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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Whats the general rule for reception kids when releasing them at home time? Bit cross with ds's teacher..........

74 replies

northerner · 19/02/2007 15:57

I have a few issues with her anyway, but I was a few minutes late at pick up time today.

School kicks out at 3.15, I arrived at 3.18pm.

DS was in the main playground wandering around looking for me. I went to his teacher and mentioned she had released him and I wasn't there. She said 'Northerners ds, that was another bad choice wasn't it? If you can't see you're mummy you stay in the gate'

I was Surely this is her 'bad choice' not a 4 yaer olds.

So why oh why did I not say anything to her?

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geekgrrl · 19/02/2007 16:00

our school doesn't let the YR & Y1 children out unless they can see a parent in the playground - those whose parents are late/out of sight are told to wait with the teacher and there's no way one could just run off.

I'd be rather pissed off too.

fireflyfairy2 · 19/02/2007 16:01

I understnd your concern, but if there are a lot of children in the class perhaps it's impossible for her to keep an eye on what parents are there? I assume the children are aware that they shouldn't go out unless their parents are there.

I guess I am quite lucky, as there are only 10 in dd's class & the teacher & TA has 5 each to supervise at the end of the day.

I'm not sure how she helped the situation by saig your ds had made another bad choice!!

Ladymuck · 19/02/2007 16:01

Definitely her mistake imo.

At ds's school the reception children aren't allowed out of the classroom until the teacher can see the appropriate grown-up. In Year 1 and 2 the teacher brings them out to the parents but is still keeping by the wall until the grown-up comes forward to grab them. Ds1 was a regular runaway, and the teachers were always clear that they were responsible.

Original poster

northerner · 19/02/2007 16:03

I'm pissed off because there is a long line of things really, main one, at every pick up she tells me what bad choices he's made today. Today was singing in a funny voice and doing silly voices at song time.

Then she tries to blame a 4 year old when surely, I think she should ensure parents are there before releasing them.

I'm going to raise this with her tommorrow.

If it was this alone I'd let it ride, but she can not blame my ds for this.

OP posts:

Tortington · 19/02/2007 16:05

my dts teacher always said "if you can see your mum or dad you can go"

ComeOVeneer · 19/02/2007 16:08

I agree with the others, it isn't dss "bad choice". This is one of the things far to important and potentially dangerous to be left to the responsibility of a small child. Like many others here, dd is only released out the door of her classroom when the teacher spots me.

fireflyfairy2 · 19/02/2007 16:09

Hang on, he was still in the playground?

Where does he usuall be? do they stay in the classroom until a parent comes?

I always hear dds teacher saying "boys & girls, don't go unless you see whoever is taking you home!

NAB3 · 19/02/2007 16:09

Another bad choice???? Completely unacceptable to put a child down like that, no matter what they have done.
When my son was in Year R all children had to stay with the teacher until they could see a parent. And the teacher would let one child go at a time and follow them with their eyes to check they got to the right parent. Same now in Year 1 though the teacher is a bit more slack in the other children's case. My son has a different teacher one afternoon and she didn't let him go one day because she didn't recognise my husband. She had to get the Head to authorise him to take our child. Excellent.

kslatts · 19/02/2007 16:10

My dd2 in in reception, the children in her class sit on the floor and are called when teacher can see the parent. School finishes at 3.20pm, if any children haven't been collected by 3.30pm the children are taken to the school office to wait until parents arrive.

Hulababy · 19/02/2007 16:13

DD (same age) isn't allowed out of the school building until her teacher has seen us. They call out DD's name and she leaves the classroom to come over to us. Teacher supervises throughout. None are allowed out of school building at all until thier adult is there.

Have been 5 minutes late - hoprrendous traffic; i did manage to send message with a friend's mum but teacher did say not to worry next time. they will hang on to her and keep her there as long as required, and if necessary put her in after school club for me which is open till 5:30pm. Obviously phoning is better though and I would always try and contact them.

But for sake of 3 or 4 minutes there is no excuse - son's teacher was in the wrong. Loads of the parents are 2 or 3 minutes later at end of day at DD's school. Never been a problem.

hatwoman · 19/02/2007 16:13

our teacher stands at the classroom door and calls the kids names when she sees the parents. I think there does come a stage when they have to take responsibility for themsleves - along the lines of if you can see your parents you can go - but 4 seems pretty young for that. however - this sounds like a school level policy rather than the individual teacher, iyswim. However I do think the teacher's choice of words is very negative. imo clear instructions about next time are much better than focusing on his "bad" choice - already in the past.

pinkchampagne · 19/02/2007 16:14

In our reception class, all children are sat on the carpet & called to the door once we see their parents.
We wait in the class with any leftover children, but if their parents haven't turned up after around 10 minutes, they are sent to wait in the secretary's office.

Original poster

northerner · 19/02/2007 16:16

There is a big playground and within it there is a gated area where the reception kids come out with a teacher. They are normally released into the big playground when child spots a parent. I wasn't there. But he had been allowed out into big playground, where he could potentially get out onto main road.

OP posts:

saltire · 19/02/2007 16:23

All you lot are lucky. From P1 upwards the children at the Ds's school are just let out, and it's up to the child to go back into class if there is no one there to collect them. When my DS1 went into P1, a lot of parents raised concerns about this, and it was arranged that the P1's would be let out the classroom doors that lead into the playground. (the classes had two doors, one which leads straight into playground, another which leads into cloakrooms, and then to another outside door.It stopped after 2 weeks though as ssome parents complained that they had older children to collect from the round the other side. Well i had older mindees to collect but they knew to come round the corner and get me from where i was standing outside DS1's class. One of my main concerns is that there is a big path up the side of the grss, which has a gate halfway down it which opens into a park and some houses. 3 times last week i took various children into the school as they were standing lost in the playground

Polgara2 · 19/02/2007 16:29

Reception class - teacher or ta keeps hold of them (literally!!) until they see the parent (am always amazed at how they remember everyone parents and grannies and childminders etc etc but they do!!). Yr 1 upwards are just let out (with the proviso that they must come back in if the parent isn't there but they aren't actually watching each of them) which has always concerned me a little but fortunately my 2 are uber sensible and would just wait.

USAUKMum · 19/02/2007 16:30

In our school YR, YR1 & YR2 and YR3 are let out singly by the teacher when the mother/father/responsible adult is seen. If they are not there they stand next to the door until they arrive (until 3:30 then into office). If there are siblings in these years, the other child is sent down to the younger child's class. Each class has its own door. In Yr 4 they are just let free

at the teacher. I'd be really upset.

julienetmum · 19/02/2007 16:32

Dd is in reception class. The teacher stands at the door to the building and calls out the name of each child to the TA as she sees the parent arrive. Any children who are still there after 5-10 minutes are sent down to the after school club where you have to sign them out at the desk.

Gingerbear · 19/02/2007 16:33

No one is allowed out of class - the parents queue up and the kids are released one by one.
I rang school when I knew I was going to be late one day - no one minded at all. DD was helping tidy up ( as this is an unknown phenomenon at home)

FioFio · 19/02/2007 16:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

utterlyconfused · 19/02/2007 16:49

I think it's all very well to tell the children not to go until they see the person picking them up, but what happens if they make a mistake? Eg they think they see the person they are waiting for, or indeed if they mistakenly think they are going with someone else.
A couple of years ago, our school changed its policy, and now the p1's and p2's (scotland, obviously) get marched into the playground in a line with the teacher (there are 24 in the class) and the adult collecting has to come forward to collect the child. In that way, if a child is not matched up with an adult, they never leave the teacher. It works ok. I do think it's a difficult balane though - while it is important to teach young children to be sensible/responsible, they are still very small and they shouldn't be put in charge of situations a) which are potentially tricky and b) where the consequences are potentially upsetting or dangerous.

wheresthehamster · 19/02/2007 17:27

The whole of our infants' school has strict supervised going home time.

If a supply teacher is in then TAs do the supervising bit.

If a child is not going home with usual picker-upper it has to be written on the going home board. If a stranger comes to pick up child without prior knowledge, they check with the child to see if they knew about this arrangement and can identify the person, if not then it will be sorted out by the office.

Have always been impressed by level of security.

frances5 · 19/02/2007 23:49

I'm sorry if this sounds really hard.

My sympathy is with the teacher rather than northerner. A teacher has worked hard all day why should they have to act as unpaid childminder? Especially when they have lots of marking, preparation and maybe after school meetings to attend.

If you turn up three minutes late then it is YOU who has left your child unattended. If your child ran into the road and was killed then it would be YOUR fault and not the teacher.

I agree that its is not fair to critize a four year old. Being late was YOUR bad choice not his.

I agree with you that four years should not be allowed to wonder. Prehaps you should consider an after school club or a child minder if you have problems guarenteeing that you are going to pick your child up on time.

twinsetandpearls · 19/02/2007 23:56

The teacher lets them go as she sees us, but with 32 kids and one teacher at the end of what I am sure has been an exhausting day I would understand if she made a mistake. But the understanding would come after I had calmed down from seeing dd wandering a playground looking lost. TBH though I couldn't see it happening as so many mums at the school and kids know me and dd and would send her back to class.

wotzsaname · 20/02/2007 00:08

It is late so forgive me if i appear abrupt.

But hopefully you;ll have a better day tomorrow.

Did ds come to any harm? No (thankfully).
Should the teacher be more aware? Yes hopefully.
Will you be late again? thats up to you.

At our shcool the teachers do wait outside for all the children to be collected. It is usually the same ones that are left waiting. Some teachers have children too, that they have to collect.

You were only a few minutes late, but i think it was a simple mistake by all 3 of you. Sorry!

AngharadGoldenhand · 20/02/2007 00:20

I think some of you are being really harsh to northerner. Do you know anyone who has never been late for school pickup - even a little?

While the child is in school, the school is in loco parentis and must look after the child. It is not responsible to let a 4 year old go wandering off.
What if northerner had had an accident on the way to school?

At dd's local infant school, they hold onto the children until a recognised adult comes to pick them up. If no-one turns up, the teachers take the kids back into school and phone their parents/emergency contact and get it sorted.

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