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Original poster

Would you do this? Let DD come home when you're not there?

111 replies

Haypyrexic · 12/05/2020 10:40

DD is 8. DS has been offered a time slot for a therapy which is in a different town. It counts as a school lesson so would be compulsory for a year if I agree to it.

The therapy ends at half past and if he is out exactly on time we would just (barring any unforeseen problems like train barriers being down, DS being late out or needing the loo) be able to get the :46 bus, arriving at :50 in our town. Then a 5 minute walk home.

DD finishes school at quarter to, has a two minute walk home.

If we miss the bus, next would be at :20 and I would not be able to contact DD.

OP posts:
Original poster
Haypyrexic · 14/05/2020 07:20

I don't need someone to walk her home. The problem is I won't be home when she gets there.

OP posts:
ChateauMargaux · 14/05/2020 07:42

And either wait with her for 5 minutes or take her to their house until you get home...

ChickenMidwife · 14/05/2020 07:47

No way I wouldn't even let my 12 year old as it's a job being a parent protecting your child is your responsibility
Literally every child in year 7 at my secondary school got the bus or walked home. We finished at 2.45. Most parents worked. We’d hang around in the library, or go to a club, or the park sometimes but were largely unsupervised for about three hours. No one died. This wasn’t that long ago. Have this really become that much more overprotective since then?

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OnlyToWin · 14/05/2020 07:53

Could the SALT come to school or to your home?

DelphiniumBlue · 14/05/2020 08:07

I think you need to work more closely with the school - tell them the slots that are available, and ask for their help, either in keeping DD after school, or moving the times when the TA is there.
D'S is being offered really valuable help, and it doesn't sound like you are bending over backwards to find ways of him accessing it. It's very likely that someone in the school could help if you asked, or that she could go home with another child of you asked around. You talk about Cab fares both ways being expensive, but you'd only need a cab one way, and then only if you missed the bus. You say she hasn't got a phone and the school doesn't allow them, but you could buy her one and talk to the school about them holding it for her on this one day a week. The school will want D'S to access the help, and most schools are really supportive about this sort of thing.
Just talk to the school.

HelenaJustina · 14/05/2020 08:09

Our school doesn’t allow children below Yr5 to leave site without an adult. Can you change the speech therapy time slot?

FamilyOfAliens · 14/05/2020 08:33

Then the school need to arrange for someone (TA?) to accompany him so you are able to collect your DD from school.

If the OP has to pick her DD up from school before the therapy session ends, that would mean the TA driving the DS to his session, waiting an hour, and then driving him back again. If it’s in the TA’s contract to use her own car for business (assuming they have one), and she has the appropriate insurance to allow her to do that, fine. Otherwise, no.

And unless the TA is 1:1 full-time for the child, she will have other responsibilities in the afternoon (determined by the Senco, not by the TA) which means other children will be disadvantaged by her being out of the classroom for two sessions every week.

OP, I would speak to the Senco and ask if the therapist can come to school. Assuming the therapy is to support his learning, how does the therapist observe him in a classroom setting if she is not on site?

TitianaTitsling · 14/05/2020 09:35

If all school kids go home for lunch, then are all parents always at home with them, or take lunch at the exact same time? How does that work with families where both parents are working, or single parents? Not judging at all, just curious!

Original poster
Haypyrexic · 14/05/2020 10:49

Grandparents. Cousins. Older siblings. Basically you can't work full time unless you have relatives or a very flexible job. Or you sign them up to stay at school (they bring in from a catering service, and bring in lunch supervision so it's eye-wateringly expensive) but the sign up closes in April for the following school year.

I don't think the therapist has ever observed him in the classroom.

Could the SALT come to school or to your home?
Yes, this is the obvious suggestion and would solve the problem for all the children at our school who have to go to the next town. But "insurance reasons" apparently.

OP posts:
drspouse · 14/05/2020 13:43

OP are you in Scotland? I've heard more children go home for lunch in Scotland (and in England, we have universal FSM so they HAVE to provide for the KS1 children).

TitianaTitsling · 14/05/2020 13:49

In Scotland we have FSM up to primary 3, don't know any school that makes everyone go home.

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