To be concerned about school using parent transport?

[HenriettaPootel]

DS1 has just started in Reception, so I don't know what's normal in schools, and I don't know if I'm coming over all PFB (I have form ). DS has got a trip in a couple of weeks, to a local library about five miles away, and they've asked the parents in the class to volunteer to transport the children. I know they use coaches for bigger/longer trips, but apparently they quite often use volunteer parents for local/small trips. Now, AIBU to be a bit concerned about this? The most obvious issue is that they're not CRB checked, but that isn't actually what concerns me most (it's a short duration, they won't be alone with one child, and I do know most of them - it's a small village school). I'm more worried about the fact that I'm relying on the safety of other parents' driving, there are no checks on their cars/insurance/licence etc, and I'm trusting them to fit car seats/disable air bags correctly. As I say, I do know the majority of them tolerably well, but a few are completely unknown to me. AIBU?

what if you dont have a car seat? i have 3 kids but no car seat.

DD's school did this. The school had a store room full of booster seats.

Yanbu. I wouldn't trust a random parents driving skills. How far is the library? My school used to walk a mile to the library. Is it much further than that?

Our school does this and all Have to be CRB checked all insurance tax MOT's are checked, seats the parents bring own etc...

The school asks us to bring in our car seats if they were doing a trip like this. I assume this practice is more common in small schools where the groups are so small it is not worthwhile getting a coach.

I have to say the first time I was involved in such a trip when my DS was in YR I was surprised that the volunteers did not have to be CRB checked, but as the trip was in about the third week that they had been at school none of the new parents would have had time to be CRB checked.

In my experience they usually match up children with adults that the children know, so they have probably already been in the car with that parent outside school on playdates etc iyswim.

We use parent transport for trips with our local Beaver group as well. Would people have a problem with that as well?

It's odd, but it's never occurred to me to worry about this. But we are a tiny school (hence no funds to pay for a minibus) and everyone knows everyone.

I wouldn't be happy with this either. I run drama classes & am a theatre chaperone and am not allowed to transport children because of insurance

When we took part in a festival I put a couple of parents in touch with each other & I did arrange a lift for one child. The parent offering the lift was a Local Authority school taxi service driver with CRB & insurance to carry children.

this is so wrong i can hardly believe it is happening.
i wouldn't let my child go out on these terms and she's 30.

I wouldn't allow this. The school have no idea whether the parents are good drivers.

Re crb checks the rules have been changed recently. I would still expect them to be crb checked though.

Our school regularly does this. No CRB or insurance checks, bring own car seat.

Not sure how schools go about this sort of thing now but in the fairly recent past this sort of arrangement was quite normal. My youngest is 15 and when mine were at primary I regularly transported a car load to football. cross country etc. The school hired a coach for swimming and longer trips but the same parent helpers and TAs often used their own cars for shorter trips. When the height resrictions for seat belts came in the younger DC were told to bring booster seats to school.
I was CRB checked and so were the other parents......often through scouting or similar if not directly through the school.
FWIW I don't think you are being PFB. That's why I always drove.

happened regularly with my son's middle school in a small town. initially they had no mini-bus at all, and eventually got one but that had to cater for whole school. it was just the norm.

saying that the only real danger my son has been in was when the bus driver at his next school went too fast (which is normal apparently) and smashed the window with a large tree branch, scattering glass all over the kids. they don't have seatbelts either and sometimes the windows fall out.

so agree maybe not ideal. but then what in life is

crb checks should be for a specific purpose. so you may be checked by the scouts but in theory this counts for nothing if you volunteer at school

I have done this at my DC primary school. Not for tinies though only y4+

The school do check the driving licence, and you have to sign a form saying who you are insured with and that the insurance co. allow you to do this - mine said there was no issue as I was not a school employee, and was not being PAID expenses for the driving.

even then, if I am unable to drive on one occasion, i ask a friend for a space in their car and then tell the school who my child is to travel with, as there are some parents I would NOT want them travelling with

I have been flamed on here for saying that before, oddly many people thought that as these drivers were parents themselves that should be evidence enough to me that they drove safely and their car was well maintained (and this was a 60mile round trip on the motorway). They obviously have not seen how some people drive, badly, with their own DC incorrectly seated/restrained.

DD has missed out on elaborate birthday parties at far flung venues because I wont allow her to go with just any auntie/granny/neighbour who's doing the driving, without knowing SOMETHING about them

Yes I do realise that dreaming......That's why I was CRB checked for school, scouts and church. My driving has never been checked since I past my test in 1975.

I have to confess I always worry when my DS is in any form of transport without me, and that is more from worrying about accidents rather than CRB perspective, and I know that is me being abit PFB. So I would worry just as much if he was in a coach as I would if he was in another parent's car.

Whenever he has been on a trip either with school or Beavers and he has gone in another parent's car he has always gone with a parent I am friends with and whose driving I trust. I still worry but I know I have to let him have some independence from me.

I admit if he was going in a car with someone I did not know I would probably be a gibbering wreck

We use parents a lot for Y5/Y6 inter-school sports. Wouldn't be possible otherwise.

I know I've done it and my CRB check ran out ages ago, HT knew this. some of the other mothers probably did have them. It's always the usual offenders that help with things. We all know each other so I don't think anyone cares.

I think you're OK on insurance because as a parent you aren't employed by the school, so it wouldn't be business use. I know the teachers won't take the DCs in their cars because they do have a problem.

Knowing my CRB had run out I generally volunteered to take DCs who I have had on sleepovers and run to dancing anyway and who's mum's I know.

Tinnies who need car seats are another matter, people are so fussy nowadays. Ten years ago we just stuffed them on boasters and pushed seats right back if we had air bags. Even so DD1 did manage to be sick all over a friends car on a pre school trip

^this is so wrong i can hardly believe it is happening.
i wouldn't let my child go out on these terms and she's 30.^

I really, really hope this is a joke. And most of the rest of the responses. You're all so uptight. CRB checks for a parent to bring a load of children a couple of miles down the road for a school trip? Don't any of you lift share or double up with other kids?
Get a bloody grip.

just wait till they are 17/18 year old and travel with their newly passed friends driving. That's when you will really worry!! Or they get a motorbike.

Our school uses parental transport and I've done it a few times but our driving licences are checked and we are expected to have the correct insurance - I already had business use as I'm self employed - although my insurance co told me I didn't need it to transport kids at school as I'm not being paid for it

I have been CRB checked as I volunteer at school already. Most of the parents who provide transport are also school volunteers so we're all CRB checked

Parents are expected to provide their own car seats if they want them to be used.

No one ever wants to pay the £5/6 charge for coaches, so it's parental transport, or they provide their own

yeah we're thinking. You're overthinking. And more than a bit sick and nasty in your last post, loonbunny.

no, i'm taking reasonable precautions and you're just being rude. go for it. you'd have to work hard to impress me - you don't see the sense in actually taking care of children.

hyperbolic much? I can't really engage with your insanity right now though, I'm meant to be judging my toddlers machete juggling competition.

lovebunny did your child never have a playdate after school, or go to a party and get picked up by another parent from the school or get brought home by that parent, even in their teens, ever