Collecting DS at the end of the school day - Safeguarding

[starfish8]

May be a totally daft question but my son is due to start reception this Friday. At the end of each day is the teacher checking who they go off with or not?

My DH and I will be there two days per week and he’ll be going to after school the other three days. I know the after school club will send someone over to get them, but are there measures in place to stop children going off with unknown adults?

Ours sit down and have their name called.

Yes absolutely! At our school parents line up and parent collects them. Senior teacher on gates to check no escapees. I was stopped once because I was collecting friends child and she had forgotten to let school know.

Also no one can really tell you what will happen at your school. You’ll have to see on Friday.

Yes. At reception they will line the children up and only let each child go when they have pointed out mum, dad or whoever. In time the teachers will get to recognise all the parents/grandparents. After school club will have a register and so the teachers will be sure it’s your child’s days to go there.

You really need to ask the school, different schools do it differently. It's natural to want to know the procedure, I'm sure they'll be happy to explain.

Yes. When my DC were in reception, parents would queue up at the classroom door to collect.

Now they're older, the kids line up inside the class and the teacher lets them go one at a time once teacher has seen their parent waiting by the door.

Either way the children are only allowed to go home with a parent. Another adult can only collect if they know the childs password.

I’ve worked in lots of schools. Children are only released when acknowledgement is made with whoever is picking up. Either someone from after school club will collect your child or a teacher or TA will take them.

Thanks everyone really appreciate you letting me know what your schools do. It’s one thing I’ve forgot to ask so far but will find out the exact details on Friday.

With all these warnings going round about posting too much identifiable info about your child on social media, it got me thinking more about how pick up works.

Handed to a parent or nominated adult (we write on the white board in reception) for the first free years. Year 3 and onwards they are just released to find their parent / own way home.

Yes. All schools will be different, in the detail (will depend a bit on the Geography of the playground and where the afterschool club takes place (on school premises or off site).

Generally the teacher will only release the dc one at a time (maybe from the door if classroom opens onto a suitable collection point or maybe from a line as she brings them into playground. They only release them when they have seen the right person. It really helps if you / dh stand in the same place each day .
But also do teache (and then remind / ask) your dc what to do if they can't see you or dh in the playground. Let them know if ever you aren't there they are to go straight back to the teacher.

I always send a note in with ds on the first day of term to let them know who is picking him up on what days. Safeguarding is such a big thing in schools that I am sure they have procedures in place.

OP, if you do have concerns about anyone else picking your child up who you don't want to - inform the school. It probably isn't a case of this, but I once worked in a school, and the father wasn't allowed to pick the child up. He turned up at the school a few times to try his luck. If we hadn't had the heads up, the child would have pointed to his father, identified him and we would have let the father take the child home.

You should also check with the school about what information they will need if someone else does need to collect in case of an emergency. Most schools seem to use a password system, but worth checking before you need to use it.

Our children sit on the story carpet until the teacher spots the parent and calls the child’s name. Only ppl on the approved list can take them and they will phone and check before releasing to anyone other than that.

They will check yes. But only in the first few years, for infants. They won’t check after that. I know that seems a long way away with a reception child but it really isn’t.

After a certain age there is generally an School adult around to hoover up uncollected lagging or lost kids but it’s the child’s responsibility to remember who is getting them, recognise and find them, and/or remember they’ve to get themselves home, and leave independently.

Our primary school has a very large campus and the bigger children are merely released toward the smaller as many will have an adult collecting smaller.

All the way through the infants in our school kids are released one at a time once their corresponding adult is there and the staff are being really careful learning faces to go with children at the moment.

When I picked up my step daughter for the first time I got told i couldnt unless I was on her list and luckily DHs ex had put me on.

We have a list at our DD school as well that is really closely monitored and updated, when someone new is on collection I have to inform the school as soon as I know or in the mornings when I take her.
They are usually really good with safeguarding they will always triple check.
Even if some of the parents are late, they will keep the kids until the parent turn up.

DD's school let them out one at a time, stood in the doorway of the classroom with the teacher holding their hand until they saw a parent/minder.

Had to send a written note in if anyone different was collecting your child or if they were going to a friend's for tea and another parent was taking them both home.

Sorryto jump on but say a child is not allowed to be collected by one of the parents (court order) will this be well communicated. Worried that half way through term teachers would forget and potentially chile could be pickes up by dad...

Last time I did supply and there were parents banned from collecting their kids there was a bright coloured sheet in the register informing anyone registering the kids of that fact, and the head or deputy would make sure they came along to the classroom at hometime for pickup if it was a different adult taking the class to make sure that hometime went correctly.

Regular teacher isn't going to forget - the biggest issues are usually when someone's covering the class and schools have various processes that should address it (like the sheet in the register and hovering head above).

Brilliant thank you that is reassuring!

If I was ever working in a reception or year 1 class i did not know well I would ask the TA to supervise the door at home time. THey were always in a better position than me to match a child with the appropriate parent.