What is on time and what is late?

[FrustratedEarlyBird]

I've changed username due to being linked back to my normal account but I'm a term user - Korean granny/penis beaker etc.

Anyway! I work in a 6th form college. Today I had 16 out of 23 students late to my 9am class. All sauntered in with no apology and honestly no reasons.

I shut my classroom door at 9.03 and expect them to be in their seats by then, otherwise they're late and in trouble - with the exceptions of genuine reasons who notified in advance obviously.

Anyway one such child who sauntered in at 9.06 and was suitably told that it was not acceptable has gotten a parent to complain to me by email that I'm being overzealous and lateness is not a big deal.

So. I put it to you the mumsnet jury! What is late? What is on time? Hit me with your anonymous opinions as to whether I need rectify my totalitarian ways or not 😂

(PS this is lighthearted venting of frustrations!)

I'm also have chronic lateness tendencies but 9.01 is late.

At that age we were expected to be waiting outside the classroom at 9 or sat at the desk waiting at 9, depending on the teacher /classroom.
I might leave the door open for a few minutes and give an eyebrow raise to anyone not panting and thus clearly not running fast enough.

Can you sanction them in any way for lateness?

I'm with the pps - in the classroom, coat off, equipment out and ready at 9am is on time.

Rocking up at 9am shouldn't get you sanctioned but should earn them a hard stare and any menial jobs during the class.

After 9am should be detention IMO since they're wasting your time, their time and the whole classes.

Like a PP said.. you cant catch a 9.00 train at 9.06.. you wouldnt sit down at 9.06 for a 9.00 tv show etc. 9.00 is the time the lesson starts so they should be sat ready to start at 9.00.

If class starts at 9 they should be seated and ready to start by then, which means being through the door before then.

Lateness boils my piss - I used to work in a dentist and the number of people who protested "but I'm only five minutes late" was ridiculous, especially when their appointment was only ten minutes long. People like that are half the reason dentists and doctors end up running late.

One second after 9am is late

I'd be there between 8.45 and 8.50am, even 8.55 would feel like I'm rushing and last minute

I cannot abide lateness, I've never been late for anything in my life, my children got to school in plenty time too.

I'm not as bad as a friend though, we'd arrange to meet at say 12pm for lunch, she'd phone me at 11am demanding to know where I was because she was there waiting for me

Currently waiting for someone with a 13.30 appointment.
It is 13.40.
Drives me bats.

I had a friend who was always 10 minutes late for everything which she thought was "no big deal".

If it's such a small deal, just leave 10 minutes earlier!

I’m even more taken aback that a sixth former’s parents felt the need to complain on the subject!! Just WOW! I hope you suitably put them back in their box!

I take the register at the exact start time of the class. If you miss the register, you're late. If you arrive by the time I've finished the whole register, even if you missed your name, I won't mark you late. This also means that the older kids, who have smaller class sizes, have less leeway.

In any scenario, being on time means being there ready to begin whatever you are doing at the specified time. Anything after that is late. I'm another one who hates lateness and unfortunately have numerous friends who think that anywhere up to 30 minutes past the specified time isn't late! Annoys the heck out of me.

901 is late - my son's secondary issue detentions with zero tolerance and I'm all for that.

I'd agree that it's starting the class at 9am so there's an argument for shutting the door at 855 and after that you wait until a break point.

Like other people have said, try rocking up to the train station six minutes later than your train and see if the train bothered waiting!

Teaching starts at 9 so they should be there before or have a consequence - detention or whatever is normal in your school.

If people are turning up 10 mins late then they need to get ready etc the class is disrupted and you have basically wasted that time

Are they allowed to turn up 10 minutes late for end of year exams?

When you're elderly enough to remember the need to clock in and clock out...

It didn't matter if you were a second late clocking-in (no matter how long you'd queued), you were docked 15 minutes pay for the first offence and more on other occasions. And, conversely if you were early clocking-out.

9am is the time the lesson starts, you arrive at 8.55am at the very latest. You should aim to arrive 10min early to be safe, that's what I did all through college and university. It's rude and disruptive to arrive after 9. Obviously things happen out of our control (public transport etc) but generally speaking there's no excuse to rock up late.

Being on time, for me, is being in place with any appropriate equipment ready for the scheduled start time.

I come from a long line of punctual people - my granny would like to be on the station in time to see the train before hers leave. My dad was in the Navy and considered himself late if he arrived less than 10 minutes before he was meant to meet someone. Fortunately my husband shares my passion for time keeping. "Punctuality is the politeness of kings"!

On time is being in the room at 9am. Lateness is anytime after 9am they are not in the room.

I am taking some classes as part of a qualification for work. There are 10 of us. EVERY SINGLE DAY at least 3 are 5-10 mins late and one is 25 mins late. She says it's not her fault because the train SHOULD arrive with time but never does, and she can't catch the train 20 mins prior because it's too early in the morning.

IT MAKES MY BLOOD BOIL.

@BobLemon: I’m one of those always late people. I am sorry though! Still won’t stop me being late

But you're not sorry are you, otherwise you wouldn't always be late. Somebody who is generally on time, but is late once would be apologetic and genuinely sorry.

You obviously consider other people less important than yourself, because they don't deserve the consideration of you being on time for them.
If you know that you are always late then you need to be better organised and leave earlier than you think you need in order to be somewhere on time.

The issue is more than the work missed by one student. If many students are rocking up late, the whole class is being disturbed. The first 15 mins are being wasted by constant interruptions. 9am means sitting at your desk ready to start work by 9am.

And I'm always 5-10 mins early and the one time I was late I apologised profusely. She hasn't said sorry once, it's SO entitled and I don't know how she still has her job.

YABU to think you have to quote penis beaker to ask a simple question! What is Korean granny? And YABU to say “gotten”, unless you are American!

The train analogy is good, anything after 9.00 is late. Can’t believe the precious little darling got mummy/daddy to write them a note, what is wrong with people?!

9am class means they need to be in their seats and ready to start at 9:00, so they need to actually arrive before.

Persistent lateness was one of the (many) reasons why an apprentice who worked for me failed his probation period - he lived a 15 minute walk away & would have excuses like 2 sets of pedestrian lights were against him!. If you work in somewhere customer facing or a call centre you will be expected to be on time or disciplinary action is taken.

My DH always says "if you're not early, you're late".

(Ironic because he is a terrible time keeper... )

When I taught in a sixth form college, late was late. Lesson started at 9am and students were expected to be sitting down and ready to work by nine or within a minute or two. So, 9.06am would be recorded as a late. I think three lates a term triggered tutor intervention.

It was a rural college and so there were a lot of kids bussed in and all buses arrived in time for a 9am start. Personally, I wouldn't make a fuss about a one off, but it definitely needs challenging if so many are late and they 'saunter' in. How very dare they - it's just rude.

In a school setting, if the class starts at 9.00am, I wouod expected everyone to be ready to sit down and work at 9.00am.
Otherwise you would end up having wait for everyone and you would never start until at best 9.15am.

In other settings, I think it depends. Clearly with any train, even 1 min late is too much.
With meeting a friend somewhere, I would be happy with 5 mins but certainly no more than that.
With my parents, we have just a rough idea so it’s always something like between 9.00 and 9.15am