To ask what's the law or policy on wrap around care?

[drspouse]

My DS is in a short stay school which is handily quite near our house and he goes to a CM twice a week but he can't stay there for ever, and we are only being offered far distant schools that involve a taxi ride and have no after school care or extracurricular activities "because of the taxis".
There is a local MLD school that has after school care but it's not suitable for him.
I work 0.6 and a colleague just asked to go to 0.5 and was refused. I'm the higher earner but DH is a KW who trains other KWs and he can't drop to school hours either because lots of his training is day long or has to cover a choice of hours (and he's likely to have a day a week in the office, an hour away).
Is there any legal obligation to provide after school care or consider this in placement?
Or does the government just not want my taxes and DH benefit to society?

Are you asking if the government has a legal requirement to make childcare available to you outside of school hours?

I've just read and re-read it.

Both me and my DH are key workers.

Our children are eligible for school transport because of our distance from the nearest school.

We don't use it because that means they would be taken home by the school taxi rather than going to childminder/after school clubs. We use them and then pick them up when we finish work.

Surely you just have to pay for after school childcare like anyone else in this situation

I’m not sure what you’re asking
Like everyone else if your school has no after school clubs then you use a CM or similar
There seems to be a separate issue re a school and it not being suitable for your DS which is limiting your options somewhat

I don't understand anything about your post.

What is a short stay school?
What is an MLD school and why is it not suitable?
Why would you think the government is obliged to provide you with after school care?

I don't think schools have to provide after school care no.

They should be making reasonable adjustments so your son can access provision if it's there.

Can the transport drop off at the childminders rather than at home?

So many things I’m confused about in your post like the others.

If your son is at a childminder 2 days a week why don’t you just make it 5 if you need the childcare? There is obviously no legal requirement for schools to offer wrap around care outside of school hours.

Ahh have you perhaps accidentally put this in AIBU rather than one of the specialist boards.

I'm guessing yours DC has additional needs in which case after school clubs/ childminders might not be as simple.

It might be worth approaching your local authority to see if they can offer any assistance with after school. But ultimately you do just have to try and find a child care option on the days you are both working.

Why does he have to be brought home by taxi? If he stays for after school care can you not pick him up yourself?

Is this a schools admissions/appeals question?

Short answer is no the LA don’t have to consider your childcare needs when identifying a suitable placement for a child with an EHCP. Finding suitable childcare is the remit of parents not the LA

Short stay school = school that is only for short term stays for children who have no other school.
MLD = moderate learning disabilities
We have been told taxis will only drop at home. So how do we get DS to this after school care that we're really happy to pay for?

So none of the distant schools you mention have after school clubs for those not using taxis?

I think you need to be more explicit about the situation tbh - if I recall, your son has significant special needs, so we are not talking about whether a normal school has any obligations to offer after school care, I don't think, which you will get a lot of responses about I would imagine!

That said, all schools are expected to offer "access" to wrap around care as part of their core offer, if there is sufficient demand. However, that can simply be pointing parents at local provision, if there is sufficient there to meet demand, they don't have offer anything themselves if local provision is deemed sufficient,

The childminder picks them up from school usually

Or you forgo the 'free' school transport for the journey home and arrange your own transport to after school care.

Perhaps you could arrange for a babysitting/nanny type arrangement to cover the hours of childcare at home between school taxi drop off and you/DH finishing work?

It's shit and I'm sorry you are in this position

Have you got a disabled social worker ? They can sometimes offer hours for a PA (but you might need to fight for it) couldn't a nanny at home work for after school ?

You're asking if the government has to provide free wrap around childcare?

This has been an issue for years and why more parents of disabled children are unemployed than in other groups.

The disability benefits and carers allowance are awarded to stave off poverty, but obviously don't work for everyone.

The lack of local provision for children who have additional needs is shocking and something parents of NT etc children don't consider. There's little obligation for that to change. I was part of the protests in the 2000's when 'inclusivity' was used as an excuse to close many SEN schools.

It also means a greater number of days are lost through suspected illness in the child, because you can't get to the school easily if the child does become unwell at school, so you keep them off. My DD'S school was two buses away and a taxi unaffordable.

@Garraty47

"You're asking if the government has to provide free wrap around childcare?"

What's really being asked for is more SEN schools, so disabled children can build peer groups like every other child and parents can work. We've seen over Covid that NT schools are used as childcare.

What's a short stay school? What's a MLD? What's a KW? What to you mean because of the taxis?

Does he actually have any disabilities or is the MLD not suitable as he is NT?

[quote Ponoka7]@Garraty47

"You're asking if the government has to provide free wrap around childcare?"

What's really being asked for is more SEN schools, so disabled children can build peer groups like every other child and parents can work. We've seen over Covid that NT schools are used as childcare.[/quote]

Sorry, I didn't pick up by the first post that it was a child with additional needs.

@Garraty47 The OP hasn't actually said whether her child has SEN, this has just been assumed. You haven't missed anything.

@ApolloandDaphne

I don't understand anything about your post.

What is a short stay school?
What is an MLD school and why is it not suitable?
Why would you think the government is obliged to provide you with after school care?

Yes all of this

Hard to say whether OP is BU or not

After school care is great but not mandatory.

Sorry yes - he has SEN.
It is unusual for children without SEN to only be offered a place a long way away and to need to go in a taxi but I am aware of such children at a local village school that does in fact have after school care.
I don't know if these children are offered transport from after school care but the schools we are being offered have no after school care at all and the reason cited was "because of the taxis" which seems to be putting the cart before the horse.