Before & After School clubs - what do you pay?

[Startrooper]

What do you pay for morning breakfast club and after school club? These are generic clubs, not sporting/music etc- just childcare.

I’m looking to return to work and the company that does the above clubs in our town charges £6.50 for breakfast club and £17 for after school club - so a total of £23.50/daily for both.

My DC(6) will not require meals at all due to the short length of time I would need childcare for but there is no flexibility to account for that.

I need 30 mins care in the morning before school and up to 1.5 hours after school (I’m looking at a school job with hours 8.30-4.30, and the clubs are onsite at the school where I’m considering applying for the role).

I’ve already looked at Childcare.co.uk but there is very few childminders in our area and most look like they have no availability, plus they probably wouldn’t be interested in such a small number of hours. I’m not keen on asking on the school WhatsApp because I need reliable childcare.

I worked out by month that the clubs fees would fluctuate between £258 to £580 depending on school/bank holidays etc. I know you can get childcare vouchers but still - ouch! And also with this club they are well-known to have waiting lists and sporadic availability (I’m waiting on a call back). What on earth do parents do - if it’s not the cost it’s actually obtaining reliable childcare?! And do I apply for a job knowing that I can’t book childcare unless I get an offer and by then their availability may have changed?

I pay £4 for breakfast club and £10 for afterschool which is open until 6. They used to offer a discount if you picked up before the meal at 4:30, but apparently this was an administrative nightmare so it's a flat rate of £10.

On the face of it, it feels expensive but I really value having dd in her school hall in the evening and morning because it still feels like I get to retain my link with the school even though I don't see her teacher, and it's less disruptive for her as she's in 1 place all day. The dinner ladies run it so are familiar faces to her which she likes.

Wow.

Breakfast club is usually free here in Wales. (DD’s starts at 8:10am.). The after school club at her school costs £7.50 a day for 2 hours including a drink and a snack.

Afterschool only €520 pm

At our school its £2 before and £5 after. 8am-5pm.

(I’m looking at a school job with hours 8.30-4.30, and the clubs are onsite at the school where I’m considering applying for the role)

If the staff members at our school need care before or after school then their children are able to attend for free. However our clubs are run by the school staff rather than an outside company.

The costs for everyone else is £5 before school including unlimited breakfast, and £12 for after school including a meal. If you child is staying until 4.30 then they may have been served food, as most give a meal / snack straight after school or around 4pm

The last time my DS attended before or afterschool club was 2019 but iirc it was £6 for BSC and £13.50 for ASC. That included breakfast in the morning and a hot meal after school.

On a different thread I was amazed that some people were paying 50p or £1. I can't imagine how that begins to cover the cost of staffing , let alone any food, material or resources.

£4.50 breakfast club here - drop off from 7.30am which is fab - they usually put a film or do some kind of activity with them such as gardening/helping in the kitchens.
No after school club availability though.

Your prices seem very steep - the school should take some responsibility to ensure that whoever they give the contract to has fair pricing. Worth lobbying the school? Maybe see if you can get some momentum by canvassing other parents' support?

It usually depends if it's a for profit company or run by the school. I paid £1.50 for breakfast club (10 years ago) and I know it's now £3 but after school is now not on the school site and cost £19 a day, this includes pick up by minibus.

After school club 4 days a week, till 4:30 is £60 pcm. It's be more if we added the 4:30-6pm session. (I think it's double)

Breakfast club £6, after school club £10.

Staff members get a discount. Waiting list is massive.

We are in the nw and ours is extortionate
£6.50 morning, from 7.30
£13 afternoon, until 6
It’s a privately run company running on the school site. Is a fairly small school if that makes a difference (one form entry)
Most round here are cheaper and and have a cheaper after school option until 4.30 or so

We only have to use it one am and one pm a week fortunately

£6.50 breakfast
£12 after school

South Yorkshire

@Frazzled2207 ours is the same times and set up as yours.

Four mornings of breakfast club (1 hour per day) and 4 afternoons of after school club (2.5 hours) costs me £250 a month which I pay for 11 months of the year.

[quote RussianSpy101]@Frazzled2207 ours is the same times and set up as yours.[/quote]
Are you in the north? Makes me feel better if so. I think we are paying south east prices!

@Frazzled2207 yes we’re South Yorkshire.

This group do about 7 other schools in our city so there’s at least 9 sets of parents being ripped off 😂😑

In my school we charge £5 for breakfast club and £8 for after school. Breakfast is served up until 8.15 and fairly substantial snack at after school - think pasta, beans on toast etc. Our provision is run by staff so it is not profit making and I think that is where the cost difference lies.
The cost remained static for several years and we have started to increase the price for the next couple of academic years.
We are in East Anglia

About £4 for breakfast and £14.50 for after school. Run by a charity with really good play workers.

£4.50 for breakfast club from 7:30am
£.450 for asc until 4:30pm then another £4.50 until 5:30pm

[quote RussianSpy101]@Frazzled2207 yes we’re South Yorkshire.

This group do about 7 other schools in our city so there’s at least 9 sets of parents being ripped off 😂😑[/quote]

Thanks for the replies. The provider is a private company that pick up from various schools in our town and then have hubs based at certain schools/church halls. DS’ school hub just happens to be the secondary school where I have seen a job that I am interested in.

Their costs seem extortionate compared to what most of you are paying though! Not having any flexibility around meals isn’t great. It really seems like the schools who provide these clubs are probably barely covering their costs whereas the private providers are certainly not (I know they will have greater overhead costs, but still..).

We can avoid these fees but I’m really not happy about the lack of flexibility in costs relating to meals

• afford not avoid these fees

Work at a school. Breakfast club is £5 and after school is £13. A meal included with both. Waiting list for after school club, people are desperate to get into it.

Northern Ireland. Breakfast club £2 from 8am. After school £3.50 an hour from 2pm to 5pm, so you can pick up at 3, 4 or 5pm. No food after school.

I think this is cheap. Although I suppose it depends what your other options are.....I pay a nanny as I need after 5pm, weekends and holidays covered, and I've 3 kids but only one left at primary. Compared to a childminder for one child the breakfast/ after school club probably would seem expensive.

Same costs as yours round here op. Home Counties.