holy crap! - price of child care - do i get any help?????

[tummytickler]

Hi all,
I am really excited to have just been accepted onto PGCE Secondary - but am now starting to think i haven't thought it through terribly well!
I thought we would be better off if i were to train to be a teacher but now i am not sure.
I have 4 dc's whom will be 7yrs, 5 yrs, 3 yrs and 13months when i start in September - and i have just found out my childcare is going to cost in the region of £400 PER WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How on earth will i afford this. dh is also studying full time (we decided it would be better to do it together and be REALLY broke for a short while instead of a bit skint for ages!) What help am i entitled to.
On top of this i am sad as i have just realised that i will miss my younger kids forst day at school and all nativity plays and church services and sports day and the list goes on.

Please brig me some good cheer!

Also - advice on organising time so i am still able to spend a bit of time with dh and dc's. We were going to get a cleaner but now i am not sure we can.

I would advice you to contact your LEA.

It's all very complicated and you would be best off finding out directly from them.

Without wanting to give you false hope, from what I have read on the direct.gov website, you should be given considerable help for childcare

I am doing a BA and get a lot of help for nursery aged DS - the LEA pays for 80% of his fees and it's a grant (not loan) that I don't have to pay back. I am under the 'old' system rules though.
Is it possible to do the PGCE part-time?