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Education

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row in parking lot with head teacher! (longish)

467 replies

sansouci · 01/10/2005 18:33

There is next to no parking by dd's school. Everyone complains but for the moment, nothing has actually been done about it, except for the police coming round & taking photos of pick-up & drop-off times. The yummy-mummies make it even worse with SUVs but anyway.

Yesterday when I went to pick up dd from school, I had to double park. I left my warning lights flashing to show that I was coming back soon. Unfortunately, dd didn't come to the car easily & then I got chatting with another mummy, as you do, forgetting completely about my precarious parking place.

On returning to the car, a group of angry women were clustered in front of the school & of course I apologised profusely to the one or two I had blocked.

One woman made a rather bitchy comment as I was charging by & when I saw her heading for her car a few minutes later, I asked her what she felt could be done about the parking. It's not my problem, she replied shortly. We got into an argument, which escalated, as things do on a Friday afternoon. She said, I'm a teacher at this school! to which I retorted, My daughter is a student at this school & if you're part of the staff, you should care about the parking problem! I wasn't rude, but I was very angry with her & she was angry with me.

I eventually roared off, furious and shaking, cursing the woman aloud. Do you know that silly woman? I asked DD. Yes, she said, she's the head teacher. Oh SH*T, I thought, Now I've done it.

How can I face her again? She'll be dd's teacher one day. I think I was right to be cross but I was at fault & certainly on the defensive. What do you think I can do?

OP posts:
misdee · 01/10/2005 21:58

dont flounce over this. ididnt flounce over my rather 'heated' breast/bottle thread lol.

SueW · 01/10/2005 21:58

They did until banned! New pick up instructions issued this year. Youngest children not released until oldest child is. No charge for after-school care in these circs.

QueenOfQuotes · 01/10/2005 21:59

solutions:

Walking buses
Sharing lifts (so not all parents are turning up to picks kids up every day)
Parking further away and walking for 5-10 minutes to get to the school

Just one thing I'm confused by. Your first post seemed to read that you were parked very close to the school

" On returning to the car, a group of angry women were clustered in front of the school"

Yet further on you say

"There is no parking allowed within at least 500 metres of the school."

moondog · 01/10/2005 22:00

We are all allies ss,hence us being here.
(Still doesn't mean we have to agree with you or offer mindlessly supportive {{{{{{{{{{bloody hugs}}}}}}}

sansouci · 01/10/2005 22:00

The school is a box-like building, with a McDonald's on the left (of all things), a high-voltage power line in front and residential/office buildings to the left & behind. Even access is extremely limited. Parking is strictly reserved for residents or customers. As it should be.

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QueenOfQuotes · 01/10/2005 22:01

"at anyone elses schools do parents park up 20mins before hand to get a good space??"

20 minutes - is that all - I have people parked outside my house up to 45minutes before - and some even coming 30 minutes early to drop said children off, leave the car parked on the street, go into town, and come back later to pick the child, and the car up

cod · 01/10/2005 22:04

Message withdrawn

fqueenzebra · 01/10/2005 22:04

4x4s are twice as deadly to pedestrians as "normal" cars , says the Sunday Herald quoting another study.

sansouci · 01/10/2005 22:05

Thanks for that, moondog. I wasn't asking for "mindless support" or agreement, though. I needed help to sort my feelings out & to decide how to proceed. I was definitely in the wrong as far as parking goes, that's clear!

BTW, I am not too lazy and don't mind walking!

OP posts:
Caligula · 01/10/2005 22:05

Perfectly nice, law-abiding people turn up half an hour beforehand and sit in their cars in a legal parking space where I live. In the time they've sat there, they could have walked.

And the other lot park where they feel like - double yellow lines, double parked, whatever. The safety of all our children? What? What's that then?

Yes, it is a very emotive subject, isn't it?

fimac1 · 01/10/2005 22:05

HunkerMunker

I was replying to your

'But it is also the problem of the people who are braving the school run every day'

rickman · 01/10/2005 22:07

Message withdrawn

fqueenzebra · 01/10/2005 22:07

Lots more info about safety problems in 4x4s, to both their occupants and everybody else, at "Stop Urban 4x4s" group.

sansouci · 01/10/2005 22:08

I was definitely in the wrong as far as parking goes, that's clear!

OP posts:
sansouci · 01/10/2005 22:08

I was definitely in the wrong as far as parking goes, that's clear!

okay?

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misdee · 01/10/2005 22:08

queen of quotesa, i only knwo they are there 20mins early as mieow used to drop me off at dd1 school before she went to get her kids.

oh i used to live opposite a school, and the flats had a private car park. but parents used to park in there leaving us with no spaces. so a chain went across the car park. one day i went to undo the chain to let peters car in, and a lady who didnt live at the flats tried to get in, but i just dragged the chain back in palce. she asked me why 'as i want to park in there' i asked 'are you a resisdent?' 'no' 'well then, go park elsewhere'.

its true we get very het up over parking. me neighbours are peed as i am now using an extra space for my car, and its outside their bungalow, they have 3 bays outsides theres, i have one, so i guess i can use of of the 'spare' bays, but it means their visitors haveto aprk further away.

cod · 01/10/2005 22:09

Message withdrawn

moondog · 01/10/2005 22:10

ss...stop apologising ok?

It's what Mrs Merton would have called a 'heated debate'.
(Sorry for being rude-usually reserved for my other hot topic.)

QueenOfQuotes · 01/10/2005 22:10

ahh - but rickman - I bet it feels "better" getting them out and walking a short distance, than going through the hassle of getting them all out, walking 10ft and gettingt hem all back in again

(I'm starting to find a 'downfall' of living right next door to the school, the time taken getting DS2's shoes and jacket on, is longer than it takes to actually go and pick DS1 up - at pick up and drop off time I'm actualy wishing we lived at the bottom of the street to make it feel 'worthwhile' )

netter · 01/10/2005 22:10

I do sometimes put him in a pushchair. However our boot if often jam packed full of stuff we use for our business as we are self employed. I look forward to when dd can go on the school bus.

sansouci · 01/10/2005 22:10

oh cod! yes, i did have my wretched mum's uniform on. And unwashed hair & not a trace of facepaint. I looked like hell.

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philippat · 01/10/2005 22:11

it's emotive sansouci, because there's probably not one of us here with school age children who hasn't had a moment of fear because someone has parked somewhere stupid and our child has been confused/concerned/in danger

I don't think you head was very professional, though, but I'd still like to know why you didn't know what she looks like.

fimac1 · 01/10/2005 22:11

45 minutes beforehand? What sort of example is that to the kids? I am speechless

Will feed in info to Tranport Planning dh, although I rather fear he already knows all this

School Travel plans are not taken seriously enough and should be in place in ALL schools, and parents should take their travel into consideration when choosing a school, as you may not always be able to park nearby (as my school have sold the car park over the summer holidays) and we are now enjoying a far more relaxed and safe enviroment for the children to walk, I am glad they did!

sansouci · 01/10/2005 22:12

I've always admired your intelligence, moondog but I certainly hope your bark is worse than your bite!

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moondog · 01/10/2005 22:12

My dd's school is a mile away eaxactly.Luckily no parking hassles (and I do try to walk it) but there is a mother who I swear drives 1/8th of amile to get her too.

Unsurprisingly,she is hefty of thigh and bottom.