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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

school have changed school start time by default

62 replies

chocoholic05 · 07/03/2013 11:33

My dc are in reception and year 2. They have lways started at 845. They wait in the playground outside their classrooms and at 845 their teacher opens the classroom doors calls them in and the parents go back through the playground and the gates are closed. Has always been this way. We are never late. We live over a mile away and until halfterm we caught a direct bus which were every ten minutes.
At halfterm this all changed. The bus outside the school closed. Bus routes have been drastically changed. Not only do I have to walk further when we get off the bus but the buses are now every twenty minutes not ten.Theirs been campaigns petitions etc all sorts so far to no avail. Despite this they still get their for quarter to every day. A few minutes before that most days.
Last Friday we got a letter saying that from Monday the school bell will go at twenty to nine the children will be collected by their teacher at that time and then the gate will close at quarter to! So now despite the fact we aren't arriving there any later this week than last everythings changed. We are fighting against a sea of parents leaving the playground the playground is empty of children and I rush them off quickly and hurriedly and the starts in this stressed fashion! It's awful and ds2 says he misses going into school with his friends. It's awful :(

OP posts:

forevergreek · 07/03/2013 11:40

I would say you will have to start getting the earlier bus so instead of arriving at 8.40 you arrive 8.20. He then has time to talk with friends for 15 mins or so.
Will also mean you aren't in such a rush from new bus stop so can spend more time walking instead of running

DeepRedBetty · 07/03/2013 11:42

Do you know why school has changed start time? Do you think HT is aware of the problems this change is creating for you and other parents?

Some years ago dds primary school changed finish time to slot in better with bus times, but this was after consultation with parents via PTA.

Moomoomie · 07/03/2013 11:42

What forevergreek said.
Could not put it any better.

CadleCrap · 07/03/2013 11:45

YABU - Either get the earlier bus or if you are "over an mile away" that could be just a 20 min walk.

BUT

YANBU as they have changed the start time with no consultation and the whole thing is a pita

DonderandBlitzen · 07/03/2013 11:50

Just get an earlier bus. A bus every 20 minutes is not bad.

Original poster

chocoholic05 · 07/03/2013 11:50

Hmm as buses are now every twenty minutes an earlier bus would be very early! Also to be fair according to the letter we are still not technically late. The letter said that if you arrive after the gate has closed you have to go through the office way and register your child in the late book. This has happened to us - so far!!I have no idea why its changed the letter came out of the blue for everyone!

OP posts:

Hopeforever · 07/03/2013 11:54

Possibly the school

think the kids need a few minutes in the play ground before being asked to go into class

Have a problem with lateness effecting the start of the day

Have another good reason. Talk to them

Original poster

chocoholic05 · 07/03/2013 11:57

When we get off the bus now its a ten minutes walk and the bus we catch is much later than we ever caught before half term. Today we thought we would walk it. We left just before quarter past and got there at quarter to! Aaaah!!!!

OP posts:

DontmindifIdo · 07/03/2013 12:01

well, if the buses are 20 minutes now, one that's 20 minutes earlier won't mean you are 'very early' just 20 minutes earlier than you are now, or less if the bus is delayed, you won't be feeling rushed etc.

It sounds like you are currently arriving just in time at the moment, not early, so waiting 20 minutes is not a lot - and it might be good for your DCs to start the day less stressed, being able to walk slowly from the bus stop, run around in the playground and chat to friends before school starts.

DontmindifIdo · 07/03/2013 12:02

just seen your last message,so it's a 30 minute walk from your house, you need to be there at 8:40, so you leave at 8:10 at the latest or 8am if htat's an easier target... (doesn't see 30 minute walk as a lot, am I odd?)

cloudpuff · 07/03/2013 12:03

We had a similar letter about gates being closed promptly and late children will be logged. Official school start time is 9am and more and more parents seemed to think thats this is the time to arrive at school, not the time that the children are inside and in class by so increasingly more parents rock up the yard at 9am so by the time their child is indoors put coat on peg etc they are late to class so the school have clearly said in letter that the bell goes at 8.55 and gates will be locked at 9am prompt. Its caused a load of complaining and moaning but tbh I dont see why most of them cant get there just 5 mins earlier.

Your only options seem to be to either continue as you are or get an earlier bus, I would go dor earlier bus which will allow lee way for bad weather bus not turning up etc

Original poster

chocoholic05 · 07/03/2013 12:10

It was thirty minutes with the last bit grabbing them by the hand and literally running with ds2 shouting wait mummy wait!!! For what exactly? The gates to close?

OP posts:

redskyatnight · 07/03/2013 12:22

The problem seems to be that you're very tight with your timings which must mean you are always close to being late.

I'd personally suggest cycling - will take you about 10 minutes. If the Reception child isn't used to cycling then use a bike seat for now and practice at weekends/after school.

With the shorter journey you probably won't feel so rushed - can leave when you do now and have loads of time!

Original poster

chocoholic05 · 07/03/2013 12:23

Also this time last week at quarter to nine u was waiting with all the other parents for the teacher to come out to collect their children. They used to come out at differing times admittedly! The time u arrived hasn't changed but this week everything has!

OP posts:

specialsubject · 07/03/2013 12:24

it's a 30 minute walk at most. Where's the problem?

Original poster

chocoholic05 · 07/03/2013 12:25

Meant I was waiting obviously silly phone!

OP posts:

DontmindifIdo · 07/03/2013 12:28

so more like a 40 minute walk without stress? So aim to leave the house at 8am. That's not super early...

hugoagogo · 07/03/2013 12:31

This a non problem.

Either walk the whole thing and leave at about 8am as above.

Or get the earlier bus and hang around a bit.

Wewereherefirst · 07/03/2013 12:35

I would suggest walking to school. We live just under a mile away but leave home at 0825 to be there for 0845, leaving earlier means we can give DS1 play time with friends before going in.

It is inconvenient having the school day starting time changed, but you need to approach the school and ask why.

Our school opens at 0845 with registration at 0905 and finishing at 1515.

TalkativeJim · 07/03/2013 12:36

Leave at 8 and walk.

A very easy solution!!

zipzap · 07/03/2013 12:38

Talk to the school and find out why they have done this.

Talk to the other parents and find out how they are finding it.

Talk to your dc and their friends and how they find it.

Talk to the bus company to find out why they got rid of a bus stop outside of school and changed the route.

Log your typical journey times and details for your trip to school before this all started.

Log your different journey times to school now - both bus and walking.

Figure out what your journey to school would have been like with the new bus timetables but the old system at school.

Give the system a couple of weeks to settle down as everybody gets used to it.

Then look at all your information, see if people are still experiencing the same problems as they were when the system was introduced. If they are then go and talk to the head teacher. Or organise a meeting for the HT to talk to you if there are lots of you that want to discuss this with them (and so they can't fob you off with 'nobody else has a problem with this').

Unfortunately I would guess that you are stuck with the bus route changes, but it might be something to use to talk to the HT about how their changes have had even more impact than they would have done previously.

If you still don't get any response then write to the governors - and then the local papers.

Have they changed things at the other end of the day - are they expecting you to pick up five minutes earlier?

purrpurr · 07/03/2013 12:38

20 minutes early is not early. I'm at least 15 minutes early to everything. A 30 minute walk is not a long walk. I'm gobsmacked that someone would get a bus for that every day, even if the weather was fine. Crazy.

tiggytape · 07/03/2013 12:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CheeseandPickledOnion · 07/03/2013 12:40

So far this week that's two people who cannot figure out all by themselves that in order to be on time they need to leave earlier.

IT'S NOT THAT HARD FOLKS.

trashcanjunkie · 07/03/2013 12:41

walk!!!

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