Childcare costs

Here in the US it is pretty common for elementary schools to have on on site after school facility - is this true in the UK?

How much can I expect to pay for two children (5 and 7) for after care, say 3-6PM 5 days a week?

and what exactly is a childminder???

and what exactly is a childminder???

Not sure about your other questions, but a childminder is an adult who look after other people's children, charging a certain amount per child per hour (between about £4 and £5 an hour in London/South East). They usually look after the kids in their own home. Kind of like a babysitter really, but the kids go to their house, rather than the childminder going to the kids' house.

My mum used to do childminding when I was a kid - she was a stay-at-home mum at that point, and so we would have a few children from my primary school come to our house after school to be looked after by my mum until their parents could come and pick them up after they finished work.

There's some info here about childminding:
http://www.ncma.org.uk/childminders.aspx
http://www.ncma.org.uk/parents/paying_for_childcare/childminder_fees.aspx

And from one of the local council websites:
http://www.leics.gov.uk/index/children_families/family/fis_childcare/fis_childcare_childminders_v1.htm

DD school charges 6GBP/ child for their after school care.  It goes till 530pm and includes a snack and such. 

Fabulous !  This is the exact info I needed y'all rock!

After school care varies from school to school.  For example, my daughter's school only offers an after school club on Wednesdays and Thursdays.  It goes until 6, costs £9/child, and there is a waiting list to join. 
There are various after school clubs but they only run until 4:30 and are not run each day. 

After school care varies from school to school.  For example, my daughter's school only offers an after school club on Wednesdays and Thursdays.  It goes until 6, costs £9/child, and there is a waiting list to join. 
There are various after school clubs but they only run until 4:30 and are not run each day. 

Ouch, I see.  Humm it looks like we will have to see what we will see. How restrictive are the public school choices?  Is it based entirely on where you live?

as far as public schools go you are free to go where you can get a placement.  Getting a placement though can be extremely restrictive and difficult depending on where you live and the school. 

It can depend on where you live, it can depend on your religion and how devoted you are. It can depend on whether you have another child already at the school. 

I know someone who has been taking their kid to church to get into the really good local school (that happens to be CoE) since birth even though she is agnostic.  And not just for Christmas and Easter, they have something to sign to prove they were there. 

Weeeeeee. Fun.

Yeah, our local church-based schools all require documentation that the family has been attending church for two years in order to get into the school.

If you find that after school care is necessary and there are no after school clubs available, you could use a childminder. These are like babysitters but they would collect your children from school and care for them in their home, and they are licensed and approved by the local council.

Alternatively you could advertise for someone to collect your children and look after them in your home. A nanny who currently has only a morning job might be available.

If you find that after school care is necessary and there are no after school clubs available, you could use a childminder. These are like babysitters but they would collect your children from school and care for them in their home, and they are licensed and approved by the local council.

Alternatively you could advertise for someone to collect your children and look after them in your home. A nanny who currently has only a morning job might be available.

This is what a few of the parents around here do.  Some have also hired students from the local University that are studying to become teachers.
As far as obtaining a place in primary school it can be very tricky as others have mentioned, especially if you are applying mid year.  IIRC the class size for key stage one (years 1&2) are capped at 30.  There is no guarantee that you will receive a place in the school closest to you. 
Also keep in mind that you can't apply for a school place unless you either have a tenancy agreement (if renting) or have exchanged contracts (if purchasing). 
Once you have narrowed down where you would like to live you can always go to the local education authority site to find out about admission policies.   Ofsted is good for seeing how well the school did at their last inspection.