Can school say no to dd leaving early.

[Whatsmynamethistime]

Dd is 14 at her school there's a compulsory homework club. It finishes at 4.10pm this means dd has to hang around for her train for 40 mins. But if she was to leave school at 3.55 she could get the 4.05 train . So she would not be hanging around for 40 mins on her own.

The reason for this is adult dd ex is due out of prison and he's classed as a danger to the whole family. The school do have a picture of him and information regarding him.

If I tell the school I want dd to leave the school at 3.55 could they refuse it?

I can't pick her up myself as I don't drive. I have younger children to pick up as well and the timings do not work well.

There is a safety plan in place that was written up by social services. But we did not account for compulsory homework club at the time

Kind of agree with this.

telling? No, informing them is less aggressive.

keep calm, explain the risk that your dd is potentially subject to, use the word safeguarding and assure the school of your support for their routine, but that your dd safety needs to come first.

my ds is done with school now, but all parents know that we all have to make allowances for some children, privacy, photos etc because of situations like yours and we all get it. Nobody with half a brain is going to cause uproar because of this.

If I were you I’d go and see them at school and talk to them about the upcoming release, about how she can’t be hanging around for 40mins at a station and so therefore will be leaving the school at the end of the timetabled lessons and not attend homework club for the foreseeable future.

what are the chances he’d turn up at school? What are the odds that he could wait for her to leave the school and go to the station? What are the safeguarding measures that exist now and what else can be put in place?

keep calm. I can imagine that you feel terrified and powerless, but I’m sure the school will help you.

What was that plan? I’d be following that plan.

Honestly, if he's a genuine risk to the family, I don't think I could live like that. What's to stop him waiting outside the school until he sees her finish? Or you when you've got the little kids? Is your DD over him or likely to go back because "he's changed" and "she loves him"?

I'd be seriously thinking about whether we could continue to live there.

Either tell school what times she's leaving an empower your daughter to walk out when it's time, politely advising them to speak to you if it's a problem but still go, or could they actually keep her a little later until you can get there with the smalls?

What happens of a morning?

They would be daft to refuse. I’d rather as a teacher have her at home earlier doing homework and safe than hanging about at the station wasting time.

SLT with safeguarding responsibility here.
Safeguarding trumps all other considerations.
I would be amazed if the school have a problem with this under the circumstances.

What a stupid post and ignorant also. I have children of various ages, they go on their bedrooms and shut the door. No issues with concentration.

YANBU.

Some people on here are really ignorant as to the realities of people's lives as well. Not everyone can be there with their kids 24/7. I'm a single parent with a full time job, I need to earn money to pay for luxuries like rent and bills, so I certainly couldn't be going off in the middle of the day to pick my teenager up from school. We don't know OP's circumstances, she says she has younger children to pick up so something has to give, a teen is able to get themselves home at least, OP's younger kids are even more vulnerable and this sounds like the best solution for the whole family.

Depends on the type of school and the published start and end times of the school day.
Your request is totally reasonable to make in the circumstances though. Particularly if SS are involved and have written a plan. Possibly approach the safeguarding lead.

If she needs to leave early for safety reasons you don't ask them you tell them if for whatever reason they say no then you tell dd to just get up and leave they can not physically stop her.

There's a safety plan set up by social services

The homework club stops your daughter following SSs safety plan

Why are you allowing your daughter to deviate from SSs safety plan?

I wouldn’t ask them I would tell them. I think it’s very reasonable

Honestly @Whatsmynamethistime I would approach the safeguarding lead and explain the situation.

However, given the fact the bloke is a risk to your dd why the hell is she allowed to travel home alone?! I would be trying to find a better way of protecting her.

Sadly I don't have a magic solution I wish i did .

The safety plan was in place before homework club became a thing.

Then she’s not going to homework club, surely?

Exactly . We have to live life. I can't be there all of the time. But things can be put in place to keep her safe.

It's compulsory so I'm not sure where I stand with that.

Does your daughter have a victim liaison officer (from probation) failing that speak to his probation officer and ask if they will write a letter to the school saying that as part of the risk management plan she can't be waiting around at train stations for 40 minutes.
That aside I would really be concerned about her travelling alone at all if he poses that kind of risk to her

I'd argue the safety plan is compulsory

I'd talk to Social Services for advice. It could even be possible that for safety reasons the LA have to fund a Taxi for your daughter.

Case with social services is closed. I could possibly talk to duty team though

I think you should consult with social services about the safety plan and then tell the school what is happening, with backup from social services if necessary.
It's not like you just want to remove her from homework club because the train time is a bit inconvenient. If there wasn't this danger from this person then there wouldn't be a problem with her having to hang around 40 mins for a train, even if it isn't great/fun/ideal.

So the proposal is not that she misses homework club but that she leaves 15 mins early from homework club.

I would just write a letter saying she needs to leave 15 mins early for safeguarding reasons (as previously notified). If the school already have a photo of the ex prisoner who’s known to be a danger to your daughter then I think they would be barking to kick up a fuss about a timing adjustment for your daughter

After school he club cannot be enforced. The school day ends at 3.05 and by then she will have completed the required schooling hours set by the EA. It is just easy for the school to say it is compulsory. Do not ask permission. You inform the school that because of x, y and z reasons your daughter WILL be leaving school at 3.05. It is 100% unenforceable to keep her there. If they say otherwise you ask them for written evidence from the EA stating that it is compulsory.