How do you manage two school runs in different directions?

[Hopper123]

Just that really. 6 year old in one school. 4 year old didn't get in for September and is waaaay down the waiting list. School the council gave us wasn't any of our options and we declined the really rubbish school they gave us so we have redone the application for schools in a different area which we know are decent and where there would be some familiarity for the 4 year old as she would know a few of the kids in these schools (used to live in the area). Obviously we're probably going to have to utilise breakfast and after school clubs but I'm worried that's going to be exhausting for them every day. My parents are not too far away from us but I don't want to lean on them too much to a set timetable for help with pick ups etc as my mum has M.E and has to be careful not to overdo it and also they're retired but I want the time with their grandchildren to feel fun and enjoyable rather than a chore. If we get into the other schools we will have to be out of the house about 45 mins earlier than currently and it's already a nightmare getting three kids out on time in a morning. The youngest goes to nursery in a different setting too so essentially it's three runs to different places by 9am.

I'm just looking for tips and advice really, if anyone has been through this how did you adapt your mornings to help you manage? How have you managed school events that occur on the same day around the same time in different places to ensure that one of your kids didn't feel you didn't care? Did you find schools understanding on the times you were finding it tough to get there on time/stuck in traffic etc?

Honestly I would look into moving older child.
I presume there's no sibling priority so definitely not a mistake?

Bloody hell… were siblings not prioritised in admissions criteria?

That’s awful OP- why no sibling priority? Do you have a partner that can do one drop off?

Could you move your older child to where your 4 year old is going? I appreciate this isn't ideal for the 6 year old, but it would help logistics.

Do both schools have breakfast club and after school club? One child does one, one child does the other? (If the 4 year old's school allows YR to do wrap around).

How far apart are the schools, and do you need to get to work?

Why did you reject where the council allocated a place? If you don't get into any of the schools you've now applied for I don't believe the council has any requirement to find another place for you, which would inevitably leave you to have to home school.
Could you phone the council back and accept the offered place, while waiting for these other schools?

Thanks for your responses only just getting to look at thread again now.

We rejected the school they gave us as it is an absolutely terrible school in a particularly bad area (I know that makes me sound judgy but I really don't care when it comes to their schooling I'm going to be) a friend of mine who is a teacher works with the ex deputy head of that school and even they said they wouldn't send their own children there. I am more than willing to not return to work and home school until we get another place for somewhere better if the council won't give us another school, would much rather that than where she was given. In that instance I would just keep doing in year applications until we got her somewhere better.

I think we may have to do what one poster mentioned about one doing breakfast club and one doing after school. Oldest is in a Catholic school so even though there's a sibling and we live in catchment it hasn't really helped our cause. It's not so much that she didn't get in there as that is always a risk with Catholic schools (we are c of e) but just that there are some other schools right near her sisters school which would be OK and close enough for it not to make much difference but the council didn't even give us any of those options either. I had mentioned to my husband about maybe doing an in year application to move our oldest over but he's really not happy about doing that, she's very, very bright and in the school she's in she is really supported and encouraged to go further and they seem to be nurturing her abilities whereas in other places children like that are often kind of left to just get on with things because they can manage OK without much intervention.

I'm just going to have to get militant in the morning about routine and times we'll get used to it I'm sure.

Sorry I've written another essay 😕