School run rota
A school run rota every parent can check before 8 am
Four families, one car-pool and a different driver most mornings. FairTurns shares out the drop-offs and pick-ups, keeps count, and puts the week on one link the parents can check from the driveway.
Free, with no limit on people or dates. No card.
The car-pool runs on a group chat and goodwill
The idea is simple: four families in the same street, four cars, and nobody has to do the school run every day. In practice it’s a group chat that starts at 7:10 am with “Who’s got them today?” Someone thought it was their week off. Someone else has done three Fridays in a row and is starting to notice.
A school run rota needs three things a chat thread can’t hold: the pattern for the whole term, a count of who has driven, and a quick way to see today’s driver. FairTurns keeps all three on one link. Morning and afternoon runs are separate teams, each goes to the parent with the fewest turns at it, and pupil-free days come off with a click.
The guide to setting up a school run rota covers seat counts, booster seats and what to agree before the first morning. If you just want a sheet for the fridge, the carpool schedule template prints straight away.
How FairTurns runs the school run
Drop-off and pick-up
Each run is its own team with its own time, so a parent who works mornings can be on Pick-up only.
Only the right cars
A seven-seater for the full load, a booster seat for the youngest: limit each run to the parents who can do it, and Fill keeps to that.
The term in one go
Click Monday, choose “Every week on Monday”, and the term is there. Do the same for each school day.
Fewest turns drives next
Fill gives each run to whichever parent has done it least, and the turns chart shows the count to everyone.
Pupil-free days
Cancel a single date for a pupil-free day or the athletics carnival. It can be brought back if plans change.
One link for the parents
Share the public roster link. It shows the drivers’ names and times, nothing about the kids.
Set it up
- 01
Create the car-pool
Create an organisation for the car-pool, with teams for Drop-off and Pick-up.
- 02
Add the runs
Give each team a Driver position with one place.
- 03
Add the parents
Invite each parent by email, or add them by name.
- 04
Set the school days
Click each school day, set the time and choose to repeat it every week.
- 05
Fill the term
Press Fill for three months, check it over, and share the link.
When you want it to run itself
Pro sends each driving parent who has accepted an invitation a reminder before their run. If a child is sick and a parent can’t drive, they reply “I can’t make it” from the email and the next parent in line is asked, before the morning scramble starts. A$12 a year for the whole car-pool.
A$1 a month per organisation, paid 1 to 5 years at a time. See Pro and pricing
Good to know
- Agree the rules in the group first: how late is too late, what happens with a sick child, who has the spare booster seat.
- Parents don’t pick their own days; the rota shares the runs out, and anyone can be moved by hand.
- There’s no swap button. Change the names on the date, or on Pro reply “I can’t make it” and the next parent is asked.
- Clashes are checked inside one organisation only, so a parent in two separate car-pool organisations isn’t checked across both.
- Reminders go by email on Pro, to parents who have joined. There are no text messages.
Questions
Can morning and afternoon be different parents?
Yes. Make Drop-off and Pick-up separate teams and Fill shares each out on its own. If you would rather one parent does both on a day, keep both runs in one team as two dates on that day and switch on Same person all day.
What if a parent can only drive on Fridays?
Put them on the Friday runs by hand; Fill never moves anyone already on. On Pro you can also set them to Now and then, so Fill gives them fewer of the other days.
How do we handle school holidays?
Cancel the dates in the holidays one at a time, and each can be brought back. The weekly pattern carries on into the new term.
Do the kids appear on the roster?
Only if you put them there. Most car-pools roster the parents who drive, so the link shows parent names and times. If you do add children, use first names, because anyone with the link can see it.
What does it cost?
Free for the whole car-pool, with no limit on families or dates. Pro adds reminders and replies for A$1 a month, paid a year or more at a time.
Free templates and guides
How to set up a school run rota
Share the morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up between families: who drives, which days, and what to agree first.
Carpool schedule template
A school run rota for a few families: drop-off and pick-up drivers, seats and the after-school activities.
Roster reminders
The schedule to the team on the day you choose, and a reminder before each date. Pro.
Similar rosters
Junior sport parent duties
Oranges, scoring, team manager and goal umpire: each family takes a turn and the whole team can see it.
Kindy and preschool parent help
Fruit, laundry and parent help days for each kindy group, with one link for every family.
Family care roster
Visits, shopping and appointments for an ageing parent, shared between brothers, sisters and helpers.