School not letting my child from the school

This kind of crap is why I have limited sympathy when teachers complain that schools don't have enough money. The amount of resources they have to waste on imposing their own arbitrary moral standards seems limitless. Schools need to get off their high horses and stop thinking they are the morality police. The whims of a headteacher should not trump parental consent.

I would rather suspect you're on the verge of your relationship with the school irreparably breaking down and being asked to move schools.

To one which probably won't be a short, safe walk away.

Is it ever worth it?

Clearly the DH can't possibly be expected to make adjustments to collect his child from school. It's much more logical and sensible to take the school to court or call the police to force the school to make a special exception for this particular family.

TBF OP is trying to change the policy. I don't think she is seriously saying that other people in the same situation should have to comply with the rule but she should not. She is a parent, and the policy is daft, so good on her.

Then the school would repeat what they said to the OP and get into a fight with those parents.

And then they may end up with a whole year of parents ganging up on them, and end up in the local then national newspapers.

More seriously when I first heard a friend do this nearly 2 decades ago I thought she was going to have a massive fight with the school. However as we both knew teachers including headteachers at the time both her and her husband challenged the school in a better way then the OP. It then resulted in a group of about 6 children who all lived on the same road and in the same year going to and from school together without an adult. Since then I've known and met other parents who challenge the school or more simply ignored the school.

@DelilahRay

Why not? Seems daft to me.
And yes, the child who lives 350m away can also leave. Surely schools should allow all children to leave from the age of at least 8, and any exceptions are rare and based on individual risk - a long journey or particular SEN issues.
And if anything happens to the child, it's not the school's fault - kid has left school and parent has consented to the risk.

If the school agree that this child can walk home, then they will essentially have changed their current position. Other parents may well ask for the same privilege and they won't be able to stick to their position as they've already made one exception. So the OP, by being combative, will have forced a school policy change.

But, it seems like the school aren't likely to back down. So I guess it will end up on court, or in the local press, or similar. And the relationship with the school will still be in tatters. Sounds like a great outcome.

@Kutika - they can’t. You are in the right. Ignore the naysayers on here. Loads of people work 9-3 and their child walks home at three to meet their parent, in the house, at 3:10/3:15/3:20 or whatever.

The school are being ridiculous and acting outside of their legal powers.

I say that as a senior leader and safeguarding lead. I know that running a school is tough but there are too many schools who don’t seem to realise the limits of their authority.

It is not for schools to override reasonable parenting decisions. They have no legal power to detain children or to charge OP money for ASC that she hasn’t asked for and doesn’t need. If the OP just refuses to collect the child and refuses to pay and just keeps saying that the child has permission to leave what are they going to do? Keep her there all night? Call social services?

If they believe the OP’s decision is so unreasonable that it constitutes neglect then they should report to children’s services, if it’s just about making her comply with their rules then they need to understand that their rules have no real weight here.

I am shocked that so many people are accusing the OP of being difficult. The school are trying to force their idea of correct parenting onto the OP, when they have no authority to do that.

Makes no sense but whatever.

I will never not feel sorry for teachers, as if their jobs aren’t stressful enough without having to deal with all the shit parents throw at them as well.

They’ve told you so it’s tough shit.
You have several options

1.Find someone to collect your child
2.Take 5 mins out of your working day to collect your child
3.Pay for childcare
4.Move school

Do people just answer threads without even reading the OP? Do you only read the title?

Most sensible schools send out a form in year five/six asking for parental permission to walk home alone. Again, not quite sure how qualified the head at this school is. Absolutely standard.

Are you reading another thread? The OP has already stated she's at work, her DH WFH but can't just leave his work to pick her up and her older child would also be home from school shortly.

There's no adult at home

But when did you make these proposals? Was it last term? Well in advance of your DC starting back this year? Or was it this evening only after school had said she couldn’t do it?

It may need looking at by the head teacher or even a governor who would need time to consider it.

They would have to consider it properly but not in the space of an evening.

You haven't answered the question as to why your DH can't collect her if he is arriving home at the same time.

So, how many stranger kidnappings does the UK have each year? Based on this thread, it seems like it’s a 33% chance.