AIBU to be a little annoyed with school

[Snortles]

8 year old DS's school has a 'walk to school' scheme in which pupils are provided with hi-viz jackets to wear to school every Thursday, earning a point for each time they wear it and 'walk' to school. At the end of year pupils with the most points win a prize.

Rain or shine DSs and I walk to school every single day. They never really complain as they are used to it and works out just over a mile each way. The distance is probably average for most pupils on our town.Thursday today and DS forgot to wear his hi-viz jacket, remembering halfway there. Cue tears and dragging feet. (Ds2 gets dropped off first as he starts earlier and there is no way we could have made it on time for either boys had we returned home). On reaching DS's school I approached a teacher in the playground providing counters (for points) to all pupils in hi-viz jackets. I explained that DS (very shy and struggles talking to staff), had forgotten his jacket but it was clear we had walked the entire way as we were drenched. (Lovely northern weather!).

We were told rules are there for a reason and he would not be earning a point today. Ds was disappointed obviously but fair enough. DH and I have been quite firm with him recently about his forgetfulness and learning to be more responsible for himself.

However what annoyed me is I spotted atleast a dozen pupils being dropped off at or near the gates in these jackets so they clearly didn't walk to school. Most Thursdays I see pupils dropped one ot two streets away. I'm no Sherlock Holmes but it was obvious really who had walked and who hadn't by how wet the coats and jackets were!

AIBU or are some of these schemes schools introduce just unfair and poorly thought out? I understand this particular one is to encourage a healthier lifestyle. But so many pupils are cheating their way through whereas others like DS who walk every single daybut suffer from chronic forgetfulnessare penalised. I don't know, perhaps I'm just being bitter but I remember when I was in school (same one DS attends) and so many times kids winning things they did not deserve because they cheated the system. I know it's trivial and a non-issue in the grand scheme of things but I'm trying to teach the boys about honesty in every situation and it's clear school rules are more important than honesty and common sense:(

One or two streets away might be in the rules.
Being dropped outside the gate certainly isn't!

Not sure what you can really do, apart from mention that you do see kids being dropped off wearing the vests ...

Sorry have I misunderstood this - the school provides a Hi-viz jacket for when you walk your own child to school???? And then give a prize?????

I understand organisations using them when collecting a group of children but a parent walking their own child the way parents have for 100 years.

I never want to hear that schools are short of money if they waste money on this.

I would use this as an opportunity to teach your son about how stupid these schemes are and how life isn't fair.
The whole thing is pointless, make your own tally chart for your son and get him a prize. If that's what he wants.
If I was that teacher on duty, you would have got a tick, or token or whatever it was. Because it doesn't matter.
People cheating, well that's life. People suck.

I'm all for encouraging people to walk more but this scheme does seem odd.
Surely it is a parental choice as to whether a child wears a high viz jacket on their route to school or not. Once the child os in school then rules loke thos can apply, if they so wish but not when the child is not undr school care. Also who has provided all these high viz jackets? I'm really hoping the school has not funded them.

Why are they only supposed to wear their hi vis on a Thursday? (Have I completely misunderstood this??)

Could you email and say it's a pointless scheme as you've seen kids be dropped off by car outside the school in a high viz jacket?

Yes it is a very odd scheme, first time I have come across it (DS is new and started in September). I am certain scheme is funded by the school but can't seem to find any useful imformation on the school website.

Pupils who signed up to scheme are expected to wear the jackets on a Thursday only, because the Head wants all pupils to walk to school atleast once a week.

Thank you wowbutter that is a really good idea. I will give DSs a star for their star chart the days weather decides to be exceptionally bad. They're lovely and rarely complain about it but to show appreciation for making my mornings less stressful and as you said, to show how daft the scheme is.

Yes may consider sending an email! I'm not brilliant with words as English is not my first language but any suggestions are helpful.

It sounds a bizarre scheme, they should be rewarding walking to school not wearing the hi viz if the aim is to encourage walking to school. If they want to encourage and reward wearing hi viz (as part of road safety for instance), then that's fine but is a different thing to encouraging and rewarding walking to school.

Given it was raining so obvious that you'd walked because you were all wet and you always walk, they should've given your DS the point.

But unfortunately, it doesn't sound like they're that keen on common sense so it may well be better and certainly easier to just praise and reward your DS yourself and let this be a lesson in the unfairness of such things.

That sounds bizarre. So to get a prize you need to wear a hi-viz jacket on a Thursday. You don't need to walk to school any other day and you don't actually need to walk it seems

Exactly. I fail to understand why the hi-viz jacket is essential, the focus should be on walking and if a hi-viz is provided then simply as an aid for safety on the way. But all they are doing is rewarding anyone wearing a hi-viz

Yet I can think of so many areas the school could use this money on instead!

The people who openly drop their kids off outside the school in a high viz jacket and then collect points are your original CFs.

Oh that's so unfair, I would definitely complain. I was a CF once totally unknowingly..in assembly all the children who had walked to school at least once that week had to get up and get a sticker, cue my daughter then age 6 getting up, I'm thinking to myself "we haven't walked this week" when leaving school she said to me "yes mammy we walked yesterday" we had parked at the end of the street about 100m from where we normally parked.granted it's fairly long to a 6yr old !!

I hate these schemes and I'm a teacher. Education is supposed to be inclusive and rewarding children who live near school for something completely out of their control is so wrong.

I'm disabled and use a wheelchair. We can't walk to school as we live a half an hour drive away and even if we were close I would still drive because it's easier than the chair.

DDs school has a similar scheme but they have to bring a scooter or bike. I drop DS at the end of the road with his scooter and he gets a point for scooting in. So I'm one of "those".

It's tough though. It excludes children who live far from school, have disabled parents, are disabled themselves and other issues.

I'd use it as an opportunity too and do your own chart at home although I can understand if your DS was still upset. It isn't fair.