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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be surprised by afterschool clubs fees

54 replies

PinkSparklyUnicorn · 09/08/2022 16:23

Hello,
We both work full time and DD starts Reception this September. She will be in Breakfast and Afterschool club pretty much everyday. This is not ideal but this is the best we could manage.

School has just emailed, expecting the full balance for the clubs to be paid by the 1/09. That is £397. I have emailed asking if there was a possibility to pay by installments prior the start of each month. The response was "HI
Invoices are due before the first day of term.Kind regards. Finance"

AIBU to think this is a bit steep? I was not expecting to dish out that amount at once. Our childcare vouchers haven't started yet so it's coming straight out of our pockets. I will now for next term but dang.. Is that the same in your kids schools?

OP posts:

Tellmewhyaintnothinbutaheartbreak · 09/08/2022 16:35

How long does the £397 cover? is that only for September?

MintJulia · 09/08/2022 16:49

Is that 13 weeks x 5 days a week = 65 days? That's £6 a day which sounds like a bargain.

Our afterschool club was £12 a session (including a snack/drink of squash), but we were allowed to pay monthly.

On the bright side, after the first term, you will have accumulated enough vouchers/credits to cover most of next term.

DappledThings · 09/08/2022 16:53

Our ASC you can either book a whole half term in one go and pay for that then or book individual sessions and pay for each as you need it. All on their website where they want you to pay on card as you book. I just do the booking then pay via the government childcare account so I get the 20% back.

So yes, if I was paying for a half-term block I would expect to pay up front. Only a half-term at a time though, not a full term.

Knowivedonewrong · 09/08/2022 16:56

If its an outside provider you're paying for highly qualified staff to run the club. It would also be the same if it's the school providing the aftercare.

Blondeshavemorefun · 09/08/2022 16:58

I don’t use asc but do their summer club

all sessions need to be paid for summer by June but sure saw if using for term can pay 1/2 a term at a time

user1471464218 · 09/08/2022 17:03

I can book whatever I want, and pay at the time of booking (obviously the longer you leave it the more risk of not getting a spot.)

But no idea if that's a good price or not as I don't know what it covers. My breakfast club is cheap imo at £2 from 8am to 9am with toast, cereal or both. After school is more expensive, £4.50 an hour from 2 to 3, 3 to 4 and/or 4 to 5pm. It's a good price for me because I only have one left at primary school but it wouldn't have been worth the hassle of having to be there for 5pm when I was paying for three. So I didn't use it then.

Beamur · 09/08/2022 17:06

I used to pay monthly.
However, I know that the club we used had problems with non payment from several parents. DH was on the board.
Paying up front stops the chancers! Not much help for you OP but I think that the clubs can set their own terms. This might have been brought in because it's easier for the club.

brookstar · 09/08/2022 17:08

Is that for a term, half term, month....?
Impossible to say if it's expensive without knowing what it covers.

Coffeesnob11 · 09/08/2022 17:08

Can you use the government child tax account to pay and save 20%?

Jellycatspyjamas · 09/08/2022 17:09

That’s a good price for a term tbh, I’m paying that monthly. I know it’s been unexpected but those are their terms. Did they discuss fees and payment when you booked your child in?

IamChipmunk · 09/08/2022 17:10

We pay up front but monthly. Ours is based at school but run by an independent team/company.
Our fees are going up from Sept so wil pay £.5.50 for the morning (7.30 to 8.30) and then £11 for the afternoon (3 to 6) that includes all food.

Danikm151 · 09/08/2022 17:11

I’m surprised they only allow per term- that’s 4 months and if a parent is getting help from UC they will only backdate 3 months.

FoxtrotSkarloey · 09/08/2022 17:12

Ours is in such high demand we've just had to book for the whole year, and payment has to be made when booking.

Plus the school office is closed so we couldn't transfer money for Tax Free Childcare so we've lost out on that help too.

But we've got the wraparound we needed as we have no other choice.

scotstarstrikestwo · 09/08/2022 17:13

Sounds like a bargain to me. No spaces in school provision so my son is having to go to a private one....£11 for breakfast club and £16 for afterschool.

StupidUsernameUnavailable · 09/08/2022 17:13

My breakfast and after school club for the whole school year is £1300 but I can pay that monthly and that's BC 5 days a week and after school 2 days a week.

Is that per month/per term/per year??

ThreeRingCircus · 09/08/2022 17:17

Ours is paid in half termly blocks, up front as they've asked you to. It's £5 for breakfast club and £11 for after school club per day so yours sounds about right/bit cheap if it's covering up to the half term and an absolute bargain if it's covering from September to Christmas!

Original poster

PinkSparklyUnicorn · 09/08/2022 17:21

Sorry everyone, yes it is for term 1

I think I am surprised by the lack of communication from the school. We had to apply on an Excel form back in April, then in July we received an email stating the days we were allocated and today the invoice. I had emailed asking for the price and hadn't had a response (I assumed they were busy at the end of the school term).

was hoping we could pay per month, but reading your responses I now totally understand why we need to pay up front. I wish we had known earlier and they'd have been clearer but hey! I have no idea what they will be doing in there, it sure will be the surprise. 😝

Thanks everyone for your insights! 🤗

OP posts:

WonderingWanda · 09/08/2022 17:28

Yes sounds cheaper than ours. Kids are expensive!

BlueThursday · 09/08/2022 17:28

That’s not too bad I’m £276 a month but appreciate I pay monthly and use childcare vouchers

brookstar · 09/08/2022 17:31

That's pretty good value for a full term. We pay around that fit 3 days a week.
Can you get a tax free childcare account set up in time?

Swalrhuni · 09/08/2022 17:33

£5 for a morning here and £12 for after school. I think people pay a month in advance rather than a term but each club differs in how they operate.

Ithinkthatisenoughnowthanks · 09/08/2022 17:36

If you can't pay it, speak to the head. In my experience when childcare is attached to the school, there are plenty who do not feel they have to pay for it. If payment is made up front, the issue of non payment is never actually an issue.

Offer to pay weekly/monthly up front .

Wineat5isfine · 09/08/2022 17:39

It used to cost me (2 years ago) around £280 a month for BC and AS.

your prices are very reasonable!

but yes, everything was paid up a month in advance.

Scepticalwotsits · 09/08/2022 17:41

school DC goes to its pay up front each month, and you can only book in 3 weeks prior to the start of the period and they are crap and confirming if you got a place. Absolute nightmare. It’s £5 for breakfast club that starts at 8 and it’s £12 for after school club if you get a spot (we don’t use it because of how hard it is to get a spot) and it only goes till 5

ThreeRingCircus · 09/08/2022 17:51

I'd just double check OP that by term 1 they mean until Christmas rather than to October half term. Our school has terms 1 to 6 for some unknown reason so at of our school paying for term 1 would be paying for the half term up to October break.

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