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?

While I get your predicament, you need to pay for the morning club.

A late mark affects your attendance score - no wonder the school aren't happy as Ofsted are probably breathing down their necks about attendance.
Also teachers are not babysitters - if you want him to be early you need to pay for early childcare.
Sorry - it must be a really frustrating situation.

To be fair it's not like he has to declare his attendance score to employers. I'd argue it's not her problem.

No but if the late mark is not 'her problem' then you can understand why the drop off is 'not their problem' either. Btw not saying you should pay for the breakfast club which seems very expensive...maybe research any other options?

I think I would keep asking for face to face meetings to help me resolve the problems. They can hardly refuse to meet you about late marks. And then they might get fed up and actually help you come up with a solution. I think they are being unreasonable.

I'd just say blame the LEA for assigning different schools, good day to you.

Pay for breakfast club. And use it for longer than 5 min a day.

Op can't afford the breakfast club!

Could you get a small part time job in the evenings to get some extra cash if your partner is in permanent earlies? It sounds like money is very tight.that way you can pay for the breakfast club for the year 3 child and have cash left over to do fun things at weekends with their new school mates. It might also help you get to know people in your new area

Surely the boy who’s in year 6 could walk to school freeing you up dropping your other child off?

Should the school be more caring?

Struggling to see how it would be caring to not object to children turning up late to school. It's their one shot at school and deserve to be there on time.

Not to mention the disruption for others.

Maybe that's why the breakfast club exists, to give them all the chance if the best start in life.

Surly you could appeal to have your middle child moved to the same school as the others. You must have a good case.

I know you say you can't afford breakfast club but have you really tried to look at budgets and spend to see if you can make changes anywhere? And there's no need for them to only use it 5 minutes put them in early then you will have less rush getting the other two to school and might be acke to get chatting to some other mums and get to know people. That's if you can even get a space out schools breakfast club is always full

Did you say you don't like the school your eldest and youngest go to? Is the reception child on list to get into yr3 child school then? Otherwise you have 5 years of this

If your youngest is in reception, does he get the 15 free hours? You can normally use this for before school club as this is childcare. Appreciate this may not solve the problem for the whole year but may do so for some of it.

sailorcherries secondary children usually make their own way to school.

I know you don't want to seek help from other parents in a similar but, but as you can't pay for breakfast club you may have to reconsider. I know you don't have time for school gate chat but if there is a FB or WhatsApp group you could chat to people on there and make friends. It may then happen organically. Can you temporarily afford breakfast club, say for one month until you start to build a support network?

One school opens gates at 8.40 for a 8.50 start. Other school opens gates at 8.40 for 8.50 start. 15 mins to drive/park/walk between schools.

Identify a spot that is a safe quiet 5 minute walk from the school that has the y6&y3 child. Drop them off there at 8:35 - a y6 child is capable of doing a 5 minute walk with a younger sibling safely. They will arrive at 8:40 meanwhile you will have 15 minutes to get to the 2nd school.

sirfred I have a yr6 and a yr3 child. I wouldn't give the yr6 child the responsibility, as the yr3 child doesn't do anything she says. She won't even take him across the road, because she's scared he'd just run out.

If your eldest is year 6 can't they walk to school on their own?

What surprises me, as a teacher as well, is the tiny window the school gates are open! My school opens them at 8.30 for an 8:55 start! With SLT on the gate to stop anyone running off. I don't see most parents in the morning - they release the kids in to the playground and go!

Shalom some parents leave for work before their DC are up.

This thread has made me so grateful for the provision our school has. Free breakfast club from 8am which doesn't have to be booked in advance and there is no limit on places. The children are released from the hall at 8.20am into a supervised playground until the bell at 8.45am.

I would have been so stuck over the years without this service, along with many other parents.

Our council (in Scotland) have free breakfast club in every school in the area. I dread to think what will happen when funding inevitably gets pulled. I am well aware of how fortunate we are.

I hope you find a workable solution OP, it seems absolutely ludicrous that the gates are open for such a short time before school starting.

I don't know what to suggest.
Your husband can't help
You can't afford the breakfast club
You don't actually want your kids to move schools as their all settled.
And your not willing to ask other mom's to help you out.
And I personally don't see one child being late for the next 3+ years really being a suitable option.
Some people have come on here saying "being late is no big deal, what is it in the grand scheme of things?" But it does interrupt other people, and won't be tolerated as the children get older, I think punctuality is a sign of respect.
They don't have an attendance record and lateness record for shits and giggles, it's because the school sees being on time as important.
While I appreciate you are trying to do what you can, you have shot down every bit of advice (except maybe, the "keep being late, who gives a shit?" Brigade).
I also think it's quite an entitled attitude off posters to say "the school has the issue with the lateness, they should sort it out".
What exactly can they do?
Let one child off being late for 3 years? Favouritism.
Find a place for the child? They are over subscribed and OP doesn't actually want to move her child.
Provide free care? Favouritism.
I don't know what the solution is that hasn't already been mentioned and then shot down.
But I don't think being late for the next 3 years is the right one. No kid actually likes being late and drawing attention to themselves.

What is it about this thread that's making people not understand the situation? The year 6 child isn't the one at school alone, the OP doesn't want to move the year 3 child, having difficult drop offs isn't grounds for appeal and it's not for the school to come up with a solution.

Everyone's going round in circles.

Surely the boy who’s in year 6 could walk to school freeing you up dropping your other child off?

Why do people keep asking this? He goes to the same school as the Reception age child, therefore it doesn't help OP at all.

So ideally you want your reception child to school where yr 3 is - esp if he is happy there

Year 6 will leave for secondary soon. Well a war. So out of equation as can get bus train walk like most do

habibi illegal or not, I wouldn't let small primary school children go to school on their own. DD's 11, in yr6, and now walks to school and back by herself. As for hometime, school won't release them unless they have a responsible adult or secondary aged sibling before yr6.