What has changed about drop off/pick up for your child’s school?

[Soubriquet]

Times have changed for my two.

Before it was everyone through the main gate for classes to start at 8.45. Finishing would be 3.10.

Now reception and year one start at 8.45 and finish at 3.10. They have to enter by the side gate and not the main entrance

Year 2 and year 3 start at 8.35 and finish at 3. They have to enter by the side gate too and not the main entrance

Year 4 and 5 have the same times as reception and year 1 only they enter through the main entrance.

Year 6 have the same times as year 2 and year 3 and they have to enter by the main entrance.

Luckily we are in the middle of no where really and there is plenty of room for people to stand about waiting for older or younger children

Staggered drop off and pick-up times with each year group starting/ending five minutes before the next. Drop off now runs from 8.40 to 9.15 and pick up from 2.40 to 3.15, it used to be 8.50 to 3pm for everyone.

Assigned gates and no public/pupil access to the main office. If you arrive late and your gate is locked, tough, no school for you that day.

Only one person to drop off and pick up each day so both parents can't go on school run and younger siblings to be left at home where possible. Unless using a registered childcare provider, the person doing drop off/pick up must be from the same household as the child.

No lingering on the yard, once you've left/received your child you have to leave the premises.

No re-entry to school once they've left the classroom at the end of each day, if they've forgotten anything then itll have to stay there until the next school day. Annoyingly no returns to use the toilet either and my 6yo will always come out, hand over his bag, and say "I need a wee" so usually goes back into school for one. I'm going to have to ask his teacher to remind him to go for one before leaving.

Good point about reminding children to use toilet

Ds was terrible for that. He would either come out and then immediately need the toilet, or we would get about 5 mins down the road and have to turn back

DD2 is finishing early every Friday (thank God for flexible working).

To make up for it she's finishing half an hour later every other day, which would be great, except that means I have to be in two places at the same time because DD1 finishes her school (3 tier system) at that same time 15 minutes drive away! DD1 will just have to wait for me. It's only until the half term, then they'll review.

Staggered drop offs and pick ups.
Designated gates
Yr2/3 have a drop off point rather than classroom door (their classrooms are at a choke point- it's usually manic so this makes a lot of sense.

Possibility that there will be no school on Friday afternoons, that's to be confirmed this week.

Forgot to say that reception and year 1 are in the same class, year 2 and year 3, same class and so are year 4 and year 5. The only one that has their own class is year 6 which is why they can come in at the same time.

I’m glad I don’t have to wait ages between my two children.

3 staggered drop off and pick up times according to eldest sibling surname so no waiting around for other children.

Kids go in via each classroom door which all lead out to the playground.

Actually it sounds quite civilised.

Staggered starting and finishing times.

Different entrance/exit points for different year groups.

No parents beyond the school gates (except for Reception children).

I do wonder how it would work at my children’s old school.

Massive playground but not a lot of room on the street. So I wonder if they still let parents in through the gates so they can keep SD up.

I’m glad I don’t have to wait ages between my two children

My DC are across three different schools as my county has a three tier school system. The schools are all in walking distance of one another but even so I can't be in two places at once and I had two DC starting at 9am at two different schools. I spoke to one of them and I now have permission to knock on the relevant classroom doors and leave both DC with their teachers at 8.45 to give me time to get to the other school for 9am. The DC will just be sitting at their desk while the teacher sets up for the day but it was that or take it in turns to be late each day.

Drop off and collection time staggered by surname, which is more sensible than by year group, but I wonder what the children in the later collection group will do while the teacher takes the first half out to their parents. We have to go in and out of specific gates. If you are collecting from infant and junior playgrounds, you have to go out the gate from infant playground and round on the pavement to the junior playground rather than using the path within the school grounds between the two.

Secondary, so no parents to factor in

They’ve opened a second gate, and even numbered year groups go in one entrance and odd numbered the other and then each year group follows its one-way route to its zone

Finishing times slightly staggered too

DD should have been able to be in school from 7.45am to 4pm. Now it’s 8.30am to 2.30pm.
She can go in from 8am but only if really necessary.

Some schools sound like the are being really awkward. And as usual working parents are expected to bend around everyone else.

My dc go to an all-through school so the first week (next week) is different days for different years (ds2 year 6 on Monday, dd year 8 Wednesday). There are also staggered start/finishes, a one way entry/exit up the long drive way, a few waiting areas for different gates into the School yards. One adult allowed for drop off and pick up. I think that's it so far.

The kids don't have to wait on the bell at 9am anymore, it's now a 20 min period where they arrive and go straight to class. They do all leave the building at the same time but it's more controlled and not the usual pushing to be 1st out.

We have to drop off between 8:50 and 9 and pick up between 3:30 and 3:40 (y3 and 4) the infants (reception, y1 and y2 in a class together) and the upper juniors (y5 and y6) start 20 mins earlier and finish 20 mins earlier. Siblings go in at the same time so half my DS class will be starting 20 mins earlier and finishing 20 mins earlier, which hasn't gone down well with DS, as his best friends have siblings. I don't see them doing any work in the extra 20 mins 🙄
It has made the school day 10 mins longer for all children

The drop-off by surname wouldn't really work at our school. There are several sibling groups where the children have different surnames to each other even though they live together in the same household. Some are half-siblings who each have their dad's surnames and others are blended families.

@RosieLemonade

Some schools sound like the are being really awkward. And as usual working parents are expected to bend around everyone else.

Some schools seem to think there is a SAHP in every family

Ks1 to arrive between 8.40 & 8.50, ks2 8.50 & 9am. If got siblings in both ks's arrive for earlier time. One adult pick up, ks1 finish at 3.05, ks2 3.10. One way sytem round year 3&4 classrooms which personally I wish they would implement all the time as its hell trying to get past! I've got one starting in reception and we are still allowed to take them into the classroom the first few weeks (after that time they are left at main gates like normal). Not really a lot of change as normal arrival time was 8.45-8.55 and finish was 3.15.

@ZenZebra

The drop-off by surname wouldn't really work at our school. There are several sibling groups where the children have different surnames to each other even though they live together in the same household. Some are half-siblings who each have their dad's surnames and others are blended families.

Most schools doing the surname drop off will do it by the surname of either the eldest or youngest child in the family group.

In our school, it is the same time for all years (secondary) but each year has a different door to use (literally every single door to the building is now a dedicated "year" door for drop-off/collection purposes). These are the doors nearest to the "base classrooms" for each year.

Parents are not allowed out of the cars if dropping, just the students.

And they now have staggered lunches, with 3 years having an early lunch and the other 3 having the normal lunch time, both having classes on the opposite period. Canteen no longer has "pay on the day" option for lunches/dinners - prepaid only. Only those who have prepaid are allowed into the canteen - others can have their packed lunches in the "hub" (common area in the middle) or outdoors, and they have increased the outdoor seating available for this. And canteen lunches are now all served as takeaways - so can be eaten in the canteen or taken to join classmates elsewhere.

The primary school has changed so that it starts at 9 for DD2s year, and ends at usual time of 3.10 with a shorter lunch. No early drop off available (which I volunteered to man last year to use this year)

DD1 starts secondary - good school but out of catchment and a 20 min drive from the above school. No public transport. 9 am start as usual, short breaks so finishes early at 3.10. No after school clubs or usual waiting room available.

So my drop off at 8.20 (DD2) for DD1's 9am isn't happening. Nor is my 3.10 pick up (DD2) to get DD1 at 3.30 from a safe waiting space up to 4pm.

It's going to be a challenging term. Luckily I have friends who will be going to the primary and will take DD2 for me. DH's shifts means he can do half anyway.

Staggered start and finish times. Children to use certain gates (previously everyone would be crowded at the main gate). 1 adult per family at the gates. Childminder/after school club still able to pick children up at the office as before. In Scotland so this is our 3rd week back and it's working fine.

Only infant school so 3 years, 60 kids in each Three gates. Before lockdown: Main large entrance used for visitors and deliveries, small gate used for drop off and collection and a medium gate in a side alley never used.

Proposed: all reception goes through large main gate 8.50am and 3.10. One class of year 2 goes in and out of alley gate 8.50am and 3.10pm. Both year 1 classes use alley gate 8.50am and 3.10pm. One year 2 class goes in through alley gate at 8.40am and leaves through small front gate at 3.10.

I personally think it's going to be chaos . Why they havent staggered timings more and made use of the smaller gate I have no idea.