Primary school is opeing a cafe to the public

[nickiig]

Hi, id like your views on my DS primary school opening up a community café, where our children will be assisting to serve etc, but anyone can walk in. I have some serious safeguarding issues. Does anyone have any experience of this with their school, or can point me in a direction that will ease my concerns.

Presumably the pupils won't be left alone with any members of the public, and will be supervised at all times?

Can you ask the school if you can see the risk assessment?

Sorry, but it just doesn't sound realistic.
Doing it for school fair, yes.
But otherwise, how can it be even profitable? Are the school allocating children to serve customers during school hours? And You expect people just walk into primary to have cup of tea?

How does this even fit in with a school day and curriculum?

Safeguarding wouldn’t concern me as children wouldn’t be left alone with anyone.
Hot drinks would concern me more.

Our primary school had a cafe as part of Year 5 or 6 (can't remember!) responsibilities. Everything was done by them - stock checking, rotas for serving, clean up etc. But it was only open 8-8.45a.m. and 3-3.45pm on certain days, so it was pretty much 100% just school parents.

Do you really think there will be much drop-in trade? Where exactly on the school premises will it be located?

Is this going to be a place in which the local residents of a care home come for tea once a month or an actual cafe open to the general public? If its the latter then a big fat nope from me I'm afraid and I would be telling the school as such

If it was done like No Squirrels, then it makes sense, and it sounds good. And I don't see any safe guarding issue if so.

That sounds odd.

I’d be wanting to know exactly what was planned.

It sounds like an interesting learning opportunity if handled correctly.

I'd want to know much more about it as I'd have safe guarding concerns.

Sounds great to me.

I visited my Dsis abroad for a few weeks and saw that her Primary school had a cafe. It was a hub for parents meeting up and a real community place.

Personally I wouldn’t be happy leaving my child somewhere that members of the public could approach them without suspicion. It’s a paedophile’s dream! Of course I take DC out in public and to the park etc but that’s under my direct supervision. Also: my child is at school to learn, not to be a waiter.

Also: my child is at school to learn, not to be a waiter.

You don’t see any learning opportunities in this?

I think you're being hysterical. They're obviously just doing it as a learning opportunity it will just be like the school fair (which anyone can turn up to) but on a more regular basis (probably only a few hours a week). The children will obviously be supervised (you can always ask the school if you're worried about the level of supervision) and doesn't sound any more dangerous than any other time children interact with people in the public.

I think I’ve heard of some schools doing this on certain days for OAPs etc but that’s more a community thing than a money making Café. I don’t see how the later would work.

it's a paedophile's dream
Not really, no.

No learning opportunities?

Social skills
Mental arithmetic/money handling
Food preparation
Healthy eating
Baking
Hygiene

I'm sure there's more.....

I think it’s a good idea and they will learn a lot

I know a joint campus school that has a cafe st the shared entrance. The kids aren’t involved in it though. (Still don’t think it’s a good idea)

I think you need to know what the background to this is. If it is as suggested by NoSquirrels a community cafe for very limited periods of time then I can see, with the right level of safeguards, good reasons for it both at a community and educational level.
If however the school really is going to open a cafe full time in the school premises and using pupils in the cafe in any way then I think you deserve from the school a full explanation about what exactly they expect to gain from it.

Regrettably I suspect this might be a school's latest gimmick for raising funds for the school and if this is the case then I would seriously question how they believe it will ever make any money, let alone answer the serious safeguarding questions it raises.

I’d want to know how any profits made would be spent tbf

Interested in hearing the answers to these questions.

There surely are many legal requirements about insurance, finance and hygiene for any café open to the public.