How do you do the school run when your DCs schools are miles apart?

[minko]

I am facing this dilemna next year once DS starts school. We have moved to a new area and are really unhappy with DD's school, so will be applying for a different one for DS. They are about a mile apart but both start and finish at the same time. How do other parents manage?

How old is DD, can you drop her early in the playground whilst you got on to ds school?

If not then, looks like you would have to put both in same school.

Would love to but the waiting list for our preferred school is v. long.

It's going to be an ongoing problem as because of their ages there is 4 school years between them so they will never be at the same school anyway.

There is NO WAY I'd put DS into DD's school. We are desperate to get her out of there, there's no way DS will go there too!

so can you leave dd in the playground and go on with ds? what age is she?

She will be 8 and he'll just be starting school...

Can you see if any friends who live nearby can help - maybe see if they can collect DD or DS for you? And do a bit of a swap on the collecting front?

Hmmm, we have no friends at the moment - we are in a new area. Also all the neighbours' kids are at our preferred school which is at the end of the road and we are driving a mile and a half to the school DD was allocated. I don't know any mums with kids DS's age or who would be doing the run to his primary.

Am hoping I might be able to get a childminder to do one run or the other...

I think you need to explain your situation to both schools and ask that if you are early / late they take this into account and help out.

At our school if a parent is late to pick up then the child goes into the library to read until they arrive - there is usually someone there for at least an hour - not ideal I know.

You'll just have to make friends with your new neighbours and get them to take and pick up ds.

Put dd on the waiting list for the new school. She'll get sibling priority and hopefully will go to the top of the list. So she should get a place within a reasonable time frame. If she is in the juniors you could also appeal for a place.

You have to beg favours from the others mum and basically do whatever it takes. It took us a term to get all our children moved from one school to another. So In the Big scheme of things not a long time.

Is breakfast club and after school club a possibility?
At one point I had five children in five different schools so it was a military exercise to get everybody where they should be.
I used a combination of clubs. friends and expected the ones at the local schools to get themselves there once they got to eight or nine.

I have to just leave my DS (aged 7 and a half) in the playground once the gates are open, and take my younger DS to his school. He has strict instructions about staying inside the gates, not going out under any circumstances and if he has forgotten something, to ask a teacher to call me and never to try and follow me out or get home. there's also always a teacher patrolling the playground before the bell goes and they know to keep a general eye out for him.
My younger son's school are aware of the dash I have to make from one to the other and are flexible about him coming in slightly late as long as we are quiet and have everything already to put on his peg so we don't make a big fussy entrance and disturb the other children. I just think you have to be upfront with both schools, explain your problem and ask for whatever help they can give you.

Glad to hear there are plenty of others in the same situation. DD's school opens the gates at 8.35, then I have to run back to the car, drive for 5 mins, park then run up the road into the next school which starts at 8.50, so in theory it should be OK...

If she could work her way up the waiting list for the school at the end of the road that would help enormously but we're 14th at the moment... (intake is 126).