A very dull thread about dropping off times!

[Tanzie]

DD2 has just started pre-school and I am not allowed to drop her before 0850. I can drop DD1 at her class in same school at 0830, and then have to hang about for 20 mins to drop DD2. I work and if I leave the school at about 0840-0845, I can be in work for about 0905, but if I leave it just that bit later, I don't get in until around 0920-0930. I often have meetings at this time, so it's cutting it a bit fine.

Anyway (to get to the point!), my main gripe is that there are 3 children in DD's class who are teachers' offspring, and they are allowed to drop their children there for 0830, which seems unfair to me. Should I take this up either with headmistress or with the school governors? It is both their inflexibility on this point, and the one rule for one, one rule for someone else that gets me.

I'm afraid I don't understand your last thread, HMB. How can parents be deemed to be "in charge" of their offspring, when they are in another building 10 minutes walk away? Your point about leaving them with a childminder for 10 minutes is clearly, as you say, a nonsense. And Shimmy, presumably the teacher can't leave the room while the other teachers' kids are there for this reason? It's an unlikely scenario anyway as there are classroom assistants there as well.

I posted what I did since the parents of the three children are on site and would still be deamed to be in loco parentis. If something happened the parents would be responsible. When I have kids in my classroom I am responsible for them.

If you,and other parents droped off kids 10 minutes early the clasroom would soon fill up. There is a world of difference between having one child in the classroom and having several. I would presume that the one child would have been primed that the teacher will have things to do, and mustned be expected to 'untertain' or supervise the child.

If the teachers cannot drop their kids in the clasroom 10 minutes early they will be faced with two alternatives.

1. Place the child with a child minder of some sort, and continue to come into work early , in their free time, unpayed to set up the classroom for the day. So in other words they will have to pay to come to school and work for no money for that 10 minues or so.
2. They say, stuff it and dash into school at the last minute, bringing their children with them.

What other option is there?

And which would you prefer for your child? A teacher who has set everything out at the start of the day, or one who has not?

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but presimably if school starts at 8.30 what happens to the pre-school teachers kids?

also surely if so many parents want to drop pre-schoolers and regular school users at the same time doesn't it make sense to open pre-school earlier?

twiglett - I was going to say the very same thing. For the last month my DH has worked 6.30am to 9pm. He's not paid "overtime" .

Jampot - yes. Children in other classes are allowed in from 0830 because that is when the school buses drop off. Pre-schoolies don't go on buses.

I agree that we 'should' be expected to do more than the 8.30 to 3.30 for the money that they pay us, for what it is worth.

But those teachers will go on to work for several hours after they get home. I'd put next weeks (not very large salery) on the fact that they will do far more than the usual 8 hours a day, so I do think that the 10 minutes is unpaid, IYSWIM.

And they would then have to pay for the right to do it.

If enough parents want it then there should be a paid pre school club, like the one I use.

And Twiglett and Krocket, I agree. I am paid for 37 hours per week and anything above that is unpaid overtime. I estimate that I do a 45-50 hour week most weeks.

And as I , and others have mentioned, teachers also put their hand in their pocket and buy kit for school. I've worked in industry too, and also worked unpaid overtime. But I never had to pay for supplies! And I got paid a lot more, even without overtime.

KS, I imagine that's what we'll end up doing.

Tanzie, just to explain my comments -yes- probably the teachers' kids are for short times left alone in the classroom reading a book or whatever and always knowing where mum and / or teacher is because they are officially being overseen by their parent who will be going in and out fetching and carrying. This would be OK (depending on age and sensibleness of the child) with a parent around but not if you have left the teacher in loco parentis.

but if mummy/daddy is teaching from 8.30 what happens to the kid?

I guess the school are turning a blind eye to a very grey area! Not ideal but as long as nobody gets hurt or makes a fuss it helps the teacher out (and so the school). What just wouldn't be OK (on the school's terms)is doing it for the children who do not belong to school staff.

Then they would be in the classroom , with the other kids, with the school in loco parentis, or at least I would have thought so.

When a child enters my classroom I, and the school take responsibility for them. Before school starts they are not legally my responsibility, and more than they are any other adult. Obviously I would step in if I saw a child in danger etc, but I am not legally responsible untill the school day starts.

These kids are still the responsibility of the parents, who are on site. The parents have decided thatthe leval of supervision that the kids get (which I would expect to be minimal tbh) is OK, as they are on site. If I am not on site I expect my kids to be fully supervised. And for that I pay extra, and don't expect the school to do it for me. What is needed is a pre school club that people can sign up and pay for, and then the kids get to play with their mates and are properly supervised.

The school is there to educate not to childmind.

We're not babysitters fgs!

An update: I spoke to DD2's teacher, and she agreed to let me drop off DD2 ten minutes earlier on Mondays and Wednesdays. So situation now resolved.

Excellent news Tanzie - glad they were able to help you out