AIBU?
School gate etiquette
UN17280 · 10/10/2022 06:57
Just read another posters thread on this-made me have a little question of myself! I'm new to the whole school picking up and dropping off and will quite happily wander in to the front of the queue by the gates-there is always a lot of space and I haven't noticed any eye rolling etc? Certainly haven't been shoulder to shoulder pushing past adults or kids as if they're giving out cakes for the first one in (trust me if they were I'd be moving faster😄)
Question is-what is correct school gate etiquette?
ehb102 · 10/10/2022 10:15
I've watched the "queuing" outside our school. Someone stops to chat, everyone lines up behind them. A few of us will go around to stand on the grass or the trees. It's not a real queue, you won't get anything any faster, so I have fun breaking the unwritten unstated expectations and going around.
RosetteNebula · 10/10/2022 10:15
There isn't a queue at DD's school, just a crowd of people dotted about. I always make sure I'm near the front as I'm only 4'11 and I'm sick of being blocked from view. Once my DD was out first and I could see the teacher looking for me but another parent moved and his giant golf umbrella blocked me. Not havng a repeat of that.
Dreamwhisper · 10/10/2022 10:32
I do find this awkward too as I use my lunch hour at work to pick the DC up if I am doing the pick up and their school is out of catchment so it's a little bit of a walk. I do not intend to push in but we have a one way system and because the queue in foundation where my DS is is always so long, I have tried to go and ahead and get my DD from the year 2 door but as soon as the teacher from foundation spots me she calls for my DS even though there is a queue of people there!
It's really annoying because the year 2's are out much quicker so it saves me time picking up DD first and back tracking to foundation but I have had to stop because I hate the fact I'm pushing in past the queue of parents.
serenghetti2011 · 10/10/2022 10:36
No queues here, just go into playground find a spot wait kids come out then go home, no etiquette at all. Some people have taken to standing on the path in the way which is v annoying and kids playing on scooters up and down the path also annoying as they expect people to move for them or they’ll go into the back of your legs,
Oneandone · 10/10/2022 10:38
Ours is more of a gathering outside the classroom door than a queue. The only etiquette is that if you want to speak to the teacher you hang back with your child and let the other children go inside first so that the other parents can walk away and get on with their day. If there was an actual queue with people lining up I wouldn't skip it.
CryCeratops · 10/10/2022 10:52
Depends on the school really.
My DC’s primary school has different systems for different key stages. Different exit points for each key stage.
The exit points with small areas / narrow paths have queuing systems. The exit point with a big open area at the gate has no queuing system and parents milling round in a big crowd.
Really, I think the sensible thing to do is observe what the other parents are doing, and if there’s an actual queue, then join the queue rather than walking to the front.
UN17280 · 10/10/2022 17:33
Butchyrestingface · 10/10/2022 09:16
I haven't noticed any eye rolling etc?
You may not have noticed any eye-rolling, but has any mother 'gently chastised' you recently to the point of making you cry and you telling a TA?
If this sounds familiar, I think t'other mother posted about you last week. 
Hahaha nope not yet!
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