Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Turned away from breakfast club! AIBU

223 replies

Mumsgotaheadache01 · 09/01/2025 19:22

So every 2 weeks I book and pay for blocks of breakfast club for my child. She goes every morning as I work. I turned up as usual at 7.50 this morning and popped her into her school reception and checked her in. Only to be told that she wasn't booked in on the list this morning. I questioned it and the receptionist said that it had been cancelled by payer. I then checked on my parentpay app and it said that my payments were cancelled! So that's obviously why it had removed my child from her bookings. I had certainly not cancelled her chilcare. I have over £50 loaded onto parentpay. So have absolutely no idea why this has happened. I was told that my little one could not come into breakfast club. So I had to sit in the car with a grumpy cold child who had had no breakfast, be late for work and wait for normal school drop off time. Am I being unreasonable to be upset by this . And wonder why parentpay would just cancel my booking like that. And to be really worried and anxious that this might happen again for no reason.

OP posts:
TwentyTwentyFive · 09/01/2025 20:00

Completelyjo · 09/01/2025 19:25

I’m just stuck on the fact that you sat in the car with a primary school child for over an hour rather than taking them home or to the shop to get breakfast even when you knew you couldn’t leave them at the club.

Honestly this!!

I cannot fathom just sitting there and getting her nothing to eat.

Mistakes happen with technology and it's unfortunate it happened but just sitting there and not getting something to eat for her just blows my mind.

WilfredsPies · 09/01/2025 20:03

There was absolutely no need for anyone to be cold, hungry or upset. What were you doing?

SuperSaver23 · 09/01/2025 20:04

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

arethereanyleftatall · 09/01/2025 20:05

So I guess you must be over a 20 min drive from home, and the school is not near a single shop? I'm thinking I would have just got her to school a little bit late if the drive to the nearest food place was that far, and made sure she had some breakfast. And then the heat would be on in the car too.

But yes, contact parent pay for the mistake.

RawBloomers · 09/01/2025 20:05

Technical glitches like this aren’t something to be swept away in the manner some posters seem to. Breakfast club is a service many parents rely on in order to be able to work well - and being in stable and well paying employment is a huge factor in improving childhood outcomes.

The low standards Brits seem to have for service now is shocking and it’s hard to see how the economy will improve with it as an overarching attitude.

LetsNCagain · 09/01/2025 20:05

Where did she say it was an hour? Breakfast club is usually half an hour isn't it. That's not enough time to drive home, get breakfast and then drive back to school. Not every school has a pret nearby!

arethereanyleftatall · 09/01/2025 20:06

But going forward op, I always keep food in my car. Those 'healthy' (not healthy at all) bar type things.

Oioisavaloy27 · 09/01/2025 20:07

Why in earth did you not take your child home and get them some breakfast instead of just sitting in the car?

ToKittyornottoKitty · 09/01/2025 20:07

LetsNCagain · 09/01/2025 20:05

Where did she say it was an hour? Breakfast club is usually half an hour isn't it. That's not enough time to drive home, get breakfast and then drive back to school. Not every school has a pret nearby!

So weird to assume breakfast club is half an hour. 8.20 isn’t even the average time to start school.

Our breakfast club opens at 7.30 and school starts at 8.50 and this is pretty standard

Lucked · 09/01/2025 20:07

The admin error is a pain and worth investing but not really okay to not get her something while you wait. I was once driving to school and realised my kids hadn’t had breakfast (thought my husband had done it) only had a small corner shop available but still managed to get them a banana, a rice crispies square and an orange juice.

fanaticalfairy · 09/01/2025 20:08

Is this school in the middle of a desert or something? Why would you sit in the car for 1hr instead of popping home/cafe/supermarket?

LetsNCagain · 09/01/2025 20:08

ToKittyornottoKitty · 09/01/2025 20:07

So weird to assume breakfast club is half an hour. 8.20 isn’t even the average time to start school.

Our breakfast club opens at 7.30 and school starts at 8.50 and this is pretty standard

No school I've ever worked at has started as late as 8.50.

Hoppinggreen · 09/01/2025 20:09

DreamW3aver · 09/01/2025 19:45

Why did you have to sit in the car?

And why coudn't you have the heating on?

ToKittyornottoKitty · 09/01/2025 20:09

LetsNCagain · 09/01/2025 20:08

No school I've ever worked at has started as late as 8.50.

Are you not in the UK? It’s an absolutely bog standard starting time.

fanaticalfairy · 09/01/2025 20:10

LetsNCagain · 09/01/2025 20:05

Where did she say it was an hour? Breakfast club is usually half an hour isn't it. That's not enough time to drive home, get breakfast and then drive back to school. Not every school has a pret nearby!

Because she expected to drop off at 7:50.

Schools normally open gates around 8:45/8:50 or so...

Mumsgotaheadache01 · 09/01/2025 20:10

They had banana and fruit bar from work bag just to clarify. 🤣🤣

OP posts:
TwentyTwentyFive · 09/01/2025 20:10

LetsNCagain · 09/01/2025 20:08

No school I've ever worked at has started as late as 8.50.

Just because you haven't doesn't mean it's not common. I work across a lot of primary schools and t's very unusual for a primary school to start before 8.30. most start after 8.40.

fanaticalfairy · 09/01/2025 20:10

LetsNCagain · 09/01/2025 20:08

No school I've ever worked at has started as late as 8.50.

All the schools round here open gates at 8:40-8:50

Noodlehen · 09/01/2025 20:11

Mumsgotaheadache01 · 09/01/2025 20:10

They had banana and fruit bar from work bag just to clarify. 🤣🤣

I’m not sure that’s funny? A banana and fruit bar is hardly a sufficient breakfast. Especially in this weather.

fanaticalfairy · 09/01/2025 20:11

Mumsgotaheadache01 · 09/01/2025 20:10

They had banana and fruit bar from work bag just to clarify. 🤣🤣

So she did have something to eat then...

Mumsgotaheadache01 · 09/01/2025 20:11

Also it's snowing, and we don't live close enough to the school to get home, eat breakfast and get back to school on time. Also school start is 8.50

OP posts:
fanaticalfairy · 09/01/2025 20:12

Noodlehen · 09/01/2025 20:11

I’m not sure that’s funny? A banana and fruit bar is hardly a sufficient breakfast. Especially in this weather.

It's not much more than they get at these breakfast clubs...

Ilovecakey · 09/01/2025 20:12

Completelyjo · 09/01/2025 19:25

I’m just stuck on the fact that you sat in the car with a primary school child for over an hour rather than taking them home or to the shop to get breakfast even when you knew you couldn’t leave them at the club.

Yes exactly what I thought, couldn't you have either gone home and done her some toast or cereal or brought her a meal deal from the shop?

biscuitsandbooks · 09/01/2025 20:13

Mumsgotaheadache01 · 09/01/2025 20:11

Also it's snowing, and we don't live close enough to the school to get home, eat breakfast and get back to school on time. Also school start is 8.50

So there was nowhere you could go for an hour to warm up and get your child some food?

fanaticalfairy · 09/01/2025 20:13

Mumsgotaheadache01 · 09/01/2025 20:11

Also it's snowing, and we don't live close enough to the school to get home, eat breakfast and get back to school on time. Also school start is 8.50

No shops within 25 mins then?

How far away is school, they can surely eat breakfast in the car? My DD has done that and we're 6 minutes drive away!

Swipe left for the next trending thread