To expect school to have some consideration for working parents...

[wishingchair]

... and that a teacher casually mentioning this morning that the afterschool club that afternoon isn't happening due to a staff meeting is a bit unreasonable.

I had rearranged meetings to fit with said after-school club and had choice of looking like an idiot rearranging them again so I can pick DD up, scrabbling around to find someone else to walk her home or not attending meeting (not good option).

I work from home so I can do school runs but need a bit more notice than that. Not the first time stuff like this has happened (2 days to make an elephant costume anyone?) but surely they should know that parents have other commitments, some of them very rigid commitments at that and we're not sat here doing nothing all day waiting to attend to whatever request they throw at us??? Makes me very

YANBU

Even with an optional activity club, I'd expect at least a few days notice of a cancellation, except in absolutely exceptional circumstances.

I work from home as well and juggle commitments around the school day. If my child is booked into a club which is supposed to finish at a certain time, I think it's reasonable for me to assume I don't have to pick her up till that time, and schedule work accordingly.

(In fact I'm doing so tomorrow. If DD1's dance club is cancelled, I will be 10 miles away at school pick-up time, on my way back from a meeting .)

If its a school run club then YABU, its an activity not childcare.

Angelene, I use an after school club for DS that is ran as wrap around care and it runs every day and has never been cancelled. Its run by a business on the school premises and always has cover for illness etc. As long as the club is advertised as childcare and not an activity you will be fine.

I'm amazed that people think it's OK to cancel an activity club with less than a day's notice! If the school has said the children are going to be leaving at x o'clock, then that's the time they should be leaving - unless there is a very exceptional reason why it has to be cancelled at such short notice.

Staff sickness I'd understand, but a staff meeting doesn't sound terribly unexpected. Unless something major has cropped up that they don't want to tell parents about.

Equally, I guess any working parent needs to have a back-up system for such eventualities. I have a couple of neighbours and a friend who's a childminder, who I know I can call on if necessary for a school pick-up - and I do the same for them if need be.

The school normally keeps the children until they can be picked up.

This is not paid childcare.

A teacher has to go to a staff meeting, it is in the contract, but they don't have to do an afterschool club-that is teachers being good natured and shouldn't be taken for granted.
There is only one answer if people start carping about it, and that is for all teachers to stop running them and then the DCs miss out.
If a DC is going to a club run by a teacher you shouldn't use it as child care. For a start, if the teacher is ill it will be cancelled. If you need child care you need to pay for the child care After School Club.

Anyone who has teachers running clubs at the end of the school day is very lucky.