To think there's not much else we can do and they should be more understsnding

[Hurr1cane]

So DS goes to a special school. Most of the children there get school transport but about 5 children don't and we transport them ourselves, from very far away. My own school run is over 30 miles a day.

Anyway the school is currently having a lot of work done and the parent car park is full of building materials so we can't use it. The other car park is for the school buses, so we have to park on the street next to the school.

The street is made up of massive houses with massive drives. The drives can fit 3 or 4 cars in, there are no other 'adjoining' streets as at the end is a busy main road with no parking.

The first day was fine. Everyone was in their drives so there was plenty of parking spaces on the street, not blocking anyone's drives.

The next day, the residents started to park their cars on the street instead of their drives, there was less spaces but there was still enough for 4 cars. The street is very long. So it was fine.

The third day, all the residents seem to have parked on the street. All the drives were empty and they were all stood in their gardens watching, a few spaces there were now cones in. So there was about 2 spaces. I got there early so managed to park. Rushed DS in and another parent was sat in their car and took my space as I rushed off.

Since then it's just got worse and worse. Now parents are blocking the end of the street waiting for a space or parking on the single yellows using their blue badges (which the council confirmed was fine) and being told they can't park there by residents as they're trying to get their children out and into school. No one blocks anyone's drive, ever, there are only a few of us and none of us would ever do something like that.

This is making the school run really stressful and hard work. It's not as though we're being lazy, one our children are disabled and can't be safely walked far to school (my DS has almost been run over once already just crossing one quiet street) and two, most of us live over half an hour drive away.

This situation isn't perminant, it's only for a couple of months until the car park can be cleared of building equipment.

I don't know what the purpose of this thread is other than to rant but it's really getting me down. The school run is stressful as it is. As is life in general at the moment. I wish I could take him to a local school and walk him there like the majority of people but I just can't.

It's probably stressful for them too I know so I'm probably being unreasonable.

This is all about communication.

No-one has talked to the residents, who presumably think this is a permanent change.

The school needs to step up here, leaflet the road with a lovely friendly letter explaining the situation, timescale involved, making clear that SEN children need to be dropped of close to school and taken in by parents etc.

Offered an assurance that parents will not block driveways, and will aim to be courteous to residents.

And a reminder that most of these kids have blue badges and are therefore allowed to park on yellow lines.

Thank them for their co-operation in advance etc.

I think that would go a long way towards helping the situation.

Then ask a community police officer to come and be around at drop off talking to residents.

I'm incredulous at these people, how heartless they are being, making life even more difficult for families who lives are already hard, vile entitled behaviour

CPO would probably be the best person to call first, or 101 maybe

If the local residents have already been informed of the building works and the likely short term disruption I would seriously think about going to the press and exposing their vindictive actions, it would hopefully shame them into acting with more consideration

Hi OP. Further to my earlier posts, if you are daunted by confrontation (as you say) then escalating the issue may be very, very stressful for you. I think in these circumstances it is less about being 'right' and defeating those in the 'wrong' and more about finding something that works for you as a temporary measure.

I recommend what I did (and do) when I am doing the special school run, which is to drop-off 30 mins later and pick-up 30 mins earlier. The car park which is normally, as you say, totally Tetris, is actually empty at this point so pick-up/ drop-off is a breeze.

I know you're losing school time but those 30 mins at beginning and end of day are not generally too essential in terms of things missed. Especially as a temp. measure.

And what I forgot to say when suggesting you use the current difficulties to consider a trial of school transport, was that it was only something traumatic happening which forced me to change to school transport from doing it myself. Prior to it I had no intention of stopping taking DC myself. I didn't have any other choice but to swap. Totally determined by circumstances, not me. But it was such a positive change, and the whole family is now better off for swapping.

So maybe worth a thought for you to use the circumstances as an opportunity?

Best of luck with it all whatever you decide to do.