To wonder why more schools don’t have this??

[Easysolution]

So I have NC for this but basically I have realized that I have struck gold with my DC’s school. Now we are not in uk but in Ireland so not far.
Basically her school has an attached Montessori and “Afterschool” facility
My DC1 Attends the school and DC2 attends the Montessori.
School starts at 8.40, drop off for Montessori (and school) is from 8.30 onwards (although official hours are 9-12 for Montessori)so technically first half hour free. Children in Ireland have 9-12 per day free childcare from age 3-5 (provided by Montessori) and then after 12 it is €4 per hour for DC2. They get a snack at 11 and I provide a packed lunch also for 12/half12.

My DC1 finishes school hours @ 1.20 (first two years of primary finish an hour earlier than the rest of school) and then is collected at her classroom by one of the Afterschool team who bring her to the Montessori/Afterschool rooms (joined by a big double door) they do homework (except reading) and they have toast at 3oclock, this service is also €4 an hour. The Afterschool team also collects the older children at 2.20 and bring them to Afterschool too. They all do homework and play/chat etc until they are collected. It is open until 5.30.

I am a teacher also but my school starts at 9 (thank god) and finishes at 2.40. I usually get to collect my DC by half 3.

I am in awe of the school and what they provide, it is amazing and the kids love it!! Just wondering why it’s not more common as I think it seems a lot more ppl could do with a service like it.

Also it’s not a booked place so if they don’t attend I don’t pay. It’s only school term obviously but that suits me as I am a teacher.

Anyone else have ANYTHING similar??

My DCs last primary had breakfast club 8-9 for 50p which gave them toast/cereal and juice. This was just a turn up and pay on the day thing. Then after school club from 2-4 for P1-P3 and 3-5 for P4-P7 which was £1 an hour. They got a biscuit and juice and had the options of a few different activities but they were always oversubscribed so DC rarely got to do what they had booked. You had to book and pay for it a term at a time and it wasn’t possible to just send them an extra day if you hadn’t booked it at the start of the term. But for £1 an hour you can’t really complain. Nothing like that for the nursery school and current primary school doesn’t run an after school programme.

@StickItUpYaJumpa good lord there’s not a computer game in sight at this Afterschool to be honest they are mostly doing homework and the crafts!

Sorry, I'm getting confused. The school offer breakfast club that starts an hour before school. That's £1 and just turn up. They get food.

There is also an off site pre-school club that starts at 0700hrs, you have to book and they don't provide food. That's about £15 a day. This is the place that does the After school club.

This was standard at our previous school in the UK, but there were limits on the numbers enrolled at after-school club, and if you weren't on the list you couldn't use it (and if you were on the list, you didn't dare come off as you would lose your spot). And it wasn't Montessori, but I'm not particularly fussed about that

With regard to your query as to why do so many posters Say there is no childcare available.
I have discovered on mn when posters write 'we have no childcare help or support whatsoever', what they mean is 'we have no free childcare help or support whatsoever.'
Then posters will suggest ways to help whatever their issue is, and about 20 posts in someone will suggest after school club/babysitter/etc. They will then be jumped on for daring to presume the op could afford childcare for their own child, or the op will respond that they can't possibly leave their child with a stranger.

Yes, we have this at our school. Proper wrap around care. We can drop them off at 7.30am and pick them up at 6pm. The Best bit is, the school and club is so small, they nearly always have space on short notice which is perfect for emergencies/hospital appointments etc.

Wrap around care is common, not amazed at that. BUT, I am amazed that as a teacher your class finish at 2:40 and you can collect your kids by 3:30. What amazing work life balance! If this is a thing in Ireland then I’m moving!

@Easysolution it's not great. We're lucky we only have to use it about once a week.

I'm not anti video games but I am anti inappropriate games and staff who have zero interaction with their wards.

@arethereanyleftatall yes I’m starting to see it’s a lot more common (in the uk) than I thought. Perhaps you are right, perhaps some just don’t want to pay 🤷‍♀️

Our school has before and after school club 0730 -1800 if you used both, can book online up to an hour before the session starts. £5 before school, £12 after-school I think. They do have to be in reception though, they don't cater for nursery children.

@MarieKondo yes (as someone who trained and worked in the uk) the work/life balance here for teacher is waaay better. There are days where we have meetings (obvs) but mostly we are gone by 4. You will very rarely get a phone answered in a school after that 😂. And the pay is better too!! Start at 36k+

to be fair, it may be can't affod it rather than doesn't want to pay.

Our school breakfast club is £1 a day, including breakfast. It is subsidised.
My friend's school is £3.50 per day. So for her two kids that was £7, or £35 per week, which was just too much for her.

We have Breakfast and After School Club. It has to be booked in advance for the year and spaces are limited.

We wouldn't manage without it.

Wow-I didn’t realise schools started later (9am?) and finished so early (1.20/2.20) in Ireland! Why is that?

We are 8.30-3.30 here.

*loads of ppl seem to struggle with after school childcare!
They don't want to pay for it, that's why they struggle.

Ours has breakfast club from 7.30 and after-school till 6pm.
They also have 8.00-18.00 provision in school holidays.
It's quite usual here (London suburbs) parents need to work, commute into town is an hour so you need wrap around care.

@Holidayshopping yes schools start at either 8.40, 8.50 or 9.00 (they decide I presume) and then finish at 2.20, 2.30 or 2.40.
The first two years ( junior and senior infants) ages 4,5,6 or 7 (depending on what age they start (they can start at 4 or 5) finish an hour earlier (but the teacher doesn’t they stay on to plan etc)

I don’t know why, they have 15 min morning break and a half hour lunch break at approx half 12. In my school (where I work) small break is 11 and lunch is 12.30.

@drspouse what on earth do they expect then?? Free care all the time???🤦‍♀️

Yes I think so, mainly they expect family to help.

Our school runs 9 - 3.10/3.20

Breakfast club starts at 8 (I think) and is free, just turn up, no notice or booking needed.
No afterschool care.

I don’t think it’s not wanting to pay for it, OP. It’s just that it can sometimes end up costing more than you are earning. Arguably that’s more of an issue with holiday care though.

Our school does wrap around care from 7.30am - 6pm, I don't use it often because DD just hangs around in my classroom but I know that breakfast club is turn up and pay, after school has to be booked by that morning latest, there is a maximum number (I think 50) but for days they know its likely to be popular, like the school disco where lots of kids will stay rather than go home for an hour, there are TAs that will work to let them take extra.

@drspouse I suppose a lot of ppl here use family too, but obviously that can’t always happen, my parents still work so I can’t ask them. But when my husband is home (he works away) he collects them and then we don’t have the extra bill for a period of time

If most schools provide this in the uk then why the struggle?

Because not all parents work 9-5? Because some parents work every changing 24 hour rotas, night shifts? Because if you work till 6 and after school club closes at 5:30 then it’s no good for your needs? Or if breakfast club opens at 8 and you need to be at work by 8:30 but your commute is 40 minutes it doesn’t work for you? Because some children need serious down time in a quiet environment after the busy school day? Because not all childminders cover all schools? Because not all childminders offer a 7 day a week, 24 hour a day service? You can’t imagine that different people have different lives to you?

Sounds fab! No on-site before school club/breakfast club at my dc2's infants school, and none at my dc1's juniors either So school drop off is 8.40/8.50 and pick up is 3/3.20 and if you want anything else it's off-site and expensive and a pain in the bum!