Worst of all nursery options

[SleepingStandingUp]

DTwins start nursery Jan when they're 3. They get standard 15 hours.

They didn't qualify for 2's as we earn over the threshold. Fair enough.

Everyone gets 15 hours at 3.

We qualify for the 30 hours BUT because they'd need to stay till end of day so over the 6 hours, it's £15a week EACH. Plus packed lunch or £22 for lunches. So £50 basically. For a week of "free nursery". Which I can't justify financially. I'm a carer so not in paid work.

If we didn't qualify then I'd have no option to send them but I do and can't make it work which is worse because it feels like I'm failing them.

13/30 kids will have accessed early years from 2. 13/30 will access 30 hours so have additional learning in the afternoons. It's possible 2/39 will have been to private nursery part time and have transitioned over to school.

2/30 have had no early years education and will only be getting 15 hours. Mine.

I feel like they're getting the worst of both options and I'm failing them in their education before they even start.

Plus they're twins and typically their speech is behind, I get no 121 time with them, their attention and ability to focus is crappy, they can't write their name, they can count to 5 but don't know their letters. All stuff those coking up from nursery will know.

Fuxk.

Blimey just pay the extra to have preschool keep them. I've never heard so much moaning about half an hour of watching your own children before. You can get it down to £24 with TFC.

DH and I used to joke that if it was going to rain on any given day it would be 5 mins before the end of school.

Oh and those would also be the days school assembly or some such overran just to make sure the parents got a proper soaking.

OP, I your shoes I think I would sign up for the 30 hours and pick up early on rainy days. The ability to socialise is probably way more important at nursery age. It's attending that will benefit your DC, not staying longer.

If it's the weather that's the concern, surely there's as much chance of rain/snow/ice if you pick them up at lunch, walk home and then walk back to do school pick up and walk home again.

On that basis I would leave them in for the 30 hours.

I think the nursery have called this wrong. Why can't they offer flexibility? They seem very small with only 13 children so it's not like it would be complicated to be able to mix and match mornings, afternoons and full days. This is what most nurseries and preschools do. I think they are missing out on a lot of business this way.

Yes clearly all this is because I hate carrying for my own kids, they stick and its someone else's turn 🙄🙄🙄🙄. Nothing to do with them being tired after nursery and stuck outside in the cold.

What's TFC?

13 places. School nursery. Also just over a dozen two year olds to make a class of below 30.

Because it's a school nursery, not a private nursery run on site (one head, one head of early years covers Reception etc too, shared assemblies), I think they want to keep it simple. It'll be existing office staff dealing with all the paperwork over so they're keeping it straightforward.

If you are
1.concerned about your children's education prospects relative to other children

1. think they're development is behind
2. Think this is a good nursery

Then you'll want to do anything you can make the 30 hours work. And this could be paid work to fund the £50 (studying would be back burner til they start school.)

TFC = tax-free childcare. You’ll be able to save 20% on all childcare costs if you sign up to use TFC. And if you’ve a disabled child, you’ll be able to use it up to age 17.

It seems like you're massively over-complicating this. £30 is 3 hours per week minimum wage, for which you get 12 hours extra free time on top. Take on one cleaning job near school or home, or one weekly cafe shift.

No where offers jobs on a one shift basis tho? Plus what I gain in wages I lose in tax credits and if I work more hours to exceed then I lose carers allowance so need to work even more hours. It isn't just about earning a flat £30

I know I'm doing the but-but dance BUT I think we need to cut down not earn more at this point in time

I didn't think I could claim it on such a small amount. Thank you, I'll look

No where offers jobs on a one shift basis tho?
Cleaning firms and online piecework admin do. If you are convinced £30 loses your benefits, then that's more difficult and you'll have to look for areas to save money instead.

I still think it's doing the opposite than simplifying things. Why not do a morning session, lunch and afternoon session? These odd hours and a finish before school just seem unworkable, I would imagine not just for you either. Our preschool do as above. The 15/30 hours can used as full days or morning or afternoon sessions only. I don't understand how they've worked out this 2:40 finish.

You’re in Central England. School pick up is the warmest part of the day. There’s global warming too 😉
How often do you really think it’s going to snow AND at 14:40 AND on a weekday AND in term time?
Seriously - that’s a once a year event, if that.
Which means dicking about catching snowflakes for 30 mins will be the best fun ever.
You can even look at the forecast and just not send them in that day.
This snow thing is ridiculous.

Now rain, rain you will have. But it won’t be that often, and you don’t need to traipse around. 5-10 mins before you even get them out (be last). A few minutes to walk round. And a special rainy day routine that they sit under the buggy cover with a episode of something that’s only for “Rainy Days”. Doesn’t matter if they’re tired, and no-one is wandering around anywhere.

My goodness. So much fuss about the end of day 40 minutes in the rain and cold.
You do realise that some children in forest schools are out all day every day 9-3pm?
More importantly, if they are not safe to be out of their pushchair apart from in an enclosed area then I think that is far more of a priority to deal with.

Wait until after school activities start and you have an hour to kill with one child whilst waiting for the other. Now that does require a bit of imagination.

I think actually your biggest problem here is not being able to drive.

The half hour difference in finishing times is completely normal.

I hesitate to say it, but this is only going to become a bigger and bigger issue as they get older.

With 3 kids, they will very often all need to be in different places at once.

It’s all very well when they are little and they just go everywhere with you.

Part of growing up is making their own friends and getting their own little lives.

It sounds like this is going to be very difficult to facilitate for 3 kids, without a car.

The nursery pick up complications I fear, will be the tip of the iceberg.

Would your school age child be eligible for transport to and from school in a taxi given his extra needs?

You seem to be making excuses. Just put them in for 30 hours. The 30 minute wait is an inconvenience you will just have to bear.
The rest of your issues are are there whether they attend 15 or 30 hours. You will still have 3 children, bags, water bottles and oxygen tanks. School drop off is inconvenient, some people do 4 trips to and from the school a day. They just have to make it work.

What’s going to happen when one has gone to a friend’s for tea, and needs picking up; one needs to get home quickly after school and get changed for football, and then be taken to training; other one is not well and needs caring for; and then the football training one needs picking up later too.

Meanwhile, dinner still needs to be made, uniforms still need to be ready for tomorrow, homework still needs to be done.

This is normal life for a parent of school age children.

You will look back on this 30 minute school pick up complication, and think those were the easy days!

@SleepingStandingUp

The nursery kids played in the reception playground during the 20 minute gap at our school. It's really common. Lots of parents had the 20 minute wait for infants then a further 15 minutes until juniors came out (they waited in the juniors playground - parents chatted mostly

And please don't worry about them being behind, lots of kids only go half days, mine did, they are adults now with Russell group university degrees!

I think it probably is feasible OP for the 30 minutes between pick ups. I've been doing that for 4 years now from my youngest started preschool and where I am the school finish times are different for different years so my youngest gets out 30 minutes before my eldest. I also don't drive so we have to hang around the school. We aren't the only ones doing so everyday. Clothing appropriate for the weather is essential but apart from that it is surprising how quickly 30 minutes passes by.

I don't quite understand your problem.
My son is in reception, from next September his little brother with be in the nursery attached to the school.
Nursery hours are 8.30-2.45
School hours are 8.30-3pm
By the time I have collected the small one with all his belongings, it will be time to get his older brother, time goes by fast!

@Orangelikeajaffacake But OP has 30mins to wait before school finishes and then a 30min walk home. So an hour of being out with 3yo twins who are probably getting tired and grumpy!

3yr mornings start at 8.40. Add six hours five times a week. That's 2.40.

In pm they're n with the 2 yo who start 12.25 - 3.25.

Hence two finish times.