Do you use any sort of wraparound care for school age children? And how much?

[Summermeadowflowers]

I’m trying to make a decision on what would work best for the family.

DS starts school in 2025, but I’m due back from maternity leave in July 24, and if I want to make changes to my work it would be best to do so then.

The primary school the children will probably attend does have some wraparound care but I’m not sure of the quality of it or how much it is used. I do have a loose impression that most children are picked up by parents or other family members - this isn’t the case here. In any case I’m keen to limit wraparound as much as possible. I am considering asking for two days a week (currently work three) to help settle DS into school when the time comes. But I am conscious that I won’t be working a lot at all in that case and that will obviously have implications for pay and so on.

I am just wondering what others do. The main issue is that we don’t have a school within walking distance and any realistic primary school that’s an option for us is in the other direction to my workplace. So I’d have to drop DS quite early to then get to work on time, especially factoring in dropping DD at nursery for the two years that’s applicable! So for example, I need to get to work for 825 at the latest - and that really is the very latest. Breakfast club starts 730, so I would have to drop DS off for that, probably get to DDs nursery at 750, then I could probably get to work for 810/815. It’s an early start though as we’d have to leave the house at 720.

I am largely ‘thinking out loud’ here but interested to know what wraparound looks like for other people and any suggestions or advice on how to best make it work.

Childminders do wrap around care and the 14 weeks school is closed...less their holidays which for many is 2 weeks summer 1 Christmas. Priority is given to children they have cared for before school or siblings if they are busy.

Breakfast club 8-9am is £4 and after-school until 6 is £9. This is pretty cheap as the company is a non for-profit. Neighboring school is £6 for breakfast club and £16 after school.

Quality of care is variables, the get a snack and plenty of outdoor free play, some crafts and use of the games hall. Supervising is minimal and can be lacking, the staff are mainly young early 20s who don't seem to take it too seriously.

Mine are older now, but we have used Childminders - so one drop off, and then the CMer takes older dc to school.

After we moved house, we used Breakfast Club in the morning and an after school childminder. Both were great. Initially, dh dropped the 2 school age dc to Breakfast club whilst I took the little one to her CMer.

Later, once they were all in school, I was in work for 7.10 so I could collect them all from CMer by 5.20ish and dh dropped them to breakfast club at 7.45 but didn't have the pressure of leaving on time each day.

You have to do what works for you as a couple. Both parents need to sit down and see what will work best for you as a family. So my first question is why are you doing 2 different drop offs rather than one each ?

I’m not on trial

DHs work is all over the place. He sometimes works away, sometimes in the office, in which case he has to leave just before 7 and only gets back at between 730-8. On the days he works from home he could do a drop off and pick up but these aren’t set days so would be variable each week and some weeks there wouldn’t be any. It’s easier to assume I’m doing it.

I do want to minimise the time they spend in wraparound in school but I’m probably projecting there as I wouldn’t have liked it!

Work 2 days week, previously nursery (2 days covered by funded hours do just top up) and childminders for older DC before and after school £5 an hour. Could have worked more days (as previously) but very stressful and after tax, NI, pension, student loan repayments, communing and childcare (extra in school holidays of course) really not that much better off. Also going to the childminder for just the 2 days is more of a novelty for the kids so they look forward to it rather than complain. Our entire standard of living much improved dropping down to 2 days

We both work F/T

Eldest in Y4, youngest in reception.

I wfh 3 days a week, on those days I do drop off and he does pick up and he looks after them/feeds/homework/showers them whilst I continue to work til 6 ish.

On the days I'm in the office he drops them at breakfast club (7.30) and I pick up when I get off the train at 530. Then they have a snack at home

Breakfast club is £3 starts at 7.30am, ASC is £9.50 and til 5.45pm.

They love club, constant moaning at pick up they want to stay longer.

We walk to and from school, a mile each way

My DH drops off at 7.30 for breakfast club then takes baby to nursery. I collect baby at 5 and child at 5.15. This is every day. Before and after school costs me about £200 a month

I work three days a week. One is weekend so dh has him. One I drop off and dh picks up. The third day I drop off and his previous nursery does wrap around so they collect him for about 90 min. Costs me £7. In the holidays it's £28 for the day, or he goes to grandparents.

In our area we have childminders (around £6 ph or £40 a day) There is a tt only after school club which is £6 ph . There's often sports camps for about £10 a session but they are 10-3 so no use for me.

Mine are older now, but when they were little I worked 3 days a week and they went to wraparound care on those days. They loved breakfast club (mainly because they got white toast there whereas it was brown at home!). I found that was a good balance for them and for me.

Ours are in wraparound 3 days a week - they love it and have made friends in different years. They would be happy to go 5 days a week. I wouldn't assume your kids will hate it or approach it in a negative way with them.

Would be tempted to stick to your current pattern and then see how it goes.

Haha, my kids are exactly the same with the white toast

We've got DC in Y1 and Y4 and I work 4 days a week. Until this month, they've always been in breakfast club and after school club on the 4 days that I work, so they started at 7.45 and we're picked up around 5.30.

It cost £6 each for the morning and £13 for the afternoon.

It did make for long days and both of them were tired in in Year R. They love the wraparound care though!

In fact, DH now works from home so he walks them to school most days now and they only go to breakfast club if he's away. Every day so far they've complained that they want to go to breakfast club! Apparently it's much more fun having breakfast with their friends!

I work 4 days but do 2 long days and 2 short days.
The kids do wraparound on my long days and I do pick up and drop off on my short days and my non working day.
I used to do 3 long days but the kids found it a bit much in club and I could afford to drop a couple of hours without an issue.

Could you DH make his working hours/place more consistent? I know he'll say he can't, but what if he had to? It's not fair that you're responsible for everything.

Me and DH both work full time. DD goes to breakfast club 4 mornings and after school club 2 evenings. We both have quite flexible working arrangements so can juggle the drop offs and pick ups between us no problem. We do only live a few mins walk round the corner though which definitely helps!

DD loves wraparound care and having extra time to play with her friends. I'm not sure why you are seeing it as a negative thing? I see it more of a social activity for her that also helps us out! They do loads of fun stuff crafts, colouring, playing outside, PE equipment etc and she says it's great!

Agree with others - I’m not sure why you’re seeing wraparound care as a negative thing.

DD has been going to ASC 3 days since she started school - 4 years now. She loves it and asks for to me pick her up as late as possible. She’s made friends with kids from other years too.

But she used to do 8-6 at nursery 4 days a week before school so it’s never felt like a big deal to us.

I changed jobs in march to work set days/hours that fit around my childcare. Both my DC go to my village school which helpfully has a preschool from age 2 on site. DS2 is at preschool 3 days a week (my working days) including breakfast club and tea club so 8-4.30. DD4 Has just started reception so is now in t days a week but breakfast and tea club on my working days. I moved jobs so I could take them both out of nursery and put them into preschool/school without too much disruption and saving a huge amount on nursery in the process. We are lucky in terms of holidays as MIL works in a school so is off during holidays and will have DC 2 days a week while I take a days annual leave every Thursday in the holidays so she doesn't have to have them 3 days!!

Are you sure wrap around (and nursery, but I guess you already know that one) will open early enough for you?
We rejected practically every childcare round here, as they didn't open til 8 - the time DH started work!

Quite a few seem to have an after school club. I don't really have anything only snack and chat after school till 16.30 it's absolutely no use cost £1.

Our provision is poor unfortunately. There are no childminders/breakfast clubs and the school's own breakfast club starts at 8.30 which is almost entirely pointless. After school club is £12.50 to cover until 5.30. I have to use flexi time to cover school runs as my husband leaves at 7am 4 days a week.

It's much more common for family to do school runs in our area, or parents not to be working.

Yes this. It's really ok to say, he has drop off responsibilities on a Monday & Weds or whatever days suit you. More men need to make this happen and more women need to not accept being default every day.

Why is it ok for you to rush around every day and him continue his flexible schedule??

I was going to say the same about your DH, he should put in a flexible working request and ask for set days (or at least a set schedule on your working days). Working parents have to work around their kids' drop off and pickup times, that's just how it is.

We both work 5 days in flexible jobs. Youngest is still in nursery 5 days so that's easy. Eldest is in school, she goes to breakfast club on the days we're both in the office. After school she's picked up by the after school club associated with youngest's nursery. They do homework, play, give them a hot meal and then bring her to youngest's nursery so we only have one pickup. There's an after school club at school too, it's not as good but it's now half the price so I imagine we'll use that once both DC are in school.

We each work one shorter day a week and pick dd1 up from school, and then work late on the other's short day.

She loves after school club, it's not a negative thing at all, they do loads with them.

DHs work just doesn’t lend itself to flexible working. It would make no financial sense at all for him to go PT. That isn’t based on him being male, it would be the same if it was me earning what he does. Pragmatically, there’s no point insisting the much higher earner works less and earns less so the lower earner can work more and make less money.

It probably is daft to see wraparound as negative. I am projecting as I would have hated it, but I wasn’t keen on school so having to stay an extra hour or two would have been horrible!

Since reception my DD has done breakfast club 4 days a week, starts at 7.50 and afterschool club 3 days a week until 5.30/6 latest. I felt so guilty that she had such long days from so little but she actually took to it fine. Although she's not a fan of the early starts (nor am I)! She's in year 3 now and is annoyed I'll be going on maternity leave soon and so she won't be going for the rest of year 3.

My daughter goes every morning and after school. I work full time and couldn’t manage without school wrap around care. She loves it, gets to play with friends for an hour or two after school, gets a snack. Much less screen time as she’s in club for about 2 1/2 hours a day and is running around or colouring in etc
I’m not sure why you seem to be implying wrap around is a bad choice?