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Original poster

Children who are always late for school

175 replies

RoadArt · 30/01/2011 20:20

OK, I am following on from the holiday in term time post and a valid point that someone has just raised about the message we are portraying to our kids that its ok to take time out of school and how this will affect their mind set when they are older and they will think its ok when they are working.

On this point, I am amazed at the number of parents who allow their children to be late to school, some every day, others maybe once/twice a week. It tends to be the same parents, the same excuses and the children get marked in the late register every day.

Isn't this just as bad? Its disruptive for the teacher/class when a child walks in late, and it teaches the child that its ok to be late, so as they get older, they never meet their friends on time, they get a job but dont arrive on time - because mum said was ok when they were little.

Timekeeping is really important, so why do parents think its ok for their children to be late to school on a regular basis?

There is no excuse for a child to be late for school. Everyone knows the starting time.

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MarniesMummy · 31/01/2011 20:40

Actually, do most schools have a buffer activty?

It's just occured to me that DC's go to a church school, so they have assembly most days.

What happens in non-church schools.

bobbityboo · 31/01/2011 20:47

No they don't. Our school has assemblies in the afternoon and as I mentioned, DD1 said the teacher often repeated the part of the lesson that the latecomer had missed.

That's what bugs me about the people who are proclaiming their free-spiritedness and don't want school to seem like a 'prison'. Their need to disregard the start time means that the other 29 children are condemned to some kind of perpetual groundhog day - hardly freedom for them.

However, as others have pointed out it is much worse for the children who are late. I am not sure they would share their parents' attitude. Most kids hate being late for school AFAIK.

MarniesMummy · 31/01/2011 20:53

Yeah! My DC's get really cross if we're more than about 10 minutes behind in our 'getting ready to leave the house for school' routine.

They'd have a fit if I ever got them there late!

Part of that I suspect is that (like me as a child) they love school.

Original poster
RoadArt · 31/01/2011 20:54

Our lessons start at 9am prompt.

OP posts:
MarniesMummy · 31/01/2011 20:55

Also, yes I agree I probbly am being a bit blase about it as it doesn't affect my DC's if another child is late, but it would annoy if their education were being disrupted by late comers.

Original poster
RoadArt · 31/01/2011 21:07

Children often complain about carpet time being too long, and it when everything has to be repeated

OP posts:
stressheaderic · 31/01/2011 21:11

I'm a secondary teacher. I learnt my lesson very quickly as a new form tutor years ago, when I quizzed a child about why they were late, in front of the form class.
Said child had had to get 3 younger siblings up, fed and ready for school, walk them to school then carry on to school whilst hungover mum was still in bed. This was almost every day. Poor kid - I hope his life got easier.

CameronCook · 31/01/2011 21:14

stresshead Sad

tallulah · 31/01/2011 21:32

I panic if I'm late; I hate it. DH on the other hand has no idea of time. He used to pick me up from work every night, and every night he'd be about 15 mins late. Eventually I found out why. I finished at 5pm, so he'd leave the house at 5pm. Obviously with a 15 min journey he was always going to be late.

He used to take the children to school. Once he was down to just one they were often late for school. Again it was mainly due to not leaving enough time. While I'd allow 45 mins he would leave only 25. I'd get there too early but he'd always be late. But there was nothing I could do about it because I couldn't make him leave earlier, as I was already at work.

chaisebaize · 31/01/2011 21:45

Really don't understand those saying it just isn't possible to always get to school on time -

Presumably you manage to get to work on time, as you can't keep saying 'oh there was a tractor in the way/it was the traffic/i don't know where the time went', at work and keep a job, surely?

gaelicsheep · 31/01/2011 22:25

It's called flexitime.

Lonnie · 31/01/2011 22:25

Again

I live in the country side so yes and yes my work puts up with it and yes at times Ive had to wait for the boss to arrive because pigs tractors horses got her to not be there on time and we couldnt get in..

Oh and can someone say FLEXI time...

notyummy · 31/01/2011 22:30

Not that many jobs have flexi time though! Fair enough, late once a month because of tractor/pigs blah - but pharmacy not opening/surgery delayed/shop not being opened/dinner not cooked for paying guests because of regular lateness really doesn't work on most workplaces. I genuinely can't remember ever getting to school late when growing up (although it was a while ago now Wink) - and my secondary school involved an hour and a quarter journey.

gaelicsheep · 31/01/2011 22:32

And actually, you know, if you don't live in a perpetually gridlocked town/city it can be very difficult to predict how long a journey will take. I used to often be on the very last minute picking up DS from his nursery in town (before he moved to where he is). That's because some days the traffic would be fine and the journey took 10 mins. Some days the traffic would inexplicably be hell and the journey took 40 mins. I never knew which it would be, and I couldn't leave work early enough to allow 40 minutes every day "just in case".

WishIWasRimaHorton · 31/01/2011 22:35

DS is minutes late for school once a fortnight. this is when he is at his dad's house on a tues night and the nanny collects him and drives him 9 miles across town to school. it's bin men on a weds morning and the traffic thru the one way system is carnage.

they already leave at 8am for a 9 mile journey (and we live in S Wales, not in S London). the nanny's contracted hours mean she can't be expected to start any earlier than that. and his dad won't drop him at mine on his way to work so i can't get him over here any earlier than that.

so he is late once a fortnight on a weds and there is nothing i can do about it.

Loshad · 31/01/2011 22:36

I live in the countryside, and work elsewhere in the county, miles away across a good number of country roads.
Guess what, i'm on time for work because i don't want the sack, it's unprofessional to be late, and it puts pressure on others.

Janni · 31/01/2011 22:37

The only time DS1 was ever late for primary school was when I went to a funeral and his uncle was in charge..I am quite a chaotic person but I am never late. I leave a trail of mess behind me but I don't keep people waiting and I don't put my kids in the embarrassing position of having to walk into a class that's already started.

p.s. If someone could tell me how to be a good time keeper and a tidy person all in the same lifetime I'd be really chuffed.

Soups · 31/01/2011 23:08

I used to be late nearly everyday. My children were at two different primary schools, several miles apart.

Lonnie · 01/02/2011 09:36

I was reminded of this thread today when I was walking out of school the bell having gone a few minutes prior. When 1 TA with her 4 kids came rushing in and 1 teacher came into the car park. Both live in theopesite direction of the majority of us and there had been a road down meaning they both had to add 20 mins to their journey to get to school.

As I said country side gives for different sort of living. (no the head didnt tell either off simply asked if she could do anything)

bronze · 01/02/2011 10:00

I'm a bit like Janni. I may be seen to be the scatty one who turned up late and having forgotton everything but in fact the stats we get given at the end of term would rarely show a late day. With four young children and not being one of those organised types I think I did pretty well. We were the ones who stood out as I would get them to run if we were late ans would arrive just in time. We were more obvious than those who sneeked in 1 minutes late.
Mine havent been late at all recently but thats because I now stick them on a bus at our front door. The driver never has to wait more than a minute either so I'm doing well. Once they've gone I then have to sort out the chaos the whirlwind has left behind. However hard I try I will never feel organised

bronze · 01/02/2011 10:01

1 10 minutes

StuffingGoldBrass · 01/02/2011 10:14

We are sometimes late because we go to school on the tram, the timetable of which is 'about every 7 minutes'. Which means, in practice, it might be 3 minutes from when we get to the tram stop or it might be 15. Or the first tram that arrives might be too crowded for us to get on it.
And I'm not prepared to leave so much earlier, 'just in case' that DS is going to be standing around in a cold playground for 15/20 minutes.

BoffinMum · 01/02/2011 10:19

I think the teachers could set a better example by ending punctually as well. The times I have stood in a wet playground with a miserable baby/toddler because they felt like running afternoon assembly on for 15 minutes ...

gorionine · 01/02/2011 10:24

I am usually on the playground as the bell to got in rings and I hate it.I would ideally want to be 5 minutes early to have a chat with other mums and actually say goodbye to DCs rather than throwing them on their line! I have only been late twice with them though in 10 years so not bad doing!

My problem is that every time we are ready a bit earlier than usual, instead of just leaving the house and make our way I think of something else I could just fit in so I can laze arround after the school run I really get all the houswork sorted quickly.

BaroqueAroundTheClock · 01/02/2011 10:27

There is a child at DS's school is late every day - there's nothing that can be done about it. The mother can't split herself in 2, her children's schools aren't close enough for either of them to be able to walk themselves there and they both start at the same time. She has to drop one DC off at a school in one part of town, and then get across town (and through the one way system) to drop the other one off.

The DC is usually there by 9.10...