To think that school should consider waiving this fee?

[GirlInterruptedOftenByKids]

Long story but I'll try to make it short!

I damaged my leg last week and have been hobbling about all week. Pain is getting worse and each night the affected area is red and swollen so I decided to see the GP this morning. He gave me a stern telling off for doing the school run, going to work etc and said I needed to rest for 24-48 hours straight. This was about 10:30 this morning so I reckoned with a few tweaks to my day I could manage 24 hours just about.

Went home, worked from home for 4 hours (my normal working day) and msged a neighbour to ask her to get the kids. Called school and told them who was picking up, passwords etc. Thought no more of it until the kids were due home and hadn't arrived. Then school called to say that my friend had forgotten to pick them up, had turned round and got them but that my kids had gone into the After School Club and so either she or I would have to pay £10 for the club (£5 per child)

Now, I'm prepared to pay as I don't want her to be out of pocket when she's doing me a favour but can't help feeling school are BU. School called at 15:50, by which time the kids had been picked up so they were in the ASC for max 15 mins (teachers take them there at 15:35 if not picked up). It sounds like my message to the office didn't get passed to the teacher, which happened last week as well (dc were due to go to ASC. Dd in Yr1 forgot and her teacher didn't know so she just had to sit there for ages until she remembered).

Also, the dc weren't allowed to do any of the activities at ASC - they had to sit on a bench and wait. So they weren't fed, they weren't using space or resources and they were barely there for any time. Pick up is complete chaos atm as there's a new school building and no real system so I don't blame my friend for forgetting.

So AIBU to think that school might look at this and think - mother who has been told to stay home by doctor, other mother who's only trying to help out...is it worth upsetting both families for the sake of a tenner?

(For info: school converted to an academy two years ago and there's been a marked increase in cash-grabbing since then)

Honestly, for the sake of a tenner I would pay it BUT would ask for your children to have another session for free next time (as they didn't use resources, etc).
Win win.

handed over to social services, which is what many schools would have done MN Bingo! No school would hand kids over to social services when their parent had called in and said they couldn't make it in but had asked someone to cover. That's not a social servicable offence as far as I am aware

The school I am governor at can, and do, hand children over to social services if they are this late being picked up.

it is not the schools job to care for these children, it is SS job.

it happens very rarely, probably twice in the last 3 years, that any child has been left.

There is an after school club, but no way could they jeperdise their insurance by taking children ad hoc, without signed permission, etc.

Social work manager here - would be astounded if any of our local schools contacted us in circumstances such as this. OP was contactable by phone, friend had returned to collect and situation was resolved in 15/20 minutes.

Yabu to think that the school should cut slack because your contingency plan fell through.

Yanbu to not pay since your kids were not allows to actually use the paid for facilities in the after school club.

To the people saying that the op shouldn't pay because the child didn't have full access to the after school club can you imagine what it would be like if children who aren't collected were just allowed into after school club alongside those who have booked?
Parents would just stop booking in advance and the ASC would have no idea how many children they were expecting each evening. How would they be able to order food and arrange staff?
The school want to discourage late pick ups which is quite right and the op is liable for whatever it is the schools policy to charge.
Her friend forgetting may seem like a valid reason but I'm sure parents stuck in traffic due to an accident feel they have a valid reason too.
Any other issues with the school should be dealt with separately.

Clairetree1

I don't believe for a second you have handed kids over to SS because their parents were 20 minutes late! SS do not have people who could even get to a school in that time frame. If a parent was hours late the child could be handed over to the police (it happened to a child at DN's school but the school was literally closing up as his parents were hours late).

I think perhaps the school should have a window of at least 15 minutes before charging late fees but I don't see anything unreasonable about charging fees in general. Of course your case was a genuine accident some parents just don't make the effort to be on time and just expect members of staff to look after extra kids. That cost has to come from somewhere.

I don't believe for a second you have handed kids over to SS because their parents were 20 minutes late! SS do not have people who could even get to a school in that time frame

makes no difference to me whether you believe it or not. That is what we do.