Staggered drop offs and siblings

[Werk]

If your DC's primary school is implementing staggered drop off times when school returns do they have a policy for siblings?
Mine will be going into nursery and Yr1.
There will be 45 mins between each drop off and collection, in normal times there were 5 mins between each (in the same playground, so you would just wait) but I will have to queue up, drop/ collect One DC and then find somewhere else to wait with for 45 mins before going back to collect/ drop the other. They have categorically said that they cannot make other arrangements for siblings. They have also reduced the school day by half an hour.
Assume usual lazy/ unhelpful DH rules apply (he said he will try to help me on the days he WFH 🙄).
We live a 20 min walk from school (3yr old speed). I do drive but try not to for health/ environment etc.
I work a 15/20 min walk from the school. I used to work 9-3pm 3 days a week but I am going to have to do 9.45-2.30 and make up my hours in the evening/ other days when I have my youngest still - I am fortunate that I can work flexi time as this news was dropped on us this morning and they go back next Thursday.
I am going to have to drive, aren't I?
Wraparound care is for key workers only, I am a key worker but DH isn't so apparently we are on a wait list as those with two key worker parents take priority (fair enough).
Just when I thought that things might get a little easier for me....

Any other suggestions about how to work this? There are shops and a cafe nearby but I can't be buying coffee and cake twice a day 🍰

How many days a week does DH WFH?

I'd say on his WFH days he does the late drop and early pick and on the other days you do both?

The youngest only goes to nursery on my working days.
DH has been WFH since March but goes in on random days - he is already going in next week for two days (both my work days). He has a meeting every day at 9am which isn't negotiable. He has suggested doing the later pick up and also that the youngest goes to nursery for an extra day - that would help me massively but then the guilt that she is there even more, she has only just turned 3.
He has written a strongly worded email to the school (he is very good at things like that whereas I start every email with "sorry...").
I am grateful to hear from others that their schools have managed to sort something out for siblings.

I'm really baffled by schools who haven't done this to be honest. If siblings aren't collected together then logically there will be a lot more parents at school than there needs to be?

But the alternative is less teaching time and interruption for at least one of the siblings, or longer days for most and staff required for the childcare of the students whilst waiting for their siblings.

Surely youngest in nursery on your day off mean another day of waiting around for 45 minutes??

Nursery is first at 8.45, yr1 at 9.30
Collect nursery at 14.45, yr1 3.30

I'd do
You drop off every morning, take a snack but not a drink for the 5 yo.
He does pick ups every day he's WFH (snack and tablet for 3 yo)
You do pick up if he's at work (I'm assuming he isn't able to be as flexible).

On one afternoon that you pick up, go to the cafe for a treat

If the youngest goes to nursery another day I can flex my hours to fit and not have to work in the evenings. But yes, there would be another 45 mins x2 of hanging about.

I would have thought they could have had some flexibility with the nursery - it isn't like they will have planned lessons and taking children in later/ having different finish times would make a difference.

45 min wait here in the morning (20 in the afternoon) and no Option of dropping off or collecting at the same time.

@Werk

If the youngest goes to nursery another day I can flex my hours to fit and not have to work in the evenings. But yes, there would be another 45 mins x2 of hanging about.

I would have thought they could have had some flexibility with the nursery - it isn't like they will have planned lessons and taking children in later/ having different finish times would make a difference.

Then do it. You'll be more relaxed after school which will be good for you all, and lots of kiddies her age are in 5 days, 8-6 in some cases. One extra day seems a reasonable trade off BUT DH still had to pull his weight

Staggered but siblings can be dropped together at younger child's drop off time, and picked up at older child's pick up time.

Hmmmmmm I'm waiting to see if our school will budge for siblings. I'm also concerned as a childminder picking up different year groups who aren't siblings might be a challenge. It's going to be a fun first few weeks back really hope we get a sibling drop off/pick up and A Childminder's drop off/pick up.

Really hope your school budges for you OP.

Get your lazy husband off his arse to take one child whilst you drop off the other.

Its annoying, I've been sulking about my 30 minute gap and no wrap around care.

Yours is worse, I agree with PP to kick up a fuss, surely other parents will struggle like you.

I’m Struggling a bit to see what the logic behind staggered times is.

My children have left primary school, however it would have been easy to have had every child dropped at different zones at the same time.

Surely you could drop each bubble in a different area of the school playground or building at the same time? Adults don’t need to hang about.

Can adults not be trusted to stay apart? Because they trust them to stay apart in other places.

I think it’s a layer of complication that will cause such a headache, especially in winter.

(Surely those with a 45 Min wait will congregate?)

Oh it’s a total headache but apparently to reduce mingling. So we all mingle miserably in the park in the rain. And then work late to make up the 2 hours spent doing drop off and pick up each day. Welcome to scotland where common sense left long ago.!

This has caused chaos in our school. We've had no consideration for siblings at all - other than "pay for breakfast club and we're doing nothing for after school at all" and there are some parents with a 50 minute time difference between siblings at both ends of the day.

School have now backpedalled a bit and are running a homework club (but making parents feel absolutely shite for needing to use it and really laying on the emotional blackmail) for the siblings at the end of the day.

They've also refused to work with the infant school which is 10 mins walk away so people with kids in both schools may have totally un-doable staggered times if they've been unlucky.

I'm incredibly lucky in that the way the classes have fallen (which has been random luck) I've only got 10 mins time difference between my kids.

Surely those with a 45 Min wait will congregate

Exactly, Countess
I can imagine the local Costa becoming a new ground zero.
Only so many times I can walk around the block for 45 mins with a 5 year old.

I have just received a letter - staggered times meaning 40 mins waiting outside on both ends with the youngest (4 y o), no mention of siblings

I think this is something primary schools do to parents. Make them follow pointless rules just to reinforce that the teachers are in a position of authority.

You know, like the parents are also children.

@ConcreteUnderpants

Surely those with a 45 Min wait will congregate

Exactly, Countess
I can imagine the local Costa becoming a new ground zero.
Only so many times I can walk around the block for 45 mins with a 5 year old.

Everyone's just going to go to whoever's house is closest for a cuppa at our school if they don't rethink it.

My childminder's head is spinning with all this. She has 4 children in two schools (right next door to each other so normally fine). She's cheerfully getting on with it because shes amazing. Mine are going to be coming out of different gates aswell so she is having to remember times and different entrances aswell and go round the school in circles .

@Justgivemesomepeace

My childminder's head is spinning with all this. She has 4 children in two schools (right next door to each other so normally fine). She's cheerfully getting on with it because shes amazing. Mine are going to be coming out of different gates aswell so she is having to remember times and different entrances aswell and go round the school in circles .

One way circles, I presume?

I do hope that Someone will realise there are Better Ways of doing it and change it all after a week.

We have staggered drop offs depending on surname.

Families with more than one surname, childminders with several families kids etc have been told to choose which time to drop off/collect.

Seems like a sensible approach to me.

Well, my DC (same school) have to be dropped off and picked up at the same time - but in different buildings a 10 min walk away from each other! No adults allowed in the building, apparently we are to form an orderly queue outside the gates and wait for child’s name to be called. Lots of kids will be hanging about for ages, I predict.

Your husband needs to commit to doing certain runs and TBH if you have to drive to make it work, then do that. If nothing else it'll give you somewhere to shelter when it's raining. Be wary of husband all of a sudden "having" to go into the office when in fact the world would keep turning perfectly well if he dropped the nursery child and did the 9am meeting from home, maybe arriving 2 or 3 mins late if need be. He would hardly be the only person juggling school runs and work!!

You could consider asking to do slightly shorter hours for a while rather than making it up in the evening. It's likely to be cheaper than paying for a whole extra day of nursery, and it might well suit your work fine as a temporary measure. Mine is encouraging people to take career breaks and unpaid leave at the moment...