Would it be possible for the DDs to go to school in the village where DH is going to work? It would make pick up and drop off much easier and I know they have an after school club.

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Does anyone know if this is feasible? Having spent all day looking at houses and ofsted reports, it has occurred to me that it would be the answer to all of our problems - we wouldn't need an au pair, he could drop them off on his way into work and pick them up before he comes home.

depends whether they have spaces surely? Worth speaking to LEA about it

Ring them (the school) and ask.

I know someone who does this at my dds school so definitely possible. But we have falling rolls down here and no state primary schools are oversubscribed.

I will ring them. Have friend there on Board of Governors, she thinks they should have room without any problem (small village school). Another plus is that her DD is there and is my DD's oldest friend, so that should help her settle in.

Where are you, Enid?

I would say it would depend on how heavily subscribed the school was. If there are places then it would be OK, if not then you would have a problem.

Also need to consider if DH's place of work changes, he is poorly, having friends round etc.

West Dorset

DH does not get poorly. I don't allow him to. Friends round wouldn't be a problem, I think, as we will only be about 20 mins drive away.

Lucky you, Enid...

I want those chocs btw

CAT me and they're yours. Or put your e-mail addy here and I'll contact you.

It sounds like a good option, and there's no reason why they cannot. (I think crossing LEA boundaries might be tricky though - is it in the same county/LEA?) You just need to bear in mind the things others have mentioned about friends in the locality, dh being ill, etc. A 20 min journey doesn't sound much, especially when dh is going that way, but a 40 min roundtrip just to 'pop' a playmate home, or to drop a child at a party, does seem a lot.

Having said that dss rarely have playmates from school, they just play with each other and with friends in the street - who don't necessarily go to their school.

Another thing you need to be clear on is school/work starting time. Does the school have a breakfast club? Can your dh really drop the girls off and get to work for a reasonable time?

Bucks is a separate LEA to MK. If the village school is in Bucks, I'm really not sure where you stand on this. You'd need to give them a call.

One of mine went to a primary school 22 miles away (but same LEA) so it's probably possible. How will he fit in work hours with school hours? All the mums I know who do a proper school run can only work about 5.5 hours a day.

..must preview- I knew I had a point... The only other thing I would say is do take into account how "out of it" you are if you don't ever do the school run. I didn't know any of the other kids at DSs school, or their parents. Only met one or two of the teachers, and didn't really know what was going on. It isn't a very nice feeling.

How long do they have left at primary school? Speaking from bitter experience, job situations can change rather quickly and unexpectedly. Also you need to think about secondary transfer when the time comes.

I did this with my kids. It was a lovely school and it fitted in with my job as I was able to drop them off and pick them up easily. The school was only 3 miles away, but it made life much easier. We found that lots of parents did it with this particular school, so my kids weren't the only ones who didn't live in the village.

I've e-mailed the school, so keep your fingers crossed.

No problem about crossing LEA boundaries. DS1 did it when he went to mainstream (and he had SN and a statement so it was more complicated than usual). In fact at that school lots of the children corssed LEA boundaries because the school was right next to the boundary.

I don't think the crossing boundaries will be a problem. Some of the kids there commute (!) from Northampton which is miles away!

Hi Mrs Schadenfreude. DD is going to a nursery that is in a different LEA. It's a COE school and very oversubscribed. We got a foundation (i.e. regular church attendance) place. It is about a 10-15 minute drive. Nanny will be taking her every day on the bus. It is a much better school than the local one, and I would trek to Mars to drop her off if I had to. If you can get accepted at this school then I think you should go for it.

If worse comes to worst, you'll just need to get an au pair, so no worseoff than you are now.

Still waiting to hear from the bloody school. Will ring them on Thursday if still have heard nothing.

Yay! They are 98% sure that they have room for the girls and can take them.

All we need now is a house.

Which school are you talking about MrsS? I live near Northampton and am intrigued (sp?)!

Yafta, would rather not say, but is about 10 mins drive from Milton Keynes.

I think I would check the schools out carefully. MK LEA came in the bottom 3 in the country last year, especially where the secondary schools are concerned. Northampton schools generally come out very well, and there is a much better choice at secondary level. That's partly why we moved out of the MK area.

It's a small village school, with a good Ofsted report, and friends are very happy with it. We will only be there for 3-4 years tops, so no worries about secondary schools.

MrsSchadenfreude - FanTAStic news that you are "as good as in". That must be a huge weight off your mind! Good luck in finding somewhere to live now.