5 yo dismissed to strannger

[funnyfoursome]

OK I know it's the end of term and things get a bit lax but today I got stuck in a traffic jam on the way to pick up (temporary traffic lights that were stuck). Parent B calls me and asks if I'm stuck. I say yes and we agree that the school will hold onto them - there's nothing we can do. Normal procedure is that after 10 mins staff take the children to the front office and we then have to sign them out (and grovel!!). Unbeknownst to me Parent B calls Parent C (scatty childminder) who I don't know and my son doesn't know (no connection with any children in the year group). So apparently teacher hands over my son and Parent B's child to Parent C and I find them in the playground. Given that we have to give a phone call or written note for anyone else to take our child home I'm not v happy. According to my son she said to the teacher 'I'm taking these two' Surely this is a safeguarding issue if any old stranger can just pick up young children, or am I in an end of term grump??!!! (Be gentle am very tired!!)

You were not thete to collect your child at the correct time. You had an absolute responsibility to call the school and let them know why you were going to be late. You needed to stop your car and make that call. Your responsibility and basic manners!
You didn't bother to do that and left the school looking after your child without contacting.
You need to question why your friend parent B decided to make decisions on your behalf and if you don't want her to do that then tell her.
The scatty childminder that you obviously don't like was there at the correct time and helped you both out because parent B asked her to. I'm sure 2 extra children at extremely short notice isn't particularly what she wanted either. I hope you thank her and pay her for helping you.
If you had been at school at the correct time none of these issues would have occurred.
If you had phoned the school and made proper arrangements none of these issues would have occurred.
Stop blaming others for things you didn't do.

Lindy there's no such thing as "absolute responsibility to phone". In a school with hundreds of children picked up every day - maybe over a hundred thousand pickups a year - it's not vanishingly rare to have the odd parent be taken ill or be stuck somewhere without a phone. That's why there are safeguarding procedures to be followed in this eventuality. Phoning school is important if you can, sure, but it's not a dire emergency if you can't. Having robust "plan B"s in place is an important aspect of safeguarding.

Is parent B on your list who can collect your child? If so I think their instruction that your child should go to a known child minder in their place was probably enough. If parent B is not on your list then I think the school were in the wrong but I'm not sure I'd complain about it (sometimes we have to be pragmatic).

I think I'd have a word with teacher direct but not raise it any higher.

IStillDrinkCava very true. Emergencies do occur where making a phone call is impossible. This wasn't one of them.

I had juvenile arthritis so that was why I was excluded from pe.

FWIW you would still have been fined for using your mobile phone while sitting in a stationary queue of traffic with the engine turned off.

"Norestform - because the school is acting as the parent, not you during school hours" which has nothing whatsoever to do with requiring a letter from a doctor when withdrawing a child from PE . A note or message from a parent is perfectly acceptable.

Damson You could pull over, turn off your engine and phone. Staff would rather you be another 5 minutes late then wonder who was picking up and so would the child.Their little faces are worried when no one comes so why put your child through that anxiety.If a parent phones then it is all smiles because they know they haven't been forgotten.

The young teacher shouldn't have let them go but they hadn't left the premises so maybe she was still outside watching. it is pretty hectic when you let them out and a parent wants to catch you about something. We keep the little ones in and when two members of staff then one calls out while the other waits in class with them.
OP should have a word with teacher and a word with Childminder as she shouldn't have tried to take someone who was not a normal charge but in fairness to her she didn't take them home but waited in the playground with them.

If the key is still in the ignition and you’re not classed as being “safely parked” you will still be fined. There have been several news stories where exactly that has happened.

So pull over, into a layby or a side street, remove your keys and phone the school - it isn't rocket science.
I've done it when there was an accident and I was going to be late. It is common curtesy maybe uncommon now!