To think the school is BU?

[Nariiad]

DC’s school has staggered start times. Reception and KS1 (including DC) starts at 8.30 and KS2 starts at 9.30. Some parents have complained that they have to wait too long between picking up their younger and older DC. So the school has decided that after half term Reception and KS1 will start at 9am in order to reduce the amount of time that parents have to wait to collect older siblings.

I start work at 9am so I need to drop DC off at 8.30. I’m not happy with the change because it basically means I can’t get to work. And I’m incredibly annoyed that the school has just dropped this on us at a weeks notice with no consultation. If they had said it would change in September then I could have arranged for DC to attend breakfast club at 8am. But breakfast club is full until kids leave in September, and the new start time begins next week. So basically I am fucked, I can’t get to work for 9am and I’m going to lose my job.

AIBU to think that this is absolutely shocking and unfair? I have no idea what to do. There are no breakfast club spaces and no local childminder spaces till September. I was expecting to be able to drop DC off at 8.30 for another 2.5 years until she reaches KS2 age, and now this problem has been dropped in my lap with a weeks notice.

I don't think complaining will do any good.

There's no statutory requirement to consult or give notice, it's just best practice and the governors have already (or should have) approved this change.

I imagine the majority of the school community see this as excellent news (because the old system was bonkers) so reversing it will just result is a different lot of complaints.

I think your best bet is to appeal to the school on how they might be able to have some children in school half an hour early until spaces free up in the breakfast club. Going in all guns blazing won't be the way to achieve that.

Failing that, can some of the parents group together so you'll only be late to work once a week/once a fortnight while one parent supervises them all in the playground?

Good luck getting a space, I’d do the nice angle but push for it. Thanks for meeting me email and remind that you’re keen to be at top of list.

And agree the moving schools advice is not realistic

So KS2 don't finish until 4.30 then? That's ridiculous! What about clubs after school - dance, sports etc. Many start at 4/4:30 so children are missing opportunities.
The whole set up is ridiculous and awkward.
If they just allow a bigger drop off window in the morning, there would be a natural staggered arrival for cars and parking. Drop off between 8.30 and 8.50 so all are ready at 9. It's not hard!

Do this. I'm a chair of governors. Your school is bonkers. Basically, you need to make the decision painful for the people who have the power to influence the decision..if you get 30 parents making official complaints about the same issue, this is going to be very time consuming and painful for the head and the board. But you must follow the complaints procedure by the book. The complaints policy should be on the schools website.

Have you got a parent who is a solicitor who could send an appropriately worded letter to ensure breakfast club spaces are provided? 100% guaranteed?

I think it's really awful, but I think the original set up was also really awful. You could argue that the changes that they are making are likely to benefit more of the school's children than leaving the situation as it was.

I also think that when it comes down to it, the school have to take the action that they think will be best/safest for most pupils and that if parents don't like it/agree with the approach then they have to find a school that fits better.

I’d go to the governors. This is very poor home-school partnership- no consultation etc. Make a complaint.

This suggestion is ludicrous!

Do you think the teachers are just sat in their rooms twiddling their thumbs waiting for the children to arrive?

The mornings are busy. Suggesting that a teacher can take on the responsibility of looking after children in that time is ridiculous.

I honestly despair at the entitlement of some people, I really do.

9:30 is a late start time, what time do they finish?

They would have been better keeping KS1 as 8.30 and starting KS2 at 9:00

I actually don’t think it’s ridiculous in this instance.

OP says children have been sat with teachers in classrooms at the opposite end of the day, and that this abrupt change is to prevent that. They can now see it makes it worse for some children at this end of the school day.

In ordinary circumstances it would be entitled. But not in this situation where school have mishandled it completely.

God knows why they didn’t do this, as it’s the logical solution!

Seriously!!?

I agree the original situation was terrible for parents with 2 kids, but changing it 24 hours before half term with no notice is shocking. At the very least they should have surveyed how many parents couldn’t accommodate the new start time and made emergency breakfast club spaces available. Not made us shout and panic and scrabble around for childcare over the half term holiday.

@NoSquirrels the school are being absolutely ridiculous. The op is right to be angry in this situation.

The suggestion is still ridiculous. I'm shocked that the school are allowing children to hang around at the end of the school day with teaching staff and the teachers are insane for even entertaining the idea.

If I were the op I wouldn't want my child in a school that treats its staff and its pupils/parents in such a way.

All the arrangements at this school sound bonkers. No wonder you are cross.

How strange that originally the timings were a whole hour apart
Half an hour is better, but definitely not ideal from a work point of view, and especially with such short notice. YANBU.
I can't see how circumstances beyond your control would cost you your job though. You need to speak to your employer.
Good luck.

Write to the head and, if you don’t get an appropriate response, school governors asap. They should not have changed this in the middle of a school year.

The school will be able to make some arrangements to care for these children, if it wants to. Not by having them sitting with teachers getting ready for a busy day, but they could use TAs even if it means paying one an extra 30 mins

It's not even anything to do with me and the response from the head has made me angry. How you've managed to keep your cool I'll never know.

This is the sort of thing that parents usually go to the press about so I'm surprised that's not happened.

She shrugged and said we’ve given you 10 days notice. 9 days of which are over half term when people including childminders are on holiday and can’t be contacted!

To be honest, I'd have understood that more if it were a male HT with a wife whom he relies on to do all of the thinking, planning, stressing of the family logistics and he just expects to tell her when he 'needs' to be somewhere and assumes it's her problem to fix it.

I agree with PP that some schools seem to think they exist in a bubble and don't compute that school is just one element to juggle in the whole family's busy lives.

Our school started something similar since lock down. It only applies in the mornings, as the collections have gone back to normal. So KS2 8.45am then KS1 9am. The original start time has always been 8.45 am, so I don't understand how you got to work at 9am? I'd check with breakfast club for a space, before talking to school. Tell them that you could lose your job over it. They might make exeptions, and ask you to drop through the office.

Could you ask work if you can take the first 30mins of the day A/L until you make alternative arrangements or time off in lieu?
If you haven't already you need to put in a formal flexible working request on a temporary basis. Include all the details of why you are needing to request this at short notice.
Is parental leave an option?

Is there any of the other school mum's in the same position? Could you make an arrangement to do a few days each per week for now? Your employer might be more open to that.

Could you ask work if you can take the first 30mins of the day A/L until you make alternative arrangements or time off in lieu?

But we don't know if OP's job is term-time only or not. Most working parents have to carefully curate every single scrap of their AL allowance to cover the school holidays - they can't afford to just let it drain away in 30 minute chunks every day and then leave themselves high and dry come the holidays.

Have you contacted the chair of governors yet as suggested by several people?

I agree that's really crappy - but looking like they are doing it anyway

With a 9am official start, what's the earliest you can drop off at school? 8.45?

What have work said so far - any chance of a temporary start 15/20 mins later just until you get sorted?
Would they honestly lose you over this?

It's rubbish you are in this position