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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To leave my son in the school play ground and go to work ??

58 replies

Manda25 · 06/09/2010 22:58

My son is 7 (8 Next month) and in yr 3. For the last 9 months or so I have left him in the school playground about 10/15 minutes before the whistle goes. I ALWAYS leave him either when another girl in his class turns up (alone) or when I think enough parents (I don't know them) are in the playground. I always take him into the playground and don't turf him out at the gate - although we are in London we are in a nice leafy suburb.

So AIBU??

OP posts:
Tigurr · 07/09/2010 03:43

"It is a smallish school (one class of 30 per year) - has electric gates on it and you can leave kids in the playground from 8.30am"

In that case, I don't see what the problem is.

DD1's school has before-school-care from 7.30 - 8.45am. From 8.45am, there are a couple of teachers in the playground supervising (about 800 kids in the school) and then the bell goes about 9.10am for school to start.

I've been leaving DD1 since she was about 6yrs old (she had been in school for about 9 months by then). I drop her near the gates, watch her go in and then leave.

HappyMummyOfOne · 07/09/2010 07:30

We use breakfast club for 20 mins, yes we have to pay but you cant put a price on safety.

Our school doesnt allow parents to drop off and leave their children unsupervised and only year 6 children are allowed out at night with no adult providing they have a signed slip on file.

I think its very unfair to put the responsibility on another child or parent when they dont actually know they have it all to save money.

Original poster
Manda25 · 07/09/2010 07:35

I DO feel comfortable with it and so does my son. I get the odd pang of 'what if's' at times though.

Thank you all for your opinions.

OP posts:
MmeLindt · 07/09/2010 07:37

Happymummy
manda has posted that they do not have a breakfast club.

YANBU
As long as he is happy with it, and responsible about staying there, what could happen? (alien abductions notwithstanding)

Animation · 07/09/2010 07:38

It's fine. YANBU.

DollyMG · 07/09/2010 07:44

Sorry but i have to lol at the "oh its a leafy suburb/surrey village"

What difference does it make, if they are in a village school playground or an inner city "no leaves" area playground?

arf

HSMM · 07/09/2010 07:55

Our primary school states they have a member of staff in the playground at 0840 and children can be left then (to cut down on the numbers of cars parked). However they also state that any child left before that time is not insured and could be considered abandoned). You should maybe check the school policy. I was happy to drop my dd at 0840 and she was happy for me to go, so she could play with her friends.

sarah293 · 07/09/2010 07:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

belgo · 07/09/2010 07:56

Of course it's fine for ten minutes, I do this with dd aged six. SO does everyone else.

I'm sure the school would much rather ten minutes early then a few minutes late. And the school probably have a clause for this in their insurance.

belgo · 07/09/2010 07:57

HSMM - of course if they have a clear policy like that, then it has to be followed, but if there is no clear policy, then I would continue doing as MAnda25 has been doing.

duchesse · 07/09/2010 07:59

He's nearly 8. In Japan he would have been walking to school alone for the last three years. We coddle our children far too much in this country.

Animation · 07/09/2010 08:00

HSMM - yes, you get some schools that love to preach "rules and regulations" and make women feel really bad and neglectful.Hmm

Sexonlegs · 07/09/2010 08:00

I do the same on the days I work. I wouldn't get to work on time otherwise as I also have to take dd2 to pre-school.

YANBU at all.

Fizzylemonade · 07/09/2010 08:03

In our school you can let year 3 and above take themselves in, anything younger and you have to be there to "hand them over" to a teacher when the bell goes.

DS1 is now in yr3 and I have to be half way down the school to put ds2 who has just started reception (big school, 90 children per year, so it is a huge school)

Ds1 is under strict instructions not to leave the playground. There have been a couple f incidents over the years where children have been asked to get into cars but that was apparently on the main road and not taken from the playground.

I think as long as you have talked to him about stranger danger then I can't see what all the fuss is about. If you were dropping him off on his own at 8am, then that would be different.

sorrento56 · 07/09/2010 08:05

Does your son feel able to go to another parent if he needs someone?

Our school has a member of staff in the playground from 8.45 but other parents leave their children well before that. I stay until mine are in school at 8.55am.

Coralanne · 07/09/2010 08:08

There's a sign at my DGD's school stating that parents cannot go beyond that point. So effectively all children are on their own in the playground.

A teacher is on playground duty from 8.30 a.m.

When I take my DGD to school, she is mortified if I try to go beyond the drop off point.

If I had my way I would hold her hand until the bell rang and she went in to class.

Lucky the school and DGD have more commonsense than I have.

weegiemum · 07/09/2010 08:12

My kids all go to school on the school bus - always have. THey leave the house at 8, walk the 5 mins to the bus stop together and get to school at about 8.40 where they are supervised in the playground by the ancillary staff until the bell goes.

In the afternoon they get dropped off and walk the 5 mins home themselves. If its a nice day I sometimes stroll along and meet them. They're 6 (p3), 8 (p4) and 10 (p6).

I am really liking this arrangement this morning as it is peeing rain here and I am sitting cosy in the dressing gown and they are all on the bus. If they're not at the stop (which is literally round the corner) when the bus comes the driver phones me!

asdx2 · 07/09/2010 08:15

My boys walked to and from school alone from year three and they weren't the only ones so YANBU

AmazingBouncingFerret · 07/09/2010 08:24

YANBU.
My mum used to drop me off on the corner so I could walk to the school gate and wait int he playground alone. And shock horrror, the school was slap bang in the middle of quite a rough council estate! Wink Did have a few leaves though so that made it ok.

clam · 07/09/2010 08:32

The trouble with this grey area is that some parents take advantage. We have kids left from 10 past 8 in the morning, their parents assuming that the school will be responsible. We aren't. Staff are all busy preparing for their day and aren't operating a free child-minding service. The Head has stated that a member of staff will be on duty at 8:40 and up 'til then the parent is responsible. Not sure how it would all pan out legally if there was some sort of accident. Bet those same parents would be hurling blame in the school's direction.

Original poster
Manda25 · 07/09/2010 15:49

Dolly what i meant by a leafy suburb was not that there are leafs but that is a little school tucked away no where near a main road or passing traffic ...and no not Surrey !! (NW London)

Thanks again for all your reply's/advice

OP posts:
Blu · 07/09/2010 15:57

If the playground is open it's fine!

Once the gates are open (from about 8.40, I think - 8.45, anyway) one more more teacher is always out in the playground chatting to parents, watching what kids are up to, and ready to ring the bell.

FlyingInTheCLouds · 07/09/2010 16:09

A few of the 7 yr olds at DC school walk alone so YANBU.

Seona1973 · 07/09/2010 16:11

no parents are allowed in the playground at dd's school so from when she started (4 1/2 years old) she has gone into the playground alone. It is supervised from 8.45am (bell rings at 8.55am) so I drop her off near to the school gates and she makes her own way in while I take ds round the the nursery which is at the opposite end of the school.

wigglesrock · 07/09/2010 16:17

YANBU I leave my 5 year old in playground 15 mins before school bell, usually wait until we see another classmate. She was doing this last year from age of 4, she's the youngest in her class!!! Tbh schhol doesn't encourage parents to hang around in playground.