How do parents drop children off at school if they work 8-5pm

[Mrstumbletap]

DS goes to school next year, and I'm trying to fathom how people drop off and pick up when they work longer than the school day. What do you all do? Childminder? Childminder then breakfast club? After school club?

Your employer has to try and accommodate some sort of flexible working. Could you take a half hour lunch and start at 8.30 instead? Would that be enough time to drop your dc at breakfast club and get to work in time?
My employer kind of does this i can only drop ds at nursery at 7.45 but I have to be in work by 8, I just get there as quick as I can and knock off my lunch hour what I was late by. Usually I'm in for 8.10/8.15ish

Your employer has to try and accommodate some sort of flexible working.

Only if your current role allows flexibility. You can't have flexible hours when you are a nurse, a receptionist, or in this case a teacher. I am sure the list can be very long.

uhoh no teachers can't! How would you feel if your child had a teacher that was never there for you to drop your child off - or in this case secondary school to take the reg? Flexible working doesn't exist with teaching!!
OP also has a 45 min commute to factor in. So best case scenario drops child at 8.45 & arrives at secondary school at 9.30 earliest.
Teaching for 39 weeks of the year is very family unfriendly. Of course school hols are amazing - but term time is a nightmare. Meetings/parents evenings/after school revision sessions for GCSE.
A half hour lunch for a teacher would be a luxury too.

Sorry didn't read full post didn't realise she was a teacher no need for the bashing.

Could you put the child in a school closer to your work school? I do appreciate school places are hard to secure when you live out the area but could that be an option . Or could you apply for a teaching post a bit closer to home?
Like I said above I've only skimmed through the post but could Dad ask for flexible working hours

So you do 4x9h days with a half hour lunchbreak? 34 hours per week?

Can you change your hours to 9-5 on five days? Then you can use breakfast and after school club and offset by having a few more hours at work.

Ignore that; spent so long typing that I missed your second update about being a teacher!
I think childminders will be your main course of action to start off with . start looking now as they tend to be in short supply!

Yes childminder. Our school breakfast club wouldn't be open in time.

Hi thanks again for your replies. Yes unfortunately there is no flexibility available really. I usually get to school for 8 and leave at 5:30/6pm and do the rest at home. There is a meeting every day after school so I can't really leave until 5pm at the earliest. Obviously with parents evening, awards evening school shows etc I leave at 9/9:30pm. But as I know about them in advance its easier to manage.

I have thought about a primary school near my work, but then that would mean a 45 minute commute on my part time day off to take him to school.

Oh dear I really seem to have made this difficult for myself

Been looking on TES for teaching jobs there is nothing in a 50 mile radius.

Can't believe some of you had to give up you careers you loved to do school drop offs and pick ups, that's heart breaking.

Those hours plus commute will be tough without a nanny or very flexible childminder.

I was late leaving work today, actually left in good time but got stuck in horrible work car park along with lots of other people. Was late picking one DD up and just on time to get the other. Got home late with both children tired and grumpy.

There just isn't enough slack for me with timings of my job and childcare. Anything unexpected scuppers me. I can totally see why people leave. To be fair I don't love my job anyway .

DC's school is effectively 7:15am to 5.45 pm should I need it to be, included in school fees (one of the reasons I chose it). Some mornings I need to drop them off a little earlier so their granny or a childminder takes them from 6.30/7, the same with if I need to stay later at a job.

Our local nursery offers wrap-around care so we were able to drop both kids off from 7:30 and then pick up at 6. Always worth finding out if there is a similar set-up in your area.
A lot of parents at our school also use breakfast club and after school club.

We now have an au pair which makes life so much easier.

I know a family who always have gap year students (found on childcare.co.uk) dropping the kids off at school and picking them up as well.
Maybe you could find a student who would do the school drop-off and then arrange for after school club / childminder.

Toostressyformyowngood are you a teacher?

For people mentioning au pairs do they have to live with you?

I have never heard of this wrap around care thing at nurserys, I'm going to have a search now.

Council website for CM that's another hidden secret, how do you all know these things?!

Mrstumbletap, no, I'm a HCP in a fairly niche area (paranoid about being outed on here!) but do a lot of teaching of adults - could never teach in a school!

I only know these things because DD1 is 6 so I have had years to figure stuff out. I still get it wrong frequently .

I'm a teacher too. Dreading this! There will be cms in the area who do drop offs and pick ups at your Dcs school. Dd is currently at a cm near my school so I can drop her off at 8 and pick up at 5.30 (45 min commute also). I'm thinking my best bet is to move near the school so she can stay there and go to the school my cm's son goes to.