AIBU- After School Clubs.

[Fleurdebleurgh]

My daughters school has recently started afterschool clubs. They run from 3.15-4. I had not signed her up for any.

Today i went to collect her from her classroom, (she is 5 and in year 1 so we need to collect them from the door) and she was not there. I asked her teacher where she was and was told that he 'didnt know'.
2 other parents were also looking for their children who were also 'missing'.

The teacher informed me that another teacher had taken a few children off to the after school club, and that our children were probably there. He didnt have a list of children who were meant to be in the club but said that if we went to the computer room we could see if they had gone.

When we arrived at the computer room there were 10 year one children (including the 3 'missing) in there doing cartwheels and handstands and hiding under tables, with no teachers in sight.
When we asked them where the teachers were they didnt know.

I went to find a member of staff to find out what was going on. 2 teachers came with me back to the classroom and began to berate the children as to why they were in there. "Why have you come to this club? I asked who was in this club, you are not, why have you come to the computer room?"

Apparently she had said to the children before they left class- "Whos coming to afterschool club? Please go and wait in the computer room" , my daughter and the other 2 'missing' children had thought it sounded fun so had gone also.

AIBU to expect that they take pupils from a list that they know are meant to be attending the club, rather than to expect children of 5 to know what theyre meant to be doing?

AIBU to expect her class teacher to know where she is when i go to collect her?

AIBU also to expect that they dont leave children of such a young age unsupervised for an extended period of time in a room full of expensive equipment, at a time when the school is wide open and people are coming and going?

No, you're not. At that age, they should come to meet the kids from their classroom with a list of who is going.

It's a bit different when they're 8+ but at 5 kids need an adult who tells them where they should be. My DD's school's after school club collects the Y3 and younger from their classrooms and Y4+ make their own way. Guess the club is quite new though, so maybe not really got itself sorted out yet.

Does sound pretty disorganised.
No harm done so I would just be bemused at whichever one of them was going to get a severe bollocking from superiors.

Is it worth emailing the head about? Or am i being a bit neurotic?

She was 'missing' for around 15 mins.

Apparently she had said to the children before they left class- "Whos coming to afterschool club? Please go and wait in the computer room" , my daughter and the other 2 'missing' children had thought it sounded fun so had gone also

Sorry but that made me LOL

Yes, I would be emailing the Head - they should know where the 5 year olds in their care are!

I would email in a 'so this doesn't happen again' way rather than a 'I am complaining' way as I can see how it happened.

There are often "escapees" in my DC's after school club as it seems to be so much fun! Usually they are kids who go on some but not all days of the week :)

Oh an ours works that if your child is not collected by 3:40 they go straight to after school so no panic it you are late.

If you think about the logistics of after school clubs for infants it's practically impossible to organise without extra adults shepherding and supervising. If one or two adults are absent for any reason the results can be chaos! Imagine teacher A is due at the PE club and a parent wants to talk to her and 10 of her pupils are going to the Science club and another 10 are going to the Computer club and the rest of the pupils have to be safely handed over to parents. Who is taking the 20 children to the clubs? Who is actually at the individual clubs to receive them? And then multiply this by all the classes in the school. Well done all schools who manage this every week and don't lose anyone!

Fair enough point Lee, but i would assume them to still use some kind of list?

The fact they were unsupervised bothers me less-so i think. Its the fact they were 'missing'.

In both the schools my kids have been to one of the after school club leaders comes round to all the infants classrooms with a list of children to collect. One leader can cover several classrooms (either by trailing the kids round the other classrooms, or by going back and forwards). In the busier school they gave them all yellow vests to wear (the sort you wear for cycling) so they could easily keep track of their kids in the crowds. And made them hold hands in a line. It's not that hard, and quite important to get right really - better that your DD ends up there when she shouldn't be than some other child wonders off elsewhere when they are supposed to be in the club.

I would be angry on all counts - class teacher should know where 5 year olds are at all times while in their care, club supervisor should know which children they should be taking, and children of that age should be supervised.

Emails to head and chair of governors I think.

In dds school it is simple

Children for asc sit on the bench. All other reception children handed to parents. Asc collects all children from class and checks against their list. Same for all after school activities. Surely that's not hard?

I can see lees point, but our school manage it all very well, as do others here by the sounds of it

They need a better system. That is useful feed back to the head, surely

In case it wasn't clear, my post was about school-run interest clubs which I thought the op was referring to, not a daily after-school club run by people other than staff.