From what age can you leave child alone in the playground before school?

[meadowquark]

DS1 is in Y2, I am thinking ahead for Junior years. If I could leave him at the school playground 8.35 and run to work, that would save me a lot of faff of driving him to a breakfast club (in a different setting). The school starts at 8:55. Supervising teacher is from 8:45. The area is relatively safe, London zone 4 if that makes any difference. I am confident that my DS1 will survive and even learn some valuable independency skills.. on the other hand everyone on MN seems to be overprotective and I am not sure if it is legally allowed.

[18yearstooold]

Our school won't allow children in the playground until the teachers are out

[ShatnersBassoon]

You'll have to ask the school. I suspect they'll tell you it isn't allowed before the teacher is on the playground. Could another parent who doesn't have to dash to work watch him for you?

[RosesandRugby]

Its not allowed at our school. The children cannot be left on the playground before a member of staff is on hand at 8.45am unless they are taking part in the reading or homework classes which start at 8.30am.

Could you possibly drop him at a friends to walk into school with or maybe ask his teacher if he can help set up the classroom for 10 minutes in the mornings ?

[MrsDmitriTippensKrushnic]

I wasn't comfortable leaving DD until Yr5 tbh. The odd times I had to do it in Yr4 it was only when there was one of her friends already there (with parent) so she'd have someone to go to if 'something' happened, and I'd check with the parent first that that was okay. Does your DS have any friends that are usually there that early? Maybe you could arrange something similar?

[DoughnutSelfie]

Yes each school will have their own policy

Our school allowed children to do this from yr 4, for example

[meadowquark]

The school says that children should not be left before 8:45 - they do not want to take responsibility. As I have always worked full time, I do not know any other parents... and my DS1 is not particularly social (though not shy by any means).
Oh crap.

[iwouldgoouttonight]

I've left DS since yr3, I take him to his playground and he waits there until the teacher comes out, and then I take DD to her playground (she's yr1). I guess I'm still on the school premises so if DS really needed me he could come and try to find me, but he never has.

I've sometimes asked a friend to keep an eye on them if I've had to rush off, is there someone who could do that for you? Maybe you reciprocate on a day you're not working? (If not full time)

I sympathise. For various reasons DS can't go to breakfast club so I've had to change my hours at work so I have time to drop them off and get to work.

[iwouldgoouttonight]

Sorry cross posted, ignore what I said!

[EverythingsRunningAway]

I can't imagine any primary school is going to be OK with this.

My child's certainly isn't.

[meadowquark]

It is awkward timing for us.. if I drop DS1 at breakfast club / childminder at 8:30, they leave for the school straight away and I still have to pay the full price (5-6/day).
If I could do this at least from Y5 I would be happy!

[DoughnutSelfie]

Does the school not allow children to walk to/from unaccompanied from later junior years?

[noramum]

DD is in a Junior School and we are allowed to leave them at 8.45am or from Year 6 onwards they can come on their own.

I have to bring DD to a childminder from January onwards as my trains are changing and I can't get my train and drop DD off. Yes, I pay for the 1 hour despite DD being only with the CM for 15 minutes but that's life.

[AsBrightAsAJewel]

Schools vary - we were told once the child is on the premises (i.e. the playground) they could be considered to be our responsibility - so we are concerned that parents don't drop off too early as there is no one available to supervise them.

[AuntieStella]

At ours, you can leave DC from year 3 upwards once teachers have arrived to supervise the playground (20 minutes before the register).

The main gates aren't meant to open until then, but as that's done by the caretaker, it's sometimes a few minutes out of step.

[redskybynight]

Our junior school playground is supervised for the 10 minutes before school starts. you are "allowed" to drop your child off then. Very many parents drop their DC off earlier, however, but the school makes it very clear that they are not responsible for them at that time.

By year 5 a lot of children are coming to school independently anyway, so as they are unsupervised all the way this isn't a big deal.

In your circumstances I think you have to suck up the breakfast club (or find another parent who will watch your DC) for at least Year 3, and probably Year 4.

[HouseofEliot]

Only once teacher on duty at 8.45 at our school. Loads do it though just drop them off outside. Headteacher reminds every week in newsletter not to but it continues.

[SirChenjin]

Our school doesn't forbid the leaving of children at any age, but makes it clear that the supervisors are not there until 8.30.

[Hoppinggreen]

At ours I think it's from year 3 because that when they are allowed to leave class without an adult waiting for them so m assuming it works both ways.

[PesoPenguin]

At ds's school children can arrive from 8:40. If your ds's school say 8:45 then I'm afraid it is what it is. plus it's quite a long time to be standing around for in winter.

[MilkRunningOutAgain]

As our school Doesn't allow unattended kids in the playground, I used to drop DS off about 10 minutes walk from school from late yr 4 onwards. Quite a few of them walked on their own to school, but it's a quiet village with a lollipop lady for the one busy road crossing. He generally met up with a friend or 2 on the way in, but not always.

[Chasingsquirrels]

My 8yo (yr4) walks to school on his own sometime and even when I drop him on the way to work I never go in with him.
I have no idea if he is allowed in the playground, but to be honest if he isn't he can wait outside (not that we are ever early so it isn't an issue).

[Luna9]

I am dropping my year 3 DD at the traffic lights in front of the schools and wait until she crosses with the rest of the children and parents; but it is not more than 10min before school starts; maybe I am being irresponsable

[Goingintohibernation]

Is there no way you could adjust your working hours to start 10 minutes later? It does seem daft to be paying for 10 minutes of childcare a day!

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

It's allowed from Year 3 in our school, the playground is open from early on and the doors open at 8.40, there are usually people arriving from about 8.30. Teachers don't come out at any point, doors open and the children go in. My DS has been going in ahead of me and younger DD since part way through Yr 3, but I was always somewhere in the grounds (each year has a different entrance). Now my youngest is in Year 4 I sometimes drop by car at 8.35 to get to work and that's fine, however if your school says different (I assume YR 5/6's at least can come in unaccompanied?) then there's not a lot you can do about it unfortunately.

[zingally]

I work in an infant school, and parents stay with their children until doors to the classrooms open at 8:50. There are no staff on the playground before that (although I've worked in other schools where staff are on the playground from about 8:40).

When I've worked in primary schools however, it's common practice to see the KS2 children (year 3 and up) being dropped at the gates and left. However, these schools are all in pretty quiet, residential estates, or set in their own grounds, some distance from the street. I'm sure parents would be less keen to drop and run in an inner city setting, or even in a large town centre location. And even more so for schools that serve a more deprived community.

But thinking back to my own primary school days (20+ years ago), from year 3 onwards, my mum would drop me at the supermarket car park, which was a few minutes walk from the school gates and not by any roads. At the end of the day she'd wait somewhere on the path between the supermarket and the school gates. There was a long path between the actual school building and the gate. No parents, as far as I can recall, ever walked their child between the gate and the building.