.. to expect a bit more notice from the school to withdraw early cover?

[thisisgoingtobedifficult]

Our school offers an early cover from 8.15 until start of school at 8.40. It is an independent school, not sure if that makes any difference. There is no charge for this, they have done it since forever. My two (YR and Y1) go twice a week, days varying depending on my schedule. They love it, and I am not aware of there having been any problems during these periods.

The session is on the school tennis courts and the children just run around a bit, kick a ball and are sent to their classrooms at 8.40. They are in an enclosed area and a member of staff stands at the entrance to supervise all entering and leaving.

Late on Friday I (and others presumably) received an email saying that early cover was being withdrawn for Reception children with immediate effect.

I called the school because I already had a Monday morning commitment that, at 5.30 on a Friday, I was unable to change. The school said that my daughter could attend today in light of the circumstances. Going forward, however, I have no idea yet whether or not the facility remains available to me or not.

This is a major problem for me. I don't have alternative early morning arrangements and regularly have 8.30/8.45 meetings (not at my behest, but at others' - I have little choice).

Can the school do this? The school were rather cagey about the reasons. I asked whether there had been problems with the younger children, eg. getting distressed about being left or whatever, but was simply told "staffing" was the issue. My point of view is "then staff it"! Why is this suddenly an issue? They offer the service, how can they withdraw it just like that, and literally overnight?

AIBU to expect this to have been handled a bit better and with a clear explanation and even perhaps several weeks' notice for people to attempt to make alternative arrangements (though god knows how one arranges an alternative for cover for one's child between 8.15 and 8.40 2 or 3 days a week)

How much do you pay for it? perhaps suggest that you all pay a bit more to cover the staff costs?

I'd say you need to get together with other parents in the same boat - in the short term at least you could share care at that time - or find someone happy to take yours and you offer to take theirs at other times.

good luck - nightmare, one of the reasons I sent my DC to private school is that it had a 'long day' so that allowed me to get back into the workforce without paying for / relying on childcare before and after school (and MIL was willing to pay for it!)

I think several weeks notice minimum would be needed for this sort of thing. It may not seem like a big deal to them but I understand that things can get tricky with morning arrangements, especially if you can't drop them off earlier than school 'starts'.

Hecate, OP has mentioned there is no charge for the service. :)

Might be out on a limb here, but are they due an inspection? I don't know much about staffing but the ratios change with smaller children?

Could a parent volunteer help to staff the situation until a permanent solution is found?

One of my friends thought there might be an issue around 4 year olds in Reception needing additional staffing for this kind of out of classroom cover, but for 5 year olds it's ok?

I don't know enough about Early Years stuff to know whether the actual age as opposed to school year, makes a difference.

The school were quite understanding, realised that several sets of Reception parents would be affected, but it still doesn't explain why they withdrew this with less than a day's notice..

Well, I am waiting for a reply from school as to what I can do for the other days I already have things scheduled for. Let's see what they say.

Well, more notice would have been great, but since there is no charge, maybe they can just withdraw it?

How would they staff it though if they don´t always know how many will turn up?

I´m not sure that they have to give a reason for the withdrawal of a free service though?

What you now do isn´t really their problem either, is it?

Oh and yes, they are due an ISC inspection.

I meant to say that.

I'd gladly stand by for the early cover one morning a week. I am fully ok'd for CRB and all that too.

oh. you say in your bloody OP that it's free. Sorry. I didn't read it properly.

In that case, why not see if they'd be willing to offer the service if parents paid for it?

Are you looking into other things as well?

If they have said that it was effective immediately, but have already given you today, they might not be willing/able to do any more.

No, it's not their problem as such, I get that, however, one day's notice is poor handling of the issue in my view AND no adequate explanation as to why.. just good management of communication between school and parents (which they are always at pains to say they are doing their utmost and they get super scores on this in all their inspections, but maybe not this time!)

It may well have to do with the inspection then - I must say I have never heard of an 'early cover' arragement like this where there are an unknown number of kids just supervised in the playground.

It may be that they have realised that if they're offering 'care' they need to do it in a more formal way with staff ratios, risk assessments in place, etc etc etc. I expect they would rather pull this ad-hoc service, than have it mean their inspection rating falls or whatever.

Why not write to the head and suggest a more formal 'wrap around' care arrangement - I think it's quite standard for independent schools to offer these now, although of course they're not free.

I don't have other things! DH leaves for work at 7am, non-negotiable. What I am doing now has been to an extent based around the availability of the before and after care of the school our children attend. I have one local lady who can help with school runs from time to time, and I return the favour, but she is not keen on an ongoing/more formal arrangement for her own good reasons.

I don't know. If they had never offered it, then I wouldn't have based my work around it, so i'd manage somehow differently. But to have used it for a year and a half (since DS started Reception) it kind of became part of the set up we have and now I'm a bit stuck!

Oh well. And yes, I won't be the only one. Thank god, only got this term anyway.... between now and half term I'm rather committed but after half term, I may just have to rejig things somehow, but right now, not sure how!

By other things I meant childminder, baby sitter..

What happens if your child is ill when they should go in early because you have a meeting?

I agree with trying to find out how many people use it though & see what the school think of it being paid for-but then it would have to be regular days, not just drop in.

I am stunned that it was ever set up like that tbh.

Oh, hadn't even considered that a child minder would do 30 minutes slot. And yes, my days vary week on week which wouldn't work for a child minder I suspect.

I am very lucky (touch wood) re the illness thing so far. Once I needed to drop DS to MIL when he was unwell and take DD to school and then go for a meeting. However, PIL's are not around now until almost the end of term, so it's a good point, my fall back is not available. Even if PIL's were around, I wouldn't be able to use them on such a regular basis in any event. My meetings aren't long, they just have to be at that time of day due to the nature of what I do - I deal with the building profession who seem to start work in the middle of the night and to them even 8.30/8.45 is a late start!

It'll work out, somehow!

Don't other schools have this kind of thing? Had no idea it was unusual....

In reality there is a charge for it - it is part of the fees you pay and withdrawing it is varying the T&C (possibly implied) without notice.

School I worked at did it... the woman who ran it walked out at no notice one day.

Course it got fobbed off onto the teaching staff, same as when the cleaner was ill we got asked to clean our own classrooms (well it would have been progress on the amount of cleaning the cleaner actually did), and the after school cover as well - that got landed on us.

"I deal with the building profession who seem to start work in the middle of the night and to them even 8.30/8.45 is a late start!"

Arrange the meetings so that you can be back before your husband leaves then

Yes, it might not work with a CM if it isn´t regular days-but perhaps worth looking at as they might have ones who go to them after they have done the "school run"

Oh lordy what a total PITA!! That is crap notice and if it happened to me, with something I relied on like that, I would be stuck :(