To complain to the school?

[Water41]

Picking my niece and nephew up from school. They're meant to be out at 3pm. I'm in the queue in horrible cold and snow and there's still no sign of them coming out. It happened yesterday too, and was almost 20 past when the youngest came out which meant the oldest was stood in reception by herself.

I'm not sure because I'm not expert on this stuff but I'm guessing it didn't post until I got home (and my phone connected to the WiFi)

Could you pick them up in the other order, so niece first and then nephew? Then she wouldn't be waiting and you wouldn't be stood still for as long. At least whilst this late dismissal issue is being sorted out.

I had a parent put in an official complaint (via my school's online complaints form!) that my class were '2 minutes' later than the 3:15 end of day time! We were, to be fair, 2 minutes late (the parent informed me very aggressively that it was '17 minutes past!!') because I was dealing with a nose bleed that started just before 3:15! Poor child was very traumatised and blood was gushing - apparently I should have left the child bleeding and let her child out first!

I have no problem (and will often proactively encourage) with parents complaining about real issues. But this level of aggression for such a non event is part of the reason teachers are leaving the profession. It's not acceptable.

No, that isn't acceptable. It's really awful.

But I think in the case of the OP there's nothing wrong with politely asking what the issue is as the children are coming out 20 minutes late on a regular basis. No one needs to be aggressive about it but it's not on that the children are that late with no explanation. Many parents will have other children to pick up, or have to get them to an activity or wherever.

No, not acceptable, school need to get their act together. Especially with a split site.
All it does is discourage parents from being in time to pick children up.

@fuuwan I agree, and would also (as Deputy) be asking why the teacher is not able to organise their class to be out in a timely manner. In 32 years of teaching, I've never been more than a couple of minutes late out with my class. I suspect this teacher is having end of day issues (it takes much longer than you think organising 30 little people to get ready for home!) I would be wanting to know what the teacher's 'getting ready' systems were and ensuring they are supported to improve these (as if sounds like they need it!)

I'd hope that parents would be supportive and enquire, rather than 'complain' as the OP has suggested she wants to do. As parents, we all know how long it takes just getting our own children organised to get out the door. Times that by 30 and it's not unreasonable to understand how much goes into this. Many TAs are only contracted until 2.30 or 3pm so often the teacher is doing all this alone (I am!). It takes a lot of practice to time it right 🤪

As a frustrated (and cold!) parent though, I totally would be asking the question in this case, in terms of 'would it be possible to start getting ready for home earlier, or send someone to support, so that the children are out on time?'

Hopefully the OP will get some answers soon...it's too cold to be waiting around. Even worse if it's rainy!

It's happening again today. Been waiting since 2:55, kids should have been out at 3 and there's no sign of them. There's probably 50 others waiting as well. Utterly frustrating especially because the weather is so bad here currently!

So go straight into the school and ask what's taking so long and say you have to pick up your child now because you have to be at X by such and such a time.
Don't just stand there waiting like that without doing anything about it.

What is everyone else saying who is waiting?
I can't imagine a scenario where 50 people wait passively for over 20 minutes in awful weather for children who are supposed to be out at 3 pm and it happens day after day.

50 people all just waiting around in the cold,? Why aren't you all knocking on the door?

How many different classes are involved, must be at least two so not just a single teacher issue.

Why not phone the school and ask what's going on?

You can't knock on the door because it's gated and the gates are kept locked. The only place to ask is reception which is by the other half of the school. Phoning doesn't help either because all you get told is they'll be out soon!

It's nursery, reception, year one and two so lots of people!

So one or two parents go round to reception and ask.
And people should keep phoning.
Totally ridiculous situation.

So, the parents of these children need to raise this with the school. Write, phone, in person, raise it in any parent partnership meetings, raise it with the parent governor... Not as a complaint but as a request for clarity on when the children should be being released and why they are consistently being released late.

There is no point in going to reception because all they tell you is that the kids will be out shortly.

I have asked before and been told that which is why I got frustrated enough to post here!

When DD1 was in Y5 all the parents put in a joint complaint. The teacher always let them out late (anywhere between 10 and 25 minutes) because they were weren't behaving. This went on until January when it was freezing and we said enough.
The teacher relented and started keeping them in at lunch instead.
He was a fantastic teacher for KS1 but just had no control over the older children (he taught the age group for one year).
Anyway point is if you don't complain or at least feedback nothing will change. If you go in with other parents they're even more likely to start coming out on time.

@Water41

Has this just started happening since they went back this week or was it the same before Christmas?
I wonder if there's new management or a new policy.
Maybe they've said that all teachers have to teach right up until 3 pm and then get the children ready to go home so that teaching time isn't lost. It takes around 10 - 15 minutes to get KS1 and Reception children ready to go home and normally teachers would start getting them ready about 15 minutes before home time, tidying desks, packing bags, getting coats from the cloakroom, changing into different shoes if necessary and lining up.
I can imagine over-eager management looking at the school day and "wasted time" but you can't expect little ones to be ready and out the door in a couple of minutes.

In any case, you and some other parents should make a complaint to the headteacher. It's just not acceptable.

This!

Aim amazed that 50 complaints aren't going into the school office daily.

If they were, probably something would be done...

I'd complain if it happens repeatedly. It was likely because they were getting 30 coats, hats scarves on.

This happens every day? When did they start at the school? Weeks? Months? Years?

How many times have you emailed the school?

Well yes I pick them up every day.

They were late out a few times between September and the Christmas break but since going back they've been constantly late out.

I'm not sure why people are implying I'm lying about it - people have been complaining to the reception staff and the teachers. I also wasn't the only one on the phone to the office tonight.

I dont think people are saying your lying just that based on experience it's really odd that 50 adults are being so passive about the situation

Not OK.

Ours tend to be a little late but only by roughly 5 minutes. No way would I be happy waiting 20 minutes.

No one is being passive though. Maybe I'm not explaining myself clearly enough. People have been complaining. A group of parents went to the office tonight and were told the kids would be out shortly. I and others have also rang the office and spoken to the teacher with the same answer.

There's nothing else anyone can do - the only way to the classrooms is through reception and the door is locked so you have to be buzzed in, and then buzzed through to the school proper. And the reception team won't let parents roam the school to get their kids from the classroom.

A karen? Really @Newmumhere40 how old are you!? OP is NBU for expecting the kids to actually come out on time. A few minutes here and there fair enough, kids can dawdle but 20!?