An administrative landslide for schools

There is an administrative landslide heading for schools around the country, as parents returning to the office look to juggle wraparound care amongst their friends and family.

Paying for the minimum number of hours required by most childminders and nannies is being seen as unnecessary for the couple of days a week when they will be in the office and unable to do the school run.

We Are Fetching has developed a free solution that will prevent schools from being inundated by changes to collection arrangements, whilst allowing parents the flexibility to share informal childcare.

The free collection hub for schools keeps them fully informed when a child is being picked up by someone new, with a photo and contact details of the fetcher. It is integrated with the Fetching app for parents that helps them request help with the school run from their trusted friends and family.

All users are asked to verify their identity using a government ID, so schools can be sure that all instructions are coming directly from the parent.

The live system can also be accessed from a mobile device at the school gate, so even last-minute changes will be shown to the teacher in real time.

Communicating new collection arrangements has never been seamless; one primary school teacher told us: “My school secretary sometimes emails details of another parent picking up a child during the afternoon and I don’t receive the email because I am teaching.”

Founder and CEO of We Are Fetching commented: “Most people acknowledge that working from home will be more prevalent going forward so the need for regular after-school care will be reduced. People will be helping their friends with pick ups far more frequently and we want to help schools avoid the administrative burden of the school run as we move into a new way of working.”

On 17 May, the rule of six will come into place making it possible for parents to mix households in their homes and cars, allowing parents to share the school run and complete a full working day, which many have been unable to do during lockdown.