Parents of primary school children who work long hours - how does it work?

[NewMum0305]

My little one will be starting reception in September and as my husband and I work until around 5.30, we’ll need to be using some kind of wraparound care. But I can’t quite work out how it will work in practice in terms of things like homework (when she’s a bit older)? Do we squeeze it in between getting home and bed, bearing in mind she’ll need food as well? Or save it all for the weekends?

For those who use wraparound care with younger primary age children who get homework, what is your routine like and how do you fit everything in?

It's doable, they don't get masses of homework at that age, it will ne phonics and reading books each night before bed. Year 1 and 2 homework is again manageable and a small amount due in at the end of each term in our school, plus online maths and reading books. However, my school are great and homework is not compulsory, they understand parents are busy, they just want reading and some maths done

I pick up my boy at around 5.45 and home at 6. Its generally tea on, play time, eat around 6.45/7, he will chill for an hour/play until 8 and we will take him up to bed so there's 2 hours of time. No homework yet but we practice reading most days.

We try to pick up as early as possible but it's usually nearer 5.30. Straight home and dinner asap thanks to the slow cooker.

One of us does the dishes while one does the homework. It's definitely much easier now ours are a bit older. They were so tired when they were in P1 and P2, and just wanted to play. Thankfully our school doesn't give too much at that age.

Food provided at wraparound care IME.

KS1 homework was reading, which was incorporated into bedtime routine, and some maths, usually times table, which was also easy to incorporate eg during bathtime counting in 2s or 5s or just at weekends.

KS2 builds up a bit, but it was weekly homework and by then bedtime was a bit later. And sometimes she'd do it at the after school club anyway.

Thank you, that’s really helpful. I was thinking she would just be exhausted but I guess she’ll be that little bit older and probably with a slightly later bedtime. At the moment her bedtime routine starts at 6.30pm - it also doesn’t help that she’s the world’s slowest eater when she wants to be!

If you can afford to, I would look to work four days a week or compress hours into 4.

but as they get older, they can stay up later so homework can be done after dinner. Or at the weekend as at primary, they won’t have huge amounts. Reading at bedtime is the most important thing at that age.

Thank you, that’s helpful.

The food at the wraparound for our first choice is a snack, rather than dinner though.

Childminder that does a proper dinner - not just snacks.

It's not just the eating dinner at home, it's the making dinner in time for them to eat and have time to digest before bed.

Thanks, I already compress 4.5 days into 4, so will be able to pick her up early (ie normal school end time) on Fridays.

Thanks - there are only 3 childminders that do pick up and drop off to our first choice. One is not taking new bookings and the others have waiting lists.

Just double check your school does the wraparound care for Reception age, some local to me only allow it from Year 1!

We had a nanny. Split shifts term time and all day in school holidays. Did dinners and homework.

Thanks, I checked before I applied! All of our three choices offer from reception.

I’m not sure we could afford it though sounds a very effective solution!

We aren't home until just after 6pm. DS has a decent meal at after school club so most nights it's toast and fruit for supper then in bed for 7:30pm. We read every night but only very rarely complete homework. If we do manage homework it's done at the weekend, the teacher knows it's not something we're always able to do.

my youngest has been in wraparound care since he was in school nursery. Me and my partner both work full time so he’s picked up at 530. He has a meal in after school club but is hungry again at home so we do a snack and then he’s up to bed for 7pm. He’s 5.5 now. The only thing we manage is a bit of reading each evening

Mine did homework at ASC.

We previously had a nanny but the one issue is if they are ill/there is an issue, you’re stuck for childcare. After school club solves all that

We used the school after care. We got home at about 6.30pm. We read to them when they were in bed and they read to us at the weekend. We didn’t do any homework in primary other than reading and once they moved to senior school there was a mandatory homework class for an hour each day.

Oof, that definitely makes it harder. Slow cookers / batch cooking will be the way to go. And probably a topsy-turvy routine - so one of you doing bath whilst the other cooks, then eating, then a bit of TV / playing, then bed. Rather than the more usual bath then bed.

Or, will child get a hot school lunch? In which case, if the club provides sandwiches / beans on toast, that's ok. If it's literally packet of crisps and an apple, you'd want something more substantial but you're not needing to do a full on hot meal - something you can reheat or throw together in 15 mins (pasta and sauce, spaghetti hoops on toast, fish finger butty etc) is fine.

Homework can be done before school in the am especially in earlier primary. CM is a much calmer homelier environment - I'd get on the wait list for that. Mine were always too tired or diseased to do HW at ASC.

We have always done homework/reading in the morning with DD (year 4 now). She's an early riser and better in the mornings (I'm a zombie who tries to keep up with the maths while downing a bucket of coffee).

She has never got much homework so far, just a literacy and a numeracy worksheet which she gets on Friday and has to return by the following Thursday, and to do some reading every day.

We try to avoid doing the worksheets at the weekend to give us all a solid 2 days with no work.

Bloody hell, our lot have loads of homework.

Phonics, reading books everyday
one set of online maths homework (due Wednesdays)
one set of online phonics homework (due Wednesdays)
spelling test (written and online practice) ready for a Thursday
written maths homework (due Monday)

We’re year one. It’s a fucking nightmare. We do it all Saturday morning after breakfast as we can’t do it in the week and then get snippy teacher comments at parents evening as they note who does online in the week too.

Our primary does the homework to straddle the weekend so you can do it then. You get year groups don't get much anyway. We do reading at bedtime. As they get older they do a bit more for themselves anyway.

It’s optional in primary so don’t worry about it . We didn’t do any but if you want to, just fit in what you can.