Charged for sending my child to school during lockdown

[Hfgjhcjvjv]

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?

I agree with you op and wonder how many people berating you for "expecting a freebie" line up every Thursday to clap for the heroes.
Id assumed the provision in schools was to allow essential workers - the people who are saving our lives, keeping us healthy, keeping us in food and a number of different things - could do what they needed to do. In these extreme circumstances I'd assumed the schools were covering 8-6 as standard, not in the usual 'school day with wrap around care' model.
So it's not just you.

I thought that originally stealth, but there's quite a bit of variation, partly due to individual schools and wrap around issues, partly due to the fact state education has been fragmented over the years and carved up into different trusts.

Is it offered by school staff or a separate organisation? I wonder if the school staff can’t do it, some small school have lots of staff who have school age themselves. They send there child to other provisions who only offer certain hours so are limited in what they can offer. Less staff could mean the same staff doing very long hours every day plus still having to set all the online learning etc Bigger schools with more staff have more flexibility. ( if it is school though they shouldn’t be charging , lots of bigger schools doing an/pm rota for staff etc) Just offering different scenarios.

Not sure why you've got your knickers in such a twist OP. The message that clearly comes across on your OP is that you're being "expected" to pay and you're not happy about it. Many people have explained to you why you need to pay for a service that isn't free and you've gone mad.

I've read the ops first and last post and nowhere does it sound like she has any knickers in a twist. She is clearly asking if it's right and if anyone else is in the same position, suddenly having to pay for childcare they presumably didn't budget for.
I may have missed posts from the op in between.

I know at the first school my DC’s attended the breakfast club was run by an outside company so nothing to do with the school at all. I had to pay £20 a week for one DC which, as a single parent at the time, was crippling. The next school they went to was run by the school and it cost half which was great.

I think the cost depends on whether it’s school run or an external company. If the school run it, they will still have to pay for the breakfast items so I’d definitely always expect a small charge even in the current climate.

The local ones here aren’t running the extended provision so you are lucky to still have this in place. I’d be very grateful for the free weeks and pay going forward for the service you are using.

Agree the father needs to step up. If he’s not working you’re not going to get much financial support but your son could have moved him with him at the beginning of lockdown and he could have parented him meaning he was safer than at school mixing with others plus not risking the school staffs health by carrying anything in.

Around here, hub schools were not a popular idea - teachers felt it would be better/safer for vulnerable children to attend their actual schools, where the staff knew the families and issues, and also to reduce the number of people coming into contact with each other who would not normally do so. The result of that, though, is it is far harder to provide childcare outside of normal school hours, particularly if for free, because there isn’t a huge pool of staff to cater for this in each school (teachers are still having to set and mark work and contact vulnerable families, etc, not just provide childcare for key workers’ children and vulnerable children), particularly the primary schools which are the main providers, as older children are more likely to be able to stay at home alone.

I think that the thread title is quite misleading. You're not being charged for "sending your child to school." School (or rather childminding) is as free as it ever was. Wraparound care is to be paid for, as it always was. That fact that you didn't happen to use it before is not the school's fault.

My DD went into school last week and when I asked about payment they said there wasn't any charge. They didn't provide any food or snacks so I went that in with her but it was basically a fun day for her in an empty school.

Our local schools are charging too. If his father can have him why does he need to go to school? I thought it was for children who's parents need to work or if the child is vulnerable?

Oh I always do this, I did not read it properly. I am sorry his father is refusing to see him. What an awful father.

I'm a school governor and would be horrified if this were my school. Our teachers and PE providers are covering the hours with no additional cost to parents. Schools are able to claim if they encounter extra expenses due to being open at this time .

Of course this is not a normal situation. You can't just drop them at a friends or have a parent pick them up (or whatever usual solution you have). I would write to the head teacher and if you get no joy write to the governors. Schools should be doing what they can. It may be that you end up needing to contact the LA to find out if there is a school opening 8-5 which is free and get your kids In there for the time being (that wouldn't be the same as them moving schools permanently).

For those saying she should pay......should we really be penalizing our key workers at the this point because they have to work. Absolutely not. We should support them and help them to keep working.

"should we really be penalizing our key workers at the this point because they have to work."
Exactly. These people we're applauding, and offering our support and unending gratitude to?

We probably need more Information about what they are charging for. Is it an outside company? Are the charging for food?

The wrap around care club at our school isn't running currently however the teaching staff who are in are providing 8-5 wrap around care for key workers free of charge. It's our way of supporting our families who are key workers and to say thank you to them. Of course in normal circumstances they would pay but these aren't normal circumstances and lots of our parents don't feel comfortable using older grandparents as child care. The problem is all schools are doing different things so I can imagine it's a bitter pill to swallow when you're being charged and other schools aren't charging. Hope you manage to sort it as what you're doing is so important

Also should have mentioned the staff who are in are doing one week in four to protect ourselves. Then we are doing different shifts that day such as 8-3 or 10-5. No more hours and fewer kids but key worker parents have one less thing to worry about.

Im in england- we are doing 8.30 til 4.30 for free and holidays including bank holidays for free and the children get a free lunch. So its a slightly longer day than a standard school day. It was ased on the shifts of the people using it..

How much childcare does you're friends do? Tbh I felt bad asking my friend who godmother having my ds one time for an hr as a one off and friends had offered before when my df took ill and thought he was going to due but it didnt feel right its bordering on CF territory. As someone s stated you cant expect the wrap around childcare to be free and were lucky to get it for 3 weeks, can you claim UC or tax credit and get the childcare element. I dont think relying on friends was a long term solution tbh op do you pay any childcare costs to you're friend or friends?

I understand this has come as a shock.
I would try and be practical. This is £12.50@day. If you're on a low income, universal credit or tax credits will pay 75% or 85% of these costs.
If not on that low an income to be entitled, you may have to accept that for a short period you'll have to accept this. You could be entitled to a grant or award if you search via entitledto.co.uk
Re the ex, make a claim with the cms, regardless of his choices. Better to receive the £7 benefits payment a month than nothing imo.

DH is a teacher and they're voluntarily doing extra hours including the holidays to cover for key worker children.

In your shoes, I'd approach the school and say these extra costs will put you in a challenging financial situation as a single parent who doesn't usually incur these costs. Ask if any special provission can be put in place.

Our after school isn't running. It's an external agency who use the school hall, but they're not open at present.

Our breakfast club is still running and it is available for those key worker parents who need it. I'm not sure but I assume it's still a paid for service. The TAs manning it are still needed to be paid.

Our school hours at present are the same as always - 8:40 til 3:20 with breakfast club from 8am.
We were open throughout the Easter holidays including the bank holidays.

We close as normal 3.30 so don't provide additional care nor would we do so normally.
Only 78% of schools are open and each one has their own considerations staff off sick or at risk.
There are certain staff you must have in school to operate. So while you may have lots of staff ready to work unless you have the core element you can't open for child care.
Not all costs are being reimbursed for any extras.