that school won’t cut me any slack for double drop offs?

[Polkadotdash]

We moved house in the summer and we’ve ended up with three kids at two different primary schools. I accept that it is what it is and we have to just fit in where there are places. However, after a month of nearly killing myself to drop kids off at both schools, two miles apart who start at exactly the same time, I’ve asked both schools if they can help to take the pressure off me by accepting one child five mins early and maybe dropping the late mark drama for the other children. Neither school will budge. One school has a breakfast club which they’ve suggested I use for £5 a day. £25 per week, nearly £1000 per school year for five mins care (no food required). I can’t afford this.
It’s all been capped off today by one parent (who I don’t know) shouting something at me about the importance of not being late when I was trying to make my four year old run up the hill to school. I can’t put up with this for the next 5 years. What should I do? Should the school be more caring?

OP sorry I thought you were a single parent. It doesn't alter my posts at all because my husband needs to be at work by 8.30 so can't do drop offs anyway, but sorry if I made that assumption and it was wrong!

Apologies.

I moved house and had this a solicitor friend advised me that the local school basically had to accommodate me I went in and insisted and they miraculously found a place when I mentioned legally challenging them

brizzledrizzle
"Presumably they just don't get we don't all make all our decisions knowing all the facts.

Why would you make such an important decision without getting all the facts?"

I think you can only apply for school places once you are living in an area, is that right? So you would not know until you moved house that you could not get all three kids into the same school.

In my area there is a family with kids at three schools. It all seems very unfair and a huge pressure for parents.

OK drop 4 yr old first dead on 8.40, if they will go in with yr 6 then do that as well, yr 6 walks to their classroom/playground from there. You go and drop yr 3 at the gate asap if they are late then accept that.

But don't let up on badgering them to find a place for yr 3 at other school.

I would also see if there is a parent FB page or something and offer to share with other parents in the same position.

Also potentially older child could be dropped earlier than gates open to get themselves to class on time if they can't get there from 4yr olds site

OP I'd probably vary which child was late just so they didn't feel too bad about it.

I sympathise but being late everyday is a problem and it will draw attention to yourself and the local attendance officer. The school have a duty of care to help you with this. Have you spoken to the head and explained your predicament and the fact that you simply cannot afford £5 a day breakfast club? Can something be arranged where you drop one off at 8.30 and only pay day £2?

apologies Cobrider didn't realise you weren't the original poster who posted about getting places before moving

Very hard.

I would ask in the school group if anyone wants to do a share /drop off

Yes the cost of breakfast is a lot but you might have to adjust your budget for a few Months while trying to find a school place

Yes it’s a lot but it’s not if you have to find £1000 all now

Also 4 yr old doesn't need to go to school till the term AFTER 5th Birthday so potentially you could take them out of that school but then you still have a childcare issue...

Most breakkie clubs charging that amount are also subsidised by child care element of CTC if you are entitled to that

So many people not reading OP's updates.

Dropping the oldest early does not help the situation at all.

I would request a meeting with the breakfast club school and explain the situation. You say money is an issue? Are your children on Free School Meals? If so, they are entitled to additonal funding of which a small amount of this could be used to cover the cost of breakfast club. I think £5 per day is very steep!!!!

Would the breakfast club child be fed if you did use it from when it opened?

So you would not know until you moved house that you could not get all three kids into the same school.

If you move to an area with infant and junior schools instead of primary schools, like the OP has done, then you know that you will have children in different schools.

Could you try to negotiate a breakfast club discount for no food, token £1? Otherwise personally I’d carry on doing your best, getting lates and let it escalate for support and proper discussion..:

could you post on the schools facebook pages, there imght beanother parent who has also moved into the area and has a similar predicament. If there was you could share drop off. failing that I would let the year 3 be late every day this year, next year they will hopefully be old enough to be left 5 mins early, year4 students can walk in alone round here

the reason i would do this is that i assume you want a space to open up at the other school for your year 3 child so you dont want to annoy them too much.

Can you do and in year admission form and then appeal the decision when they said no?

I had two at seperate schools and I had to take it to appeal and the sibling rule helped me to get my child in.

I would put all of the kids on the waiting lists for the other school too.

I'd just be late. If being on time was that important they wouldn't assign different schools for siblings.

brizzledrizzle

"If you move to an area with infant and junior schools instead of primary schools, like the OP has done, then you know that you will have children in different schools."

Do you mean people shouldn't move to those areas?

Maybe schools should consider this issue more.

I'm sure it affects more people than just the OP.

Local attendance officer???? Hahaha.

I cannot believe people are suggesting the local authority would give two hoots about a child who is presumably in time for the start of lessons every day just a few minutes late _and all because of an unavoidable clash of schools.

Sometimes on mumsnet I can't get over how uptight and obsessed with following rules people are.

Do you mean people shouldn't move to those areas?

No, I mean that they need to accept that they will have to get children to different schools in the mornings.

Not having the 4 year old at school won't help as t he 4 year old is at the same school at the year 6 child.

I'm not clear if these are linked schools or halves of two different pairs - I assume the latter or everyone would have the same problem

@TheMobileSiteMadeMeSignup

Ah ok. That is so expensive though!

I agree with a previous poster that maybe you can post something on the school Facebook page.

I take a girl to school and back to her mum because her parents can't get her to school on time as both working. I didn't know them before offering to help out with their daughter but it's not out of my way so I don't mind helping out.

If you ask about you may find someone who will happily help out.

Good luck.

I'm also surprised that neither school open their gates until the moment the children have to be at the classroom door. Most schools have at least 10 minutes of allowing families to enter the playground and mill about before the bell goes. The school can't stop you leaving your child in the playground with his or her friends for a few minutes.

I would ask to use the school car parks that would at least guarantee you could park near both schools. Have you appealed for your Y3 child to get into the Y6 child's school? Appeals are much easier for Y3 plus than for infants age. I think you'd had good grounds to appeal under your circumstances.

You could re post this on the primary ed board as there are quite a lot of admissions experts on there.