This can't be right?! School are fining parents each time a child is late?

[Givemeallthechocolate]

One of DDs friends mums has told me today that our school has started charging parents each time if their kid is late for school.
Apparently if a child arrives after 9am the school are charging £2.50 each day.
Apparently a parent was in tears because they couldn't afford to pay it that week as they had 0.30p until the next week.

This isn't something I heard about through school channels but we have missed a fair few letters due to DD being off having had an operation a week into term, which meant missing a further 2 weeks for recovery... so this may be something I've missed,

But surely this isn't right, or legal?

[InternetHoopJumper]

In college there were several reasons for people being late often, no of which were deserving of fine.

1- Habitually late:

• emotional problems
  
• illness
  
• flunking out and gone within a matter of weeks
  
  2- Often late
  
• relying on public transportation
  
  3- Sometimes late
  
• unforeseen circumstances, such as oversleeping or traffic accident.

[blackheartsgirl]

I have adhd and only till recently been medicated.

I am rarely if ever late for school ( when I used to do them, dp now does them and is often late which drives me batshit)

I am in work now with early starts and I’m never late there either, I really cannot afford to lose this job which is why I’ve had to sort my shit out over the years.

ADHD is fucking awful, it’s ruined my life, I’ve no career and my lifestyle is chaotic and so is my house but I can’t ever use it as an excuse for lateness because of the impact it can have on other people. My ds has adhd and is always late for work and college but doesn’t care, just blames his adhd and thinks it’s funny that someone then has to be called in from home to cover his shifts or has to stay later until he rocks up.

Drives me nuts.

[Lethaldrizzle]

But people seem more likely to be late for school than for work

[InternetHoopJumper]

@ChelleDawg2020

How patronizing! If my employer treated me like that I would quit on the spot. I've never had a job like that. If I am going to be late for whatever reason, usually stuck in traffic, I am calling in to let them know what's up, but I would never allow myself to be treated like a child. How dare they.

[Babieseverywhere]

I hope this never comes to our primary school.

From 8yo none of my children are late ever but the younger ones frequently are. The reason being my bowel disease which is very bad in the morning until the medication kicks in and before I get helpful tips, I already get up at 6am to take the pills and spend an hour on the toilet before school.

I help all children get ready to school often doing hair and listening to reading whilst on the toilet. First child takes herself to high school early. Younger three children are usually ready for school by 7.30am. But if I am having one of my frequent bad days, then I simply can not leave the house at 8.30am.

So I send any over 8yo's out on their own to walk to school and the younger ones watch tv until I am able to slowly leave the house load into the car and use my special agreement with school to drive the youngest ones onto the school grounds onto the staff car park, usually late.

When I look at the stats my two over 8yo's have perfect attendances and my younger two have loads of lates :( But this is unavoidable and 100% my fault. No number of fines will change our situation.

[SallyAnneMarie]

Sounds like bollocks to me.

[Lethaldrizzle]

We had a problem with lateness for a while for all the myriad of reasons on this thread but then started getting up half an hour earlier. Job done!

[PurpleMinionMummy]

Our LA are very clear being late could lead to fines. After a set time the child is classed as absent rather than late. Can't remember if its 9 or 9.10 for the cut off.

[topcat2014]

Haven't RTFT - but as a school governor I am very surpised at this.

(not saying it cannot be true - it's not something my school has ever considered)

[gallicgirl]

DD often gets to school by the skin of her teeth despite my best efforts. Luckily we make it before registration but reasons in the late book would include 'couldn't unlatch toddler from boob without being bitten' or 'DD6 couldn't be arsed to get up and dressed' or 'DD can't walk and talk at the same time and she's known as little miss chatterbox for good reason'.
I keep meaning to grab her teacher and ask if she'll give her a bit of a telling off because DD seems to think it doesn't matter if she's late! I can't get through to her that there are consequences.

As far as a fine for lateness is concerned, it's totally unenforceable. It would have to be included in the local authorities debt collection policy and even if it was issued to a debt collector, without a court order, they have few powers of collection.

[Ceto]

It really irritates me when schools start throwing their weight about like this, particularly when it causes real distress to families in financial difficulties. If I lived around there, I'd be seriously tempted to make sure it was fully publicised on the school's FB and twitter pages (if they have them) that these fines are unlawful and unenforceable.

[ProfessorCat]

Raisins - please do! It would give me something to have a giggle over. I love having honest parents and if "toddler refusing to put wellies on" or "dog escaped into next door's garden" are the genuine reasons, put them

Some do just put "late". Boring

[JonSnowsWife]

There needs to be something in place for persistent lateness like persistent absence. I'm not sure that the fines are the right way though.

maisypops there is, it's called support.I was begging for it at DCs last school with DS. I asked for a support worker amd all sorts. Noises were made but it never came to fruition.

We lived quite close to the school so DD would walk herself round whilst I carried on dealing with DSs daily meltdowns. She was never late. So the fact that DS was didnt mean I was a slatternly parent. Just one who needed help. The staff would help me bring him in every morning and then at reports would tell the doctor "separates from caregiver with no issue".

The minute DS got the support he needed,he was comfortable in his environment, and wanted to go to school.

[raisinsarenottheonlyfruit]

There needs to be something in place for persistent lateness like persistent absence. I'm not sure that the fines are the right way though.

Lateness is counted as absence and fined in exactly the same way.

If you miss the morning register It's recorded as an absence for the whole morbing session up to lunch - even if in reality you were 5 minutes past the register.

[ASauvignonADay]

Seems bizarre and don’t think the school could enforce it?

However, if they are late ‘after registers close’, then this would be a U Mark which is unauthorised, and could lead to a £60 fine. Which is a lot more than £2:50!

[MaisyPops]

There needs to be something in place for persistent lateness like persistent absence. I'm not sure that the fines are the right way though.

Parents have a responsibility to get their children to school.

I had 1 child in my form who was late to school at least 3 out of 5 days a week. Their reason was 'traffic was bad' or 'we had to stop off and drop my brother off'. Traffic is the same most days. Every other child was in on time (on days where there are real issues we'd expect most kids from the outside the immediate town to be late and we don't give them late marks).

The child and her mother took the piss.
Some days mum dropped the middle child off for a before school club and yet eldest was late. Eldest has left and now middle child strolls in as and when they can be bothered. Seemingly the family pick and choose when they can be bothered.

[BoneyBackJefferson]

Givemeallthechocolate

I wouldn't jump straight to lying either but I have seen far to many rumours started by people that are then passed on to others, who don't check the facts before they pass it on to those that do go in and ask (or in some cases create hell), whilst the first person stands back and enjoys the drama that they have created.

[Givemeallthechocolate]

Irvine- I did mention we have missed some time this year due to having an operation, so as I did say in my original post there may have been a letter that we missed.

I don't know for 100% if this is real, I tend not to jump to the conclusion other adults are lying, but I don't have any proof myself that it's happening at the moment, and even if it is the circumstances may be quite different to what I've been told... maybe the mum who told me understood the situation to be different to what it was.

I probably shouldn't have started the thread, but I heard and I couldn't wait until Monday to discuss it.... and I'd also prefer to find out via mumsnet if this kind of thing is done in any school in the country instead of wandering into the office on Monday morning and risk the receptionists being a bit and knowing my luck if they aren't doing it, I'd come across as someone recommending it- such are my communication skills, and I quite like that the office staff don't think me that weird (yet!)

[raisinsarenottheonlyfruit]

wannabestressfree fair enough, thanks for the reply.

(Although if we all stepped away when we were feeling arsey MN would be a whole lot quieter and possibly less entertaining!)

I'm really sorry to hear you're ill. I hope your pain level improves

[raisinsarenottheonlyfruit]

wannabestressfree fair enough, thanks for the reply.

(Although if we all stepped away when we were feeling arsey MN would be a whole lot quieter and possibly less entertaining!)

I'm really sorry to hear you're ill. I hope your pain level improves

[wannabestressfree]

@raisinsarenottheonlyfruit I am having a bad pain day today as I am seriously ill. I should have read the thread properly so I apologise. I need to step away when feeling arsy....

[BoneyBackJefferson]

Awwlookatmybabyspider

The school didn't leave the parent with 30p she only had 30p left.

But its the little details that often show these stories for the myths that they are.

[Awwlookatmybabyspider]

I'd have told the bullies, and it is bullying to go and sing for the money.
I mean what were they going to do that mother.
So much for them caring about the welfare of children. Leaving a mother with just 30p to feed her family.
Id be going to the press and twitter and be making a right cunt out of them.