To want to drop and run at school?

[Cuppaand2biscuits]

My dd is 6 years old, in year one. The school got a new head teacher in September who implemented a new morning routine that I just can't get on with.
Old morning routine = Assemble in playgroup, bell gets rung, all children into lines, teacher leads into.classroom. Parents welcome to follow if children requests or they wish to speak with teacher.

New morning routine = Everyone assemble in classroom. Some mornings we have to choose a book and read with our children for 5/10 minutes other days it's 'Wakefield Up Shake Up' where we have to dance along to a bouncy routine! Then the tambourine rings and we kiss goodbye and leave.
Obviously I don't object to the interaction with my child but there's 30 pupils in the class, each with an adult and lots with a younger sibling or 2. It's too many people, it's too hot when we're dressed for the cold. It's a bloody faff!
Anyone else successfully challenged this sort of shit?

Presumably the majority of the other parents hate it as much as you do? If you all express your opinion to the head, it should be listened to. I've never heard of such shenanigans at the start of the school day and I bet the teachers all hate it too!

We're not a deprived area but head has come from deprived area. Surely no one enjoys it but I think we're all being polite and trying to support the new head. It has been mentioned that it's nice for all the parents to get to know each other. They won't think that when all the parents get together and sign a petition to get it stopped!

What on earth is Wake and Shake - some sort of dance routine?!

Aren't all the kids awake already, from, you know, getting up and dressed and having breakfast and walking to school etc etc? It sounds like a lot of unnecessary forced jollity...

We had this In reverse. I guess it's whatever you get used to.

I was going into class to settle my children for the 5-10 mins before main bell. To me it worked as I could settle them and say hello to other parents.

It made the early school years easier as all the mums quickly got to know each other. I have friends now from those early classes.

After 9 years the head teacher changed and the new head implemented what you first described. Queueing up and filing into class (but without the parents).

The whole social core of the school suffered, right down to the PTA. My youngest child was then in year 4 so it didn't affect me for very long thankfully.

I guess it's what parents are used to. The reception children and new parents wouldn't have known any different.

The thought of having to take a bundled up baby and three year old into class every day along with a 6 year old would have me moving schools! The whole scenario sounds batshit!

God almighty . We're not even allowed into the playground. Literally not allowed past the gate.
Why not have a coffee morning for the parents to get to know one another??

I don't blame you. There's no way I'd be dancing around like a bloody circus clown. I imagine a lot of parents are cringing tbh.
What about working parents.

What are you supposed to do if you have several children at the school? You can't be in more than one class at a time. I'm a childminder so I can be dropping my own and several others at school at the same time. I also have little children in a buggy.
I'm afraid I would not join in and I would say it is not a practical routine for me.
I'd be happy for the children to do it once in class but I would not enter the class with them. Going inside independently is the normal approach at our school (thank goodness ).

Having read all these replies I can't believe we've put up with it for a whole term and no one has challenged it (as far as I know!)
Time for action!

hahahaha no way would I do this.

Although in a passive aggressive way, I would be tempted to join in enthusiastically, and allow 22 month old DD (who is a climber and into everything) to wander around unsupervised.

Suspect they would quickly tell me I could drop and run

I think you're being used as childcare while they finish getting the day's lessons ready.

Bloody hell....I bet the class teachers LOVE that!

I'm not sure ofsted would like this from the safeguarding point of view. Do all the parents sign in and out as visitors? Most schools these days are having to tighten up on procedures, and are moving away from having parents wandering around the school. This is to tick ofsteds boxes. Many schools are now being negatively graded due to ofsteds view on their security and safeguarding policies.

I would actually love this routine at my childrens' school and so would my DD! BUT you should not HAVE to take part if not your thing and also what about parents who work outside the home or just may be in a rush for whatever reason? It should be an optional thing.

Surely safe guarding and shame insurance also comes into it.
Heaven forbid, but. What if there was a fire.

Ha. I'm an ex teacher. I bet the teachers all hate it too.
Complain via email on the grounds of health and safety. Let's hope the new head has finished making an 'impact' soon.

What happens if you say no? No way I would ever have done that!

Oh god, Betty and Clive's jazz hands at 9am?

That sounds like hell. I'm not a morning person, I wouldn't be participating in that nonsense!

Wake up shake up is great! We used to do it on the playground. People only joined in if they wanted to, but it gets the body oxygenated ready for work.
We did reading once a week, maths games once a week, and wake up shake up for a week at a time every now and then.

Surely this can't be compulsory?

Nonsense!! My kids walk themselves to school, we live close by. No way am I going in and doing some stupid dance routine to tick boxes for some official body.

Also I'm usually rushing off somewhere as soon as the kids leave for school.

. This is speaking metaphorically, but. Let's just say for 1 minute. This is a good idea. All risk assessed (past) and Most parents okay for time and don't mind prancing about like wallys. Is it not a bit unfair on the children whose parents have to drop and leave. That'd be very daunting to child. Everyone else's mummy being there and yours isn't.

What if you work and are on a tight schedule? Just refuse politely!

This is a joke no? I couldn't keep a straight face if my son's school suggested this!
Drop him off and go, fuckety fuck off with that nonsense!

You don't have to "challenge it" or do a petition Just stop going in. Other parents will gradually stop going in. It cannot be compulsory, no matter what the head says. There's no reason to get adversarial with the school over this, just don't partake. Not complicated.