To speak to this boy's mum?

[BecauseOfYou]

My DD (age 4) ) gets a school bus to and from school everyday. It's roughly a 45 min journey each way, and up to now has been enjoying it, as she's made a friend who she sits with everyday. I let her take in a little notepad and a couple of pencils for her and her friend to draw, as I'd imagine it must get quite boring.

One other boy gets on at her stop, he is 8 - my DD has come to know him and knows his name etc. Today she got off the bus upset, saying that this boy and two others had taken her notebook and ripped it up. She'd told the bus driver and the boys denied it, saying it was my DD (I know 100% that she wouldn't make this up), and then continued to destroy her stuff while the bus driver was driving. They were also telling everyone that my DD had done a poo on the bus, and to top it off, told her santa isn't real.

I do see his mum everyday but she seems quite unapproachable and has never spoken to me. I'm gutted that her stuff has been ruined, and I won't be sending in another notepad which is a shame as my DD and her friend enjoy drawing etc on the bus as it fills the time. Also sad that my four year old is already questioning santa.

What do I do? Do I raise it with the boys mum?

Misery

Not sure what your point actually is?

There has never been any accident around here never mind a 'fatality' and Op's daughter hasnt been in an accident so why is that relevant. What I said was that our council wont provide a chaperpone for all those buses twice a day. Its worked for about 60 years so I dont see them changing it now.

Your child is no different from any sen child here, they get either a taxi or a bus with a chaperone. The other kids dont need one!

Willow

The bus driver had to pull over! So, clearly there is an issue? It's not a case of if there's an accident, it's when there's an accident.

Yes, there will be school runs that are managed brilliantly, however, not all of them are.

My point was that the LA spend ridiculous amounts of money on other things. So why not provide chaperones on the most troubled journeys?

Might I suggest you take a look at www.schoolbus.org.uk and have a look at how many fatalities there have been?

Glad they are investigating op

The driver stopped the bus so thats reason to have chaperones on all the buses?

Unless it was on the M25 or on a hairpin bend I think he would have known where to stop that was safe to do so. Stopping for 2 minutes to tell some kids off isnt a crisis.

School will deal with the bully and he will either behave or be banned either way OPs dd will be better off.

My point was that the LA spend ridiculous amounts of money on other things. So why not provide chaperones on the most troubled journeys?

I don't know! Why don't you ask them? Since you and PPs seem to think that the only reason that there's no chaperones on school buses is that no parent using the buses has ever bothered to ask about them

You really think that all the OP has to do is call the school and say "HERE'S an idea: chaperones! Yeah! You're welcome! I know right?, can't believe nobody thought to suggest them before! Oh you'll start them on monday? Great!"

While you're at it, pop over to the SN boards and share your wisdom with them about how LA have money they spend on other things so there's no reason why they won't get a 1:1 if they just loved their kids enough to ask!

The LA don't spend money on anything unless they think they have to ie if they don't it is likely they will end up in trouble.

Has the bus got CCTV? My daughters school bus has and the bus company was able to look at it and confirm the bullying that my daughter had complained about.

Hc t ich

If one person stands alone then nothing will change. If parents join together and say the same thing then something will need to be done?

I hope that the issue with the bus bully is resolved to your satisfaction OP.

The LA won't spend money unless the unimaginable happens. Why let it get to that point?

Yes, some parents have no other option than to send their children on the school bus.

Just because things are done a certain way for years it doesn't necessarily mean that certain changes can't be introduced. The roads are very different to how they were 30 years ago. So are the children!

Hmm, statistically there are more CARS on the road than buses. So inevitably there are going to be more accidents involving cars! (Common sense really)

Yes, if every parent said the exact same thing then something would need to be done. (Sigh)

Yes, it will not happen overnight. The only real way is for many parents to persue the LA's complaints procedure. The complaints have to be addressed. No it won't be easy. What in is in life?

It's been said over and over already. But I had no idea that a chaperone on a primary school bus wasn't compulsory!

I am rural. Both my dds catch the school bus and there is always a chaperone. In fact being a teacher I happened to be talking about the school bus in the staffroom (different school) and the deputy got involved in the conversation and told me there had to be a chaperone. Maybe it's just my LEA?

I agree secondary age are fine to be unsupervised as they would be old enough to make their own way to school.

I agree totally with the pp that says that this won't change until there is an accident. I am shocked one person would be in charge of 50+ primary aged children. Even more so that this person would be driving! The argument that this has been going on the past 60 years in unacceptable. A lot of things we let kids do 60 years ago are unacceptable now.

OP, I am glad the situation seems to be being dealt with. I think the majority of posters that were shocked were not having a go at you.

And to the pp who said how would the chaperone get home. Our chaperone lives in the village of the final stop. Not difficult.

The buses for primary around here are all mini buses. Only the high schools have big buses as there arent enough kids! Yet one more huge jump to Conclusionville that its the same across the whole UK.

All the misunderstanding, the shock and amazement at 'shock horror' kids actually managing to go to school on a bus for a 20 minute trip without causing a multi car pile up by distracting the driver (actually around here if they meet another car on some roads it would be a busy day, more likely get stuck behind a tractor for half a mile! ) and being trusted to behave or face the consequences, isnt going to do one thing to stop whats been an acceptable part of school for generations in many areas.

The op posted about one incident that is happening to her dd, which will be dealt with by the school. Just like they ared handled by schools all over the country. From that one post you want to start a campaign to get every bus in the country chaperoned? One or two people have decided that something that they have nothing to do with, that the werent even aware of until now, that has worked for donkeys years suddenly needs THEM to sort out?

Seriously unless you actually live in the areas many of us are talking about why on earth would you be starting a campaign about it, nothing to do with you really, dont you think that if the parents who live here were concerned then we might have thought of that years ago? We dont need your angst on our behalf, really, thanks but no thanks.

I wonder how we all survived without surveilance cameras in buses, mobile phones and chaperones. Yet somehow we all did.