How common is it for children to escape from school?

[GiggleBoxx]

I've heard a few stories now of young children getting out of school and heading home.... just today a friends four year old tried to make a break for it.... dd starts school next sept, and it terrifies me a bit. I see the issue, unless schools are built like Fort Knox a wilful or determined child will be able to get out if they really wanted to. Just wandered how big a problem it actually is in reality, and what can schools do to stop it?

Most schools I know have fencing round them and secured exits at reception.

I think they are quite careful these days. It's boarding schools you need to watch out for.

As you say, schools aren't built to be fortresses, but the only children I've ever known to try to 'escape' at primary age have had very significant behaviour problems.

I know a child who tried to climb the fence a couple of times and fought off the caretaker and a teacher. He had behaviour problems though.
My DS threatened to once to me, but never tried it. I think it's really rare.

My son is ten now, but at 3 years of age walked out of the infant school nursery. Another parent brought him back to school, the staff hadn't even noticed he'd gone. As a result, they changed policies to make sure it wouldn't happen again.

The after school club at the junior school lost my nine year old and gave zero shits when I arrived to pick him up and realised he wasn't there. They locked me out the building and carried on.

He doesn't go to that pair of schools anymore and I removed his younger sibling because they were shit.

At the school where I volunteer, one of the Year 6's made a hole in the fence bigger, and got through it. She didn't want to escape though, and just stood on the pavement outside until someone came and found her.

Another Year 1 got through one of the main doors (I believe it had been left open for a delivery) but couldn't get out of the grounds. I don't think she actually wanted to; just wandered through an open door. I know that particular door now has a numbered code access panel on it, and the big weight that used to be used to prop the door open has been removed!

Slightly off-topic, but I'm not in the U.K. and it does surprise me how different the U.K. schools are to here. I have two D.C. At primary school - they can walk to and from school on their own. The school has open grounds and doors, theoretically anyone can walk in or out at any given time, indeed the school hours are flexible and my D.C. Don't always start or end at the same times each day, so there's always an element of people coming and going.

However, there are no significant problems with kids leaving, people who oughtnt to there being there etc, we don't need to lock our kids into school here. I don't quite see why the U.K. Feels the need to be so over cautious.

Dunblane is the reason.

two teachers stand in the playground on duty at my dcs primary, easily escape without trying tbh

Yep what stargirl said. It's really to keep people out rather than lock the kids in.

I wouldn't expect primary children to be able to escape. At our school they'd either have to go past the secure main door and office and would be picked up. The other exits are alarmed and the school is fenced in and gates locked.

Teaching 15 years never seen s child escape. Doors locked after roll call but the playground only has a low wall around it.

We drop our kids off at the door with the teacher then they lock the school down one child with severe difficulties bolted one day a teacher bolted after her caught her then sat holding her while waiting for support as I said she has severe difficulties

You can't even get through reception without id it's fort knox

I never escaped ... I did venture an adventure into the allotments nearby occasionally but I always went back. This was before the strict safeguarding

Had to tell DSs school off when he was 4, for making him sit alone in corridor next to outside door with nothing to stop him leaving...only found out because he drew on the wall a tiny bit and they angrily called me in - I agreed it was very, very naughty, then asked how he had not been seen doing it...and was told he was there alone for 20 minutes...because he had been distracted in class.
I turned and spoke to DS again, looked back and the teacher had gone! After that, they stopped leaving tiny, rather distractable children alone by unlocked doors.

Happened in my sons school earlier this year, but it's the first time in the 5 years he's been there (still one time too many IMO though!)

My child escaped from school in May. He has autism and the school had been told repeatedly that he often runs off by us.

The staff hadn't realised he was missing until another parent returned him to school who had found him wandering in the street 60 metres away.

To make matters worst, the school did not tell us. We found out a few days later when said parent told us. As my ds is autistic, he couldn't tell us himself.

I have been a teacher now for 15 years and have worked in many schools on long- and short-term supply and I have only ever seen one child attempt to escape. He was a reception aged child and did this every day. He had significant behavioural problems though and there were procedures in place to prevent him from actually escaping.

DS's school is pretty high-security, fences with a combination lock on the gate which is kept locked at all times except for pick-up/drop off. Doors are kept locked in the day... I can't see how a child would escape from that. But it's a new school only built a couple of years ago, maybe older schools that were built before security was an issue might be easier to escape from.
DD is a handful so will probably find a way to escape when she starts in two years

I'm a teacher for well over 30 years and l have never seen a child escape or even try. I' m talking about schools with low levels of security.
The only child l ever saw do anything like that this was when l was in Primary myself in the 60s a classmate tried to escape everyday, literally climbing the door of the classroom to get out. He never managed it but l still remember.

dd's school has several kids with behaviour issues who are apt to run off and there is a plan to ensure they can't do it easily or unnoticed. And the school is designed so that the nursery/ reception kids only use that part of the site.

But it's pretty rare, and the real answer is to ensure that school is so much fun that kids don't even think of leaving

If you are worried about it then ask the question when you visit schools. A good school will be able to tell you how they will keep your son safe when he starts school.

DS1 did. We changed schools.

Dd2 was a complete Houdini! School were great as I pre warned them of issues at nursery scaled a 9ft fence in seconds and at home loose fence panel they said as if warned them they knew what to look for she had 3 attempts non successful and they managed to drill into her it was not a good thing, something I failed at .