Posted inReal mums

It’s always worse for the parents

Part of being a working mum is feeling guilty about leaving your children in someone else’s care. For me the worst time by far is in the school summer holidays. This stems partly from a dim but happy recollection of my own childhood and the endless lazy days of summer spent cycling, exploring, going to friends? houses and watching summer kids TV. Now, after the three weeks holiday that my employer has generously allowed me, my two children need to go back into the capable hands of others.

Posted inReal mums

Moving to the country

I never thought juggling work and childcare would be easy but the last 12 months have been a challenge.

A year ago I was living in London. The local infant school offered 8am-6pm wrap-around care and had an on-site day nursery. This meant Big Girl (BG) and Little sister (LS) were dropped off and picked up together. Then, for a whole host of reasons, we decided to move out of the city to live in a town 40 miles away.

Posted inChildren & Relationships Real mums

Schools told to cut the cost of childrens’ uniforms

Schools should make every effort to limit the cost of school uniforms or risk enforcement action, according to new advice issued today.

The guidance, which was published following a three-month consultation, urges all schools to have a school uniform, but warns that any set policy must be affordable, non-discriminatory and sensitive to the needs of pupils.

In particular, the guidelines warn that schools that have exclusive contracts with suppliers may be subject to enforcement action under the terms of the Competition Act. Overly expensive uniform policies may also fall foul of the School Admissions Code, which places a statutory duty on all governing bodies to ensure that their policies and practices do not disadvantage any children.