BREAKFAST CLUB PROVIDER (Fiesta Sports Club) TERMINATES BREAKFAST CLUB WITH ONE WEEK NOTICE

[Socialjustice]

We live in a village & until last September had no wrap-around provision at the village school.

Fiesta Sports were then bought in to provider breakfast club and after school club. They promised the provision for 2 years.

Subsequently I accepted a temporary role at work which meant relying on breakfast club 3 mornings a week. Without breakfast club, I'd have not been able to accept the role.

Fast forward to last Friday and the school newsletter makes a brief mention of the fact that breakfast club hasn't had much take up and will therefore be terminated at the end of this term - 1 WEEKS NOTICE. NO parent consultation. NO opportunity for parents to try to improve uptake. NO NOTICE! It's unprofessional and unacceptable!

I've complained to the school and the owner of Fiesta Sports Club - the owners response was 'were sorry but we've put it off for some time but here's two free afternoon sessions'. WTAF.

I've asked the school to clarify the notice period.

I have no one else to rely on childcare provision - what options do I have?

I've demanded that the school resolve it an ensure my daughter can be dropped of at 8am.

I've asked the school for the contractual obligations that were agreed between the school and Fiesta.

I'd also like to take this to my local council to complain but am not sure where to start.

I'd be grateful for Any advice

Many thanks.

The OP said at the end of the term. I think people were clarifying wherever the OP has assumed that meant the end of this week, rather than being told it was a one week notice.

@theeyeshaveit82 oh give the woman a break. She's stressed and panicking what to do.

What's your childcare plan for half term?

I know it doesn’t help now but the childcare changes announced last year dictate that schools should have before and after school provision in by sept 2025 so I don’t see why the school aren’t preparing for that now rather than cancelling it.

you asked me a specific question and o answered 🤷‍♀️

Because they can't afford well over a year of it being unviable. You obviously have no idea how stretched budgets are.

Loads of academy trusts have 6 terms - it is a common term used

Really stressful for you, and the short notice makes it incredibly hard.

a friend of mine had a university gap year student as a before and after school nanny for a while. She could drive so she came and looked after the kids and dropped them off. You might be able to find someone to do that in the mornings for you for a bit of extra cash as they could still combine it with a day job

I feel for you OP- I’d be ranting on here too if that were me (to vent into an abyss rather than at the school who can’t do anything about an external company)

DC are at a private school and one of the reasons I chose it is for reliable wraparound care 7.30-6pm that has availability on a flexible basis 5 days a week. I can’t work without it.

you’ve had some good suggestions, and I’d suggest offering to take someone’s kid on your NWD or after school to make it reciprocal.

OP obviously the childcare provider is unreasonable not to even communicate directly with you to give notice.

When my dc were at primary school the childminder did this to me and another school mum. We swapped where I did 3x drop offs for her and she did 2x pick ups and gave dc tea. It was annoying AF actually as her dc weren't well behaved but it saved me until the summer holidays where I got a different job.

If I were you, I’d get together with the other parents who used it and see if you come up with a rota. You used it three mornings, so on the two mornings you don’t use it, another parent could drop their kids at yours at 8am and you drop at theirs on the other days.

Can you explain a bit more about why your husband can't flex his work for these 3 days a week? What does he do?

I understand your frustration. You were promised childcare for a certain minimum period, you took a job based on this and they've reneged on it.

There's a weird attitude on some threads involving childcare problems that women (and it's nearly always women who seem to have the childcare issues) are "entitled" to expect their childcare to be reliable and available. Because their children are their problem, you know. No one else's. Even if others are being paid and have undertaken to provide a service. Equally, it's "entitled" of women to expect their employers to be flexible just because they're parents and have caring responsibilities when they're stuffed by their childcare providers. It's a no-win situation - damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Personally, I'd tell your husband to sort it out. Unhelpful and unlikely to happen, I know, but it sounds like you really want this role and he's had years of not having to deal with these issues.

They promised the provision for 2 years.

how did they make that promise? verbally just to you? contractually?

It is very unusual for a business to make a 2 year promise

I've had interviews over the past 2 weeks where I've stated I can start at 9am - opportunities that would be open if I can't get there for 9am. So I guess my frustration and upset has come across as a bit demanding!

you have interviews over the last fortnight?

So you must have started this current job… a matter of days ago?

Oh, OP, this is such a stressful thing to happen. I totally understand your panic. We went through this too - not total withdrawal but frequent last minute cancellation and ended up changing school. Alternatively they may be a childminder who does paid drop offs. I agree get in touch with the other parents - is their a school mums WhatsApp group?

I can't believe some of the replies on here!

Op my sympathies, what a situation to find yourself in. We recently had similar. We've only managed due
to a flexible and sympathetic employer and help from a couple friends.

Wrap around care provision is shocking. I
hope you get something sorted.

Absolutely bizarre, isn't it? The lack of affordable wraparound care is a huge barrier in parents, and often it's the female parent, being able to access full-time well-paid employment. Hence why so many mothers are stuck in poorly paid, part-time or school hours jobs until their children are more independent.

@Goldbar I know! ironically i thought childcare would get easier when they went to school but it's actually harder. Nursery although expensive was open 7.30-6 and we were fortunate to have a few good ones in local area.

But from school age it disappeared! it really is no wonder people (you're right mostly women!) give up jobs .

I do miss nursery. It’s reliable and fits around work.

I had an issue where DD got too old for nursery wraparound (school offered nothing) and they changed the train timetables at the same time. My friend was starting as a childminder but was waiting for paperwork.
Obviously work didn’t care.
It was a total nightmare. I had one parent at school I knew and could ask but she turned out to be incredibly unreliable and other issues. Thank god CM became available as I would have not been able to work.

Childcare is one of the biggest barriers to work. School work fits around holidays, but staff need to be in early they need wraparound care that often doesn’t exist. It’s impossible.

Have you asked the school for a list of CM that drop off there.

Wrap around care is such a nightmare. Our external provider went bust, thankfully just before Covid hit but it was a real stress. Then schools shut literally weeks later so there was no chance to really do much.

The school subsequently opened their own wrap around but due to I guess rising costs and lack of uptake it is extremely expensive, however working parents have no alternatives.

OP other parents who used the facility must be in a similar situation, reach out to them and see if you can come to a reciprocal arrangement you have their kid and they have yours. It might at least cover for a while until you can find something more permanent

When this happened at our school, they managed to make it work by giving the company the school facilities for free and the company raised their prices