Morning drop off arrangements

[rainsofcastersugar]

Our school is changing the morning drop off arrangements after Easter. I'm not happy about how they are going to be doing this, so I just wanted to see how other schools manage 'the morning rush'. How does your school get children into the building before registration? Can you just bring them in or do they have to be led in by staff? How well does it work - or not? Thanks.

Yes our SIP is also a lead Ofsted inspector and gave conflicting advice. However as I said in my school it was parents who objected to others coming into school.

At ours the classrooms open at 8.45. As the children arrive they go straight in. Doors are shut at 8.55 when the bell goes, so latecomers have to go in the main door past the receptionist. (have to be buzzed in).

Most parents watch child go in then leave.

Teacher (often Head) outside gate 8.45 to 8.55.

What messages? If a parent wants to tell me that their child didn't eat all their Frosties that morning, then frankly I don't really want to know! Sorry. Anything more important can be conveyed via a note to the office, or an appointment made with me at Class Surgery once a week.

It's a bloody nightmare having parents (not to mention younger siblings) in the classrooms first thing. We used to do it years ago until a new HT arrived and stopped it straightaway. There were one or two grumblers, who were given short shrift, and it wasn't brought up again.

Our school bell goes at 8.55am. Reception parents drop at door of the classroom and help with coats and bags. Year 1 similar, but have a covered area outside the classroom, so are handed over there.

Everyone else lines up in classes and teachers come out to collect there class. Quick messages can be passed on, but most parents are too busy chatting at the top of the playground, and just wave from a distance.

A few parents always hang around the teachers - always the same ones, of course!

We took them into the classroom for the first week, into the playground the second week and after that dropped at the gates. Parents aren't allowed in the playground. If I have anything to pass on I would write a note.

I took my DDs into the cloakroom on the first day. We found their pegs and hung up their coats. They went into the classroom on their own and never looked back. They were both 4. The reception teacher was delighted with both of them! I never went into the classrooms with them ever! If I needed to write a note or send in money I sent it with my DDs or it went via the school office. Why do parents need to see a TA or teacher every day? My DDs school had 66 children in a hen and chickens classroom. Can you imagine the chaos if loads of parents came in every day? No-one complained because it had been this way for years and years. At the end of the day, the teachers brought the children out to the gate and were handed over to nominated carers or parents. By year 1, I did a quick drop off at the gate and they went in. My DDs were obviously precociously independent!

Parents allowed in for first half term with reception children. After that and for all other children the bell goes at 8.55. Teacher on duty on playground from 8.45. When the bell goes they all line up and are escorted in by the teacher.

The parents all stand around the edge of the playground. If you need to see the teacher you can have a quick word when they come out to collect the children.

Gates open 8.35 bell rang 8.45 children line up and collected by TA or teacher. Messages passed on in a couple of mins. This is from Reception to year 6.

Why do parents need to see a TA or teacher every day?

It's the rare parent that needs to see them every day but some will need to see them sometimes. Witness the questions on here about what to tell the teacher about child's broken leg/soiling pants and not being changed/need to check the child has apologised for X/diagnosis of long term illness that will need some daily action by school, details to follow/death in the family/parents splitting up and child coming out with confusing statements. Those aren't things that every parent will need to say every day but definitely some of those will happen in a classroom over the course of a year.

Some of those are going to take a longer meeting at another time I grant you, but some of them are definitely going to need communicating immediately, and a question in reply by the teacher or TA to clarify and a note in the morning followed by another note back in the afternoon and a third note on the next day with a fourth reply doesn't sound like the most efficient way to do it, to me.

As the parent of a rising-four in nursery, with pretty good speech for his age, I could be just a few months off school (as it happens we miss the cutoff) and I wouldn't be too happy if I had to communicate everything that I say to his keyworker by means of notes, she needs to ask me far too many questions to clarify his rather odd and overly imaginative turn of phrase!

Massively different though drspouse.
In pre-school, a KW has, at most, 8 dc to look after. In many Nurseries they won't even all be arriving and leaving at the same time.
The teacher has 30 dc to look after, and she is responsible for them all - it's not realistic to think they can "have a quick word" with even one or two parents when they are supervising a class, let alone teaching, let alone the 8 or 10 who might like to just "have a quick word".

Playground supervised from 8am. Bell goes at 8.30am and kids line up for teachers to collect from playground. Parents are not allowed into playground and no-one hangs around to chat etc. Messages are either emailed into school or I put a note in the homework diary. As I am not used to the idea that parents would go into the playground I don't know why they would want to, but that may be because I know my kids are being supervised from the drop off.

Dropped off at school gate at from 8.20. Parents aren't allowed in apart from the first term in reception.

we bring the children into the playground and wait with them, although there is a teacher there from 8.15 so you can leave then but tends to be from juniors, infact parents stay.

Bell goes at 8.30 and all the children line up in their classes, teachers come out to meet them and take them in 1 class at a time. Parents never go into the school.

Same as most other replies - children enter the play ground themselves , queue up when the bell goes. No parents in the playground after the first few weeks of the autumn term . No parents in the classroom after the first day of reception

Messages - our school has an answering machine, a secretary and email. I've always founds these adequate for the passing on of essential messages . Teachers don't have time for " just a quick word" in the morning - they have a class of kids to settle and get down to work .

Remember a lot of parents use breakfast clubs or childminders for before school care - and they all manage to get "messages" to the teacher!! Perhaps I have very unusual children but I would say there's only been 3 or 4 times (DC now Year 6 and Year 4) in total for their school career, when I've actually wanted to pass a message on to the teacher for some reason. most of what a I need to talk to the school about is administrative (ring office) or needs a "proper" chat (DS being bullied).

Ours get dropped off outside the playground - playground is open from 8.30, supervised by 2 TAs from 8.40am. No parents in the playground or cloakrooms/classrooms at all from any age even P1. Any info that needed to be passed onto the teacher, I've either stuck a note in their bag or spoken to the office.

I think some parents do need to be weened off chatting to the teacher. If there is a serious problem, then a meeting should be planned, not a chat in the morning. I am really struggling to think of any occasion when I had a chat with a teacher in the morning. We are clearly very straightforward and easy!!! I expected my children to go into school on their own and this is what their school's expected. I didn't choose a "family atmosphere" school because my children didn't need that type of environment and benefitted from being given independence.

So all the parents who say "I spoke to my DC's teacher about X" do this at pickup then? Or are they not telling the truth? I'm talking about those I know IRL as well as on here, bloggers etc.

There Are some parents at our school who insist on talking to the teacher every morning. I really don't understand what needs saying. I have only once spoken to the teacher before school.

So drspouse in my school they are probably telling the truth. They are the ones keeping the teachers standing in the playground for ages after the kids go in!

I have often wanted/needed to have a quick word with my DD's teacher in the morning. Maybe not essential, but the easy access to the teachers and their pastoral care is one of the things I really love about her school. We are encouraged to do these direct, not go via the office.

Things usually are:

• health - eg A bit off colour, ring if she deteriorates; inhaler at school today, etc.
• emotions - worried about next week's trip - can you chat with her please
• thanks - thank you for xxx (though now done via new planner system)
• appointments - can I see you after school some time this week

As she has gone up the school, the need has decreased as she becomes more independent, but y5 now and still use it occasionally.

Things usually are:

• health - eg A bit off colour, ring if she deteriorates; inhaler at school today, etc.
• emotions - worried about next week's trip - can you chat with her please
• thanks - thank you for xxx (though now done via new planner system)
• appointments - can I see you after school some time this week

these are really common things but could I say

• health - please don't mention in front of your child as they will undoubtedly remind the teacher every few minutes that you said .....
• appointment can be made through the office the teacher is unlikely to have their diary available
• thanks - always very nice to be thanked but busy morning ?
• emotions- child's or your's?

Mrz Maybe in other schools these things are done elsewhere, but this is the system at our school, and due to the size of the school and the layout of the site and buildings it seems to work well. I can understand that it would not be appropriate at other schools.

I wouldn't do anything that takes longer than 30 seconds, DD goes in to sort herself out, teacher is at door.
Health - no she doesn't remind teacher; but is happier to go in knowing the teacher knows. It also works the other way. She gets terrible coughs that sound like she shouldn't be at school. Letting them know she is fine really, stops them worrying about it.
Emotions - definitely DD's. The school was fantastic with her recently prior to her first ever residential. She was extremely anxious for 2+ weeks beforehand and we worked with the school to get her to a state whereby she would actually get on to the coach.

Isn't it good that all schools aren't the same so people can pick the size/ethos they think best suits?

Its the system in my and I'm simply pointing out the drawbacks
Yes tell me your child is off colour but wait until they have gone into school
Yes ask for an appointment but be aware that I might not be able to give you a time there and then so you may have to phone later
Yes say thanks (always appreciated) but be aware of the queue of parents waiting to tell me their child is off colour or wanting to make an appointment