.

We’re all in a shit situation. I think the op is really lucky. Still got a full time job and children in school all week, she only needs to pay for wraparound care (though I do appreciate it’s a horrible extra expense if you weren’t expecting it). Personally I became self employed a few months ago (and had to stop a week after the lockdown when people refused to employ me), so I can’t be furloughed, I don’t have a 2018-19 self employed tax return so I can’t get the help promised to the self employed. And my only ID is a birth certificate and an out of date passport so I can’t get verified to apply for universal credit. I’m on my own with 3 children, I ran out of money 4 weeks ago, used up the maximum food vouchers 2 weeks ago after stretching 9 days worth of food out for 14 days, and I’m now living off church and Facebook donations. I’ve been offered a job starting next Monday which I may have to take as my children are starting to starve. This involves leaving my 12 year old in charge of a younger child and a toddler. I may take the night shift to make it easier for her. Want to swap places?

I have read the legislation properly. The op’s friends/family are no longer able to provide childcare.

@Herpesfreesince03
And my only ID is a birth certificate and an out of date passport so I can’t get verified to apply for universal credit
Yes you can , am unsure who told you otherwise. You can be verified on the UC helpline.

I’ve been trying for weeks, I only get to just over half way verified. I’ve had to apply for a new passport, they said whenever I get that I can apply for universal credit. But they won’t backdate it, so I’ll only get help from the date the passport comes through and I reapply.

@Mistressiggi Not where I am, the schools are only open 9 till 3.
The school assume employers will have to amend hours and employers expect staff, including single parents with no support due to shielding, to still be able to work covering a 24/7 plus any emergencies.
Not a worry at all, especially if you have to pay more for childcare then usual and don't know if you will be able to pay your bills.

Crappy situation @Herpesfreesince03 but it's not a race to the bottom. The OP HAS to work as she is emergency services. That is, assuming if you or one of your children were ill, you'd want healthcare?

OP has already said numerous times t would be family and friends looking after child in normal circumstances, this is how not allowed. If you can afford it you should pay but do think there should be some provision for if you can't. There seems to be a lot of rearranging for other circumstances atm. Government could pay for before/after school care for certain jobs eg healthcare, teachers or limit the amount providers can charge. I know there aren't unlimited funds but it seems a bit of a piss take to applaud key workers every thursday yet leave them destitute because they are paying out MORE to be able to work a pandemic situation.

I am on frontline working with public. I cannot expect my friends who used to help to provide childcare for my child since they are isolating like everyone else. Childs father refusing to see him as i already said.
I'd appriciate if people stopped saying I EXPECT FREE CHILDCARE because nowhere in my post do I say that. I asked how it is in other places!!!!!!

Really? What is the school doing with that money, considering the staff are unlikely to be getting paid more?

So if a medical professional was currently working out with their normal working hours, you would surely expect that be paid overtime for that? Why would teaching staff be any different? Or TAs for that matter?

@MummytoCSJH I agree. I shouldn’t have ranted on the op’s thread. Like I said, we’re all in a shit situation

@Herpesfreesince03 Really shitty situation for you. I can understand why you are really upset, but Its also a shit situation for the OP. There will always be someone worse off than you, it doesn't mean your own struggles arent valid.