To support DS to break school rules?

[Woffa]

My DS's secondary school has issued a written ban on sixth formers driving to school and parking in the local roads nearby (even though there are no double yellow lines etc) to avoid upsetting the residents.
The bus fare for DS is expensive and the saving helps pay for his insurance.

AIBU to support him in ignoring the ban?

Completely and utterly wrong, I have known sixth formers expelled for this, and more than once.

Charis, if a state maintained school expelled a sixth former for this, they would have a right of challenge and would have a cast iron case for overturning it. Frankly, I find it very difficult indeed to believe that you have known sixth formers be expelled for this, let alone more than once, given that very few schools have rules of this nature and in each such school only a few sixth formers will have their own cars.

NoNameDame, a decision to impose a permanent exclusion can only be made by a headteacher, but it has to be reviewed by the governors and, if they uphold it, their decision can be reviewed by an independent panel.

very few schools have rules of this nature and in each such school only a few sixth formers will have their own cars

Not at all, many many sixthformers have cars, and many many schools ban them totally, they are a total menace, and the single most likely cause of a school losing any student what so ever is the driving of a sixth form boy, in fact in my career I don't think I have ever once lost any student to anything else.

Quite rightly they are often banned totally. if you are caught driving to school in some schools, it is certainly an exclusion. if it is your second time, or if you have another sixth formers in the car with you, it is likely to be instant permanent exclusion, and I have known it for a first offence too.

Charis what are your views on the withdrawal of free transport for students who live over 3 miles from where they study from 16, when they have to stay in some form of education?

Shouldn't education establishments actively help find better solutions to this transport problem?

Well, I've just had my third parking ticket in as many weeks. Where I live, if you leave your hard-won parking space there's every possibility you won't get another one. Of course sixth formers at the nearby school are legally allowed to park in our road but it does nothing for good community relations or indeed for the reputation of the school (except to reinforce it as a school for rich, self-entitled brats).

to park in our road but it does nothing for good community relations or indeed for the reputation of the school (except to reinforce it as a school for rich, self-entitled brats).

Why, because they drive? As the Op points out, by car sharing, it could work out cheaper than the bus...

Ask the school if any local employers take the same view with their employees because they don't want to upset local residents by their staff parking in residential streets?. Bet none of them do. Their employees are commuters and so is your DS.

Totally stupid. Personally, if I had DCs at this school, I'd be thinking of moving them.

Charis, sorry but I don't believe a word of it.

As a school governor, as I said early, we looked into this when faced with complaining residents, and found there was little we could do, other than to ask 6th formers to show consideration for the locals. As for expulsion for a grown adult driving from home to a public road near the school and parking there legally before walking into school, that's complete nonsense. There isn't an education authority in the country that wouldn't overturn that in an instant, and probably sack the Head for being a complete idiot!

So I'm not buying it. Not al all.

pathetic. Walking is free. You intend to trash the whole planet for your convenience, then say "sorry, I had to because, although I am rich, I am not quit as stinking filthy rich as I feel entitled to be" ?

And when you need to get to places not within walking distance...? You didn't think this one through, did you?

Charis what kind of 6th form do you work at, private or state?

Quite rightly they are often banned totally. if you are caught driving to school in some schools, it is certainly an exclusion. if it is your second time, or if you have another sixth formers in the car with you, it is likely to be instant permanent exclusion, and I have known it for a first offence too.

Do name these schools, Charis. I'm sure their rules are public knowledge so you won't be breaking confidentiality. Only, if you can't produce a verifiable list, I'm afraid I'm with TTWK in finding the whole story inherently unbelievable.

It's irrelevant anyway. The rule referred to in this thread is not about people driving to school, but driving near school. Whilst schools can discipline pupils for bad behaviour outside the school, they cannot discipline them for perfectly lawful and normal behaviour.

Whilst schools can discipline pupils for bad behaviour outside the school, they cannot discipline them for perfectly lawful and normal behaviour.

Yes, they can. They can discipline 16 year old pupils for smoking on the way to and from school if they choose to, or for wearing the incorrect uniform, even though the pupil is acting in a perfectly legal way

So they can discipline a pupil for driving to (or near) the school if they so choose, if it breaks the school rules. How far the sanctions could go though is another matter. I doubt very much if they could realistically get it as far as exclusion. But given that they can send a pupil home for wearing incorrect uniform or the wrong colour hair, I wouldn't be surprised if they could do this as well for breaking the driving ban.

And when you need to get to places not within walking distance...? You didn't think this one through, did you?

And exactly what percentage of cars on the road during the rush hour do you think are travelling further than walking distance??

There is a woman winging on another thread that she "couldn't put her DC through" a 20 minute walk to the childminder, even though she might be able to "cope" with it in summer herself!!!!!!!

unbelievable!

And many 6th formers are within EASY walking distance of their school but never consider walking.

I once had a sixthformer miss two days of school because he was stranded at his girlfriends house without any money and he had to wait to borrow some to travel

He was 6 (yes, 6, that was NOT a typo) miles away.

you are quite right budgiegirl, they can,

and icimoi, you are I assume quite capable of looking these things up for yourself, if you want to know. Although I suspect you prefer to be ranting and raving from a position of ignorance.

OP has said it's 7.5 miles & roads to travel on are bad conditions for cycling.

I don't see how the school can ban pupils from driving or parking within the vicinity of the 6th form, which effectively what happens if they park 15-20 minutes walk away. What if the pupil actually LIVES within that 15-20 minute buffer. Or has a job or friends-relatives-shops there. Madness.

The thing is, Charis, that I am sceptical that all the schools you refer to exist. I am not, frankly, going to spend hours on what I believe to be a wild goose chase. You, however, say that they do, and you know which schools they are. It would take you a couple of minutes to give their details. Those details are not confidential. You make an assertion which other people have questioned, it is up to you to make good on it. So how about it?

And, while you're about it, do tell me when I have ranted and raved on this thread.

Be as sceptical as you like, it doesn't change the facts.

Comes on MN, makes a claim, then challenges others to prove that claim..

For example, at toddler group...

All food must be eaten at the table. - ignored

Please keep food at the table or in the kitchen so it can easily be cleaned up, otherwise we find the crumbs get into toy boxes and attract mice. - much more closely adhered to

In my house, toddlers always ate at the table for reasons that were obvious to all. Unless you are someone who allows their toddler to wander around the house eating food wherever they please, I fail to see why you would need the same rule to be explained in such detail just because you're in another setting.

comes on MN, makes a claim, then challenges others to prove that claim
I'm killing time and enjoying myself, if you want to look something up, do it yourself.

Thanks, Charis, we now all know that the schools you referred to do not exist.

no icimoi, I am simply not spending my precious free time pandering to people who would be perfectly capable of remedying their own ignorance, should they actually want their ignorance remedied.

I very much doubt you have ever had to call a special tutorial during afternoon lessons to let your tutees know a car with 4 of their peers in had turned over near the school and when the fire brigade have finished cutting them out we will know who is likely to survive and who isn't.

When you HAVE been in such a situation, you will perhaps understand better how and why schools impose bans on sixth form cars, which is not only totally legal, but widely enforced.

I just hate the way our freedoms are being eroded bit by bit and it starts earlier and earlier.

In fifty years time when thank god I will no longer be here some of you will be wondering why you are no longer allowed to leave your homes in the evening or whatever unthinkable law or sanction some well paid idiot in power dreams up and you will wonder how it got to be like a police state. Well it starts small.

My sixth form friend drove to school. It was great. Especially when I got a lift home.

of course he should be allowed to drive his car to school and if he parks illegally or causes a nuisance doing it he will be dealt with.

I live 500 yards from a school. Staff parking was a nightmare for residents and children as the staff thoughtlessly lined both sides of the road with their cars, rather than have one sensible line up one side of the road only which also happened to be on a bend.

The children at the scool were aged from 3 to 11.

At the side of the school and over a main road but not a terribly busy one is a pub with a huge car park. The pub offered to allow the teaching staff free use of he car park. This would have meant a 20-30 yard walk for the staff.

Did they use it. A few did but the majority No, they didn't and I know that as I was a school governor!

Shame the head didn't sanction them lol. We must have been less of a police state then!

no freedom is "being eroded bit by bit"

These rules have been bog standard for decades, and quite rightly so

And exactly what percentage of cars on the road during the rush hour do you think are travelling further than walking distance??

Um, the majority. Most people do not live within four miles of their workplace, which is at the top end of a reasonable daily walking distance for most people.