A working mother says she has had to cut her hours and take a 20% pay cut because school breakfast and after school clubs won’t run when term starts next week, thanks to the COVID19 pandemic.
Rachel Ritter from Newport, a commercial director for a children’s charity, said she was lucky she has worked for a long time for her employer which has allowed her to reduce her hours but stay in the job so she can drop off and pick up her children at two different schools.
“I agree schools are not childcare but there has been wrap around care for many years now and working parents have organised their work around that. This is going to be a problem for a lot of people,” she said.
Rachel and her partner who works in IT, have both worked from home during the pandemic.
The family moved from Torfaen to Newport just before lockdown. Rachel’s nine year-old daughter is at Ponthir Church in Wales School in Torfaen while her four year-old son starts at Glasllwch Primary in Newport, half an hour’s drive away.
She decided not to move her daughter to a new school in year five as it would have been possible to drop and pick them up leaving one or the other at breakfast or after school clubs. Now those clubs aren’t running.
Rachel, who is a member of parent campaign group UsForThemCymru, which is campaigning to keep schools open, among other things, said: “There was a breakfast club at the school in Newport so I could drop my son and take my daughter on to school.
“Now with that breakfast club not happening and no after school provision at my daughter’s primary we have a problem.
“I usually work full time but have had to take a 20% pay cut so I can finish in time to pick them up. It’s a significant sum of money to lose every month.
“My daughter usually had school clubs until 4.30pm. I am not criticising schools and during this time we have realised how great a job they do but this is going to be hard for a lot of people.
“It’s not anyone’s fault, it’s just a terrible situation, but this is really going to impact on people’s work. We have to find a way forward to help working parents. I don’t feel enough attention has been paid to working parents throughout this pandemic and lockdown.
“A vast majority of working parents are affected by this and are an important part of the economy. It’s a real problem. We just hope schools stay open and don’t close again too.
“I am really lucky my employer is allowing me to cut my hours. I have worked for them for a long time and have got good will, but a lot of people are not in that situation.
“Something has got to be done to help working parents. Maybe the government can think about how to provide more private provision in schools?”