Would this worry you? School related

[Rainbow982]

My DD is in reception and had two transition days into y1. In reception we collected them from the classroom but y1 and y2 come out with their teacher and TA in a line into the infant playground and can only go when the teacher has seen their parent and said they can leave the line. On the transition day we were all stood in the playground. It was busy. My DD saw me and came running up to me and left the line as she didn’t understand she has to wait yet. Nobody noticed. The teacher and TA didn’t realise she’d left the line and was stood with me at all. I told DD she has to go back to the line and wait till teacher has seen me so she went back and stood in the line but they still didn’t realise she’d rejoined the line. It’s just really worried me. I could have been anyone and left with her and they had no clue she’d come to me

Teach your child not to go with anyone but you.
she ran to you.
who else would she run to?

Not particularly worried, no. School need to know so they can consider their procedures, but I wouldn’t be thinking something could have happened- the chances of a random person taking home your child from school are pretty remote. Your child presumably only runs up to their parents anyway?! At ours there are also two adults on the playground gate who know all the kids who’d have asked questions if my child was leaving with a complete stranger.

If it happened with my child I’d walk back to the line with her and actually mention it to the teacher there and then. And then I’d be reminding my child to stay in line until called. It’s a busy playground, staff are often distracted by parents wanting a word, kids wanting to go back for something…. It happens.

She will learn and you have time to practice over the summer. I would get her to line up all her soft toys and play school with her being the teacher who dismisses the toys to you and your dh as parents. She can tell you/dh off if you try to take a toy before she has dismissed it.

My dc would often play schools together with the oldest being the teacher, the middle one was the TA and the youngest and all the toys were the pupils. It was quite insightful how the 'teacher' and 'TA' dealt with the toys which were misbehaving.

I might mention it to the staff so they know to keep an eye on her but unless she has other difficulties she will soon learn.

Once she's clear on the routine, she should stay in the line and presumably you'll be there to receive her and are clearly also going to be an adult watching that she doesn't go to anyone else.

As you sent her straight back on transition day, she wasn't exactly missing. Even if the staff had just met all the new children, I imagine it would be far more noticeable if she ran off and didn't return.

Give the poor teachers a break. Just because they didn't tell your excited reception child off for leaving the line and running to you doesn't mean they didn't notice. But even if they didn't, still give them a break - group of totally new kids, totally new parents, probably heaps of parents trying to chat to them, trying to keep any eye particularly on the kids who are nervous and scared, etc. As PP have said, teach your child the system, and above all teach them not to go without anyone unless they have your permission in advance.

She’ll get used to the routine quickly and you can practice with her in the holiday.