Kids sent home - safeguarding issue?

[PutTheBathOnPlease]

Got a text at 10.20 this morning to say secondary school have a power cut and kids will be sent home on buses at 11:30. My son is 12, I was 80 miles away for work. Other half was able to get home just after DS, but school had not asked either kids or parents whether an adult would be at home - they relied on one text message with 60 mins notice. I find it boggling that they sent home 11 and 12 yo kids, not knowing if they would be able to get into their homes let alone have an adult meet them. Maybe I'm old fashioned! But what if the text had failed to arrive? The consequences could be serious. Your thoughts please.

This is crazy! That all of a sudden when kids reach secondary age they are deemed old enough and able enough to be alone, get home alone, be home alone etc. Some are only 11 still, some 12, but its a lot of growing up to do overnight from primary. They don't just mature like that, as soon as they start secondary!

CEOD- no because as a responsible parent you should have been building your child's independence up to this so it isn't a sudden jump.

I'm sure most schools set out in documentation that when school closure is needed then they will text parents and let them know. Parents are expected to have contingency arrangements in place if they cannot get home or do pick ups etc.
What do you expect teachers to do - babysit til you get there?
I've known schools have to close because of severe weather warnings and burst water pipes (so no toilets available etc) - you can't expect teachers to stay in such circumstances waiting until parents are ready.
Children at high school need to be taught by parents what to do in emergencies like that, and parents need to have arrangements in place if they can't be at home.
As for one poster saying they 'cannot be contacted at work at all' - seriously irresponsible. They need to give another 'first contact' number and not just abandon their kid and hope someone else picks up the responsibility.

What do you expect teachers to do - babysit til you get there?

Yes! That's exactly what they do at our school!! Our school has boarders, so going home wouldn't even be an option.

I have to say, a key at 11 or 12? When was that acceptable?

In the 60s. I and all my friends at grammar school had keys for just such an emergency.

If you are unable to receive texts then it's up to you to give your child guidance about what to do in such an emergency. In the 60s we were just sent home with no notification, obviously, there were no texts then. And it would be ridiculous to expect the school to phone parents individually.

Why are they going home if they are boarders?

I had a key at 11 in the 1980s and so did all of my friends-surely people don't think that is unusual??

Of course it's not unusual roll!
Just unfortunately some parents choose to infantalizing their children thus leaving them wholly unprepared for things like this.

Further example. Bus route to my end of town involves two hills. Mum walks to her stop to get to work. My stop is a different stop for school. Her bus was able to deal with very icey roads whereas my bus couldnt deal with the hills. So no lift to school. Without the key I was locked out on a very very cold day.

I have no children but given a number of the responses I have read here on this thread I can now see why the roads are less busy in school holidays. You are all denying your kids keys and giving them door to gate lifts and rushing back in the evening. Does explain the confused students at university who struggle with the idea of bus timetables I suppose.

Totally unacceptable. My 11yr old is extremely young for his age, does not have a key, and I would be furious if he was just sent home.

So many 11/12 year olds being babied.

I would expect them to be independent enough to go home from school and let themselves in at that age. I did from the age of around 9 and I would want my children to have that level of independence. How it is doing them a favour by making them so dependent upon their parents for help. Teaching them to read a bus or train timetable or know how to walk to key places is surely an important life skill?

Seriously worrying on here how some children are not being prepared mentally and practically to be independent enough to cope with the day to day ups and downs of life. Parents who don't do this are putting their kids at risk. - Its too easy to put energy into being 'furious' if school sent my child home in a school emergency before I was ready to collect them - harder work to train your child to be independent enough to cope, and for yourself to build in safeguards (or even other adults to pick up your slack).

How do some people imagine kids coped before mobiles or even home phones were commonplace?

This is not necessarily about parents 'babying' children. To suggest that it is, is, quite frankly insulting.

Some children, absolutely genuinely, take longer to learn organisational skills - as much as their parent might be working on these skills with them, they need a longer time to learn and practice and more teaching input.

They are not necessarily classed as having SENs or SNs either, as in the normal scheme of things their level of skill in this area would not effect their normal school or home life too greatly at the age they are at.lots of people have 'borderline' skills in some areas. This does not mean they can't improve but just need time to learn and practice.

Modern life is different to how things were in the 70s and 80s. Generally, our children have a different skills set. They have to be much more savvy regarding computer literacy, for example. I have noticed my child has had to be much more studious, at a younger age than I was and doing homework from age 4. We don't use public transport very often - this is to do with where we live. At my child's age I was using public transport alone but I had had years of travelling on buses with my mother.

Regarding phones. Yes, we have them and rely on them. However when people did not have mobile phones there were lots of call boxes, people carried spare change. Now they are a rare phenomenon and my DC has not ever used one. a lot of school lunch systems and transport systems are cashless.

Regarding neighbours, when I was younger it was very likely somebody would be in. Now most are out at work. There are less SAHPs. Regarding home security people felt it OK to hide keys, leave doors unlocked and there were less complicated alarm systems to learn how to use.

So a lot has changed. This is not all about parents 'babying' their children.

but just need time to learn and practice

Yes - but some posters are 'shocked' that secondary aged school kids even have keys - or are left home alone for a short while-

We mostly drive - but I took the time to walk the route several times - taken them in buses - gone over time tables - rode on the train -

Explained what they could do if something happened -

What could you do if you came home and nobody was in? How could you find me if I was lost?

Example I dropped DD off for a sports activity - and it wasn't running - I'd left to go to the post office before returning to watch - she went to the deal and asked to use the phone - aged 7

IE planned

You teach your kids that there are other adults and children who can help them - Teachers -neighbours friends -grandparents

A lot might have changed - but schoolsvdo all they can - it is the parents responsibility after that. The point is - there will always be an emergency (they don't come conveniently when kids are older). They have to have contingencies in place to safeguard them - you just might have to throw the net wider and ensure they are in place.

It's perfectly fine for secondary age pupils to have a key and let themselves in, or arrange to go around a friend's or neighbour's house in case of emergency. As long as they let their parents know where they are, and the school if they are not going directly home, this is completely normal and it's not necessary for parents to pick them up from school if they are not unwell.

It does not seem to be getting through to people, does it? That some children just take longer to learn! Their parents could be putting great effort into teaching them. Because these are organisational skills, we are talking about, that are only necessary in emergencies, having a slighter lesser skill level in this area, early on in Secondary school, might not constitute SN or SEN as it would not effect their lives under normal circumstances.

A lot might have changed - but schoolsvdo all they can - it is the parents responsibility after that

This comment is telling. It betrays a bias in that it asserts schools are doing all that they can. Which suggests that, even if this was not sufficient, it is another person's problem. I'm not so sure. If a parent is deemed liable, in law, in the case of an accident occurring when child under 16 has been left at home alone, surely a school would be deemed liable for releasing them without checking there was anyone to care for them.

Of course some children are fine to be left alone, are reliable enough to trust with keys and alarm systems but it is callous to suggest that, if they are not, it is automatically the parent's fault! Would someone say the same thing about a child who was less academic than another at the same age?

The school contacted parents - no doubt put it on social media and radio

The parent had chance to ring school and request thay are kept until an adult collects them

She could've rang another adult to look after them or collect -

The child could have mentioned there wasn't anyone home

I'm sorry, but you say diem children take longer to learn these skills. If you start encouraging and building up independence from 7/8 years old, they really should be fine-SN aside- to walk home and let themselves into the house!

DS starts secondary school in September and this thread has made me realise I need to put a plan in place for just such an event. He has a high functioning ASD diagnosis and while he's really bright he possesses very little commonsense. I can't imaging giving him a key, unless it's surgically attached somehow. He loses everything. He also gets really distracted so might just wander off if something sparks his interest. If school sent him home and I wasn't there to let him in he could end up anywhere.

I have some sympathy for OP. We live in a rural area. My job is an hours drive away. At work I can go most of the day and not look at my mobile - because the type of work I do doesn't allow for it. I'd be unlikely to see a text from school in time to do anything about it. At least now I know we need to have a plan in place just in case.

No, Whatthefreak.

'SN aside' does not generally work, as a disclaimer, when talking about emergency situations, because the measure is generally used on a lack of skills which affects a person's life most usually or day to day. Emergencies are less frequent and require a greater level of skills than would be practiced in normal life. So any lack of skill is less likely to be picked up and given an official category of SNs or SENs. There are lots of people with borderline skills in some areas who don't have SENs or SNs. Just like you can be not very good at maths but not have a SNs or SENs. No matter when teaching those skills has started!

The point about children not maturing over night (over August I guess) between primary and secondary is a good one (though the summer could of course be used to practice the route to and from school)

It's why people should stop screaming in horror about 9 year olds left home alone for half an hour, and understand that it is part of the gradual build up of independence.

If a child is frightened home alone at secondary age it would be worth looking at why - you don't want him or her to be the kid who can't cope in their uni house alone in 7 years time (yes, they do exist - and did 25 years ago too, much to their peers' mixed amusement and horror).

This was an emergency situation for the school, all it required of the kids was to walk home and let themselves in - something all NT children should be able to do by secondary school having been working at it for the previous 4 years!

I'm with you OP. It is not ok to just assume kids of 11 or 12 have their own keys and are responsible enough to go and look after themselves at home - many aren't (I would count my eleven year old self in that). 14 or 15 year old, maybe. Even then I doubt the school themselves would ever leave them totally to their own devices while they're on campus and in their care! It's up to the parents what level of supervision/independence they think appropriate outside school hours. Difficult situation of course, but I think the school ought to have ensured all parents knew what was happening at least.