Noone picked up my daughter and school didn't ring.

They probably presumed you were running late. I work in a school and there are lots of children collected late , these are put into one of the after school clubs and I go and get them when their parent arrives.
We would start to call parents if they still hadn't collected at the end of the club. So I imagine that you would have got a phone call then

I'm not understanding why op should be "full of shame" when it was her sister that failed to collect the child?

Only person you should be complaining to is your sister here.

We missed school pick up once OP- my husband had the afternoon off and was on pick up duty and had nodded off on the sofa. Our pick up is also 3.20pm and the school called me about 3.40pm to check everything was okay. We managed to collect before 4pm (no charge- my kid was sat in the school reception with an adult). But we don't ever use the after school club so I guess we wouldn't be registered.

I would maybe mention it to the school, but keep it light/ feedback and also thank them for sorting her when your family messed up the pick up.

I don't think a complaint is the right way to go, but could you ring them to apologise and in the course of that say something like,

"I'm horrified that if I hasn't called my sister to check in I wouldn't have known she hasn't been picked up. By the way, please could you let me know what your policy would have been re ringing me? Would someone have rung me during after day care or only if she hasn't been picked up at the end of that? I'm never planning on this happening again, obviously(!) but it would put my mind at rest to know"?

You know schools and childcare has a point where they ring social services because a child hasn't been collected?
I'd be thankful that they used the resources available and put her in childcare for the evening instead of you being met by a social worker.
I think your anger is misplaced here. Pay the fee, and thank everyone involved because they kept her safe and didn't make life hard for you.

I'm guessing this is a big city school?. They haven't got time to be calling every late parent.

London primaries manage it...

All the schools I know would transfer the dc to after school club & charge but they would ring first.

The school should really have called you when DD wasn’t collected. Though, if as a PP suggested, they just assumed you’d forgotten to book ASC I can see why they didn’t.

I think you just need to find out what actually happened and what the school policy is. There’s nothing wrong with you asking the school why they didn’t call you.

It’s genuinely very interesting how stark opinions are on this. I work in a school and our policy is… children who have not been collected on time are taken to WAC. All these parents are charged. Our school has 2 session times for WAC and parents would be called at the END of the WAC session and safeguarding LADO policy followed if parents/guardians not answering or have not attended to collect. Many parents are late daily for various reasons - would be a huge job to call parents who are likely just running late or whatever else.

I have just text all my friends who work in schools across the UK and asked them as do think interested - and all have said they have same policy as my school and would ever immediately instruct staff to call parents etc. One friend who is older…said this used to be the policy decades ago with more staff available and when families took more responsibility and had a sense of shame etc…but modern times they know it’s better for the school to issue this policy to protect themselves and the kids or they would spend lots of pointless time calling parents (and still be given grief no doubt!).

The poll results on here reflects my and friends schools understanding and policies.

I honestly would be so embarrassed and full of shame about this… but almost admire the sheer audacity of some folk! I don’t think I would have the confidence to behave like this.

I have rarely been more surprised by a poll result than I am with this one.

A child who doesn't normally use ASC on that day of the week would absolutely warrant a phone call home. Talking to the child will ascertain they are expecting to be picked up as normal, and they will be worrying where their adult has gone.

If the parent on first call doesn't answer, they'd ring the second contact. This happened to us when I was stuck on the motorway with my phone in the boot. School rang after 15 mins or so, then rang my husband when I didn't answer, which enabled him to find someone to collect DC before the end of ASC (ish!). My husband had no way of knowing I'd got stuck - just as he'd have had no idea if I'd been hit by a bus.

Exactly! School office is EXTREMELY busy at closing time. They haven't got time to be calling late parents!

I'm guessing this is a big city school?. They haven't got time to be calling every late parent. They put them in after school club until parent shows up. If they don't call or show up by the end, then they call and if no answer, they call social services.

School office worker here. Sometimes at the end of the day we are incredibly busy. We are checking the right children are in the right club, the children who haven't been collected are safe and we know who they are, whilst dealing with a queue of parents with queries, letting children back in and out the school who have forgotten water bottles, lunch boxes, clothes etc etc.
Our priority is always a child who isn't where we expect them to be.....usually a parent has collected and forgotten to let us know they aren't doing club - but their welfare comes first.

Only when we have dealt with those children would we start calls for children who haven't been collected.....normally most children are collected within 20 mins or they are regulars of asc and parents forgot to book them in. So sending them into ASC is usual. Especially if they are vulnerable or require supervision.

I had a parent complain on Friday morning of exactly the same thing - why didn't we call her before her late family member actually got to school. -- she didn't focus on the fact her child was safe. Or the fact that we have all the other things to deal with. Or the fact that we didn't charge her for ASC. Just why didn't we call. Maybe I all parents were on time we would get to phone calls more quickly. Please don't pass the blame to the office who do the best they can to safeguard kids.

They could’ve reported you to social services (excessive but they could’ve) for failing to collect your child. Perhaps they’d have called you if she hadn’t been collected at 5pm. Be grateful your child is safe and have more robust childcare.

I wouldn’t complain about the school, but I would politely ask them to make a note in their system to call your/DH if she’s not collected.

Your sister let you down . School looked after your child. I'd just say thanks and move on.

No matter how reliable they are, I would still check on the day.

in the ASC I used to work in if a child was known to do ASC sometimes we would assume parents had forgotten to book them on and so if we had space take them into ASC and only if it got later phone home. 9 times out of 10 it is the case they forgot to book!

if they don’t normally do ASC they would sit with us for about 20 mins to allow for traffic delays and then a call to see if everything was ok.

Most schools wouldn't allow a Year 3 child to leave school premises without an adult to collect. They would place the child in the After School Club, and call a parent if no one collected the child at the end of the session, and yes you would be charged. In the circumstances, be grateful that the school stepped in, and kept your daughter safe, rather than focusing on them not calling you. Check the policy with the school on the procedure if a child isn't collected. You should be giving your sister a rocket for forgetting to pick up your daughter in the first place. Your daughter must have been worried and unsettled when her Aunt, who I presume she knew was collecting her, didn't turn up.

Check their policy.

my school don’t call, unless there is a particular reason, child goes to AC and school will call if they’re not picked up with it ends.

sounds like your sister f’ed up and you’re angry with the wrong people. How much time
do you think teachers have to follow up on your mistakes?!

You’d think so and that’s exactly how it should be but we often had children turn up for breakfast club that weren’t booked in. We raised it with the office staff so many times with no resolve.
I don’t know how this child ended up at ASC. The school might have just told them to take them in until someone arrived. Who knows?
Just to add, our breakfast club and ASC were in a separate building on the school site and mainly run by TA’s. We often had ‘add ons’. Bloody frustrating when we were already fully booked and short of space etc.