To think that small children don't actually need police to tell them not to be late to school?

[Brittapie]

Just took DD1 (6yo) to school 3 minutes late (I know, I know, there are good reasons in this case but that's not the point of the thread) and spent another five minutes waiting and getting told off by some kind of police/pcso and some random high vis jacket woman before being allowed in. Poor DD1 was really scared and DD2 was late for nursery (not before telling me to tell the nasty police lady off )

AIBU to think that is ridiculously heavy handed? We've not had so much as a mention in the newsletter or anything to persuade chronic late families, and it's not like small children can even choose what time they set off.

I know children should be at school on time, she usually is, but I messed up here. I know I did. I had them both up and down all night (I don't know why), I'm full of fairly heavy duty medication at the moment and they both wet the bed so I needed extra time to get them cleaned up, and DD2 had one of her mega tantrums too. I know I should have left extra time and woke them up early, but I didn't, I was wrong.

But I am now shaking (I have bad experiences that make me really scared of police) and both my children started school even later and more stressed than they were. I understand they need to do something, but this is silly.

(I also told them off for saying compulsory school age, instead of education, but that is because we are an ex HE family and I was annoyed...)

I don't think your beef is with her - rather with the person who sent her to school in the first place.

Neither an LEA nor a school can task police officer.

OP, you might like to cc your Police Commissioner and ask him/her if they think this is a responsible use of scarce police funding.

(To onemorechap)

I love the idea that it is "attendance week" this week.
What is it next week?
Brush your teeth week?

so friday are you saying the police turned up at school for this 'attendance week' unannounced and uninvited? (Geniune q, not being snarky) because imo that takes this from being a total waste of time and complete overreaction, to something a bit more sinister... I'm not usually a conspiracy theorist kind of person, but wtf? So an officer can just rock up at a school to tell kids off for being late? Is it just me or is that... totalitarian?

Wilson, I'm not the OP, so don't know anything about what happened.

I do know, however, that schools cannot task policemen, so if the police were there, they had taken a decision to attend. They might have been invited, but that's all the school can do: invite. Having been invited, the school might be happy about what ensued, but that doesn't mean that the police were necessarily acting correctly (ie, the school can invite a policeman to attend, the police can attend, but if in the process a policeman bollocks a child without an appropriate adult present, the school's imprimatur doesn't make it OK).

Given the incidences of serious crime (ya know murder, lil old ladies being mugged, knife crime, rampant drug abuse)in most communities right now I bitterly resent public money being used to bully tiny tots.

The police are public SERVANTS whom we all employ to keep us safe. At this age children should be learning that if they are lost at the shops (or suffering abuse) then the police are safe, trustworthy adults who can HELP them. Every 6 year old should think the police are a safe haven in ALL circumstances, not fear them.

No child of this age has any influence whatsoever on what time they arrive at school. Schools and LA's have many, many more appropriate tools at their disposal to use than this flagrant abuse of public funds.

Today's scared reception child is tomorrow's alienated rioter. Or worse tomorrow's Rochdale sex abuse victim who feels she has nowhere to turn. We have a real issue with disaffected youth in the UK today. (The Lee Rigby murder being the most horrific example I can think of straight off the bat).

If your school are trying to train a generation of police hating, socially alienated thugs for the future then they've got off to a flying start imho. As custodians of our nation's future they are failing miserably.

Complain to the school now by email. Do it while ofsted are there.

bochead
Given the incidences of serious crime (ya know murder, lil old ladies being mugged, knife crime, rampant drug abuse)in most communities right now I bitterly resent public money

yada, yada as says virtually everyone caught speeding.

Parents who get their kids to school late need a bollocking.
The kids, particularly tinies, not so much.

Questioning at school gates and the Lee Rigby murder? Do yourself a favour...

I bet you wouldn't say the teachers were servants...

OneMore, my child is frequently late for school. He has SN, is building up towards becoming a school refuser and it's also much easier for him to get there just as the bell goes, which obviously means a little finessing in terms of timing.

I don't need a bollocking. And if a member of the police service presumed to try and give me one I would quite honestly tear them a new one.

I come from a police family btw and am inordinately proud of my grandfather, uncle and cousin who were all polis. But bollocking tiny children and their parents is just not on, it's not part of their remit and if they start fannying around with things like this they will absolutely lose the trust of the communities they serve - with potentially catastrophic circumstances. After all, we're all governed by consent.

After the riots of 2010 it's crazy for anyone to think we don't have a huge subsection of youth who are not alienated and disaffected.

One of my ways of helping to keep my SN son safe as he grows was to introduce him to the local community officers - he trusts them 100%. I'd have been furious if this sort of stunt undermined my efforts. Nowadays he carries an Autism Alert card with him when we go to shopping centres Museums etc and knows if he gets lost he can ask a policeman to phone me.

Sadly criminals target the most vulnerable. There was an awful fagin style operation on my old estate that was only stopped because some of the children themselves told their local PCSO what was happening to some of their friends. Good policing starts with public trust, and that includes our youngest members of society too. Silly stunts like this jeapordise that trust, and for what?

I do regard anyone whose monthly salary derives from the public purse as public servants - yes. Especially MP's.

We used to have a police officer outside the school about once a term at my children's last school, but she wandered around smiling at everyone and giving the odd look at parents parking illegally on the zigzags. It was all very friendly and the children used to like saying hello to them.

This is the tone they are after, not the police as an authority figure to scare little kids.

Please name and shame the LA.

Right let's get down to basics, this will be an LA intitiative not a Government or school idea. Yes, there is a huge push by the DfE to improve attendance and tardiness. However all that being said the school should have agreed the boundaries that they were setting for this.

When you go back to school this afternoon, ask for a copy of the School Complaints procedure and an appointment with the member of the SLT responsible for improving lateness and absence. Yes, I know the procedure will be on the website, but it fires a shot across the bows of the school... the Admin staff will be letting the Head know what is happening, before you can say knife. Have your meeting with the Attendance person , it may be that they were not aware of the nature of the "help" they are receiving... if they are and you are not happy, then a formal complaint and the clock starts running on the at from the moment you utter the words, "I wish to make a formal complaint." Follow the complaints procedure to the letter.

If they were unaware then get the name of the person responsible at the LA, and call them... go through the same process and ask for a copy of the LA Complaints Policy if you are not happy.

This is ridiculous and if the facts were as you stated and this came into my in-box as Chair, my conversation with the various individuals would strip paint and you could expect copious apologies from all the parties involved...

This is not the way to improve lateness in any way, shape of form!

I've read all the thread.

What worries me most is that you were worried about turning up 3 minutes late!

3 minutes.

If they had to have the police reminding parents , it should not have applied to you anyway.

Life happens. Schools should make sure that nothing that important happens in the first ten minutes. I've never been late in the last 10+ years, but I attribute that to luck more than anything else.

Things happen, things to make families late through no fault of he caregiver.

YANBU this is outrageous! That is no way to build a secure I age of police in young minds as someone who will help and protect them now the kids can fear them instead for silly minior infractions that's nothing to do with the police.

I would also make a complaint to the board of governors and LEA they all need to take responsibility for this situation.
This is the sort of story local news papers love too.

That was meant to read secure IMAGE.

My main issue is that I can't do it by voice as I won't stay calm (I have ongoing severe mental health issues) so what can I do by email?

Sure, "I was only 3 minutes late" works well, when missing a train, or derailing a teacher's carefull planned lesson.

Punctuality is like courtesy; if you don't show it, expect people to think less of you.

Deservedly.

I will read the thread I promise.

My immediate reaction to the op is that I would have asked them to let me past and told them I was late.

If they wouldn't then I'm afraid I would have had a few words of my own.
There is no way I would stand and take a lecture about my child being late from school without a little advice on how to treat the public from me.

I thought it was a very good letter Brittapie, stick to your guns about a meeting to discuss you know your anxiety will make you cave in, write your letter and if they press you for a personal discussion just say no

OneMoreChap Tue 12-Nov-13 22:43:37
"Parents who get their kids to school late need a bollocking.
The kids, particularly tinies, not so much."

Even if the reason was that the child wet herself and had to be cleaned up?!!

Or (as used to happen to my dd) had a panic attack and had to be dragged in by force?

Or (as also happened to my dd) subluxated a joint and was suddenly unable to walk?

Or the school bus was late? (not everybody has access to regular public transport)

I am not saying that schools shouldn't lay into careless parents who are late for no reason. But that should be done by the school who are (hopefully) in a position to know the facts, not by an unknown policewoman.

Now I have read the thread I am absolutely horrified.

I quite honestly would advise the Community support person that if they want to detain me they need to arrest me,otherwise since I had done nothing illegal I would be taking my child into school.
I would then go to take my child in and expect to be allowed to pass (or be arrested).

This is beyond disgraceful.

Do not tolerate it.

Fucking ridiculous. Should be out catching real criminals. This country is turning into a police state.

Does anyone know if being late for school IS a criminal matter or not? Because I'm not 100% sure. I'm thinking of truancy patrols, but I know there is uncertainty about whether they are legal or not too.

I'm wondering what would happen if I did argue back, and got myself arrested...

Oh and at school pickup today there were two pcso types doing parking patrols and smiling at kids. I, of course, was telling the other parents not to give their names to police officers

I'm not in England, but iirc persistent truancy has now been changed to a criminal matter, because parents can be fined/jailed. Being 5 minutes late? Not so much.