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.

Are you really wringing your hands about a child being in after school club until 5pm once a week?

OP I don't see how full days in nursery is any better than ASC three times a week? I really think you are projecting. If anything, ASC will be more relaxed than nursery and provide a useful chill time.

My kids do ASC twice a week and are picked up the rest by H or grandparents. They survive just fine.

Possibly. I suppose it’s just an early start if you have breakfast club in there too, then a full days learning, then ASC. I probably am being a bit daft, I just know I wouldn’t have liked it! But of course my children aren’t me and equally, schools are very different now.

I have a DC in a reception class of 30. 7 of them were at after school club today including her.

On days when I do pick up I see 6 or 7 going to the school after school club, a couple more going to another local after school club who pick them up, a couple going with childminders and the rest with parents or grandparents. I don’t know anyone who works from home with reception aged children after school.

Wraparound care here! 4 year old DD does two days at breakfast club and then after school with a childminder til around 5pm/5.15 so that's roughly an 8 til 5 day for her twice a week. Before school, she was used to doing 3 long days at nursery, BUT school is more tiring for her than nursery, so I'm glad she's only doing two longer days. We are very lucky that DH works from home on a Friday, and does a shorter day so he can pick her up at school finishing time.

I really don't get the big deal with using some wraparound care - what am I missing here? Loads of kids go full time to after school club, it's playing with their friends, not sending them down the mine

Hahahah I’m sorry this proper made me laugh, I know no one who works with their children at home and can just stop in a middle of a meeting at 3pm to do the school run.

Not a teacher but we use wrap around care like all other working parents.

@Yoshithegreen but I do, it is a pretty standard reason for wanting WFH among the people I know.

@Theelephantinthecastle it isn’t a big deal as such, but it does need some consideration. If I keep my hours the same as they are now, I’ll need wraparound care from 7:30 to about 4 two days a week and until 5 on the other, which does feel a lot for infant aged children. Of course it isn’t sending them down the mines, but if I’m totally honest I’d prefer to avoid if possible (obviously if they subsequently want to go that’s fine!)

One possible option is to keep one day off and try to have condensed hours so that I don’t need breakfast club at all and I only finish on time when we have a meeting. I’m not sure if this will be possible. I think my school might try to accommodate it but they may not be able to.

No different from other full time employees - use breakfast and after school clubs. At least you don’t need weeks of holiday clubs.

I’m aware, thanks 😊

I don't think 4 hours a week in after school club is a particularly big deal even for infant school children - my 3 year old is in school nursery and goes to their ASC for longer than that (3 days a week till 5:30) and he loves it.

It's just such a small % of their time, I wouldn't stress about it, even if they don't 100% love it all the time, it's not going to scar them for life

Drop off 730, pick up just before 6. From 9 months to high school. They survive. Although dd has been pathetically happy to be home by 4 on my strike days.

Actually, my kids have done pretty much every type of childcare in the area: nursery, childminder, wrap around, summer clubs, playscheme. One has amazing social skills, the other, not so much. The only time they actually talk to each other is the reminisce about the childcare providers they remember over the years.

@TheMoth

Although dd has been pathetically happy to be home by 4 on my strike days.

It's nice that they want to get home. Nothing pathetic about it at all!

This!!!

Its very normal for kids to be in this sort of childcare.
Its not even every day, as others say just give it a go.

Wrap around is alright for most NT kids I know, especially once they make friends there … my dd’s 5 best friends are all from her infant and junior school days when they were all stuck in ASC til 6pm five days a week!

I have a professional job and I would never try to work regularly with a child running amok at home. It is far too unfair on you, your employer and your child.

I work 0.5 now (secondary teacher) and have managed to negotiate the 0.5 to run 10-2.30 so I do the school run three days a week. My DH does the other two.

8am-6pm as a starting point was always the norm among my friends. I really wondered what jobs the people who didn't need that as a basic were doing.

Everyone wanting to remind me that it’s not unique to teaching - I know this. Of course I do. I know there are some arguments on here about teaching a lot; I will say I often don’t recognise the sort of situations some teaching colleagues post about on here. I don’t have abusive parents or kids, or hours of work every holiday or anything like that.

But my role is relevant here because one thing teaching can’t be is flexible. If I had been vague about my role, people would make suggestions that are really good but don’t work in teaching, e.g. condensing three days over five, working from home some of the time, etc. Then you explain this and people get annoyed and why didn’t you say you were a teacher?! Well - I have!

Most teachers work 7.30- 5.30/6 on-site.

@DojaPhat

8am-6pm as a starting point was always the norm among my friends. I really wondered what jobs the people who didn't need that as a basic were doing.

8am drop off is too late for most teachers. I don't think it's the end of the day that causes the problem.

I don't think OP is complaining - just looking for a solution.

We had no option of breakfast club & no childminder near the school we sent ours to. School started 8.20 and older ones could be dropped in playground from 8. So most office workers could avoid paying for breakfast club & still get to work on time.

When I was a teacher my children went to breakfast club from 7.45 and stayed at after school club until 5/6pm. Now I WFH and…. They still attend the same wraparound.