Teachers - how to manage drop offs and pick ups at primary?

[Caramelbiscuits]

I’m guessing the only solution is wraparound care, but am conscious that my children would end up there until around 5 once a week, which seems like a long day for younger children, especially with breakfast club too. I’m guessing there’s no easy solution, just interested in what others do.

Most (albeit female teachers) I know are part time and use a mixture of grandparents, taking it in turns to leave early with OH and wrap around care. It’s actually harder when they get to primary school age.

breakfast club and after school club, there is no other way

You do realise core business hours are 9-5:30 so alot of children on non teachers are in wraparound care from 8am - 6pm? Often this has been from the age of 1 when they started nursery.

I have gone part-time. My timetable runs through the middle of the day so that I can do pick up and drop off.

It is one of life’s ironies that teaching is not compatible with your own children being at school. Except in the holidays. That bit is compatible.

This.

Aren't most jobs not compatible with school hours though? I don't think I know anyone whose working hours fit around school drop off and collection tbh. We will be using wraparound for DD who will start in September, but only two days a week because me and DH both have gone part-time partly for this reason. We will also need holiday club 2 days a week of hols but hoping we might be able to draft some relatives and friends in for some of that especially if we provide the same in return for their kids.

This was mostly true until the pandemic.

My nursery told me that I was the only parent, out of 40 families, who actually had to physically go to a workplace. That was in the summer of 2021.

I know that most people will have gone back to physical workplaces now, but a lot of jobs haven’t.

Teaching, as a job, will be less attractive to working parents in the future because it can’t really offer hybrid working.

I've never really understood the "it's a long day" thing: not to be obtuse but the day is the same length wherever they are! It's not an extra 3 hours of lessons, they can just play, chill, whatever (and there's plenty of play time in the reception day anyway).

Mine was in nursery from 12 months 7:30 to 16:30 and thrived there and at school. He loves breakfast club and after school.

A teacher friend did point out to her older primary kids who complained about wraparound care that they did get to spend all the holidays at home with her unlike most children!

I do, but while not every job has flexibility, some do I suppose. I know I could have started the post about working parents but then you often get suggestions about flexible working or WFH that aren’t applicable here. So I tried to make it clear from the title!

I am part time but then still three days to sort. I could ask for late start / early finish but I’d still need to attend meetings once a week.

I used a childminder when mine were small.
Dropped off at 7.45, collected any time between 4.30-5.30.
I'm struggling to see the issue?
I was very lucky with my childminder. My children adored her and had way more fun with her than I could provide after a day in the classroom!

What are you struggling with? I’m wondering what others do for wraparound: you use a childminder!

@Skneesrgud it's irrelevant really though because if you're working (regardless of whether you're in an office or at home) you still need childcare.

Not everyone does, with school aged children (and actually some toddlers, although how they manage that I do not know.)

I think a lot of people with reception aged children and older are able to WFH with them there.

We used wraparound care. DP would do morning drop off so I could leave the house early. Then I would do pick up and he could work later. It's tricky if you have to do the morning drop off and then commute to your school as you need to get in quite early.

It’s not really that relevant to the thread as you can’t anyway OP - but everyone I know who wfh has to have childcare for their working hours. So defo wouldn’t be allowed to do pick up and then have the DC there whilst working ( secondary a bit different). It does make a difference to drop offs when wfh as can sometimes do that and then get back to start work so don’t need breakfast club.

It is tricky - even now nursery only opens at 730, and once I’ve got in and done the drop off then got to school myself it’s around 750 at the very earliest. Always feel a bit frazzled!

Teacher friends I know use wrap around generally. Being at childcare til 5 is perfectly normal.

A teacher couple I know have a good set up - Mum gets up and cock crow, goes to work and does all her planning and prep etc then leaves with the students on the Bell, then collects from childcare. Dad does the morning drop at childcare then stays later to do his planning and prep.

Grandparents step in for parents eve etc.

A friend's colleague at a school apparently worked part-time, 9:30am to 2:30pm to allow her to do school drop-offs/pick-ups. She never attended staff meetings, according to my friend, and the time she wasn't in class was covered by a TA. She said it was the most unusual part-time set up she'd ever heard of.

Yet, my friend wanted to go part-time after maternity (a more usual 2-days a week thing) and it was refused!

I hope you don't think getting to school at 7:50 feels late. What time do the kids arrive?
If you're a single parent and a teacher, then yes, you'll rely on wraparound care.

My DH works from home flexibly so he does all the drop off and pick ups on my working days (I teach 2 days).

@StaySpicy i may have to look at being MORE part time rather than increasing my hours, which is bonkers really!

It's far easier for a school to accommodate the first option than the second though. If they've got a TA who is happy with that setup.

The second option requires another teacher who is willing to share a class. Some heads don't like job shares for some reason.

I’m so sorry @Choppypog i don’t know what you mean with ‘I hope you don’t think … feels late.’

To be honest it is generally more like eight o clock, because of traffic and so on. But occasionally the wind blows my way

I'm part-time and use breakfast/ after school club. When they were in Infants we used a childminder.

On the topic of WFH and not paying for childcare...I prefer my children being at ASC and having a great time playing with their friends, rather than being at home and babysat by an ipad/ TV for 3 hours.

Is there a reason you need to be on site earlier than 8am? Do you have a dh/dp?