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?

I would love a walking bus, even all the way from home (about a mile) would be fine with me.

Ok no need to shout at me.

Everyone keeps banging on about insurance. It's fine. I'm sure there's a procedure for insuring a walking bus and I'm sure it's not the reason parents are suspicious of it.

I think they just findvthe car more convenient.

OP is going to wish she'd never asked!!

atinkum you wouldnt really send your child to school after having a diabetic hypo so bad they 'passed out' would you? it seems a bit weird to me that you would entrust the health of your child to a teacher ,trained to teach ,not a qualified health care professional ,and yet you baulk at the idea of a walking bus . If my child had passed out due to a hypo id be straight on the phone to the GP/ diabetic speacialist nurse to discuss why their diabetes was so uncontrolled . As a disclaimer i have looked after countless diabetic young adults ( 18-30 ) who's bodies are totally wrecked as a result of poor control ,so im a bit sensitive !

if you are feeling upset over a thread about a walking bus then why not take a deep breath and ... Go and watch TV or something.

Really, it's not worth getting angry or upset about and it sounds like you gave alot on your plate.

I am about to have a rummage for some wine before I go to bed

Just read this whole thread through, with my jaw hitting the floor several times.

Pag, Riven and others (I forget names) - thank goodness there are still level headed people around.

Altinkum - are you sure you are a social worker?

When we lived abroad it was expected from yr3 that children would take themselves to/from school.

It was a bit of a shock when we moved back to UK. If at all possible I think that walking/cycling to school is the best option. Some of the driving/parking around schools is diabolical with parents roaring up, screeching to a halt to disgorge children then roaring off again. None of that mirror, signal, manoevre just straight off in a cloud of smoke and dust.

Our DCs 2&3 are coming to the end of primary school so walking themselves to school is part of the prep for secondary.

altinkum i wasnt being mean ,and as i said im a bit sensitive about the whole diabetic thing due to seeing so many lives destroyed as a result of poor control . If the child in question has a keyworker trained to look out for signs of hypo and also who is working one to one with them ensuring they get what they need when they need it ,then fine and dandy . From what you said originally i know i would of been a total wreck at home and a complete pest to the school ringing every two hours

I've only just joined in, Altinkum, and I'm certainly not fighting. Just a question.

Walking buses can be very good. They relieve traffic issues, give children a bit of fresh air at the beginning of the day, begin to make them think about their community. The adults involved will hopefully start to realise the benefits to contributing to a community scheme, they will make friends with other parents, and all in all, walking buses can be A Good Thing.

Ours is terrific, and the children love going on it. There are children aged from nursery to Year 6, it takes a wiggly route through the streets to ferry children to school, is very sociable and safe. Much safer in fact than several small groups of children and parents dashing across roads regularly. We hold up the traffic until everyone has crossed safely, with our fetching florescent tabards on.

PS The reason I asked about your profession, Altinkum, was simply that I would be horrified to come across a professional social worker with such a poor grasp of basic grammar. I've never met a social worker so don't know if this is normal or not, but I thought they had to be educated to degree level. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

What's personal? I was trying to be nice. Haven't seen anyone attacking you personally.

It's a thread about a walking bus FFS

I'm not judging your opinions as a social worker, just your grammar.

Glad to hear he has a new best friend ,we all need a few of those dont we

Altinkum, as I have never seen you post before (only sporadically come onto mn) I had no idea about your dyslexia. So sorry. But I really think you ought to install a grammar checker as well as spell checker.

And, as I teach many children with dyslexia, I am pretty aware of the specifics of the disorder, and would suggest that you not only use the tools available on computers to aid your typed words, but get some specialist help with written English. I presume you have to do some work longhand?

Anyway, I'm off to bed now. Have a busy day tomorrow.

www.sustrans.org.uk/what-we-do/safe-routes-to-schools
this organisation can advise on walking busses I think, no need to re invent the wheel.

I'd love to do this but my DS gets quite panicky if I'm not with him right to the door. I have no idea why this is, as his sister is quite normal about such things. So it really wouldn't work for me for that reason (haven't read whole thread, sorry if I'm repeating what others have said)