Do you work full time and have primary school kids? How!

[thatisawrap]

The school wrap around has a waiting list. please can you share your working patterns with me so I can work out what to add for in my flexible working request. I'm panicking!

@RadRad only one of our local schools provides any kind of wraparound care before and after school. As a result it’s heavily oversubscribed and is everyone’s number one choice.

I am a teacher so work 7.30-5 Monday to Friday. DH works hybrid so drops off the DC at breakfast club any time from 7.30am. I pick them up before 6pm.

We are lucky that DC school guarantee a place at wraparound (that they staff themselves) if you apply by the start of the academic year - so we've had it in place for DC from reception year.

Grandparents cover 1 day per week. This helps a lot!

Obviously I cover holidays so that makes it easier.

Have you asked on your local fb group for childminders?

After school nanny 3.30-6.30/7 plus one grandparent pick up and tea

I think I'm being dim here, but this has confused me. It is an annual allowance, in 4 equal parts. You just need to put the money in equally, and then pay out as and when required. Put extra in the rest of the year and there should be a balance sitting there waiting for you to use in the summer.

Unless the one with the long commute and often working away earns huge amounts and keeps the family afloat, they need to look for a closer job

Initially a wraparound nanny, now an au pair. I wish we had done it earlier. We work 7-7 so no clubs would have worked. Having someone at home has been so much less intrusive and so much better than we thought, has removed a whole layer of stress trying to get home on time, and the DCs love it. Au pair also sooo much less money than nanny, even a part time one (even counting the au pair that ate her own weight every day).

Very very flexible work and very very helpful grandparents, plus a bit of kid swapping with friends through the holidays.

No childminders, breakfast clubs, wrap around childcare of any description where I am.

We chose the closest school to us, which is a 5 minute walk from home. I wfh full time, 9-5.30, so drop them at school at 8.45, and head back home to start work. Dh works 30 minutes away, and works 8-4.30, so they go into an onsite after school club which is about £12.50 per session per child, it runs til 6pm, so DH picks them up on his way home. Both dh and I had to negotiate to adjust our hours to be able to do that, but both companies were ok with it. I couldn't go back to working in an office though, unless the kids went into breakfast club too, and that would be a long day for them.

It's bloomin hard!

We have no option but to use wraparound the school offer, thankfully we got spaces from reception age and stayed with them.

The after school however ends before I finish work so DH and I split it between us to leave work earlier. He can start work early to finish early and I can do pick up then get back to work from home afterwards, massive rush and stress though.

Unfortunately not able to facilitate any clubs after school either.

It's difficult with kids and both parents working full time. We have no help from outside support either.

Just try to teach the kids the work ethic and treat to a good family holiday.
We do our best.

I work from the office 3 days; on those days I leave early and DH does drop off. Kids go to ASC and I pick up. We use ASC Mon - Thur and each finish a bit early on alternating Fridays so we can pick the kids up.

I used a child minder while I was on the school wraparound waiting list. Loads of parents manage it but you will need to make use of paid for before and after school care.
I’m a single parent who works full time.

I’d tell you but mn would probably tell you to call ss 🙄 childminder mornings mainly and latchkey kids in the afternoon that are almost 2 and a half times my age when I was a latchkey kid

We used taxis to get DS to the next village over that had an after school club but then moved 20 miles and appealed to get into a different school where was a club (Ofsted special measure school but an after school club).

We both WFH most of the time. One of us drops at school at 8.35, childminder picks up. One of us picks up from childminder at 5.45.

When we do both have to be in London, both can usually be flexible with start/finish times so we'll do one leaves really early and picks up, the other gets in late and works late. We do have occasional grandparent help if it's an emergency but they still work part time so not always possible.

Our school said they have wraparound care. In reality I'm 15th in the queue for the most popular day.

The one who commutes/works away might need to reevaluate their role to be able to do their part of parenting their children. A role closer to home, negotiating travel capabilities etc. it's about teamwork rather than leaving one to it because of the other's "big job".

I work from home 3 days and office 2 days. On the days I work from home I do drop off and pick up then just work an extra hour once the kids have been fed and are entertained. The days I go into the office I get there for 9.30 instead of 9 so still do the drop offs and then either my husband leaves work early to do the pick up and works the rest of the day at home or my mum does the pick up. I've never been in a work place that are so flexible until this one though so do recognise I am lucky, they just completely trust me to do my job and aren't keeping tabs on me like I've experienced before - no one bats an eye lid if we ask to move a meeting a little earlier because we need to nip out for the kids or swap our office days etc.

Flexible working request to be 2 days in the office rather than 3 and working hours in office at 830 to 4pm with 30min break. Partner works close to home so can do drop offs and pick ups as needed. Asked about wrap around care before selecting school (this was a top priority). Breakfast club (745) every day. After school some days after school clubs that pick up from school till 430 or pick up at 315 on wfh days and work with them around. A cleaner twice a week and a robot vacuum cleaner.

Single mum working full time. Breakfast club followed by after school club, DD loves it and never known any different. It is long days for her but can't be helped. Being organised at the weekends is key

Initially we had a childminder. DH and I both worked locally so would drop off DC on way to work. Then CM would pick up from school.

DH and I can also work from home.

Our childminder changed career a couple of years ago. There was no space in after school club for DC1 but they were Year 5 by this point so fine to come home and chill after school while I worked for the last hour or so of the day. After school club prioritised younger children so DC2 has always had a place there.

Now I commute to work two days a week so DH does all drop offs and pick ups on those days. The other three days I do the morning drop off. We don't need to use breakfast club.

Did you know that the law changed on April, so au pairs now have to legally be employees and be paid min wage. So you may need to register as an employer depending on how much they earn and pay NI. You also need employers liability insurance.

it’s also really difficult to get someone who can legally work in the UK. You’ve been lucky!

Get on the waiting list asap. I've always had the kind of job that's enabled a fair amount of flexibility, so if I was in that situation I'd WFH and do the school pick up until I was able to sort proper childcare out. Public sector roles sometimes offer school hour or term time contracts.