New school is rubbish... wtf do I do now?

[JuliaUsesPeople]

TL;DR because it's a long post: DS moved schools. They didn't follow handover safety properly putting him at risk and he's being picked on already and they aren't resolving it. I can't keep him there. Schools nearby are full. What can I do next?

We moved house recently and got a place for ds (year 5/6) at our third choice school because the others were full. It seemed great when we looked round. Lots of promises and talk about how they put childrens mental health first etc. He was there for two weeks before summer and in that time we had him home in tears several times because of someone picking on him and the teachers not handling it well (telling the two children teacher was sick of dealing with stuff like this before being dumped on another teacher who didn't resolve the issue at all), handing ds over to an adult they havent met before without checking his password despite knowing there are concerns with other people possibly turning up to collect him (luckily it was my dad), didn't buddy him up like the promised when we looked round, etc. He was sobbing when he came out of school on one of the days and the teachers just stood there looking at him, didn't communicate anything to me despite it being his first week at school and (as I later found out) he'd been picked on through out the day and had been crying on and off.

I cannot send him back in September. The main reason is the fact he was handed over without checking the password to someone they didn't know despite them assuring me earlier that week (when i provided the background info) that they would not let him go without checking first. I know people make mistakes and it was all fine anyway but next time it might not be. The trust is broken. That combined with how little they seemed to bother settling him in especially when he's been upset and been targetted repeatedly by another child already when they bleat about how well they look after children's mental health means this isn't the school for us.

I've filled in school transfers again but I know most of the schools here are oversubscribed because its a big city but not as many schools as there could be. The admissions team have said they don't process things over summer because of the schools being shut so what do I do in September when he's meant to go back? What do we do if all the schools close by and further away are full? I'm so worried about him because he's had a shit few years with me being very ill so it was supposed to be the start of a stable year for him.

Does anyone have any advice?

But if someone turns up and doesn't give the password and you let them leave with the child anyway rather than tip them off, then what was the point of agreeing to it in the first place? How can people not see how this places a child at risk? The abusive ex or birth parent might be determined enough to use/manipulate someone that the child believes to be trustworthy, and use them as an intermediary.

We're all aware that almost children of this age just trot out the door and many make their own way home, that's not the point. It was beyond foolish for someone to agree to it and then not ensure it was in place, and it's beyond disappointing that they don't react to any child bawling at pick up, even more so one that is new to the school regardless of whether the child has in some way contributed to whatever caused them to cry. I speak as a parent of a child who ably demonstrated his ability to create a complete uproar at school and then collapse in tears. Teachers deal with it, but they don't or shouldn't stop being compassionate to a child. It's often described as a child centred approach.

@JuliaUsesPeople Could you give the new teacher a try in the interim? Ask for a meeting day 1 (offer to be there at 8 if needed) and explain what has happened and your concerns. Things like passwords being enforced properly and management of other children, buddying are teacher specific so if he had a good one for September this could well (and I’d imagine given the failings already) would be enforced. In the meantime, keep looking for another school but I imagine you’d know pretty quickly if things were improving.

You are absolutely not overreacting and this is potentially a serious safeguarding failure for the school. His age is absolutely irrelevant as is whether the school normally does a handover or they go out the gates themselves.

Are there court orders restricting someone's access to him, or social services involvement?

if they've not been there too long you could move them, its hard if they've already made friends and then you try to move them but if you think they'll benefit somewhere else then i would move schools

This is really not a meeting for 8am on the first day of term. Essentially you're asking the teacher to come in at 7am to do the work she/he now won't be able to do between 8 and 9.

Has the child got SEN? I'm confused.
Our Yr5 all just walk home. If they didn't, I'd expect them to know who they can go home with. Unless under some kind of child protection