Who is repsonsible for school bus children?

[JessyRose]

My daughter is due to start school in September of this year, she is quite young for her age and has speech and language issues along with showing signs of anxeity. All of which have had involved with various health professionals, mainly my health visitor.

My problem is when we have come to prepare a care plan with the school we have stumbled across an issue over her travelling on the school bus. Within her care plan myself and the health visitor felt that a hand over between the bus driver to a memebr of staff would be best to ensure my daughter safety. However apparently there is a "grey" area when it comes to the bus driver (The bus carries 60 pupils and there is only the bus driver on board) dropping the children off and a member of staff been on morning playground duty, the bus apparenly often comes early at 8.40 and the teacher on duty apparently doesn't go out until 8.45 and apparently is sometimes delayed due to "talking" to parents. I feel that at the age of 4 my daughter is far to young to be dropped off alone besides a busy school drop off road and then left in a playground for any amount of time without any CRB checked adult to supervise her or the rest of the under 12's from the bus. The head appeared to be understanding to my concerns and said she would try to come up with a solution but that she would have to discuss the issue with the Local Authority to decide who is legally responsible for the safety of the pupils during the drop off period, so at present she is unable to say to the request of a handover.

I am deeply disappointed with the whole situation that in this day and age that common sense doesn't triumph that this is the safetly of a 4 year old girl and other young children and there are 5 minutes in ensuring that the worry and risk is rectified; either the bus should wait until there is a teacher present or the school should ensure that a member of staff goes out to meet her of the school bus. I thought the profession of looking after children would be a more caring one rather than doing only what one must or only what one gets paid for right down do the line.

Ahhhh well after that rant, does anyone know who is legally responsible for the safety of children once they are dropped off via a school bus?

It's unfortunate that you started to blame your situation on teachers as it has meant your original question has not been answered. I would post a less ratty op in legal issues to find the answer.

cansu My post was a leeettle bit tongue in cheek, as TA's are not paid as much as teachers.

"By the way TA,s rarely do playground duty. most start at 8.45 on the dot and finish at the end of the day." ROFL - Would that be the children's school day? Not the TA's I know

Why would you think about paying money to solicitors for a problem that you haven't had yet!?! Citizens Advice might be more reasonable, but they'll probably just tell you what most people who've addressed your question have already told you which is that you are responsible.

I think you're hoping that if you give some money to a solicitor he or she will tell you what you want to hear which is that someone else is responsible. How likely is that to happen? You don't sound as though you have money to waste on wild goose chases. If I was you I'd be thinking about how to get my daughter to school safely not how to waste what little money I do possess.

It really does make me laugh when all the poor hard done school teachers jump on the bandwagon of how hard your job is lol, no it's not easy but it is by far NOT one of the most demanding jobs. You are paid well for you do and it is no where near as hard and demanding as it once was. I was brought up in a household where both my parents were teachers and believe me that generation of teachers are the ones that deserve gold medals, teachers these days have it easy compared to what teaching once was.

oh well if you are going to carry on teacher bashing you can kiss goodbye to any advice now

Over and out

I am trying to ignore the jibes at teachers on here, but thought what happens at our school might be helpful.

Students with disabilities/SEN at ourschool, are escorted into the school entrance by an escort who travels with the bus. Ours are secondary so are OK, but they are taken into the school. This is to stop any mishaps/trips/lost students, thus making the school or LEA responsible. The transport is provided however by the LEA.

Perhaps there should be lots of lazy teachersto meet these students , but we are all in meetings, booting up laptops, and creating amazing lessons using the interactive whiteboard aren't we? I don't even have time to go for a wee in the mornings, but nonetheless am obviously a lazy uncaring disinterested teacher.

Jessy I feel sorry for the teachers teaching your daughter if that is your attitude to the staff I really do. Your lack of respect for them is shocking considering you supposedly understand what they do.

Planning, resource making, assessment, marking, displays all do themselves don't they. Looking after the education and well being of all the children in your class isn't demanding at all is it?

I had a problem with the school bus, also in a rural area. My younger son had one or two incidents, as had other children. I wrote them all down and presented it calmly and factually to the head,cc the local authority. A teaching assistant was suddenly funded by the LA to also be on the bus/ taxi.

If there have been incidents, there are so many children at a young age and you can get a couple of parents to back you, you may well be able to put a case together.

In fact reading op's last post I wish I hadn't bloody bothered

Really?
I've been teaching full time since 1983, and it has got harder every year, with more legislation and demands and extras every term.
How long ago are you talking about?
I remember having time and freedom to do hundreds of things with and for children that I don't or can't do now.
Find a friend with a child at the same school and negotiate with them until the head and the LA have come to a decision.

JessyRose,who are you really angry at?
Are you very worried about your young daughter starting at school in September.
Teachers and assistants are paid to start work at a certain time,as are practically all jobs in the land.
You might be lucky in getting someone to start work at your daughters school at 8.40am,paid or voluntarily.But I think you are going to have to change your attitude.in fact I would go so far as to say you are going to have to be sweetness and light.Can you,or are you willing to do that for your daughters sake?

JessyRose, I disagree. My mother was a teacher, and I now work in a school. I would say teaching is far more high pressured these days.

My mother says TA's now have to have the knowledge she had when she first trained as a teacher.

I also think teaching is no more stressful than working in sales. The type of person who is a good teacher is not necessarily the type of person who wants to handle pressure, though, unlike they type of person who is good at sales.

Does that make any sense?

we live in a rural area and all the buses for the infant/junior school pupils have an escort on. I presume it's a legal requirement

for the secondary school they don't, but i think that;'s different

How arrogant you are, JessyRose. No teacher has said on this thread that they do the most "demanding job." We have simply defended ourselves against your lies, lack of intelligence and jibes against us when most of us came here to this thread initially to help you. I certainly did, until I saw what offensive bollocks you were spouting.

You clearly have no idea what is involved in teaching "these days" and how much extra work there is.

Ask any of us "oldie" teachers who have been around long enough and they will all tell you how wrong you are.

How dare you dismiss teachers when you can't even take responsibility for your own child.

Bronze said ^Teacher arguments aside it is very difficult. My children are taxied in to school. It is arranged by the council as there is no space in the school near us. We are lucky that the driver takes them into the school and at their old school it was a minibus that parked in the school car park.
If this bus is full of pupils from the school is there not a way they could stop on school property?^

The bus drops the children directly outside the school, what has been advised by a health vistor and emotional and wellbeing advisor is that my daughter is collected directly off the bus. Staff are in school from 8.30 and are paid from that time, however as "playground" duty does not start until 8.45 and the bus comes to the school at 8.40 (yes we are talking FIVE MINUTES), so as it stands the care plan has been unable to be completed until this "grey" area is delt with, the "grey" area is 10 meters from the curb to the play ground and the five minutes between drop off and yard duty. We are not talking a huge deal here. The risk has been classed as high which means children are at risk of DEATH.

Regardless of my own personal situation I feel that since the LA hand out bus passes to under 8's and since parents are not allowed to travel on the school buses for insurance reasons and other secruity issues that surely someone must be responsible for their safety once they're dropped off at school, it's not rocket science it's common sense and morals in my personal opinion.

If a child travelling via bus to school was killed due to lack of supervision once they arrived at school how long would take for policies regarding my concerns to change??? I believe in challenging policies before there is an accident, if I am persecuted for doing so then so be it.

Although this could be part of a long-running diary of dissatisfaction over the years as she forgets the child's lunch and expects teachers to feed her, find lost jumpers and cardis, provide alternatives to the mislaid PE kit, assess her if she's sick and get her home, administer medication, sort out party invitations...
Oh the years of grumbling you have ahead of you OP. I wish you joy of them.

What happened after the child slipped under the bus on the ice?

In which case,op,you need to wait for the Head to get back to you from the LA.And im pretty sure it is the case of the LA being responsible.
But I will say it again,if you want changes,or changes are needed,diplomacy is often very important.Who wants to deal with a shouty person?

Can't the bus drive into the car park?

I am in no way "teacher bashing" I just believe there are harder jobs than teaching (ones that are paid less too) and that teaching has become easier than it once was and that many teachers these days do not have the same passion and care for the profession that teachers once had How can that opinion be seen seen as "teacher bashing". It's like you're throwing your toys out of your pram because of a different opinion to yours? I am not saying your opinion that teaching now is harder is wrong am I? I am just saying it is not my opinion. Nor I am verbally lashing you for your different opinion am I? So why do you feel the need to do so to me?

I am going to say something else too.And gently.
very gently.Do you think your daughter has"speech and language issues along with showing signs of anxiety" because she may be a wee bit frightened of you?

god that's horrible

the op is worried about her daughters safety, as are most parents of young children. Plus her daughter has other issues, to be blamed for that as a parent is nothing short of cruel. Shame on you amillionyears

I didnt mean it to be cruel.I wasnt blaming her.I was asking her a genuine question that she may not have considered.

How can you write your not teacher bashing then follow it with that load of crap opinion?