Following Ofsted recommendations regarding safeguarding schools are discouraged from having children on the premises before 8.45 as they are technically unsupervised as teachers don't get into the classroom until then. Most, like the school the ops son attends offer a breakfast club instead but it isn't free.If no one has suggested it why can't you get the caretakers or head to open the school gates/doors 10 minutes earlier or at 8:30am like most schools which would give you time to get your little munchkin to school in time, get him settled and say goodbye then get yourself off to work in good time. Just a suggestion.
Our school now keeps the gates locked until quarter to 9 to prevent parents leaving their children as early as 8 o'clock to avoid paying for childcare.
In the scheme of things I don't think £30 a week childcare costs are unreasonable.