Is this system for child collection really safe?

[Brown76]

My child is starting school in September, it's a large primary school with 90 kids in reception. They've asked for a list of people who are allowed to collect my child from school, to include parents, childminder etc. Now at nursery we (parents) allocate a password and tell that to whoever we authorise to collect, which they must provide to the headteacher. At primary there are two systems. It seems that anyone who is on the list can collect, so in theory they could rock up and say they are "granny smith" and child will be handed over, no ID checked, no password. Alternatively the parent can call up the office and say :"I'm the Mum of little billy in reception and he will be being collected by uncle Fred today" and then school will let child leave with uncle Fred. Again, no system for checking it really is Billy's Mum on the phone or that Fred is known to the child. Is that typical? It seems like it would be a bit easy for anyone who knows the child's name to pick them up.

Theoretically you are correct - an abductor COULD ring up and say they were you and x was going to be picking up the child BUT it would require the person who is actually collecting to be late, and for the child not to question going home with a complete stranger!

We have a family password so the kids k ow if someone they don’t know or don’t know well comes to pick them up they aren’t to go unless the person knows the password. Obviously if grandad suddenly appeared at the school gate they wouldn’t question it and they problay wouldn’t if one of thier friends parents amongst whom we often share lifts etc of car breaks down or running late etc.

As kids get older it’s better to teach them how to keep themselves safe rather than relying on School/other organisations. That way if they are ever in a situation where communication has been misconstrued or at a club that doesn’t have the tightest hold on releasing children to carers then the child knows what to do

We had a family password when we were children too, anyone picking us up would have to know it.

The thing is it's not the adult that goes and asks for x child to be released. It's the child or teacher that recognise and then release the child to a specific adult. If the child doesn't know them and neither does the teacher , they'll be one of the few left behind at the end of the day and more questioning can take place.

Agree with everyone else.
By Reception age, the child can tell the teacher "There's Granny / Uncle Fred / whoever", unlike a baby or pre-verbal toddler.
You'd be amazed how quickly the school staff get to recognise the normal collectors of children, and if there is someone they don't know and they haven't had a message, then they check.
Completely OTT to have photographs, and lists of possible collectors, etc.
The key is, you drum into your child that they don't go off with anyone but you, or you and daddy, or Granny or childminder - whatever applies. You drum into them that if they can't see you, they go back to their teacher and tell them they can't see you.

Same number intake and collection system at our school too

It works - sometimes it gets a bit daft when a teacher who’s taught your own kids for so many years won’t let you collect another kid because their parents forgot to write your name in the book. Do find myself muttering while the teacher calls the parents

Passwords, photos?Seriously??

That's exactly the system at my DCS' school. Passwords for nursery/preschool yes but not beyond. They are very strict about not permitting collection if not on the authorised list or phoned/emailed in though.