What did you do re hours/childcare when your child went to school?

[jem899]

My DS will start school next September, so still a while away, but at that point DC2 will be going to nursery.

I'm curious to know, if you worked say 3/4 full days a week whilst your child was at nursery, did you continue to do the same when they went to school? And therefore used wraparound care? Or did you reduce your hours (and therefore your income!) to work around the school a bit more?

TIA

I have always worked full time and used wrap around care. 3 kids. In September I will have one in Year 5, one in reception and one at nursery. Plus a newborn. They get used to the routine and have generally never minded.

I do work a bit flexibly so one day a week I start really early and finish in time to pick up from school. Which is nice for all of us.

Wrap around care - look for a school that offers this! Not all do.

When DS2 started school, I quit work.
Holidays were nigh on impossible. Most of the school holiday stuff was 9-3. Imposdible when you start work at 8.
Nursery days were a breeze compared to school.

There is nurseries in my area who do before/after school club incase a school doesn't round your area.

We used a childminder.

DH and I both worked flexi time so we could continue full time but working around pick ups.

I work Tuesday and Thursday 7.30-8pm, I have a childminder who does wraparound for both my kids, husband collects at 5.30 and drops off at 8. She also has them in school holidays

To start with (with an 18mo and 5yo) we used a childminder who did drop offs and collections from the school. We carried on like that after DD2 started at school nursery, then moved schools and now we use the school's wraparound care. I work 4.5 days a week and collect them on a Friday afternoon to start the weekend.

I worked full time from the time my eldest started school and youngest was 2 (would have liked to have waited another year but an opportunity came up I couldn't overlook). We used wraparound care that my DS always thrived in. Never had issues with tiredness or anything like that. The hard stage is when they're starting to grow out of after school club but not old enough to walk/be on their own. Thankfully between the pandemic and promotion I'm now able to work much more flexibly and from home which means I'm not quite as reliant on wraparound care for my youngest (eldest at high school now).

(Just to add, always used school clubs)

Stayed the same. 4 days a week. 30 hours a week. Used wraparound care and holiday clubs as needed.

I swapped my 4 day week for school hours so that I can drop off and pick up.

I wish I hadn't. Wrap around care and a day off in the week would have been far less hectic. I have zero down time.

I increased my hours back to FT. We got an after-school nanny and use her plus holiday club, which runs 0830-1730. If we hadn't been able to get a nanny we'd use after school club.

I used to do 2 short days and 2 long days (28hrs), now I do 3 short and 2 long (33hrs). DH does 3x drop off and 2x pick up. It means dc only need to go to after school club on my 2 long days.

It isn't very good value for money for nursery because we paid for a full day but picked dd2 up at 2.45pm but it was a relatively short term situation until she started school.

I worked four short days when my son started school, I would walk him to school and then use after school club four days a week. I have recently changed to three longer days and due to my husbands work we now use after school club twice a week.

When DS was at nursery I worked 30.5 hours a week with a Wednesday off.

Since starting school, I upped my hours to 33 over 5 days.
He goes to breakfast club 5-days a week. I finish early two days to collect from school, DH does 1 day. He goes to a childminder on the other two days.

Upping my hours, even a small amount, made a big difference to my take home pay and pension contributions.

Thanks everyone for your responses, it's really good to know how people have organised their lives when their DC starts school.

I am wondering what would be best from a life admin vs child's perspective, whether 3 x normal length days, so working 8:30-4:30, and therefore DC would be in wrap around care from 8-5.
Or, 4/5 shorter days meaning I could do either pick-up or drop off (or both even), and be there more for DC or would that make life much harder for holidays?

Maybe I'm lucky but my employer is flexible in the school holidays. Normally I work 0830 to 1400. If I can't drop off at holiday club until 9am, so I'm not at work until 0930, I can work on an extra hour in the afternoon to make up the time because I can collect from holiday club at 5pm, rather than from school at 3pm.