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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to continue turning in the school gate?

488 replies

NortonBuns · 19/03/2025 14:18

I drive my dd to school everyday and once I drop her off I turn around and drive home. I approach the back gate of the school and use this entrance to turn my car round so I can head back home.
The school have now put up a sign saying keep our children safe, no stopping, dropping off or turning in the entrance.
So where am I supposed to turn around? If I carry on I reach the front gate which is busier and has the busses. If I turn before I reach the back entrance I am doing a three point turn in busy school run traffic with lots of children walking and cycling.
So AIBU to say I am safest turning in the large double gate and ignoring the new sign?

OP posts:
Currygirl · 20/03/2025 18:00

Why don't you just carry on all the way into the playground...or better still the classroom....
Wouldn't want you to be inconvenienced in any way whatsoever....

Weald56 · 20/03/2025 18:03

As a former teacher (secondary, not primary) I can assure you that the school WILL enforce these rules as they have almost certainly been told that the actions of drivers such as yourself pose a danger to children (& adults) entering the school and they have to stop turning etc. As others have suggested either park somewhere safe and walk your child to school, or find somewhere safe to drop them off, and then drive on down the road until it is safe to turn round, or take a different route home.

Beautifulweeds · 20/03/2025 18:04

Park further away, have a little walk and some fresh air?

Thisismynewname23 · 20/03/2025 18:05

NortonBuns · 19/03/2025 18:26

I have had a go at a drawing but obviously not to scale as the school is about 2 miles from the a road. There are houses all along the road to the school but no side roads.
The arrows show my route in.

Can you not just continue driving up and your child walks up? Why turn in if you then need to turn around? Just drop them earlier especially high school can they not walk a short distance?

B1anche · 20/03/2025 18:05

GiveDogBone · 20/03/2025 17:43

You are a typical selfish entitled Karen who is probably a terrible mother, no doubt teaching your kids to only follow the rules they want to. Parents like you are everything that’s wrong with the country: it’s all about me, me, me.

Crikey...Bit of an overreaction. I mean, i thought the OP was being unreasonable but is there really any need to blow it out of proportion like that?

MzMazzaa · 20/03/2025 18:06

Do you have a disability that you can't get out of the car and walk closer to the school.

Your choice you can either leave earlier and park away from the school and walk the rest of the way.
Otherwise you drive and drop off your daughter in safe space as ok with the school. And then you drive and find another way to turn if you need be. If you have go towards busy traffic tough!!

The school have these notices to keep kids and staff safe.

TheWombatleague · 20/03/2025 18:06

Trebuchet and a parachute?

Pineapplecolada1 · 20/03/2025 18:11

Park your car 5/10 mins away and walk. Parents with cars at drop off and pick up cause so many problems for my school. Near misses every week

Alwayswonderedwhy · 20/03/2025 18:13

Oh dear. Unfortunately there's many selfish parents like you at our school too.

Inertia · 20/03/2025 18:14

NortonBuns · 19/03/2025 17:04

I could actually drive in as it is a through road to other businesses.

Show quote history

If it’s a through road to other businesses, presumably there are side roads leading to those businesses? Or business car parks that you could use to turn around in?

pomers · 20/03/2025 18:22

Set off earlier, park and walk. This could be lethal at a school

HippingFleck · 20/03/2025 18:24

Tell your DC to ignore all school ask too; how inconvenient that they are told to be in class for 8:50, how rude they have to stop playing when bell rings, how frustrating they cannot go straight to front of queue, but wait when they are hungry....I'm sure they will learn a lot from your entitled behaviour!

Ritzybitzy · 20/03/2025 18:26

NortonBuns · 20/03/2025 07:53

I have no idea what goes on at the front gate. On one occasion when dd had just started there I needed to travel onwards into town, so went past the front gate. It was absolute carnage with busses and children walking and cycling so I vowed never to go that way again. I drive miles out of my way to avoid it if I do need to go into town.

Show quote history

Yeah keep driving as you did that obviously.

hadenoughofsnowflakes · 20/03/2025 18:27

I teach in a school, with parents like you- you are not liked.

06230villefrancesurmer · 20/03/2025 18:31

Notanother0nee · 19/03/2025 14:20

This can’t be serious…

Ha. It's a hard life 🤣

MyGhastIsFlabbered · 20/03/2025 18:32

ok I’ll bite. What about the roads I’ve highlighted? I assume the wider road is the 2 mile absolutely no turning road but what about the other one?

and really 2 miles must take a few minutes at most to drive? I don’t see the problem really.

AIBU to continue turning in the school gate?
Glidingswan · 20/03/2025 18:33

Sounds like a solution won’t be found until something terrible happens to a child, this is unbelievable, you could 3 point turn in someone’s drive, You need to change your way of thinking! the sign must be there for others but not you hmm

Delphiniumandlupins · 20/03/2025 18:38

So there is only one road within 2 miles of this high school? This road goes past both the front and back gates. There is no other street, or cycle path or pedestrian access that your DD could use? I suggest you have a really close look on Google maps, satellite as well as map image. Maybe drive over at the weekend when it's quiet to check your route. Find somewhere to drop your DD off, on another street.

wordler · 20/03/2025 18:44

MyGhastIsFlabbered · 20/03/2025 18:32

ok I’ll bite. What about the roads I’ve highlighted? I assume the wider road is the 2 mile absolutely no turning road but what about the other one?

and really 2 miles must take a few minutes at most to drive? I don’t see the problem really.

No she said the wider road is the busy A road the narrow one is not to scale - the two miles is from where the arrow turns to the back gate.

Lots of people not reading that the OP does not need to park - she needs to turn around to go home.

Currently she turns left into the school road stops somewhere between the turn and the back gate to drop her daughter off - she then drives up to the back gate and turns the car around there to drive back down the road.

What she can do is keep on driving past the school and either make a big loop or use a side street further down past the school to turn around.

She doesn’t want to do this because the ONE time she ended up driving past the school front gate it was too busy with cars, buses and pedestrians.

A PP suggested the solution was to aim to arrive earlier than she does now to beat the gridlock caused by the buses and majority of kids arriving.

Livelovebehappy · 20/03/2025 18:46

Why do parents turn into woolly headed idiots on the school run? I live next to a school and see this sort of self entitled behaviour Every. Single. Day. We had to actually put a gate on our drive to prevent parents from reversing down it. They park on pavements. Block drives. Park on the yellow zig zags. Get into altercations with other drivers constantly. Its crazy.

Miaowzabella · 20/03/2025 18:52

NortonBuns · 19/03/2025 16:51

Ok so to answer some of your questions;

All the other parents do this, it is literally a queue of cars waiting to turn around to avoid carrying on towards the main school gate where busses are dropping off.

The school is about two miles up a straight road full of high school children walking and cycling to the school. No side roads to drop off or turn around.

I really am a very considerate driver, would never block drives, stop on yellow lines or zebra crossings. I just don’t know what the safe alternative is.

The safe alternative is for you to give up driving, since you obviously lack both confidence on the road and the desire to improve it.

FreedomandPeace · 20/03/2025 18:52

toomuchfaff · 19/03/2025 14:20

Some may say stop away from the school... walk a bit.

Set off earlier, park further away.

Why is your time and ability to turn around any more important than the 100s of other parents? Or children's safety?

This
Its just common sense OP

FreedomandPeace · 20/03/2025 18:56

NortonBuns · 19/03/2025 16:55

Live 6 miles away, must be lovely to live so near your school.

Show quote history

Cycle
Walk the last 2miles

Whatever just don’t risk other peoples safety.

Perhaps take it up with the school if Mumsnetters here aren’t ticking any of your boxes.

FreedomandPeace · 20/03/2025 19:01

Livelovebehappy · 20/03/2025 18:46

Why do parents turn into woolly headed idiots on the school run? I live next to a school and see this sort of self entitled behaviour Every. Single. Day. We had to actually put a gate on our drive to prevent parents from reversing down it. They park on pavements. Block drives. Park on the yellow zig zags. Get into altercations with other drivers constantly. Its crazy.

A Parent used our barn for their kid to wee up against after picking them up from school. ( we’re not even that close to the school! )
Weve also put gates up to stop them driving completely around our property to turn around.
Parking and manoeuvring is crazy
Just today a car nearly went into a Grade 2 star historic building moving out of the way for another parent trying to crush by completely up on the pavement ( irrespective of pedestrians on it )

Whats wrong with walking!!!

MrsWeasley · 20/03/2025 19:01

This has to be a wind up, no one can possibly be that arrogant and self centred. Maybe the op thought it was April Fools day.