Advice on after school pick up nannies/child minders! London area....

[bumblebee82]

Hi all,
Hope someone can help
I'm in the process of registering my DS for nursery schools, and I am wondering how to go about finding a nanny to pick him up after school, as I am unable to finish work till around 5pm. I will be able to drop DS in the morning though, so it is just an after school pick up I need advice on. It's another 2 yrs till my DS starts, but at least finding out about how other parents manage childcare will help me make an informed decision!

Basically I work in the City of London, and there are two schools at the moment which I am considering, Lyceum and Dallington. I have visited both and absolutely love both of them! But whilst Lyceum offer after school care... Dallington does not. I spoke to a teacher there, and he said that some parents share nannies to reduce the cost as well! Are there any Dallington mums or any mums in a similar situation here with any advice. What are the approximate costs, and does the nanny take your little one to their home until you collect them? I live in Essex so it wouldnt be convenient for a nanny to travel all the way to our home to wait until I get back!

Sorry if these questions sound silly but I really don't have a clue!

tbh you may find it hard to get a nanny to do 12-5 where cm's would be easier to find - as otherwise the nanny has to try and find a morn job

if you did have a nanny,then the nanny would go back to YOUR house and not the nannys - but as you live in essex this may be a problem with a nanny - so thats why i said a cm would be better

would you consider moving your child to a nursery near where you live rather where you work?

Hi! The only advice I can give is that I would think very carefully about imposing a long commute on a very young child. No matter how nice the school, they will get very tired, especially in the early years (because they are still little) and in Years 5 and 6 (because they are usually preparing for exams). In my opinion, anything much more than 20-25 minutes is long for a primary school age child.
Also, part of the fun is the after-schol and weekend socializing they do on playdates and at parties - which could be difficult or impossible for you to manage.
BTW, I am a Lyceum mother so feel free to ask questions if you like.

Hi! Thanks for the advice. I'm trying to find a nice school in my area, but can't find one that I feel comfortable with. Plus, our plan is to hopefully move back to east London within the next few years so the commute won't be as bad. I don't really want to move schools when that happens which is why I'm looking at schools in the City/east London.

The commute time from where we live is around 40 mins on one train, so I guess depending on my DS, he will be fine with it, or won't! I've seen a few kids on the way into work, they seem quite happy, although I'm sure it depends on their individual temperment!

I really like both schools, but I guess if I go for Dallington, then I will have to find a CM who lives in the area.

Summersoon, I fell in love with the lyceum when I visited! Does your LO attend the afterschool club everyday? All the kids were lovely and the head was great