to talk to head teacher about a family with an illegal car and ridiculous driving?

[worriedparentatgate]

I've name changed because I make no qualms about my actual identity normally.

There is a dad who drives past the school in a car and he skids or his wheels lock every few seconds (no exaggeration, I'm going to film it on Monday for police?)
His engine cuts out when he changes gear - stops and he has to try repeatedly to turn the engine over

He also drives too fast.

Today he nearly knocked me over and I've noticed him all week. He is a nightmare and his car is broken. I decided I wanted to ring 101 today to log this. I first looked him up, on the dvla. No tax since January
No mot since August. Beyond covid restrictions.

I am so angry. He drives children to school in the car daily. How dare he was driving too fast idk about speeding but too fast (likely speeding) it's hard to tell if you're not behind someone with a speedo on the car.
Then I said I found his car to be worrying as it cuts out. Perplexed as how not caught. I suspect he is driving it in the estate area he lives with no ANPR. If he hurts some one or damaged a car which he will ultimately, the other party will pay since any insurance would be void.

I have logged with police but I find it unacceptable his has kids in this car. Police said I should discuss with head teacher. I feel like a snitch.

AIBU to call her to discuss or have a quick chat next week?

Thanks

I spoke to 101 said he

Just as an aside, could we do away with the word “snitch”? All it does is take something that’s basically good (reporting dangerous or worrying behaviour) and make it sound bad.

You’re quite right to be grown up here and report him.

The police will be suggesting you speak to the head, so the head can report on behalf of the school that a specific vehicle is being driven dangerously close to school grounds at drop off/pick up times on repeated occasions. This is easier to flag as an ongoing issue to deploy units to at the specified times to be there, to speak to him/put him off by being there/do a few checks on the car and hopefully get it taken away if possible.
It’ll flag as an issue at a school, being reported by the school itself, rather than a concerned member of the public (you) and is therefore easier to build a pattern of reports, link reports, show patterns involving the vehicle and so on.
This is not the police trying to pass the buck, they’re thinking strategically.

@Cocklepops

Ok I'll speak to the head on Monday

I see her every morning

I want to be a governor and I'm worried it will affect the way she feels about me.

I'm aware this is to a degree outing

You could email the head teacher just as an FYI to let them know what you have seen and that you have reported it, and maybe to give them the heads up that the police are making suggestions that people talk to them about things that aren’t their responsibility, but I wouldn’t expect to have a conversation about it when parents aren’t supposed to be hanging about the school any longer than necessary. Especially if you want the head to have a good impression of you if you want to be a governor, because this isn’t the sort of thing that warrants a parent/teacher conversation.

The only thing the Head will be able to do that the police can't is address the dangerous driving outside the school. So yes, I would speak to her, but make that the focus. The safety of all the kids.

Do you think maybe the police need a couple of complaints to justify acting, and are hoping that the HT complains?

Does your area have a community police officer? is there a lollipop person they could report too. If you have video it proves it leaves his driveway.

We get concerns like this reported to us but we can do very little with the information other than to log it. We cannot phone it in as a safeguarding issue as it’s second hand information so always recommend the reporting parent phones it in. If you look on the school’s website, there should be a phone number for the local safeguarding team.

@ColleagueFromMars

You're job isn't too work out if you're safeguarding cobden is legitimate or not - that's the job of somebody senior within the school. You're job is to pass on your concerns to somebody at the school and it is up to them what they do with that information.

@ColleagueFromMars is correct. Inform the school. This could just be another part in the jigsaw for them....

The HT cannot do anything here.

This is a criminal matter, therefore the correct course of action is the police. Video the driving etc and send it to them.

Report it to your neighbourhood policing team. They will normally attend and catch them in the act.

Yabu if it's not on school property. You wouldn't go to a supermarkets manager if it was happening outside their grounds or the CEO of a business if it was outside their car park. Police only I think.

We had similar outside my dc school, woman's her husband putting their 3 children in the boot of a smart car 😬 was reported many times to the school and police but took a while before anything was done, thankfully no one was hurt but the police kept telling everyone to report to the school

*woman and her husband

The head teacher cant do anything. I'd call 101 and log it there. Tell then the times you see him at which school. They'll probably come and observe him.

This isn't a HT's remit and at the minute I really think HT's have enough to think about with COVID. Use another method of reporting him.

( you did say the HT was on duty outside too, so if she feels she has a remit or if it adds to other information about the family, she already knows)

Theres nothing that the HT can do that the police cant. The HT should report it to Mash which is socail services, but ultimately that would just filter back to the police. SS are overstretched so it might take them.a few weeks to get round to it.

Police have the same responsibility to safeguard as school. Their reaction is bizarre. You could contact Mash directly or go via the HT but I guess it's only enforceable via SS or police

Report to the police and social services and let the school know as an fyi.

Email your neighbourhood policing team. Their email address is usually easy to find.

Definitely bugger all to do with the headteacher though, whoever you spoke to is clearly trying to pass the buck.

Don't waste the Head Teachers time: she has children to teach.

Report it to the Police again. Their job, amongst many other difficult things, is to try and keep the streets safe.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that this is definitely useful information for a HT to have, as designated safeguarding lead of a school. Child protection is often about building a bigger picture from several, smaller or seemingly unrelated incidents. A parent who is endangering their children, in whatever form (and driving them around in a car that has not been deemed roadworthy definitely qualifies) is possibly putting them at risk in other areas of their lives too. Schools are always vigilant, and have to be by law. Just like it is a proven fact that a person who is reported for cruelty to a pet will often also be mistreating their spouse and / or children, there are patterns of behaviour that are often part of an overall picture of neglect and abuse.

So I'm going to film it if I can
Log again

Go via community police officer

And safeguarding

This is not a smart car . This is a very old boy racer car blacked out lights, lowered to the floor, really loud exhaust pipe. It's such an obnoxious car he has some nerve on him
To do this.

Should say I'm a primary teacher and would definitely be logging this and following up if it came to my attention.

reporting the car as untaxed should help, because he can't pay the tax without an mot and insurance being logged and clearly the car won't pass an mot from the condition you describe.

but if he gets a SORN and has a driveway to keep it on, they can't just clamp it, as they will need proof that it is being driven regularly rather than just kept off-road.

Safeguarding vs "being a snitch" concerns. The taboo against "being a snitch" needs thinking about. we develop a disapproval of snitching in the context of minor misdemeanors where no real harm is done, or if harm is done only to the perpetrator (smoking behind the bike sheds at break time). Safeguarding means accepting the premise that when a child or vulnerable person is in real danger of real harm, the usual disapproval of snitching is completely wiped away. telling someone in authority is absolutely the right thing to do.

@YouWereGr8InLittleMenstruators

Would you feel the parent was a busy body?

@KihoBebiluPute

Really good way of breaking it down into the relevant subjects and context. I have found your post very helpful.

I know it sounds judgemental and rude but if they do this, then I feel they do other things with their children around that are irresponsible too. I wouldn't even get in that car myself. I found it downright offensive he has the audacity and the cheek to pull up over the gates in that death trap. People become untouchable when they sit around the edges of breaking the law.

I've taken so much personal offence to everything I can't work out why? I'm going to drive there today and have a look. I've got a distinctive car as in haven't seen anyone else with one round here so have to watch my step that I don't get "suspected"

Does anyone know if the PCSO operates separately to 101?

Thank you all