After school clubs

[HereBeFuckery]

Once again, primary school cancel a pre-arranged after school activity with 27 mins notice before the end of the school day. Last week, they notified us 12 minutes AFTER the end of the day that the club was cancelled and to collect children from the school office 'immediately'.

I get that clubs aren't childcare or guaranteed, but essentially, if you work (y'know, like most parents) you have to say 'no darling, you can't do X fun after school activity' because you, as a parent, would have to be free, not in a meeting and within five mins drive of school just in case they cancel at zero notice AGAIN.

Even a couple of hours would mean I could sort something out. In 20 mins I have no chance.

WIBU to make a formal complaint to governors about the piss poor communication?

YABVU. Sounds like you are using this as childcare. I would never organise work around an after school club - except obviously the one designed for wraparound care.

If you pay for a club it will be an outside agency and nothing to do with the school, apart from using their premises

This isn't necessarily true - some of the clubs at my son's school are run by the school but are paid

I have a feeling that if you had said you were at the supermarket or visiting an elderly parent, you would not have had nearly as much "you can't expect this to be childcare" type stuff.

As we are incessantly reminded on here, school isn't childcare but we in general have the expectation it isn't cancelled with no notice. I don't really understand why schools can't be more organised with enrichment clubs - obviously genuine emergencies excepted.

I work 45minutes away from ds’s school. If they did this, assuming I got the call immediately then I would be leaving to pick him up around that time anyway. They would just have to suck it up.

After school club is where parents pay for thier children to be in school for longer. Same as paying for breakfast club so you can drop them off earlier before work. Teachers get paid more to supervise these things (I think!) but they don't get paid more for hosting specific hobby clubs after school (like football club or art club etc..)

My friend's child does two days a week in after school club so she can attend college and as far as I know, they are provided with drinks, snacks and encouraged to do thier homework or play board games. If this is an option at your child's school op, it might be worth saying that if a club gets cancelled again you'd like to pay for your child to be in after school club on those days for an hour instead? Then it would be garunteed childcare.

OK, so how far does this go?

I've got a blood test appointment tomorrow whilst my youngest is at after school club. Should be done in plenty of time to get to him at pick up, but on a normal school day would involve me being in two places at once (pick up at 3.15, test at 3.20). Should I have waited several more days for next available appointment just in case they cancel?

(I have every confidence they won't cancel. They're pretty decent.)

Except it's not school, it's an after school club. If you need childcare organise childcare.

After school club is where parents pay for thier children to be in school for longer. Same as paying for breakfast club so you can drop them off earlier before work. Teachers get paid more to supervise these things (I think!) but they don't get paid more for hosting specific hobby clubs after school (like football club or art club etc..)

Says who? The schools I've worked at have all paid staff for afterschool clubs....
What do you think parents are paying for when they pay for football?

If you need childcare organise childcare.

this doesn't even make sense. My dcs clubs finish at 4:30, I finish work & get them.

Even if you weren’t working you could easily be somewhere else. The chances are that in that situation someone will be on site (even if they’d rather be at home) if children really can’t be collected on time. Our wrap around care provider cancelled at short notice. I was 2 hours away and the gave about 15 mins notice. That day was a complete shit show quite frankly for all involved but the school had made arrangements to care for those who couldn’t be collected on time.

I do think that after school activities are not generally going to be as solid if they are led on a voluntary basis. Life happens and given they are unlikely to be taken out with contracts etc (unlike wraparound) they are a nice to have. I also wouldn’t necessarily expect cover arrangements. Eg teacher y has created a French club because she has a passion for it etc. I wouldn’t necessarily expect a substitute teacher for it if she wasn’t around.

Is school a form of childcare? I go to work during those hours.

You haven't been around here long. School is not childcare. Stop teacher bashing

But even if it's not childcare do you mean to tell me that if your child is at a club/activity/party/playdate etc then you sit outside the door for the whole time just in case they cancel so you can pick your child up immediately?

Or are you like every other parent I have ever met and have factored in that your child will be at an ASC until X time and therefore that time is available for you to be doing something else?

Even when DD was at extra curricular clubs that were a distance from home, so it wasn't worth making two journeys there and back and I was hanging around in the vicinity of the venue that didn't mean I was instantly contactable. I'd often use the time to go for a walk or pop to a cafe for a cup of tea and cake etc and I would purposely not look at my phone - I'd read a book, listen to music or just enjoy the peace and quiet for an hour before collecting DD - but even if I did then it would still take me time to get back to the venue from wherever I was, and if they have given no notice then it's up to them to keep my DD safe until I can arrive.

I don't have to pay for mine to do art club till 4 on a Thursday but would need to pay if I wanted him to go to the wraparound after school club, so just basing my assumptions on that. I could be wrong but after school hobby clubs are mostly free at my child's school.

We pay, it's more expensive than the traditional asc & you have to book a term in advance.

After school clubs are not childcare.

My child's school only offer clubs until 4.30pm. All of which have to be paid for. No free sessions.

You haven't been around here long. School is not childcare. Stop teacher bashing

Of course getting an education is not the same as childcare but it serves a purpose to allow me to work in those hours because my children are in someone's else's care. Teacher bashing! 😆

Teachers do not get paid for asc. Occasionally TAs will get paid as they are only contracted for the school day.
You are living in a Dreamworld if you think school staff get paid well/treated fairly for all they give back.

After school clubs are not childcare.

But my dc go there whilst Im at work, I don't sit outside whilst they are doing an activity.

My school offer some paid clubs and some run free by staff. I wouldn't be happy at a paid club being cancelled but the free clubs are a very generous bonus And I expect them to be cancelled for things like parents evening.

I was joking!

People on here are always banging on about school not being childcare

My school runs a homework club every day. If a club is cancelled eg due to illness, parents get a message to say it’s cancelled and they can either collect or kids will go to to homework club. We recognise lots of parents do use the clubs as childcare and can’t get over to collect at short notice.

@BetterBeGryffinphwoar I've worked half my life in school finance but ok.

When my kids where primary school age I was always available during party's, clubs,sleepovers etc yes. Because I'm the parent. Some people forget that.