Wraparound care at school cancelled

[Citytocountry1]

I’ve just opened an email from our school sent last thing on Friday saying they can no longer operate wraparound care as it’s not viable due to lower numbers since last term. They said they tried to find a solution but unfortunately there isn’t one. They didn’t even consult us parents who use it and ask us for more money or even say to the wider school use it or lose it, just decided to close it in March. I would gladly have paid more or had a discussion to figure out how to make it viable.

I work in a non wfh business 4 full 9-5 days a week, Thursday I work until 2.30 so I can pick them up at 3.15pm once a week. The children attend 4 days a week after school. Husband works in a production/manufacturing role and he is going to see what his work will let him reduce hours wise but we know that means pay reduction.

there are no childminders in our area, no nanny’s on childcare websites, the last childminder closed during Covid, we sadly don’t have family in the country so no help there, and the nearest school with wraparound is over 8 miles in the other direction of my work. I don’t really have any friends to ask either, we are quite new here we do know school parents but we don’t have the kind of relationships which some seem to have with each other to ask them to take our children home to theirs after school for nearly 3 hours. That’s a huge ask and I don’t know anyone who would do it.

just so upset and stressed tonight lots of tears and worry about what we do now. I don’t even know what to say to my work, the kind of job I do I can’t do from home and we can’t afford for me to lose it. Aren’t school supposed to consult and figure out how to help make it work?

feeling so panicked about this happening and sad as the children enjoyed the activities at after school and we were able to work knowing they were looked after 😓

Its really difficult.the school do have some requirements to consider wraparound but its more guidance, there's no legislative force to make them provide it. Can you email the wraparound provide and ask if any of their staff would want to babysit/childmind?

We have no family in the county either so I really sympathise. My mum is abroad and in laws the other side of the country.

If I were in this position, in the short term I'd ask a relative to come for a 2 week visit to buy me some time - do you have anyone who could fly in to do this? And/or take a week of annual leave.

Then in that time I'd spend the whole week researching for a regular babysitter who could do pickups. I can't believe there is literally no one in your area unless you live very remotely.

I don't have any brilliant ideas but I really feel for you, it would be a disaster for me too if our school did this. I know they have to be viable but I chose my child's school specifically because it had really good wraparound care, it seems unfair they can unilaterally decide this. Are you on a parents' Whatsapp, has anything been said?

Agree with above, see if staff interested in private work.
Other suggestions -
local college/uni offering teaching/childcare courses - do the students want to work for you?
send a message in your class what’s app and ask if anyone else in same position and if so, have they found anyone to help… perhaps offer to collect others kids on a Thursday and see if anyone else offers another day. You may find someone else knows of a good nanny/childminder available

Can you ask any of the wraparound staff if they’d be interested
in working for you privately?

This sounds really stressful, is it being stopped after the Feb half term, as that really doesn't give the parents who use it and need it much time to find alternative arrangements!

Thank you both for responding unsure of how to respond to each post individually in this . So it’s school in house run by a local parent who is paid and another staff member. We don’t have a school what’s apps group or if we do I’m not on it. I did text one parent I know who uses it but she hasn’t got back to me yet. Just shocked they pulled it telling us on Friday of half term

We are getting until March, I’ve done a Facebook post tonight in our village group to see if anyone knows anyone locally who could help. It’s hard enough having to keep annual leave for the summer holidays 😭😭

One member of staff brings her two children I don’t think she would be up for it as she recently stepped in to cover another staff member. The other one I think will definitely look for a job as she was also covering the breakfast club in the mornings, and is a lunc time monitor . I can see her looking for a whole other job but it’s a good point I will ask even if it’s just a temp solution

Honestly such a disaster it’s a small school and their numbers are always a worry but why would you close a service which ideally should attract more parents who need to work and can’t do a 3.15pm pick up every day 😣

Sounds like a good business opportunity for someone!

You would think so! I think the issue with one operating that isn’t in the school is we live in a rural village and lots of people seem to have family to help, or rely on long term friendships too, or seem to all work around school. We also have 3 children and as it’s rural it’s a drive home/other places. Even 1 adult with 2 children and our 3 means a 7 seater vehicle.

' Aren’t school supposed to consult and figure out how to help make it work?'

Once upon a time children went to school to be educated.

Now schools are used as childcare.

Clearly the wraparound was running at a loss - 2 staff members for 2 ? or more hours on min wage = £12.60 x 2, x 2 hours or more plus all the add on expenses of NI and pension etc. plus tea ( sandwich yogurt fruit ) plus electricity plus
materials for crafts etc.

and the parents are paying what ?

Our local school gave notice 2/3 weeks ago that after half term the asc will finish at 5pm instead of 6pm as there was approx one child 3 days a week from 5-6pm

Oh that is my worst school nightmare! In a similar position to you @Citytocountry1 with no “village”. DD goes to a tiny school and has wraparound which is vital for us and why we picked the school, I’m now a parent governor too. I can say from that perspective that you should contact the chair of governors and ask for an explanation as to why this has been handled so badly. They do have to listen and respond.

I’m rural and there are no childminders available and my job is a 1 hr commute away. It’s literally impossible to do my full time
job without childcare. I am hybrid but need childcare for most of the week and we cannot have under 11’s at home while we work apart from emergencies -that’s policy. I also need to be able to change my office days with zero notice so we are required to have childcare in place every day.

Fortunately the school offers wraparound as a loss making service. The fee they charge covers the overheads of most resources but not the staffing and it is nowhere near being profitable. You should challenge why yours is closing.

Once upon a time parents could afford to live on one salary when they don’t have a village of extended family around them to help 😓

"why would you close a service which ideally should attract more parents who need to work and can’t do a 3.15pm pick up every day"

because childcare is not the school's responsibility, the inflexible job you chose is not the school's responsibility. Sounds like the 'service' is functioning as any other business model would - not financially viable then it closes.

Your work and life situation sounds similar. Our school obviously have decided they can’t operate at a loss. It’s so annoying this happened and now it’s half term. I’ll have root around our paperwork from school and see if I can find an email for the governors. It’s just sucks. If we could afford to live on one salary or for one of us to only work part time or something 😓

Speak to the staff at after school club. You may fine one is happy to be your nanny or childminder. If children are over 8years old childminding registration much much easier

No I chose a school which raved about their wraparound provision when we joined. I feel like the rug has been pulled from under our feet

Good schools don’t think like that at all. Our trust is made up of very tiny rural schools but wraparound care is provided at a loss as an essential part of the school day.

No parent should be forced to work part time or not work to facilitate schooling, that sort of attitude is why the gender pay gap still pervades. Women are are not meant to sacrifice themselves so they can hang around the school gates at 3pm.

Eurrghh, the fact that some women think that is ok just boils my piss.

thank you for understanding this

By the sounds of it, it is a private business operating out of the school so there's no duty to consult. The business is not longer viable so they are closing.

Breathe though, you've got until March to get something sorted in the interim, and then it's Easter holidays (which presumably you've got covered?) so you have time. Put out some adverts locally, this might be an attractive little job for someone retired or a student.

Speak to both your employers, let them know the situation, see if they can offer any temporary flexibility. Think about what you could give in return.

If you really can't solve this in the long term you might want to consider moving to a bigger school with more robust out of school care options.

Sympathy, I had the same thing happen a few years ago. I immediately joined the waiting list for the single childminder who picks up from the school, and am still waiting.

I was lucky that DH and I could rearrange our working hours around it. I have no idea what we would have done otherwise.

I don't think most people realise just how unavailable childcare is in more rural areas, and how much has disappeared following covid.

They didn’t even consult us parents who use it and ask us for more money or even say to the wider school use it or lose it, just decided to close it in March. I would gladly have paid more or had a discussion to figure out how to make it viable.

That's pretty crappy.
How old are your kids? Do you know how many would make it viable to an outsourced company?

The governors should be listed on the school website. The process for contacting them should also be clear-if it’s not that’s another sign it’s a shit show.

Is it maintained school or an academy? If an a academy, is it a trust? The governing body can be at trust level.

I’m a single parent but wouldn’t be financially dependent on my ex for all the tea in china. No-one should have to be forced to leave employment.