After school care for High school children. There is none!!

[Shybairns]

Hi my step son is due to start high school this September and as both his Dad and I work we are wondering what folk do with their 11 yr old after school hours. We are not home till 5: 30 - 6pm and we feel that he is too young to be walking home and letting himself in.
Any suggestions or experience of this welcome.

Just a thought about clubs.

DD1 didn't attend many in Y7 out of choice because she felt safer walking home at 3pm than at 4.30 pm in the dark (2 mile walk through small town, last mile through quiet residential areas). However by Y8 she was much more confident and started staying most nights.

It is definitely worth finding out if there are, in addition to organised clubs such as sport, 'homework clubs' in school: the maths and science teachers at DD1's school offer quiet rooms and support with homework until 4pm several days a week. DD1 chose to go to all of them as she said it was easier than organising herself at home.

Our local public library also runs an afterschool homework session a couple of days a week, with access to computers and a librarian on hand to help with research etc.

I have a few 16-18 yr olds who don't mind popping in after college for a few hours and heating up a pizza for my 2 DDs who are 7 and 11. Will carry on the same for a couple of years until DD1 is old enough to be left in charge I think.

At 11 I let myself in after school. Can you call home the first couple of days to check he made it ok and then wean yourself off from there?

Alternatively, you could pay for a 'mothers help' a few days a week. They're a bit like a cross between a housekeeper and a nanny (I was one while at Uni). They do homework with the children, do a bit of laundry/ironing/cleaning/tidying up (whatever you want really) and then make dinner ready for the family.