DS starting new school and childminder no longer has places

Miggie

My son is due to start at a new school and the new childminder I'd set up for him is no longer available as she's moving away. I've looked for other childminders who do drop and collect from his new school but so far none have any vacances.

I do have a childminder who is very good and who we've been with for about 4 years, but she can't take DS to the new school.

DS is 9, and I'm thinking of getting a taxi to take him from the childminder's to school and back on those days when I can't take him. The alternative would be for him to cycle to and from the childminder's on his own, but there's a main road to cross and although he says he's confident, I think 9's a bit young to go on his own.

The taxi cost would be about 32.00 per month, so that's not really an issue, but is there any legal reason I wouldn't be able to do this?

I can't sleep thinking about it, hence this post. Any advice would be welcome as always.

ailuro2

Well kids who live in remote areas are sometimes taxi'd to school by the council up here in Scotland, so I doubt there would be legal reasons for it.

You could go talk to a taxi firm and see if they have drivers who cover school runs. Is you son a level headed 9 yo, would he be OK getting in a taxi on his own, or would he be unduly worried?

Have you looked into before and after school club at the new school? Would you be able to adjust your hours a bit to avoid needing so many taxis - not for the cost, just for the worry of whether he got in the taxi or not.

How far is the new school from the old childminders? Could he get a bus (more people around than in a taxi) or walk (lollipop folks should cover the road?)

I can see why you're worried, losing childcare is is awful , been there done that and ended up finding a fantastic childminder...so try to stay positive and look into all options. Who knows there might be a parent at the new school who walks their kids from home next door to the childminder. Stay positive, might be worth phoning the care commission or whatever it's called where you are to see if there are any other childminders that aren't on the website yet...it's also worth phoning round a few who don't mention whether or not they do school drop offs and ask them.

Good Luck.

heretolearn_2

Nothing wrong with what you are planning. I had to send my 6 year old some distance once by taxi and I was worried about it. The taxi company reassured me that as they have a local authority contract to take remote/disabled children to school, several of their drivers had been checked and approved for this, and they would send me one of those. See if there's a firm with a similar contract near you.

memelalou

This is a coninsidence.

Today i'm going for an interview at a taxi firm to be a escort to take children to and from school. The child i have been told i might be working with has autism, so i don't know if all children get escorts, but just get the driver. If it but your mind at ease a little if i do get the job i am having a crb check and will have to go on a training course. So i'm guessing even if it will just be a driver taking your child they should be crb checked and trained too, shouldn't see why they wouldn't.

amandada

You've maybe already looked into this, but is breakfast club and/or after school club an option?

mishkanorman

at the school my sons attend there are several children who get a taxi to school and are aged 5-7, the best thing to do may be to contact the new school when term time starts and see if they ahve any close links with a particular company. The taxi driver MUST be crb checked and the taxi firm should know this.

if you are concerned about him being on his own, is there a friend who can ride with him for the first couple of days ?

gratefulforhelp_2

It seems perfectly reasonable and caring as a proposition. Especially if you always use the same firm.

Miggie

:)Thank you all. I've done some more checking - there is a lollipop lady who crosses children across the main road, then it's cycle paths and no need to cross any more roads all the way to school. A lot of children use the cycle path at that time so ds should be ok once he (and I) are confident. I think that for this term I'll use a taxi, then in Spring next year, once it's light in the morning(!) and he's 10, I'll let him cycle if I haven't been able to find a childminder who can take him.

Thank you all again - here's to a solid night's sleep tonight...

RLH33

My dad was a taxi driver until recently and in our area all taxi drivers are crb checked as part of their licence. He also had a 'school run', lots of taxis are used to take children that are in care or live remote to and from school.

The taxi company he worked for gave specific drivers a school run and it was their responsibility to do it every day and if they couldn't then they had to inform the office and a temporary replacement would be found.

It may be worth finding a good local taxi company that you are comfortable with and seeing if they could run the same sort of arrangement for you. You would both then know who is picking him up which will give you peace of mind.

brians_daughter

no issues with what you are looking to do. speak with the school they will prob have ties with 1 taxi firm, they will usually provide the same driver everyday who is CRB checked etc, once winter is out the way and hes a little older and you are more confident then he could cycle!

Savvy_Sue

Because many children are taxied to school, I'd start looking for your taxi company now rather than any later, or you may find they don't have any spare capacity.

Also are there other children who go from the childminder's road that you could maybe make an arrangement with? Not ideal, but worth looking into.