After School....would this be awful?

[MrsScavoEatsJelly]

Here's the thing.

I have 2 DS's in 2 schools. Both finish at 3.10pm. I have a 5 min drive from one school to the other, so will collect DS2 form after school club at 3.20pm ish, for which I am paying £7.50 a day.

I'm thinking, after half, term of asking DS1, in year 4, to wait for me on his school playground (playground is secure, you have to buzz gate to get in)

Would this be an awful thing to do?

I'd be fine with that. Tell him to take his time packing up and putting his coat on - you'll be as good as there by then.

Can he shelter if it's wet?

Does ds1 have a friend and mum who he can just walk home with and you can collect along the way? At our school, if a parent is late, they take them back into the school, but of course, that is only one offs. Might be worth asking though, if he can stay inside the school, rather than in theplayground. Can't see the Head finding that acceptable tbh.

I'm pretty sure he can wait just inside the main doors if it's raining.

Would your school be fine with that? I know ours wouldn't as an 'official' arrangement because no-one is responsible for children after the end of the school day. If however, there are still children and parents milling around at 3.20 (there are always slower children aren't there!), that's slightly different, it would just look like either you were a few minutes late every day or your son was slow coming out!

Alternatively, is there another child who lives near you? Perhaps your son could start walking home with another family and you'd all be home about the same time?

how old is he? (sorry should know what age year 4 is) is he 8ish

I'd check with the school. They might object.

How old is he?

Oh I'd do what grumpy does if poss

He'll be very nearly 9. I've just been talking this through with DH and realised the playground is so empty (only about 40 parents in a school of 200)because most children are walking themselves home.

can't he start walking home and you meet him at an agreed meeting point?

My kids do that with childminder.

Most schools wouldn't be happy with children waiting about.

Our primary school would not be happy with this, as the teachers cannot 'go and get on' until all the children are off the premises.

How far away do you live? Can he set off walking home, and you pick him up on the way? Or - as someone else has suggested - get him to walk with a friend towards their house and pick him up there?

My dss sometimes walk home (c. 0.6 mile) unaccompanied, and have done so since the beginning of yr3.

so you're paying £7.50 a day for your older son to stay in club for 10 minutes? is that right

at 9 he would be fine waiting outside for 10 minutes i bet, he could read or something?

I am paying £7.50 for my younger son to go in the after school club, and picking DS1 up first. This is because the after school club was DS2's nursery, and he really loves going back & seeing the staff. He's really cross that I pick him up after he's only been there a couple of minutes.

DS1's school has an entrance on a residential cul-de sac, where I park, so could ask him to wait there.

On the one hand I'm confident nothing could happen to him, on the other I feel really uneasy about it.

my kids prefer to be able to carry on walkig rather than hang about. Could he walk on for 10 mins and meet you somewhere else?

Not really. He would have to walk down a main road, and I couldn't easily or safely stop anywhere. He's very patient, and would happily wait a couple of minutes. He's usually late out of school, so it really would be a only a couple fo minutes, as DS1 will always come out bang on tiem.

I'm looking for reasurance (or otherwise) that a just 9 year old will be OK without an adult for a max of 10 mins's.

I would have thought so (i.e. OK)

I used to walk 15 minutes to and from school on my own at the age of 9. In these days of traffic and rampant paedophiles I'm not sure I'd want him wandering the streets but in the playground, assuming school is fine with that, he'll be absolutely ok.

I vote for OK.

I'd say it would be fine for a 9 yr old to be waiting for 10 mins

You'd need to sort something out if you were late. Could you talk to the school about a reduction in the after school club price?

I think a sensible 9 year-old would be absolutely fine for ten minutes in the playground. Esp. if he follows the good advice about taking his time packing up.

Thanks everyone. I've decided to go with my gut feeling on this, and fork out the £150 per month (ahhhh!), and think about it again in the summer term.