Noone picked up my daughter and school didn't ring.

[Cantheowneroftheredcorsapleasemovetheircar]

On Thursday my daughter was supposed to be picked up by my sister as my husband and I were both working. She finishes school at 3:20pm, she's 7 and is in year 3.

At 4pm I was on my break at work and called sister to ask how DD is.

Sister bloody FOROGT to pick her up and wasn't even in our home town. She was about an hour's drive away at her new boyfriends house.

In a panic I hung up on spluttering apologising sister and immediately rang school to find out what happened to DD. They just casually said "yeah, we've got her, she's in after school club"

At the time I was too busy arranging for someone else to pick up her with only 10 minutes left of my break and relieved she was safe to think much more on the fact that the scholl hadnt informed me so I just said thank you to the school and said someone would be there soon.

Would you complain to the school or at least mention it that noone rang me or DH to say she hadn't been picked up? If I hadn't rung sister I wouldn't have known, and what would have happened when noone arrived at 5pm when it closes?

They also charged me and I could have avoided this charge or at least got a lower charge if I'd got her picked up by 4pm.

I've thought about it but honestly I can't be bothered, I'll just pay it and never ask her for a favour ever again

Nvm the fact that I babysat her kids when they were young all the bloody time and she hardly bothers to see mine but says she's sorry she doesn't make the effort.

I'm very angry with her and very hurt

How late was it when you rang? I can imagine a child being swept into after school club at my child’s school and the assumption being made that the parent was on their way and delayed. A phone call would only be made if the time delay was significant.

Is not bothering to read school policies this widespread?

And the focus on the fine as opposed to the welfare of the 7 year old is remarkable.

The fact the school picked up the slack so seamlessly without the the child feeling the anxiety, despair, and embarrassment of being forgotten (which they were) was pure awesomeness.

I'd be over there with an M&S voucher apologising profusely.

Maybe organise and pay for proper childcare - eg the after school club at your daughters school - rather than allowing an unreliable family member to pick up and look after your precious child.

I’d be very grateful to be school for keeping her safe.
I would be very cross at my sister for forgetting her.

What a stupid comment. I doubt the sister has done anything like this before! My lovely responsible neighbour used to collect my DS one day a week for years and one week her DS was off school and she forgot. She's not flaky but it happens. Nobody is going to choose expensive clubs above free family support if they have the choice.

We should use this reply as an advertisement for mumsnet all over socials. It really depicts the essence of the site.

No I wouldn’t complain, on the contrary I’d thank them for allowing her in to ASC and keeping her safe.

But what do they do if after school club is at capacity?? That would be a concern at my kids’ school.
Then the school would have phoned the parent. They are not doing to turf the kid out on to the pavement. She probably would have either sat in reception or in a class room if a reacher was there.

I do use it, I also use mum and MIL and husband often picks her up too depending on his work. I work shifts so I also do pick ups on days I'm not working until 8pm.
Sister said she wanted to make more effort with my kids so I said OK would you like to pick up DD on Thursday and have her for dinner and she enthusiastically said yes. If she hadn't I had many others options including after school club, but she did say yes and that she was looking forward to it

They should have phoned the parents anyway!!

Some schools have a policy to contact social services if parents don’t make contact or collect their children so I would not complain to the school!

Then your anger shouldn't be directed at the school should it.

Who is 'Noone'? Was he/she not able to collect the child?

I think it is perfectly possible to be angry at the sister and surprised at the school.

I presume it goes without saying that the OP is angry at her sister, and as such is only asking about the school.

Yes, of course they should have phoned. It is great they put her in the afternoon school club so she was safe, fed and entertained...but as you said, what happens at the end of that?!

Do you use the after school club normally or on occasion? Cause it may be that if you do, they assumed you'd just forgotten to book it so would appear at your normal time. I know of we drop ours off at breakfast club on a day we haven't booked they won't bat an eyelid and would just add it to the bill.

My youngest is the same age as yours, and in this instance they would definitely call, even if he does after school club on occasion.

Erm only if the parents don't respond to attempts to contact them - and in this case school didn't try!

And people wonder why one of the main reasons teachers are leaving the profession.

Be grateful the school managed the situation created by your family member.

I think in light of the fact that you often use after school club, when no one showed to pick her up they’d have assumed you’d just forgot to book that particular day. If no one had turned up to collect from after school club they would have phoned you.

Is your child going to get forgotten again? It’s a non issue with the school. Your sister on the other hand…

It's not, my anger is directed at my sister.

I'm just asking if school should have rang me or DH and if I should mention/complain to the school.

If I hadn't rung sister I wouldn't have known and one of their staff would have had to have stayed past closing time trying to track down a parent so surely it's within their best interests to have called us?

Aftershock club? Hee hee hee. Some predictive text is just so funny.

I work on a school office. Im surprised no one called. Its literally what I do every day about 20 mins after pick up.

I wouldn't quibble the ASC fee or "complain' but I would express surprise that noone called and ask if it was normal practice to only call at the end of asc.

Its also what my children's school did when I forgot to pick up a child i looked after once a week so its not just a my school thing.

Yes, the school should have left her on her own outside the school gates until, you, your sister or your husband remembered to pick her up. How dare the After school club charge you for looking after your child? What is the world coming to? In case you hadn’t realised. YABVVVVU. Also pretty sure the club would have rung you if you hadn’t collected her by closing time and after that they then phone the police. Just for future reference.

I don’t think teachers are leaving the profession because of people asking advice online around a situation to do with after school club, which isn’t usually run by teachers.

No, because I'm never asking sister again