Entering school property?

[mumspiration1997]

Hi there. This is random. I live opposite a primary school which my children attend. Next door to the school is another house, the children in this house also attend the school. However, they have actually made a little entrance and use the playground and basketball court etc in the evenings and weekends? This is absolutely none of my business and I know it shouldn't but its really bugging me when myself and others have lived here for 10 years plus and wouldn't dream of jumping over gates for our kids to play when not at school?! Surely this can't be allowed. Maybe I need to get a hobby 🤔😆

Yeah I get this aswell but what if a 4 year old childed climbed over the ladder during play time when I'm sure they aren't constantly being watched. May aswell leave the main gates open???

@mumspiration1997 that made me laugh ;) no gates here either.

If you are worried school (head) are turning a blind eye report to whoever owns school as they won’t want the liability.

How bizarre - what do they do the other side - do they just drop down!!

I really wouldnt worry about it tbh. Leave them to it as it doesnt impact your life in the slightest (even though it is annoying).

Aren't you clever? Don't pretend that Canada is crime-free. I've lived there and it isn't.

@HelenaWaiting its not but our schools aren’t gated.

So there's 2 children and 2 adults climbing over a fence to save a 5 minute walk round to the gates and not one single member of staff has seen this?

The children are also using the playground as their own private garden and again, not one single member of staff has seen this?

How has no one seen it? Teachers working late, caretaker doing his job out of school hours, the cleaners?

That's crazy!

But I would definitely report it and I'd be ensuring that other parents found out about it too!! The bloody cheek of them! How long before they're hosting summer parties in their new extended garden?

We used to spend our evenings and weekends using our senior school tennis courts (and quite a few of my year lost their virginity on school grounds out of hours!😁). My friend's house used to back onto the playing fields and had a gate we'd nip through during cross country,sit in her garden until we heard everyone coming round for the second lap, then nip back out and rejoin them. About 10 years after we left, vandalism started being a problem and someone even tried to set fire to the school so there's now big metal fencing and gates around it to keep everyone out (or in during the day).

We always used to jump the fence and play on the school field when we were at primary school.
We used to get in trouble when we were spotted so we made sure we weren’t.
I’m going back over thirty years now though.

Ahh @CurlsnSunshinetime4tea I’ll never forget sil telling me that her dc go to school in Canada where there are no gates or fences surrounding it!

I’m struggling to get my head around a family climbing a ladder over a wall to get into school 😂 it sounds bonkers

We have a few schools in our local authority where the grounds are open to the community outside of school hours, due to covenants on the land which make provision for community use.

We live opposite a school and whilst it’s entirely enclosed, some of the boundary is formed of home owner’s fences. Not sure what the school would do if some of them decided to put gates in them, or remove them altogether! The field is huge and would cost a fortune to fence all the way around.

The same as if they hurt themselves in a public play area, which 99% would be nothing. I guess if something gets broken it's covered by the school or their insurance.

That's a massive safeguarding risk! If kids can get in then kids can get out. Report.

I think this is the best way of approaching it, you are not trying to grass up the kids breaking in, you are alerting the school in case anyone tries to get out. It's the responsible thing to do.

Our school play equipment is open out of hours. It's essentially the village play area. Beavers / Cubs etc will use school grounds (with permission) and people use the playground to learn to ride bikes in a safe flat space.

They use the school car park for overflow parking for major church and village events like the fete.

It's encouraged as the school forms part of the community. In turn, school uses the church car park for drop off / pick up etc.

If they do a lot for school I'd stay out of it. The teachers will be appreciative for the extra input from the family and whilst you'll be right, they'll already know and it will make you look jealous and bitter.

I run the school pta and I wouldn't dream of using the school playground as my own personal space!

Plus yours is a very small school by the sounds of it and there is an understanding between the school and the church and the local community. This situation doesn't sound the same at all!

Of course it’s not allowed!

In my home country it's very common that school playgrounds are used during evenings/weekends/holidays. They are public places.

All the schools where I live are completely open (no gates or fences) anyone can play or walk in the grounds after school (or during the day if a community use school - so I really don't see the problem.

Absolutely they should. All are where I live in Scotland.

Although English MNetters usually get hysterical when this is suggested.

I'm surprised at the replies! I live next to a school (I don't have a ladder though, we just jump the wall) and I can assure you that loads of people use it.

In the summer, there are often kids kicking a football around. In the evenings there are (more annoyingly) teenagers playing music on their phones and chatting in the bike shelter. There are people in there in the holidays most times we walk past. We take the kids bikes and skateboards round there often, and wouldn't think twice. People even park in the carpark when visiting the nearby church.

Why would there be any liability issues - they are owned by the council, just like the play parks?

In Scotland though.