Does this sound ok? School run…

Are you friends with any of the parents that stand waiting outside until the gates open that would watch your two for the 5 minutes they'll be waiting? If not then I'd have a word with the school & ask if there's any way you can drop them to wait in Reception so you can get your other child to their school on time. Failing that you'd need to find a childminder to do the drop off or book them into breakfast club if there's one available. Leaving them outside by themselves isn't the best idea. What would they do if the Teachers came out & said school is suddenly closed due to an emergency or there was an incident at the gates, car crashing into them, parents arguing etc. 8 & 9 is quite young still to be responsible for themselves even for such a short time.

I dropped my youngest child late every week, once you explain why the lateness they will eighter allow it which they did for me or support you to get them on time.

Try to appeal.

Speak to school of 8yo and 9yo as they’ll probably have a solution.

Your suggestion to me sounds ok but guess it depends on whether it was big or small school, rural or urbsn, safety feel of area, etc. Also waiting outside gates - would this be waiting on a street with a narrow pavement or inside school grounds?

Kid’s club expensive and you wouldn’t do that for a short period of time unless there was a free breakfast club run by the school etc. Dito child minders. Not worth cost and changing routine dropping off early at childminders etc. So don’t think this is a good idea others have suggested.

Relying on a parent might not be a great solution too. Quite a few might not do drop offs every morning etc and what if their child is ill.

School policy may or may not allow your suggestion.

It all depends on a lot of factors so first thing is to appeal as you’ve said you’d do but speak to school in the meantime.

No worries! 😘

I think it’s obviously not ideal but I don’t see what alternative there is really. It’s not your fault they aren’t all in one school. I started walking to school on my own aged 9.

I suppose you’ve appealed the decision on having the three kids in the same school ? What a crazy world it is when kids don’t go to the primary school nearest to where they live with their siblings. Madness . No wonder birth rates are low, things like this make parent’s lives so difficult.

Unfortunately the system does not account for children at different schools and it is not a grounds for appeal.

Surely you have grounds to appeal. You should not have to have these concerns.

I wouldn’t do this, I’d ask the school to let them in 5 minutes early or tell the other school your youngest will have to be 5 mins late. Absolutely ridiculous making them go to different schools!

Thank you. I think I misunderstood the OP.

Yh I wondered this – but maybe the OP has to beetle off to work at 8.45 and no later to get to her desk by 9am?

Absolutely ridiculous that kids can't walk to their local school aged 8 and 9, or be left outside to wait for 5 minutes. Something's really wrong with society if that's the case.

She says the eldest 2 are in the school further away and the youngest is going to the school closest?

OP hasn’t come back to the thread so I still don’t understand why the above suggestion isn’t possible.

The younger one’s gates can’t open and shut at 8.45, they must be open for a 10 minute window surely.

In which case it isn’t at all necessary to leave the older ones, all kids just get dropped a bit later.

this seems like a non issue?

People are very precious on here. I don’t think anything could happen in that situation whatsoever and it seems batshit to pay for breakfast club for the sake of 5 mins. Other people will be around, they’re hardly going to run away or do anything crazy at that age!

Having said that, I’d be inclined to just put all in the same school tbh. You’re doing the school run there anyway so makes more sense than two drop offs.

Same, I walked our eight year old to school on his first day here and the teacher on duty thought there was something wrong.

This. Schools can't actually require it and social services would consider it a waste of their time to be rung about this.

Its utterly ludicrous to expect op to spend £100 a week on two lots of breakfast club (or even £50 for one) so that two junior school kids don't have to wait 5 mins at the gate with their friends.

I'd do this. Its a one form village school & I know all the other mums/dads, I've kept an eye on others kids in similar situations before.

Are we talking at cross purposes? OP's entire first paragraph is about how she couldn't get all three kids into the school her eldest is at, isn't it. So either she moves him from the school he's settled at, or she has them at different schools doesn't she?

I think it's the youngest starting that will be going to a different school. The older 2 kids are already together at the school extra minutes away.

I would feel totally fine doing this with my non SEN 9yr old but our school would not be okay with it as they have to be in year 5 before they can come/go independently. So if school agree I think it’s a totally reasonable plan.

if this is the best route to get them all to school, then speak to the second school and explain you can’t get there until 8:50 and that’s the way it is.
Don’t they have a 10 min drop off window?

It might not be allowed at the schools you know about but it certainly would not be an issue at the junior school my DC went to.

Why do parents need to be present? and at what age is this not needed?

Moving kids from schools they are settled in is pretty detrimental to them.

Nothing the school can do about it except report to Social Services, who will roll their eyes, call OP up to check all is okay and close the case.