To think these parents are being overprotective and mistrusting

[Dancergirl]

Parking is a major issue at my dds' school and is a real bugbear of mine. One of the problems is that it is a very narrow road and you get people parking on corners, on the kerb etc causing a lot of congestion.

One of the ideas we have had (I'm a parent governor) is a walking bus from the top of the road. I think this is a great idea and parents could be on a rota to walk with the children. It would mean crossing the road outside the school but is a short walk, about 3/4 minutes.

When I have discussed this with parents I am amazed at the number of parents who insist on going with their child to the classroom door and wouldn't want anyone else doing it. Hence they wouldn't be interested in a walking bus unless they walk every day with the children.

Am I missing something here? I think it would be great to drop them and be able to drive off knowing they were being walked to school. We're all parents, it's a small friendly school, I don't see the problem. One mum said she would only do it if she knew the other parent very well. And another said she felt it was her 'job' to walk them down

Your thoughts?

It sounds a really sensible idea-such a shame that people are negative.
I walked by myself at that age-with other DCs-there were no adults. We walked over a mile. DCs did in those days.
The problems these days is the traffic-caused by the people who don't want their DCs to walk because of the traffic.
It is a great pity that they can't be forced to either use the walking bus or walk themselves. I think they ought to prove that it is too far to walk, or there is no walking bus to have a permit to park. However that it too radical and would cause utter outrage!!!

I think it sounds like a great idea. A lot safer than parking on kerbs or clogging up a narrow road. And more environmentally friendly.

Unfortunately some people are very small minded and can't see beyond their own personal convenience. Also, you have to remember that for some people, the school drop off is the social highlight of their day (yeap, seriously!) so they may be worried they're going to miss out on something.

I think the answer is to organise it with a strict rota, making clear that you don't want hangers-on, which negates the whole purpose of easing congestion. Then make sure the kids have so much fun on that 4 minute walk to school, that all the children who don't use it will be begging to be allowed to.

Be creative. Maybe give some of the older children special responsibility within the group. Get a photo in the local paper. Run a competition for the walking bus children, with a prize at the end of the week. Honestly, that's the way forward. The parents might whinge, but the one thing that always works is turning it around so the kids are asking to join it and the parents feel they're losing out if they don't

Lots of people on here clearly feel that apart fromt the CRB question, they could not let a few adults walk a group of 4/5 yos along the road for fear of them running off. I can see their pov, but have been interested to see during regular visits to Sweden that you regularly find whole groups of nursery age children being taken round large cities on public transport just accompanied by a few teachers. Don't know how they do it, perhaps they just have magic powers of authority. But is very common: I know my nephews have been all over the place.

Or going for a walk on frozen lake Cory! I was surprised and dlighted to see that in Sweden!

delighted

......perhaps it is because British kids are not allowed to practice because they are driven everywhere by over protective parents....

I would hate the idea and worry all day long if I had not seen DS go into school. Overprotective yes, daft yes. But it is the way I am wired and I will just have to live with it.
Everyone can do what they are comfortable with.

altinkum, I have seen elsewhere that you are a social worker - then on here you are suggesting that a parent would be "investigated" if something happened to a child while on a 'walking bus' - are you serious????

And I can't see how the insurance point makes any difference to the responsibility of the parents involved. It makes a difference to how much money you would be likely to be able to recover in the event of, God forbid, a serious accident occurring (unless you have very wealthy parents in your school) but that's it - it doesn't make the bus any safer, it doesn't change the legal responsibility of the parents, etc.

Yep Riv
DS2 looked at me with disbelief when his taxi picked him up for his first day at school.
But that has been great for him, another little step of independence.

Of course I would love to just clutch him to my boossom and never let him out of my sight but that is placing my needs ahead of his.

I remember being anxious when DS1 had tostart taking the train to school on his own at 10. He wasn't even with others doing the same route.
Buthe coped and my pride was matched by his sense of achievement and his greater awareness of how to conduct himself and keep safe when out and about

Very good point pagwatch, about some parents placing their own needs ahead of their childrens. I know of a mother who carried on taking her son into the cloakroom, hanging his coat up for him etc until he was in about Yr 4. Poor kid was probably very relieved when she eventually gave him a bit of independence.

May not be people being precious actually. Maybe it is just that the parents actually enjoy taking their child to school, having contact with school direct, etc. Not everyone gets to do the afternoon pic up, so may like the morninging bit. If you do no school drops it can get you out of the loop a fair bit IME. I quite enjoy doing the pick up as I get to chat to the other parents for a few minutes. Likewise DH doesn't mind doing morning drop as he then has links with school and the other parents.

I would have absolutely no safety/stranger type issues in the slightest.

But Lynli, that's ok when they are little but at some point you will have to let go a bit or you'll be holding your ds back.

Hulababy

I can get that too.

I like walking everyday and enjoy that time with DD.
But I would feel much less comfortable if I were driving her everyday.
Once you have to drive everyday the experience is less pleasant and the problems the cars cause are an issue.

If I were in those circumstances I would probably want to let her use the walking bus some of the time and have me take her in once or twice a week.
If everyone did that they still have the contact and the journey but we still cut the number of cars hugely. And the children get practice walking - which bizarely some of them need.

I wonder sometimes ifthe high rate of accidents amongst teenagers is because they are so unused to being out and about on their own.

I used to walk my brother to school when I was 6 and he was 5. Bloody awful road we had to cross too.

my dd just wants me to take her all the way!

QOD how old is she?

DS1 loved me taking him too until he hit about 8 and then he wanted me to pretend we were not related.

She is 11 pagwatch!!!!! She is in yr6 - tomorrow she has bike proficiency testing, she is riding her bike to school and I am to meet her there. Because she wants to say goodbye
After school she is riding home with her friend for the first time ever!! wohooooooo

pagwatch - we have to drive Dd daily - her school is over 3 miles away. We use the 10 minutes to chatm practise timestables and go over spellings. Besides DH passes the school gates on his drive to work anyway. We park on side roads, some of which have a 20p parking charge. Small school though so fine really.

I work at a large infant school, which is on the same grounds as a large juniors. The roads directly outside school are double yellows. There are side roads which can be parked on, and then there is paid for parking too. We have NO parking problems surrounding school. There is a walking bus which is used by 20-30 children or thereabouts (out of 270 infants). It works fine for those who want it. Most parents walk AFAIM, others cycle or use public transport but a fair number come in cars as they come out of catchment.