Any teachers out there with one-off childcare issues? Really need some advice please.

[flowergirl24]

My youngest daughter (aged 3) is in nursery, attached to a private school.

Term ends this Friday- at 12:30 (!) which is obviously half way through my working day.

I teach in the state sector and our agreed plan was that DH covers the 2 weeks until I break up for the holidays and then I take over for the rest of the holidays. He was happy with this (sorted ages ago)

But now he has a new client, and it’s very important to him financially that he works on Friday.

What the heck do I do now? We have no family who can help. No friends as all ours work and don’t live anywhere near our village. I’m panicking about Friday as we’ve both got to work and the nursery shuts at 12:30 (no exceptions- I’ve already asked)

I’ve worked in 5 primary schools and have never seen this other than on inset days, not days where teachers are actually teaching. I’d find it impossible to have my 5 year old in the room while I teach let alone when she was 3.

offer to pay one of the nursery staff privately to take her home and babysit her until you finish?

Ask if one of the nursery nurses might look after her for the afternoon, use sitters.co.uk, ask another parent at nursery

I mean obviously it’s not ideal for anyone, but it could work. If I’d have done that in my classrooms I think it would have been a bit of a chaotic day, but fun chaos, and would actually have been great for some of the students!

Can you go and see your HT and tell them the problem, ask for leave? My HT would definitely say yes.

I know it might seem like a big step but it really massively helped me once I got a decent babysitter who could help with things like this. I contacted my local college and found someone doing a childcare course and it worked brilliantly for me.
There's obviously a cost but these sorts of situations do arise when you have kids and with no family around ( and in my case also a husband who worked away), it was invaluable to have someone to help. We ended up with someone really great who later did the occasional over night for us and my son really loves her

I meant more because most SLT simply would not allow it sadly.

Ah, I see. Yes, that could be a major issue. Although, as the old saying goes, it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, so maybe if they’re generally a decent SLT then maybe they’d overlook it….

It's up to DH to sort this out as he is the one who backed out.

Out of interest, how many emergency nanny agencies has he rung? I'd expect him to have tried several by now. Or is it automatically your problem as you're the woman?

If your husband agreed to have her and has now changed plans, he really ought to be sorting this out. I would first try the family of a child at the same nursery, then babysitter, then friend/neighbour. We are lucky that we have some retired friends but we only ask them if desperate and always try holiday clubs first, child's school mates second and if we have no other alternative, husband can some times take an unpaid day off. I am already stressing about what to do with mine on 2nd September as I haven' yet found any local holiday clubs that offer that day! 😥my partner doesn't seem worried and says he'll take them to work if necessary! I hope it won't come to that...

I really don’t think many primary schools would allow you to take your own pre schooler into school with you to teach.

I think your best option would be to take emergency parental leave and ring in to say your child is sick. If it’s less disruption you could go in till half 11 and pretend nursery have phoned you to say your child’s thrown up- that way at least you’ve done half the day.

This has happened with me before in Secondary- just tell them it's a childcare emergency and you've no choice but to be off. Nothing bad will happen, a frowny face from the cover supervisor can be easily weathered. If it makes you feel better, offer to do a cover in the new term. Or tell them that the alternative is you collect your child at lunch and they come and sit in the classroom with you!

My Mum took me to her school quite a lot of times. I used to sit and help her pupils (kind of like a child TA 😆).

I was at another primary school but they had their Baker days on different days, hence why she had to take me to school.

This. Why do you have to solve it?!

Teaching staff at my school are constantly taking time off/out for childcare issues. At the end of the day your child needs taking care of, surely they can't sack you as a one off.

Go sick.

If you haven't already taken it all, you are entitled to 3 days of special leave each year which is there for situations such as this. Don't call in sick ; speak to your HT. Good idea to set up agreements of cover with supportive colleagues first. At this time of year there's usually more flexibility with exam classes having left. If they won't accommodate and you can't find a solution then you would just have to leave at midday on Friday and state it's an emergency but I'd be very surprised if it comes to that; most schools try to be supportive in these instances. If yours isn't, start looking for another job. There is a recruitment and retention crisis after all.
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Find a babysitter or an assistant from nursery on a private basis. Local child minder as a long shot or a friend at nursery?

It's not emergency childcare because you already know so doesn't fall under that

He picks her up and then goes back to work. There are lots of solutions for one off childcare - sitters.co.uk are probably the easiest.

DH needs to keep to his word or make arrangements. Why is this your issue when he has let you down?

And how many decades ago was this? <sigh>

I think the response from SLT is likely to depend on how your school is doing staffing wise, people off long term sick etc. If teachers are already doing a lot of cover in their gained time etc, then I can imagine the answer would be no? Also potentially depends on who you are due to be teaching (e.g. Y10/12, I think the answer would be no).

Definite no to taking a 3yo into a secondary school- I don't think it's appropriate or safe, and they may (rightly IMO) take the line that they have not risk assessed for such a young child being in the school. Definitely, definitely do not do it without asking as one PP suggested.

I think the suggestion of looking for a babysitter, and asking if any of the nursery staff are interested is the best option. And it should be up to your DH to organise this.

@ReadingSoManyThreads

Baker Days? That was a very long time ago. Schools have changed a lot since then. There is much, much more pressure on everyone and the consequence is far less flexibility for teachers.

Do you know any of the other parents at nursery? I think my first choice would be to ask if one of them can pick your DD up when they pick theirs up and have them for a couple of hours until you finish.

In one school I taught in we would just make arrangements within the department for this sort of thing. So if I was in your shoes I’d ask a colleague who I knew was free if they could cover me and I’d owe them one another time. Worked well and we all benefited. At this time of year timetables are lighter with year 11 and 13 gone so there was always someone available

I appreciate it is important financially to work but he has 4 working days to get it sorted. Your job is just as important.
if he can’t (or won’t), is your head supportive? Could you take your PPA on Friday afternoon, or offer to take it as unpaid and ensure cover is there.
As a one off and a last resort, does your school have a nursery. Could your DD go there for the afternoon?