how are other working mothers going to cope starting school in September?

[fruitcorner]

Hi my daughter is starting reception in September with staggered start of half days building up to full days. I would like to be around to take her and collect her from school for at least the first couple of weeks both for her and also to meet the other new mums. However I work and leave the house at 8.30 back at 6pm. I am thinking of taking parental leave or asking to work shorter hours for a couple of weeks at reduced pay.
Anyone else taking parental leave for this reason or if not, any other ideas of how to be around when your child starts school?

Go onto the handholding for september newbies thread fruitcorner and you'll get more responses. DS1 starts in september but we are lucky in that he's there all day every day right from day one so it makes life easier. You could take parental leave if your employer won't be flexible but you have to take it in week long blocks and its unpaid.

When DS1 starts I am permanently shifting my hours so that I start earlier (so DH will have to do drop off) but I can also finish earlier so that I can do pick up every night. Could you do something like that for the first few weeks?

By having another baby!
DD starts Sept 11, granny coming up for a couple of weeks, then I'll go off on mat leave.
Next year we'll get an au pair.

We'll have grandparents staying with us for the first couple of months, otherwise it will be really hard to cope with staggered days. I will try to do drop-offs so I can speak to teacher at least briefly in the first couple of weeks. But after that it's going to be a combination of breakfast club, afterschool club for couple of days a week and hopefully, shared nanny or childminder for the rest. Did not plan it yet, though, and feel quite stressed about that.

I managed last year when ds started. I took the first week off as annual leave and dh took the second week. He went full time after that and we used both before and after school club to cover the beginning and end of the day. Its all worked out fine for us. I'm now gearing up for our first 6 week summer holiday which I've got meticulously planned - I just hope it all works out OK.

I took annual leave but it was a bit of a waste of time!!!
School had changed start date and not told us so we ended up with only 3 days before using after school then from day two we were expected to drop off outside gate and pick-up from playground which became after-school club after 2 days
Day one we were allowed into the playground I think!
No breakfast club so it's literally a question of shove through the gate and run!

In the school my dd will be attending there is a nightmare of a start of 5 weeks of half days -alternate half days - and then she starts full days on October 12th. I work 3 and a half days a week and have already planned it out with help from DH, sister and grandmother - oh and help from a friend up the road one day. I still may have to take her into work with me a couple of times. After that, i will be dropping her off at a childminder's house who has a boy in the same class at 8am cos i have to be at work at 8.30 in a different town - will be dropping off another dd in nursery on the way. Two days a week the childminder will be picking her up from school. Sometimes i get to work feeling like i've done a day's work already. When i used to moan about my dds in nursery people used to say 'wait til they get to school'. Now i know what they mean.

See if your employer is willing to be flexible and let you work shorter hours. Obviously it depends what your work is but in many cases its the best solution all round.

I negotiated to work half-time when my DD started school, and still do. Luckily my employers are enlightened enough to realise that I'm much more productive part time than if I had to juggle. I don't know many mums of school age children IRL who do work full-time unless they have support from grandparents or an au pair.

oh yes I'm always arriving late for 8 am meetings why why why 8 AM even 8.15 would make so much difference?

One of my smug childless single colleagues commentated last week so I just said yes but I've got 3 other people out of bed dressed and breakfasted, brushed 4 sets of teeth, tidied the kitchen, and dropped 2 people at school and nursery all you've had to do is fall out of bed and cross the road.

(most of the others have dcs and are sympathetic) but I do just wish someones childcare started at 7.45 (but am full of sympathy for the workers!)