End of school collection arrangements - what does your school do?

[Dorbry]

Just wondering what arrangements other schools have for picking up younger kids at the end of the day and making sure they are all safely accounted for.

DD has just started Y1 where the arrangement is for all of the kids in each class to stand in a group in the playground with the teacher and wait until they see their grown-up, at which point they are supposed to tell the teacher who then tells them they can go. They stand in the middle of the playground and there is nothing to actually stop them wandering off when the teacher isn't looking.

Today dd is being picked up for the first time by a family friend who she knows reasonably well. She has never been picked up by anyone other than mum or dad before. She's aware of this but struggles with recognising faces and is a bit too trusting of strangers, so she would probably go with anyone who took her. The teacher is new to the school and doesn't know the lady who is picking dd up.

Added to this is the fact that DD has a tendency to wander off a bit. I'm sure it will be fine because our friend will spot her and make sure she's safe, but I can't help feeling slightly nervous about this pick-up arrangement. Is this how it works in other schools?

Our classes open directly onto the playground so the children stay in the class until the teacher dismisses them to an adult.We are expected to inform school in the morning if it will be anyone other than the person who generally collects them.

We had the same arrangement as asdx in reception - no-one was allowed out of the classroom until the teacher had seen the responsbile adult.

Year 1 and Year 2 the children line up next to the teacher and they don't move until the teacher tells them they can. You are supposed to tell the teacher if someone other than a parent is picking them up.

Exactly the same as asdx2 situation

Reception children are in a separate area and the teacher lets one child go at a time once she has seen the collector and watches the child until they have reached them.

Years 1 and 2, the children line up with the teacher and come out one at a time as the teacher sees the collector. Doesn't necessarily watch them reach the adult though.

Years 3-6, let out and no one checks them though there is usually at least one teacher in the playground so the child can go to them if they can't see their parent.

Also the same as asdx2

yr 1 go with teacher in a line up to where parents are waiting, but teacher never actually does a direct handover.

It worried me tbh, when dd went into yr one, as in reception they were let out the door only when teacher saw the parent or collecter. Such a shortage of space at dd's school, almost a single file track right beside the school. So from year 2 onwards they expect the kids to be dropped off at main gates and go in from there. It also means that they have to trust them to go off with the right person at the gates.

Not ideal, but sometimes you have to trust your kid, or teach them what to do.

Thanks for the replies. Sounds like our school's arrangement is not all that uncommon, although I think they would do better to line them up against a wall rather than in a circle in the playground, then at least the teacher can see them all at the same time.