"Walking to School" Minding...

[chel86]

Just thoughts really and if I can do it.

I drop off and pick up mindee from school every day. He's 6 and I always ensure that we are there on time and I wait until he has lined up and is in his class room before I leave.

The school have sent out "reminders" to all parents, as there are quite a feww for some reason or another (probably to dash to work) who let the children walk in to the school gates on their own, therefore not lining up, or dropping them of at the school and leaving them there until the bell goes. The school obviously are not covered by insurance for this to mind the kids and do not have the teachers on hand to watch over kids who have been dumped in the playground/cloakroom before it opens.

My mindee's mother mentioned this to me and suggested I advertised for "walking to school", so the kids are dropped off at my house at 8:50 and I walk them to school and watch them in the playground until they go in to class, or the parent meets me in the playground and I watch the kid when the parent leaves.

Can I do this? Within reason of course. I won't be trailing to school with 20 kids behind me!! But a few kids for the (literally) 1 minute walk to school and watching them for 5 minutes until they go in.

Well I suppose you can do as many as you want over 8years right? It's the 5-8 age group you'd have to worry about.

My village does a walking bus - maybe the parents could ask the school to see if there is that kind of scheme run by the council? Ours is Kent.

They don't unfortunately, which is why I got thinking. I would be minding them for only a maximum of 1 hour a week. And while I could charge a daily rate for this and any extra money is always helpful, the main issue is the safety of the kids. Some parents don't even get out of their cars and let the kid walk to the school gates and wait in the playground, which is a good 100m from the car to the school gate. Anything could happen. At least if I walked them to the school and waited the 5 minutes before they are in school I and he parent would know the child is safe.

No it sounds good to me, I agree the parents shouldn't do that and no doubt you will have takers.. it's just going to come down to numbers isn't it? No doubt more paperwork too!

I wonder how to work this, surely it's possible. Hopefully more useful c/ms will come and help out!

That's what I'm wondering about. Do I have to take in to account numbers if it's only for 1 hour a week?? I would obviously take in to consideration the safety of the kids I mind now and my kids, and the safety of the kids I would "walk", but would I have to take any "walkers" in to account with my numbers?

You would have to be in ratio, I imagine.

Chel, yeah I think so. Any child under 12 I think in your care would have to be on a written contract with permission forms and all the rest of it. In that case, then yes I would think that it does need to be based on your current ratio.

Perhaps a call to Ofsted to double check? Or don't want to open that can of worms?

You would need to keep within your insurance limit, which is 12 children in total, if insured through NCMA - Link to Insurance Summary - also read their conditions regarding ages of those children (other insurers may have different limits, check your policy carefully).

Ok, that's great. If anyone knows anything else it would be great to hear. My insurance is up for re-newal and asks how many children I want to be insured for, and I wouldn't want anymore than 10 kids walking with me at one time anyway, including my own, and two of them would be in a buggy.

I might ask Ofsted just in case and see what they say, but might start with my network co-ordinator first!!