Important update from TheSchoolRun
For the past 13 years, TheSchoolRun has been run by a small team of mums working from home, dedicated to providing quality educational resources to primary school parents. Unfortunately, rising supplier costs and falling revenue have made it impossible for us to continue operating, and we’ve had to make the difficult decision to close. The good news: We’ve arranged for another educational provider to take over many of our resources. These will be hosted on a new portal, where the content will be updated and expanded to support your child’s learning.
What this means for subscribers:
- Your subscription is still active, and for now, you can keep using the website as normal — just log in with your usual details to access all our articles and resources*.
- In a few months, all resources will move to the new portal. You’ll continue to have access there until your subscription ends. We’ll send you full details nearer the time.
- As a thank you for your support, we’ll also be sending you 16 primary school eBooks (worth £108.84) to download and keep.
A few changes to be aware of:
- The Learning Journey weekly email has ended, but your child’s plan will still be updated on your dashboard each Monday. Just log in to see the recommended worksheets.
- The 11+ weekly emails have now ended. We sent you all the remaining emails in the series at the end of March — please check your inbox (and spam folder) if you haven’t seen them. You can also follow the full programme here: 11+ Learning Journey.
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]. Thank you for being part of our journey it’s been a privilege to support your family’s learning.
*If you need to reset your password, it will still work as usual. Please check your spam folder if the reset email doesn’t appear in your inbox.
The parents’ guide to after-school childcare: relatives
Why use a relative for after-school care?
According to a recent study, family members are the go-to childcare choice for many parents, with grandparents in particular looking after 1.6 million children under 14.
‘The big advantage is the close relationship between your child and the family member,’ says Lynn Chesterman, chief executive of the Grandparents’ Association.
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‘They can provide loving care, often in the child’s own home, with more flexibility than a childminder or after-school club.’ The other benefit is financial: grandparent care saves UK families a total of £7.3 billion per year.
What are the drawbacks?
Asking a relative to look after your kids could complicate the relationship between you. ‘It’s easy to take advantage of each other, and for minor grievances to fester and eventually blow up,’ Lynn says. ‘It’s important that you’re open, honest and tactful with each other.’ And while your relative should respect your parenting choices, you may also need to pick your battles – for example, does it really matter if your son has a few more sweets than you’d allow?
If your parents look after your child, consider the needs of any other grandchildren. For example, if your mum already has your niece and nephew three days a week, can she cope with looking after your two on the other two days – or all four grandchildren at once? If your brother or sister is providing childcare, think about the dynamics between cousins, and whether your sibling can be impartial when squabbles break out.
Also, be aware that asking a grandparent to look after your child can be socially isolating for both parties. ‘Grandparents may find that looking after a grandchild limits their social life, and equally, it may be difficult for your child to have friends round to play, especially if Nanny looks after him in her own home,’ says Lynne.
Family childcare: things to think about
Before committing to using a family member for childcare, it’s a good idea to discuss the following:
- Holidays/illness: Who will look after your child if your relative is ill or travelling?
- Location: Will your family member care for your child in your home or theirs?
- Homework: Is your relative happy to supervise homework? Do they have the necessary facilities, such as a computer with internet access?
- Discipline: Asking your mum to look after your child may well change their relationship from ‘indulgent grandparent’ to ‘authority figure.’
- Activities: Will your relative take to and collect from after-school activities, and supervise if necessary?
- Who pays for what: Will you reimburse your relative for expenses like petrol and food?
A family childcare agreement, while not legally binding, can help to iron out potentially tricky issues.
Family childcare: to pay or not to pay?
Paying family members for childcare is a personal matter. Many relatives, particularly grandparents, provide care out of goodwill; some just ask for expenses; others come to a private agreement about payment. If you do pay, your relative must declare this income to HM Revenue and Customs, and pay tax and national insurance if necessary.
If you want to use childcare vouchers or claim tax credits, they’ll need to register as a childminder with Ofsted and care for your child in their home, not yours; they’ll also be eligible to look after unrelated children if they choose. ‘Whatever agreement you come to, remember that gratitude goes a long way,’ adds Lynn.
What mums say about family childcare…
‘Having my mum look after my kids is a godsend, but I feel I can’t impose on her by asking her to babysit when we want a night out.’
Nicki, mum to Harriet, six, and William, four
‘I didn’t consider what I would do if my mum was unable to look after Josh until she had to have an emergency operation and was out of action for a month; I had to rely on friends for favours.’
Laura, mum to Josh, seven
‘My parents won’t accept any payment for looking after my children, which is wonderful, but makes me feel extremely guilty.’
Kirsty, mum to Ethan, eight, and Grace, five
