Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to question the school banning prams from the buggy shed?

154 replies

ProudBrickBiscuit · 15/09/2026 22:28

Just a quick one bc I feel like an idiot for pushing on this and rationally I know it’s not a big deal.

My kids school is very strict, but we are fine with that.

I have a 3 year old in a school nursery (drop off 8.30) and a 6 year old in year 1 (drop off 8.45- main gates open at 8.45 and we walk into the playground).

Recently we’ve had emails asking parents to stop leaving strollers/scooters/bikes in the stroller shed. I have actively ignored those and carried on leaving my pram there.

Today, a teacher approached me and asked me not to leave the pram there. The school’s reasoning is that there is a stay and play session, once a week for one hour in which parents need to store their buggies. So space needs to be left for them.

It is boggling my mind that they would stop regular nursery parents from leaving prams and essentially have the shelter empty for the whole week, bar one hour a day.

We can’t take cars on the school road as it has become pedestrian only. School is a 13min adult walk away but my kids walk really slowly and it takes us about 25mins if no pram.

I have to run (actually run as in running clothes and trainers) back from the kids pick up to make it back for my 9am meeting on my WFH days. office days I go straight from school to the station (walking). I can’t run back with my pram. The teacher suggested if I’m struggling with the timings with work I put the kids into breakfast club- that would be costly for two kids and it’s a matter of minutes.

if they had a good reason for this rule I’d completely understand, but this just seems so odd. I don’t want to push it because it’s such a minor issue and it’s embarrassing to make a fuss about sometime like this.

Am I not seeing sense here?

OP posts:
Timeforachange26 · 15/09/2026 22:31

Why have you got a pram? I'm confused. Is there a baby somewhere in the picture?

Oh sorry I've just seen slow walking. Well if those are the rules you will need to leave earlier

Ablondiebutagoody · 15/09/2026 22:32

So it takes an additional 12 minutes to make the journey in the morning? Why is that such a hassle?

Happytaytos · 15/09/2026 22:32

Buy an umbrella fold and leave it there.

BertieBotts · 15/09/2026 22:32

So the buggy shelter is for the stay and play not the nursery? I think you might be a bit unreasonable in that case because it's like parking on someone's driveway just because they live next door to school, and the driveway is left empty all day while they are at work so what does it matter?

ProudBrickBiscuit · 15/09/2026 22:34

Happytaytos · 15/09/2026 22:32

Buy an umbrella fold and leave it there.

Sorry wrong wording. I have a compact stroller, not the massive travel systems.

OP posts:
Happytaytos · 15/09/2026 22:34

Or get up earlier and leave with enough time to walk.

Happytaytos · 15/09/2026 22:35

ProudBrickBiscuit · 15/09/2026 22:34

Sorry wrong wording. I have a compact stroller, not the massive travel systems.

Are you leaving it folded or up?

BertieBotts · 15/09/2026 22:35

What about getting the kids a scooter or cycling with them in a bike trailer or child seat?

ProudBrickBiscuit · 15/09/2026 22:35

BertieBotts · 15/09/2026 22:32

So the buggy shelter is for the stay and play not the nursery? I think you might be a bit unreasonable in that case because it's like parking on someone's driveway just because they live next door to school, and the driveway is left empty all day while they are at work so what does it matter?

They use one of the new nursery buildings for the stay and play. They are doing this whilst they recruit new children as part of expansion of the nursery services

OP posts:
ExtraOnions · 15/09/2026 22:35

Set off from home 12 minutes earlier.

It’s not for you to unilaterally decide that you aren’t going to follow the rules. If you don’t like the rules go elsewhere.

BertieBotts · 15/09/2026 22:35

Happytaytos · 15/09/2026 22:32

Buy an umbrella fold and leave it there.

She isn't allowed to leave anything there, the buggy shelter is for parents using the stay and play, not school/nursery parents.

ProudBrickBiscuit · 15/09/2026 22:36

BertieBotts · 15/09/2026 22:35

What about getting the kids a scooter or cycling with them in a bike trailer or child seat?

Can’t leave scooters on site now either. I would cycle but wouldn’t feel comfortable with the kids as we live near some very busy roads with some a lot of silly drivers around

OP posts:
OhNoooooooooooooooo · 15/09/2026 22:37

Their shed, their rules.

Just do as you've been asked.

BertieBotts · 15/09/2026 22:37

Yes but a scooter is much smaller to take back with you. You can get them with a strap.

ProudBrickBiscuit · 15/09/2026 22:37

Happytaytos · 15/09/2026 22:34

Or get up earlier and leave with enough time to walk.

That is very true but also easier said than done! Also I will probably do that anyway but this is more questioning the logic behind the schools rule on this.

OP posts:
Raptors · 15/09/2026 22:37

They have told you the shed isn't for storing pushchairs it's for the stay and play so it was incredibly rude to think that didn't apply to you.

You could leave earlier, use scooters, cycle or use the breakfast club service which they have informed you about. To ignore the request again would be very unreasonable.

mynameiscalypso · 15/09/2026 22:37

I think it’s bizarre that a school, especially one with a nursery, won’t allow you to leave buggies, bikes or scooters there.

frogspawn15 · 15/09/2026 22:38

OP can’t set off 12 minutes earlier. The issue is that she cannot drop her eldest until the gates open at 8.45, and she needs to be home for 9am to start work. So she runs, which she can’t do with the buggy.

SP2024 · 15/09/2026 22:40

I’ve never heard of a school where there is nowhere for kids to leave scooters or bikes. They normally encourage as part of active travel

OhNoooooooooooooooo · 15/09/2026 22:40

ProudBrickBiscuit · 15/09/2026 22:37

That is very true but also easier said than done! Also I will probably do that anyway but this is more questioning the logic behind the schools rule on this.

Because if everyone "actively ignores" the request, then the stay and play can't use it.

Also leaving your possessions in their property might make them liable for loss or damage.

Plus maybe they just don't want people dumping their buggies there.

Just get the kids to walk.

PatCandlestick · 15/09/2026 22:40

I've never heard of a school where you can leave a buggy all day.

I'm surprised you can't leave a scooter though.

fashionqueen0123 · 15/09/2026 22:40

ProudBrickBiscuit · 15/09/2026 22:36

Can’t leave scooters on site now either. I would cycle but wouldn’t feel comfortable with the kids as we live near some very busy roads with some a lot of silly drivers around

Why on earth can’t you leave a scooter? Our kids school is full of them. It’s encouraged for kids to walk/scoot/bike to school.

When mine was 3 I used to give my buggy to the preschool and they’d store it in a shed for me so I didnt have to walk it home.

sorry edit- I misread this as a bike shed. A stroller shed? So why can’t you leave your stroller?!

lavendarwillow · 15/09/2026 22:40

it does seem a bit strict, I can’t imagine there are too many parents in the same boat who would need to store a buggy all day. There would be one or two at the most surely.

BertieBotts · 15/09/2026 22:41

I do sort of see the point but my guess is that the shed isn't large enough to accommodate everyone leaving stuff there for all their school/nursery age kids.

If everyone at school/nursery fills up the shed, then they don't have a buggy park available for stay and play. If they made a rule of "You can use it except for Tuesdays" they would constantly have to have someone out there enforcing it.

Parents using a stay and play generally bring buggies whereas it is not an expectation of schools/nurseries to provide a buggy shed. It was probably more expensive for them to buy a larger shed. I can see the sense in their decision, even if it seems impractical to you.

Namechangetry · 15/09/2026 22:41

Recently we’ve had emails asking parents to stop leaving strollers/scooters/bikes in the stroller shed. I have actively ignored those and carried on leaving my pram there.

This was the part where you messed up. Try explaining to school why you need somewhere like the shed, and try to get to a solution, don't just carry on doing something you've been told not to do, what did you think would happen? They're not mind readers