Schools fining for late pick up

[FredrikaPeri]

Our kid's school has instigated a fine of £1 a minute for late pick up.

Does your school do this?
How do you feel about that?

I think it's fine. Don't be late.

What does "how you feel about it" matter?! Don't be late and you won't have to pay.

I don’t know, I’m never late to pick them up I think it’s fair though

As someone who has to be sat around waiting. And then not getting paid for that time. I agree. Don’t be late. Easy as that really. I don’t appreciate having to change my plans or not get paid for time spent at work.

One of the schools DD attended stuck them in the ASC if you weren't there within 10mins of end of day. You were then liable to pay for the whole session.

My guess is this would not apply to one-off lateness for a good reason, but to those parents who are consistently 5 minutes late. They will stop doing that if it costs them.

I'd imagine they've introduced it as the lateness was getting unmanageable.

Why not.

I understand being flexible over a couple of minutes, but overall I think it's fair. Some parents don't pick up at our local school until 5pm and don't phone to let staff know. Office staff go home at 4pm, so have to stay on unpaid. That isn't fair.

Good way to stop parents taking the mick with pick up times!

I think it's fair enough but should only kick in after 5 mins or so. There should be a tiny bit of leeway. But teachers/ school staff shouldn't be expected to work for free (they already do enough of that!)

If you were consistently late at my daughters old primary they referred you to childrens services.

This was the same as my nephews primary school they said they would refer her to ss if she was late again even by a minute, I think she would have preferred a fine!

I remember a parent ranting at my old headteacher one time about why was it a problem they were late as staff were here anyway...headteacher pointed out staff weren't responsible for their child past x time and if you persistently showed up late her other, perfectly viable option, was to call the police!

It might depend a bit on where they count ‘late’ from. My kids let out at 3.10 but I’m frequently still outside ds’s door at 3.15 as the teacher deals with all the ‘could I just have a quick words?’

I feel it is ridiculous schools would have to fine people for being late to pick up. Must be repeated lateness.

Standard here for nursery and I totally agree with it at school too. Why should the teacher / office have to hang around looking after kids whose parents are late to collect them.

Some nurseries don’t do this because people see it as an acceptable payment rather than a fine. I’m guessing it was only introduced because some people were taking the piss and being exceptional late or regular late rather than a few mins late once every six months/year.

Is that even legal ?..

Don't be late.. i managed to get my ds to and from school every day during primary.

What do you feel about it Op ?

Preferred a fine? Why couldn't she just do what everyone else does and get there on time??

Does a school have the legal power to do that?

I think it’s fair enough. The staff will either have other stuff to do or will go home -possibly to collect their own children from childcare. Why should the school staff have to act as free childcare?

Don't be late.
If stuck, ring school, as a one off, they are usually fine.

Repeatedly late? Not fine. Repeatedly late deliberately because it will cost you more if your taxi turns up fir when door opens and you might have to wait 5 or 10 mins, while each child is safely dismissed so you decide to circumnavigate this by deliberately arriving late after everyone has gone so you can run to main door, grab kids, get back in taxi and cheaper fair? Not OK.

(And that parent realised we were delaying dismissing their children to prevent them getting the benefit they wanted of a cheaper taxi so it soon stopped). (and they were fit and well, just idle. Skint, but could pay for taxis everyday, and idle).

One parent at my DD’s school was late every day. Always at least 10 mins (I like a chit chat at the gate). The parents lived less than a 5 mins walk, i would often meet them on my way home, cigarette in hand, chatting on the phone, there was never any urgency. I agree with fining parents, particularly if they do it all the time. Poor kids have to stand waiting then get taken in to wait. Not nice at all.

Wouldn’t work for my kids school. I have 3 kids at the school, all finish the same one, all need picking up at classroom. School is big, think 1000 pupils, I’m often 10 mins late picking up the last kid because I have to walk round a massive school. So yeah wouldn’t work at ours