I'm shocked and very very angry!

[Pfer]

DS1 is 4.4 and up until today I have NEVER been late to collect him from anywhere. I was at the doc's and they ran half an hour late and I got to the school about 30seconds after they let the kids out. I can't have been any later than this as a load of mums and kids were just coming out of the end of the little lane that leads to the kids entrance/exit. Running along with ds2 under my arm I stopped dead. There was ds1 standing at the end of the lane, next to the main road on his own. Unsupervised. They'd just let him walk off by himself! If I'd been a minute later god knows what he'd have done or where he'd have gone. I just grabbed him and stuffed him in the car and came home in a state of shock. I phoned the school and have spoken to his teacher who was very apologetic, but tbh that doesn't make me feel any better. Anything could've happened to him. I feel very let down, yes I should've been exactly on time, but they keep hold of all the other kids who's parents are regularly late, why couldn't they have held on to mine?

Pfer I have repeatedly said that I don't think it's excusable.

OOOpps sorry, misread , stress of making cupcakes and ds eating the mix (sorry)

Ds' school is great. They have a gated off play area just for the foundation year. The children are not let out of the gate by the teacher/helper unless the parent is there. If not, the child is taken back into the schoolroom to wait for someone to get them.

It is of course impossible for a teacher to watch kids with this precision. At DS's school kids are expected to shake hands goodbye with the teacher. This habit means that kids are less likely to wander off. Once when I accidentally broke this protocol DS became quite distressed. Habit can be a powerful safety net.
When we hired a new nanny, had to bring her along
so that she was recognised.
But all that's not foolproof.

What is nearly foolproof is that in DS's school, kids under 8 are let out into a gated area, that is hard for them to escape unescorted.

Phew!

And now I'm going to pluck my ds from the caring arms of his teacher. Better not be late....

Very scary experience, pfer.

At DS's school, the children are sat on the carpet, the teacher puts her head out of the door, and calls the names, individually, of children whose parents she can see, and they go past her, through the door. An assistant is also at the door, controlling the exodus.

But even so, I suppose the teacher could mistake one parent for another (I have no idea how she remembers every Mum / dad / Older sister / CM....) and it is as well to instil in our kids that they don't ever go into the street without us.

And how foolproof is that? - hollow laughter. May help, but we can't guarantee it.

I really hate it when someone I don't know arrives to pick up a child. I've had a dad turn up who we had been told had no contact, older brothers and sisters, aunties, nan, all of whom I had never clapped eyes on!

That is horrendous! I am not suprsised you are so shocked.
I am a TA in a year 2 class (I have also worked in reception) & we keep the children in the class until we see their parents and then call their names, letting them out one at a time.
If we are left with children whos parents are very late, we take the child along to the office, where they are supervised until their parents collect them.
I think you are right to complain about this - it really shouldn't have happened.

Pfer, if I had ever turned up at school (late or otherwise) to find my dd at the age of 4 let out alone I would have been distraught.

How tedious that anyone would even vaguely imply that there can be any excuses for the school.

Hope the school can reassure you that this will never happen again.

that's shocking
At ds1's just 5 yr school the teacher makes eyecontact with the parent before they are let out in to the gated playground that is just for their year.

I hope you get reassurance that it won't happen again too.