School wrap-around - what do we do ?

[Oneanddone88]

Hi,
DD (4) just started reception. I chose the school based on local reputation plus the availability of breakfast club and after school club to facilitate us still working. The school explained to us in a meeting that the after school club runs daily.
Fast forward to a week before term in September and the club (who are a private company hired by the school), says they aren't running due to a lack of staff.
Panic stations as we have no local family and not huge flexibility with our jobs. Partner WFH twice a week so collects then and I work 4 days. So we needed after school club for two afternoons.
The schools response was 'that's a shame but nothing we do'.
We've had to juggle it with another local parent who collects on the two days we needed and we take her DS to school every day. Workable in the very short term but not long term as she is having to leave work super early those days and meet important meetings.
I've emailed the school a few times asking for updates and it's all very 'no nothing sorry '.

I'm at the point where I'm wondering do we move schools to one where they have nursery wraparound.
Also one childminder serves the school we chose, and she's full with a waiting list.

What has also annoyed me is that when we went to info afternoon with the school where they told us the club runs daily , that it wasn't even true. The after-school club told us they ran for two days a week last academic year , and not even the days we needed.

Has anyone else experienced similar before? I feel very stressed. I changed my job of 12 years due to DD starting school and wonder now why I bothered as we're in a worse logistical situation thanks to this.

There's nothing from the club or school about when this is going to be resolved.

@Toastcrumbsinsofa thank you, worth considering

@BiscuitsandPuffin thank you, I'm choosing to ignore some of the responses. Unfortunately not, I'm secondary and attend lots of after school meetings.

@Coatnshoesconundrum thank you, ultimately I've already dropped to part time to accommodate school and so I'm earning less and paying less tax etc. I feel that provision just isn't there to help society work. My best friend works 16 hours and gets UC on top as their local job centre worked out they were better off this way. They can also collect their children every day due to this and so don't require provision. Genuinely don't know what to do for the best.

Agree. I wonder if some of the comments are made by posters whose children have long grown, WFH, have family help or stable childminders. I can only teach through wraparound and I chose my son’s primary as offered care from 7.30 and up to 5.45. There is another primary that offers wraparound but that doesn’t open til 8 and pick up is 4.30. I couldn’t get to work or collect with that time.

OP, again, I can offer nothing but sympathy. Teaching and childcare is an absolute nightmare!

Would be completely understandable if you and/or DH dropped your hours, and you wouldn't be the first.

The fact is that work has to work for people, or they'll act accordingly.

It may work well in places where there is high childcare demand and a big pool for potential staff, but a lot of places aren't like that.

My local school suddenly shut their after school club at the beginning of September - the TA who ran it handed her notice in and no other school staff wanted to take it on.
School budgets are so tight that they aren't able to recruit more staff this year.
There were only 2-10 children each night, it wasn't profitable enough when you need two adults to staff it.

@MrsMurphyIWish thank you. My brother has similar wraparound hours and it means he has been able to progress in his career. I feel the lack of provision will hold me / my partner back professionally as we can't offer to do the extra things.

I don't think anyone has anything but sympathy for the OP. Lots of suggestions have been made but it's almost impossible to find something that works at short notice and especially when you think you have it sorted!
Where the differences of opinions have come is over whether it is the schools fault when a private provider pulls out, whether all schools should provide after school provision whether it is financially viable or not and lots of discussions based on individual experiences but extrapolated and generalised for all!

I have never got the sense that our school does this and I have occasionally wished that they do but my dcs' school is over 30% pupil premium but I would say the parents using the ASC are overwhelmingly the relatively small proportion of professional parents. (I believe there is discounted/free entry for PP kids).

Apparently there are between 20 and 30 kids using it on any given day so hopefully it won't close

@Oneanddone88 The only advantage of teaching in current climate, is that you could leave and return at a later date. We try and do everything “right” - educate ourselves, buy a home, save, have a pension so we won’t be a burden on the state in the future, but then have to reduce all those things because of the childcare hurdle. Primary years are tough. DD now at secondary and leaves and lets herself in each day so it will get better - just many years from now sadly.

(When I say “we”, I mean as workers. I was fortunate to remain full time due to wraparound but now 0.8 for other reasons)

@Legomania

If I had 20-30 children requiring paid for childcare every night, I could probably look further into funding in house provision, ( if I could find the staff to do so!) but not at the demand levels I currently have!

@MrsMurphyIWish totally..I completely agree. I feel we have always tried to do the right thing , but now it seems I've chosen the wrong school...!

If it’s not the responsibility of schools to provide wraparound care then they’re in for a shock given the government’s told them they have to offer it from 2026.

I don’t know why people on here feel the need to be so rude to women who are having childcare problems. I suspect it comes from a deep-seated belief that mothers shouldn’t work and if they do they’re selfish and do it purely for their own gratification. Which must be particularly galling for someone like OP who’s chosen a career teaching OTHER PEOPLE’S children as part of a workforce that’s diminishing at the speed of light due to the pay and working conditions.

Can your friend pick up your child?

If it’s not the responsibility of schools to provide wraparound care then they’re in for a shock given the government’s told them they have to offer it from 2026.

I thought it was work towards, or something equally caveated? But it's not like the current government are going to be anywhere near power in 2026, so it's one of those things where they promise something they know isn't going to be their problem to deliver.

The government have told parents that they’ll be entitled to 30 hours of nursery care from 9 months as well! They can promise anything they want; they won’t be anywhere near being in power by 2026.

If it’s not the responsibility of schools to provide wraparound care then they’re in for a shock given the government’s told them they have to offer it from 2026.

But that's in three years - they don't currently have to offer it now, so why would they stress themselves out trying to do so - especially if it wouldn't make them any kind of profit?

I feel for you. Around my area in London every single single school had clubs every day u til 4.15 and wraparound from 3.15 until 6. Somedays I could get away with them doing just a club but at other times I used the full service until 6. They also did breakfast club from 7.45 until 8.45 start. I relied heavily on that to juggle everything and so did a lot of other parents. It absolutely should nowadays be the responsibility of the school to find a company to do this if there is demand which they should check yearly. You have every right to feel misled OP. I am well past that time now with my children but I remember the juggling act trying to work and being there for the kids and it was exhausting.

@MicrowaveRice friend lives 15 miles away , so no unfortunately

It absolutely should nowadays be the responsibility of the school to find a company to do this

The school did find a company to do this. They stopped running due to a lack of staff.

Unless the government fund after school clubs properly, they can’t always run. Schools don’t have any leeway in their budgets to prop them up.

@Oneanddone88 Just had a thought. Post Covid it looked like our wraparound would close due to the number of bubbles needed and staffing. Another mum and I approached one of the longest serving staff and asked whether she would take on our children privately. As it happened, school managed to staff the different bubbles. Is there anyone you think you could approach for a private arrangement? Again, it’s crap - we shouldn’t have to have this stress (not with the type of jobs we have chosen to do either!) but needs must.

@Oneanddone88 move schools

i think it’s time that schools DID have responsibility for providing adequate wrap around care.

we had this in our village and a whole host of frankly piss poor child minders made a fortune offering really crap care. They’d let you down last minute, scream at the kids and generally fail to provide consistent care.

I knew someone who’d use their school service and it was far easier because of the lack of reliance on a single person.

we need standardised wrap around care for those of us who work.

Exactly. Schools can only do so much - if the uptake and staffing isn't there, it can't happen, no matter how much parents want it to.

It absolutely should nowadays be the responsibility of the school to find a company to do this if there is demand which they should check yearly

This is a terrible idea. Schools can't magic up suitable providers. What do you suggest they do if no organisation wants it? Remember that in London, there'll be many more potential workers in the locality than there will be in some areas.

I do think it's quite telling that OP, as a teacher herself, hasn't come out with any nonsense like this and hasn't agreed with any of the posters who have either.

After school care isn’t the responsibility of the school, it frustrates me about our school that people complain about it but if you don’t like it. Change school.

It's in the school's interests to ensure they have wraparound care really, as you won't be the only parent/s in this position. My DDs school ran it by a consultant who advised them to find a way of ensuring they had wraparound care of some kind, because it attracts parents to the school and... When an agency didn't work out they decided to provide the wraparound in-house. It was important for the teachers as well who had children at the school.
I wonder if you could contact the head or chair of governors and complain? I think they should be finding replacement provision of some kind..

Good luck!

@MrsMurphyIWish one of the mums said about approaching the school whether any staff would want to do it. We don't have a WhatsApp group established yet , but I need to speak to other parents for sure. You're right , stress I could completely do without at the moment.