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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think 1 minute isn't late?

332 replies

AnArrowToTheKnee · 07/02/2017 12:02

DS1 starts school at 8.50, we got there at 8.51 and were told we had to sign in at the office. AIBU to think that we weren't actually late?

OP posts:
gandalf456 · 07/02/2017 16:32

I don't see how it works shutting the door at 8.51 so never mind. I'm just following some bizarre logic in Internetland :))

gandalf456 · 07/02/2017 16:34

The whole thread is dickish to be fair

I've never met anyone to quibble and argue over 1 minute before. In real life, most would concede that it is petty

ForAllWeKnow · 07/02/2017 16:35

To be honest, no one in real life would argue about it because no one would actually have a problem with having to go through the office because they were a minute late. They'd just accept it.

Original poster
AnArrowToTheKnee · 07/02/2017 16:38

It is a small school, yes. Around 20 per class, seperate doors for each class, and when the doors open they all just go in - no lining up or anything. So they can all be in the door within a minute - was trying not to put too much detail for fear of outing myself, have no idea how common the combination of school size and start time is!

It really was just one minute - I checked when we got there. By the time I got round to the office and signed him in it was nearly 9. It just seems so uptight for primary school children - and not fair to make him more late for the sake of 60 seconds.

OP posts:
Sirzy · 07/02/2017 16:39

A small school but took you 7 or 8 minutes to walk around to the office?

Goingtobeawesome · 07/02/2017 16:40

You were late and it will have been a case of having to sign in due to where the registers were and in case of a fire alarm.

gandalf456 · 07/02/2017 16:41

There's always a queue in our offices. most parents pop in with their queries after drop off. The queues would be even bigger if they made the entry window as tight as one minute.

ForAllWeKnow · 07/02/2017 16:42

Ah yes, I've had classes the came straight into the classroom from the playground. But the door is still open for more than one minute largely because parents usually want to ask questions or hand things over or tell you something.

BaggyCheeks · 07/02/2017 16:45

If it were a train you would have missed it. Therefore you were late

Maybe, but if it were a bus she'd be hanging around waiting for it to turn up for at least another 5 minutes Grin

Yes you were late, but it does seem petty on their part.

5moreminutes · 07/02/2017 16:46

That's insane if the doors open at the start time and not before - do they really only open for one minute?

Children coming out ten minutes plus late is also totally rubbish - are there no school bus children?

You might not be able to get into our school til break if you turn up late, but equally you can set your watch by the time the bus kids get home (15 minutes after the last lesson ends according to their timetable in our case). There would be panic all over the place if kids were let out late as they take themselves home and wouldn't be turning up when expected, and the bus kids would be stranded.

What can cause children to be let out so late?

ligersaremyfavouriteanimal · 07/02/2017 16:51

Oh dear OP, I fear you are one of those parents...

Trifleorbust · 07/02/2017 16:53

...not fair to make him more late for the sake of 60 seconds.

How can you not be getting this with so many posts telling you YABU? THEY didn't make him late. YOU made him late. YOU.

Floggingmolly · 07/02/2017 16:55

It was nearly 9 by the time you'd got to the school office; yet you still insist you were only 60 seconds late?

Original poster
AnArrowToTheKnee · 07/02/2017 17:00

Oh jesus, yes, we arrived at the classroom door at 8.51, then had to walk to the office and wait to sign him in. So yes, it was almost 9 by the time he was signed in. So I got him to school 1 minute late, and their policy meant he was almost 10 minutes late in the end. All my fault, clearly I'm a terrible human being.

OP posts:
Trifleorbust · 07/02/2017 17:01

All my fault, clearly I'm a terrible human being.

Erm, no, but you are passive aggressive, aren't you? No-one is slagging you off for being 1 minute late. But it was your fault, not the school's.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 07/02/2017 17:05

Don't throw your toys out of the prom - no-one is saying you are a terrible human being. Hmm

All they are saying is that schools have to make a decision on when to close the classroom doors, and even if you are only a minute past that point, you still have to follow the late policy.

If they said that the doors would close at 8.51, and a child arrived at 8.52, they would have to go through the late process - the only difference would be the exact time the line was drawn.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 07/02/2017 17:06

Oh fuck - I didn't proof read and now I look like an idiot!! Blush

I meant - don't throw your toys out of the pram!

PuppyMonkey · 07/02/2017 17:08

I would really like to see people throwing toys out of a prom. Grin

Awwlookatmybabyspider · 07/02/2017 17:08

All my fault. clearly I'm a terrible human being.

You turned up 1 minute late. You didn't drown a kitten. There seems to be so many perfect parents on here.
Well if its any consolation to you, op. I'm not perfect either.

Original poster
AnArrowToTheKnee · 07/02/2017 17:11

Yeah, kinda posted without thinking there - baby had jabs today and he's fussy so the whole day has me pretty stressed out. Think I might just leave this alone until I calm down.

OP posts:
SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 07/02/2017 17:13

Calpol for the baby and gin tea and biscuits for you?

BeMorePanda · 07/02/2017 17:18

why a terrible human being? Its only a late sign in for school. Hardly a crime or even a big deal. Just a small hassle if anything.

When they put ours into practice I was late one day - the bell rang and the gate was actually closed on our faces (one child in, one out) - it did annoy me I will admit. So I had to go around to the main entry point and sign in late - where we were kept queuing and not moving. After 10 or so minutes of not being let into school I told them to forget about signing her in late - they could mark her absent instead. Yes I was cross and I did it to make a point. And I took her home.

I was really annoyed. fair enough mark us late if you must, but they ONLY reason she was going to be actually late for class was because the school didn't have their shit together.

I went back in to have meeting with HT, DD went to school and they sorted out their "late" system properly, so it didn't involve the school making children late for class.

LilQueenie · 07/02/2017 17:21

It depends. I cant see how all the children would be in the door after exactly one minute of the bell going. However if they were and the door closed then I can understand it annoying as it is. Happened to us the other day.

Want2bSupermum · 07/02/2017 17:21

It sounds mean to say you are one minute late so have to go to the office. It happened to me two weeks ago when dropping off the kids. We were one minute late and the kids had to line up for a late pass. I had a fit with them both because they had been messing around on the walk to school, making me late plus their late pass now made me even more late.

It was a lesson learned for the DC who now know that late passes are really bad and that being on time is very important. My rule is that starting work at 9am means you arrive at 8:45am and set yourself up so you are ready to start working at 9am. If I have a 9am meeting I need to arrive for 8:30am to allow enough time for me to in that meeting room, with all materials and ready to go at 9am, not 9:01am.

School might start at 8:15am, that means you schedule your arrival for 8:05am (you need 5mins cushion as it can take time to cross the streets on the walk to school), walk through with your class at 8:12am and are in your seat with your book and pencil case on your desk at 8:15am. It does not mean you rock up to the front door of school at 8:15am.

WidowTwonky · 07/02/2017 17:22

Our doors are on timers so being petty really doesn't come into it

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