Extra play time for ‘active travellers’

[microkneesya]

We lived 2.5 miles from school. Moved mid-school year a few years ago because of being deployed by work nearby. Council allocated places and there was nothing closer with the year groups we needed. We love the school. After drop off I then have to go onward in the car to park & ride as I can’t wfh so it’s about more than the school run.

They have started awarding active travellers (children who come to school on foot, bike or scooter) extra playtime on Fridays. My DC are so upset and beg to be allowed to walk but we just can’t. I feel like the school shouldn’t do such a demonstrable ‘reward’ when for some families it’s not so easy.

Do your schools do this? Worth approaching the school?

Um, yes? That’s literally the whole point of the OP. It’s a v short sighted reward. Of course go to the school OP!

This is what we do. I have to drive as school is out of catchment and need to get to work, but we.park and walk/scoot. Saves getting caught in school run chaos.

If you say that you can't park further away and scoot/walk from there because it's too much time in the mornings etc, that's the kind of changeable situation that they are trying to encourage. If your children really want the reward, then they can get up 5-10-15 minutes early, or be organised enough to get ready earlier, get things ready the night before, forego playing/TV that they might do in the morning already, stop faffing around with eating/dressing/getting ready, etc. It is unfair for those who have no option but to drive, but if you do have something changeable, then the idea is that if you make some sacrifice, you get some reward. yes, it's easier for some people, but the children can think about the rewards of playtime, being healthy, doing something good for the environment, etc, and decide if it's worth getting up 15 minutes earlier or whatever it would take.

I have not heard of it elsewhere. I would guess that the OP is in a minority of car users and distance from the school. There is no need for anyone to have an SUV in this country.

I found a car park 800m away from the school.... actually passed the school to get there. The kids cycled or scooted to school. They loved it

They wouldn't accept it? Then tell them they're not getting extra play time unless they do.

Side note: if I recall from the golden boot challenge, they used to suggest the parking and walking thing

Wouldn't bother me but then I always walked with DS so it would have worked in our favour 😂

Exactly this policy doesn’t make sense and i say that as someone who never got a lift to school once because my mum didn’t drive. It was walk, cycle or later on - public transport when I went to high school in a neighbouring town.

It’s like they’re rewarding certain kids for something their parents have chosen. Very unfair.

A somewhat random last sentence there?

Schools hate parents rushing to work and having to drop their kids off by car. No idea why, it's very important that people get to work on time, indeed work at all. This crap was going on when I was working f/t, one of the only f/t working mums when the children were little, there's lots more now. It's all about pretending that we can be nice to the environment whilst everyone working crazy longer hours, and then being cross they don't stroll to work as they try to battle through the traffic. Working from home has helped and that's why I like it!

Our school did something similar with rewarding children not coming by car (easy for me I can see the school from my front door) but they did say as long as you parked a couple of streets away it was allowed.

Yeah. I'm a teacher, and I think that's awful

Surely the kids who don't walk to school need the extra time outside running around the playground more than the kids who do? As a reward it makes no sense.

I would be telling my DCs they were allowed to lie and say they walked, why should they miss out for reasons beyond thier control?

How do they even police this?! My school would have no idea! Stupid idea.

I don’t have kids but I agree with this.

just as an example this kind of scheme would’ve rewarded my friend who deliberately works no more than 12 hours so she can get UC etc or the SAHMs, but penalised say my friend who works full-time and is a senior in her corporate position and has to travel an hour drive on the days she’s in the office.

Nothing wrong with working PT or being a SAHP btw, but I’m just saying I don’t think the children of busy working parents should be penalised for having hectic schedules.

Yes our school has done this recently which we've loved as many children, including my own, have nearly been knocked over by giant cars reversing over curbs without looking. They gave us "maps" to show distances around the school which would be accepted as active travelling areas, so basically anywhere where you walk the last 5 minutes!

They did have to figure out some exceptions though as there are a few children of teachers who were upset they couldn't walk. It does make me laugh though that they announce the most active class every week - shockingly it's always Year 6 as they're pretty much the only ones able to walk alone!

No that's really unfair. I think active travel is an important thing for both health and the environment but basically rewarding kids for living nearby isn't the way

You ask the school for reasonable considerations for children who can’t walk due to parents working but can show they’re active outside of school eg attend a football or gymnastics or swimming club for example.

It's lack of joined up thinking by government, they want everyone to be in 15 min neighbourhoods, and walk or cycle everywhere but then got very cross when people started working from home permanently and the economy of city and town centres started to collapse along with rents. So we are bombarded with these contrary messages. I used to drop my children off at the end of the road and they would walk together when even quite little to get them used to being more independent, that way I got to work on time and they got to walk a little, but only a few 100 yards. I just told them the school were silly and they got a good insight into how to pretend about things you can't control which is handy for most of life in the UK unfortunately.

YANBU it’s just another thing to stress mums out, because it’s mostly mums having to either explain to their employer why they are late or to their children why they miss out

How ridiculous. It’s not that simple. Some people are in a rush to balance work and parenting and have no choice but to drive!

What about kids who arrive by bus?

To be honest, how are those things conflicting?

They want everyone to be able to access amenities within a 15 min walk (good).

They want us to use the high streets where those amenities are, rather than buying from Shein and Amazon (good).

@microkneesya I am a teacher and also a mum.

Mornings are crazy. It’s a win to get where we need to. I feel people suggesting your kids cycle or walk the second part do not understand that there are not enough hours in the day.

If I was you, I’d feel my kids were being punished because I need to work. It’s a shit idea and I’d raise it with the school. If the school I worked in suggested it I’d also be shooting it down! What a rubbish thing to do to kids! It’s mean.

Exactly what I was going to say