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?

Ignoring the teacher bashing on the thread, if you have until September, why not just learn to drive and get a cheap little runaround car to take her to school? Would certainly work out a lot cheaper than £20 a day in taxi fares! She could still get the bus home (as you explained she will be accompanied from school onto the bus) so not missing out on the experience.

FallenCaryatidTue 03-Jul-12 22:00:27

So tell me, what was hard about teaching in the old days?
Or are you going back further than the 30 years of my first-hand experience when you remember what your parents said about their jobs?

Are you going to seriously tell me that technology does not enable you do you job easier? I am 37 years old and my parents are in their 70's, my mother actually still works in a school on a voluntary basis and she is sat over my shoulder now telingl me to tell you that "you don't know you're born" I think she has more experience than most of us here.

Ah, ok, very different in Scotland then as no reception here just straight into primary 1, so my Dd won't miss out but will probably be the oldest in the class, as she will be 5.8 when she eventually does start and some will still only be 4.6 who start with her. Four seems so young.

I really hope you get some resolution and are comfortable with it. I think your anxiety is palpable.

Good luck.

So technology overrides everything else that has changed which makes everything harder does it? Your just making yourself sound daft now!

Technology has made teaching different, not easier
I've been teaching for 22 years and while some aspects of the job haven't changed many are new, different and demanding.

With all due respect to your mother doing voluntary work and working as a full time teacher are completly different things

JessyRose, it must be a long time since you worked as a TA if you seriously think technology means teachers have an easier time teaching now than they used to.

I am flabbergasted, tbh.

I've read through the thread and just want to clarify this point:

Has the HT had the chance to discuss the arrangements/proposals/legal ins and outs with the LA?

If this is still outstanding, is it not possible your concerns are hypothetical?

I haven't read the whole thread but just wanted to tell you what happens where I live.

Both DDs went to school on the school bus. They were always met by the "bus lady" off the bus in the school driveway. They were not allowed to get off the bus unless she was there. So if the bus arrived early, they would just have to sit on the bus and wait for her.

At home times she put them on the bus. She also kept a registar of the DC who were on the bus each day.

I would phone the local council, they are responsible for providing the bus and paying for the "bus lady". They will be able to tell you what should happpen. Just google your local council and school transport.

I think it is time for some of us to leave this thread.
Good luck with your daughter and goodbye.

Will also add that any children with SN which meant the bus wasn't suitable were sent by taxi. Again it was the local council who paid for this.

Just phone the local council and ask them what the procedure is.

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?

But you are not talking about lack of supervision once they arrive at school, OP, you are talking about the child's journey to school. How can this be the responsibility of the school?

Teachers are employed to teach, not to babysit. You should arrange alternative childcare until the school opens its gates to children and becomes responsible for their safety.

You could learn to drive, cycle, get a public bus with your dd, arrange for a childminder to meet her from the bus, or a friend, or another parent. Or you could put her into a breakfast club.

There are other options to consider.

Staff who start work at 8.30 do so for a reason. They are working and therefore not available to babysit your child.

Good luck with getting a taxi for a child with speech and language issues along with signs of anxiety.

1. ?I have not teacher bashed at all.?
2. ?it's a shame that teachers these days do not put in as much effort and care as they teachers once did.?

Hmm! No not teacher bashing at all with statements like that!

Yes, you have a right to your concerns, but ... not the best way of getting the advice and support you want really.

Yes, you have a right to your own opinions about teachers, but fact and opnion are two different things. The school you have experience of, where life is so much easier than when your parents did the job, is the wrong school for your child. Workload, stress, paperwork and governement expectations and interference, new initiatives increase year on year in every school I and all the teachers I know work in. So the school/s you have gathered your opinion from is the exception. That or your parents were the exceptions in the past? Not saying your parents didn't work hard, not saying over a years teachers work harder than anyone else, but since Easter I've worked 65+ hours a week to provide the best for my school ... and if that is "not put in as much effort and care" I am deeply insulted.

"Are you going to seriously tell me that technology does not enable you do you job easier?"

HA

Oh dear. That's even more daft than the person who said teachers only work 9-3.

You two could be a double act.

aJumpedUpPantryBoyTue 03-Jul-12 22:21:42

^Technology has made teaching different, not easier
I've been teaching for 22 years and while some aspects of the job haven't changed many are new, different and demanding.

With all due respect to your mother doing voluntary work and working as a full time teacher are completly different things^

My mother was a full time teacher and retired 6 years ago, she now does voluntary work in a school.

^JessyRose, it must be a long time since you worked as a TA if you seriously think technology means teachers have an easier time teaching now than they used to.

I am flabbergasted, tbh^

Technology, TA's, Teaching stratgies, behavioural support, emotional support, improved facilites, better SEN and the most of all parental support are all areas which enable teaching to be easier.

Jessy again, why can't you learn to drive, so as to get rid of the whole issue?

Teachers ... I really don't think it's worth the argument! JessyRose's parents used to teach, so she knows it all! I haven't the energy to fully explain the expectations on planning, filling in paperwork, personalising learning, filling in paperwork, assessing everything that breathes, filling in paperwork, marking, devising new curriculum, filling in paperwork, finding and making resources (on IT), laminating and cutting out, how now we have IT the bar is set higher with a text book or worksheet being replaced with an interactive white board presentation with hyperlinks and video clips being expected...
No, I've lost the will to try and explain.

AbigailS - I just started to type a long and detailed reply but I've decided you are right - after all 6 years is nothing in terms of educational developments and technological advances!

I don't know anything about teaching, but I do wonder whether or not that's correct. Aren't you saying that teaching has changed with the introduction of all of these features? But, presumably so have the expectations of teachers. Presumably you are still supposed to teach a child with SEN these days rather than exclude him because he's incapable. (If I could have been a teacher at any time I'd have been one when corporal punishment and expulsions were at their height.) I think it would have been far easier to have frightened wayward children and to have expelled unruly ones than it must be to incorporate them. From a logical point of view the argument that it's now easier to teach should have some of its premises defined. It would seem easy to counter otherwise.

Are the majority of posters old posters from the old parents centre forum, as it's the only place that I have witnessed such venomous vitriol. In all honestly you call me rude and arrogant but I suggest yes maybe my opinion can misinterpreted but there is no misinterprtation in the majority of comments on this thread from some of yourselves. For those that are teachers would you expect your students to react in such a way to someone whom just has a different opinion to theirs? You're shocked at me, I am shocked that some of you are teachers! If anything you've raised my concerns within the teaching profession even more if this is the standards of UK teachers! I will go to bed with a clear conscience knowing that no matter how much I may disagree with someone I would never behave in the manner that some of you have this evening.

Thank you very very much for those who gave constructive advice, even those which I might not agree with. I do apologise to those who seem to believe I was "teacher bashing" that was not my intension.

I think I am best off seeking legal advice as after all it's a legal answer I am look for.

Teaching stratgies - what teaching strategies?

behavioural support - from whom, TA's?

emotional support???

improved facilites - Really?,

better SEN - What do you mean better special educational needs? Special educational needs support? Awareness?

and the most of all parental support - Are you being serious?

OP having read the entire thread, for your own peace of mind, given your concern about those currently teaching, your access to teaching advice and experience you respect in the form of your parents, I would suggest you opt for home education.

If teacher bashing wasn't your intention then i suggest you a) read before you press post and b) don't post a rant about teachers which is actually irrelevant to the matter in hand.

Yes, I think legal advise is the best way forward.

We should agree to disagree that teachers have an easier time now than they did 10, 20, or 30 years ago.

I shall not be advising my DC to go into teaching.

OP you didn't answer my question.