To get annoyed at the way all the parents at the school gate do this....

[NeoMaxiZoomDweebie]

Instead of spreading out a bit and keeping the exit free, they all gather in a crowd inside the yard directly in front of the gates blocking it completely.

WHY!?

I hate sheep. I have tried to break the sheepy behaviour and wandered off alone into the VAST space that is the playground...hoping one of them will follow me...but no. They all huddle together, smack bang in front of the only exit.

As the DC come out, they have to cross the big yard to come towards this mass of parents...a hideous seething mass of Amandas and Richards...all lumped together. They might as well all wear one frigging waxed jacket....one enormous waxed jacket for they have become PARENT.

No individuality is allowed....PARENT moves as one....speaks as one...and always blocks the frigging gate! AIBU to be getting madder and madder about it daily?

[BrokenSunglasses]

YANBU! This used to drive me crazy on a daily basis, and I started pretty much the same thread a couple of years ago too. Every singe day I'd find myself wanting to scream JUST FUCKING MOVE to these idiots that get to school half an hour before pick up because it was the highlight of their social life, and then stand there right at the gate.

Thankfully my dc are at secondary now so I don't have to deal with it. I actually miss picking my dc up from school now!

[DeWe]

Well if all the parents do it... then maybe you ought to stop first.

[LadyCelia]

The teachers at DS's school have this sussed. When the parents crowd the doorway or gate, one of the teachers will always say to a pupil, now now, where are your manners? Can you move out of the way please so others can get through - then the child will drag their parent out of the doorway. I've seen this happen about 10 times so far and DS has only been at school for a week.

[kilmuir]

Know what you mean OP. parents spread out at start, then lunge forward at glimpse of the teacher bringing the children out. Trouble is parents are nearly right on top of child queue and teacher so she cannot see anyone!

[nicename]

We don't have space to wait for the kids. They are thrown out the front door, through the gate and onto the road. It is no fun! On the up side, it must be bloody awful for all the zillionaires who live on the street.

And as for Volvos... do the new ones have zero visibility or serious parking problems? Folks on the school run just can't seem to park them without banging the cars on either side.

[KirstyJC]

We don't have this problem when they come out, but dropping off is a nightmare! There is a door, the teacher opens it. The parents are all in a rough line, and yet for some reason it takes up to 10 minutes to drop the children off if you are at the end of the line. 10 minutes!! For max 30 kids! How does that happen? How can it take that flipping long - what are the parents at the start of the queue doing that takes so long? When I get to the door it's "goodbye, have a nice day, see you later" turn and leave. 10 secs at the most. I just don't get it?

They are supposed to let the Reception kids in 5 mins before the older ones, so you have time to drop the younger ones and walk round to the other entrance for the older ones. Luckily DS1 is old enough to walk himself otherwise he would be 5 mins late every day!

[Ev1lEdna]

I don't crowd round the exit! I love my children but I'm not so enamored of all the others leaving school that I want to be caught in the stampede. Mine just look for me at the top end of the yard.

[AndThatsWhatIThinkOfYou]

this is so annoying and happens at my sons school I often have to push my pram through saying EXCUSE ME!!!! a few times

[Mumsyblouse]

I complained about the crush around one tiny door when my children started reception, pointing out that squeezing 60 kids and all their parents was a recipe for disaster plus the children were pushing and shoving which contributed to the general behavioral disorder that was endemic in the school generally. They changed the layout, moved the coats, started using another set of doors for one class, much much better.

I think lots of schools should consider pupil 'flow' because if they get it wrong, it can contribute to a general sense of distress (for the little ones) and bad behaviour as they are squashed in like sardines.

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

This doesn't happen at our school. People mingle, chat, the little siblings play together while we wait.

Where the hell do you people live that there is all this weirdness??

[fluffyraggies]

Slightly off topic but about chatting in inappropriate places ...

I'd like to know why folk think it's ok to stop and chat right in the bloody middle of the entrance to supermarkets

Small enough gaps between the security tag detector things as it is to get your trolly through! People with trollys all trying to get in and out at the same time and then you have these folk who decide to have a pow wow right in the bleedin' door way!

and breath ...

[nicename]

Our old school was worse. You had to run to gauntlet of the maman gangs who would huddle together to gossip/moan and watch you as you went by as if they were giving a critique of your outfit (like I really care!). They would hand out in the (narrow) reception area hallway, on the steps of the only door and on the pavements outside (with prams, buggies and younger siblings haring up and down on scooters).

[KatyTheCleaningLady]

I was thinking the same thing, fluffy!

[thegreylady]

At our school the dc are only 'released' when the teacher can see the parent/guardian for KS1 so everyone spreads out.KS2 are let out into a separate playground and have to stay till collected unless they have been authorised to walk home on their own.

[wink1970]

It could be worse, they could all be in cars parked on both sides of the pavement, on the pavement, up lampposts, over & sometimes IN private drives, etc.... then the single-file-only space gets blocked by a mum who stops, in her car, for a chat with one of the parked car people.

I see this outside our local school every day.

Not angry at all, nope.

[nicename]

We also have loads of mommees with dogs. Its 'dodge the poo' all around the school.

[MidniteScribbler]

midnight The topic of big dogs at the school gates could make an epic AIBU thread

AIBU to take a litter of puppies in to my classroom and put them in a pen in the reading corner for kids to cuddle while they read their books?

[Spermysextowel]

Amandas? I've never met an adult called Amanda. Not many Colins, Nigels or Ians either. I'm sure I knew several when I was a child. Did they name change or did something sinister happen?

[nicename]

I know two Amandas.

[MadeOfStarDust]

It changes when they move up to secondary....

"have you got your bus ticket/key/money/phone/bag? bye.... " all done from the comfort of the breakfast table.... BLISS.....

[LookingThroughTheFog]

Birthday, I wonder if we have children at the same school! Years 3 and 4 have doors close together at an extremely narrow passageway, right next to the main entrance. 60 parents waiting for children, the rest of the school trying to push past to the exit, prams squeezing past... I literally can't manage it, and am sending a note in to release DS without seeing me as the passageway sends me into a massive panic. I'll be outside DDs door where there's acres of space to wait.

I understand it wasn't so bad when the middle exit was open, but they don't open it any more. The choices are the exit at the other side of the playground, or the main entrance past the narrow passage.

[KatyTheCleaningLady]

I think the insistence that all children are picked up by a parent is partly to blame. My 9yo should be able to walk home alone, but the school insists that they're not old enough.

[KatyTheCleaningLady]

Although I would still be picking up the youngest two. I just think older kids should walk if the parents deem it safe.

[curlew]

God, OP, you must so individual and quirky and original - no wonder the "sheep" upset you........

[SummerRain]

I walk and enter the school grounds at a different point so stand inside the gate away from the herd. Ds2 is always the first let out as I'm the only parent the teacher cab identify from a distance

We have parking wars too, every parent wants to park on the roundabout which fits about 4 cars. 20 kids and I'm the only one who doesn't drive to collect. It's very amusing, especially when someone commits the cardinal sin of not pulling the full way round the roundabout and other parents get twitchy and angry that they've left half a cars space empty.

We've had shouting matches, police involvement, cars being damaged. Priceless