A Bit Annoyed With School (long)

[gscrym]

I dropped DS off at school this morning. He's in primary 1. Another parent came up to me and asked if I was his mum. I said yes and she said 'I just wanted to let you know, he tried to come home for lunch on Friday, I brought him back to school'. I was quite shocked as DS never comes home. I told her this and she said that once all the little ones get put out at lunchtime, the door to the infants gets closed and it can't be opened from the outside. DS had got to the school gate before this lady stopped him. She said he looked upset and lost. She took him back in and they sent him to the lunch hall.

I went into the office to discuss this. I asked why I hadn't been told. The woman said 'we tried to phone you but there was no answer so we sent him for lunch'. I then said that after the last time this had happened, I made it clear to the school that DS is never a home dinner. I also said that I was unaware that he couldn't get back in. She told me that he could, he just had to come to the front door. I pointed out, he's 5, he doesn't know that. She said she'd pass it on to his teacher. I said that I was under the impression that had been done the last time this had happened.

DH is less than amused. I'm going to send a letter in about this but am not sure how to word it. I've been thinking about this all day. We stay 15 minutes walk from the school. If DS had got home, he wouldn't have been able to get back. No-one was in and we would have been none the wiser. I understand wee ones can get mixed up but no-one checked if he was meant to be going home.

Do they not have a midday supervisor? How many staff are in the playground watching the kids and what is the staff to child ratio? Why was it up to a passing parent to deal with it?

I can imagine you're less than amused. Am livid on your behalf - the school has a statutory obligation to ensure the health and safety of the children and whatever policies they have in place, they're clearly not being followed. If you write to the Head, send a copy to the Chair of Governors.

I am very shocked by this and if it were my DD I would be speaking to the head. I can't believe 5 year olds are allowed home for lunch anyway! The school is responsible for your DS in school hours. They need to tighten their security asap.

I don't know about the helpers in the playground over lunch times. I know they have them in the morning and at breaktime. It just stikes me as they get chucked out and not checked on till lunch is finished. Surely it's not unreasonable for there to be an adult to make sure someone picks up all the little ones.

I would be utterly livid. But I don't understand how he got out? At our school the doors are locked, and once the children go out for playtime the gates are locked.

When parents come to collect their children at lunchtime (for those reception children doing half days, our school does not do home-lunches) the only children who have their coats on are those on the going home list. Then each child gets 'released' to their parent - the parent has to be standing by the door for the teacher to make eye contact with the parent and let the child go.
So any child who does not have a parent waiting for them gets held back inside. NO child is allowed to just walk off.

So I can understand why you are annoyed, and I would most certainly take this further with the school. Firstly you need to ascertain exactly HOW this happened, and then you need them to tell you what they are going to do to prevent this ever happening again. Because it is just not acceptable!

The office woman said DS told them he'd had a bad dream and he'd to go home for lunch. I always tell DS NOT to come home. I'll be writing to the head and his class teacher to make sure everyone is aware of this. It just gets me that no-one connected with the school stopped him. He could have just wandered away.

Sending an unaccompanied 5 year old onto the street and locking the door behind them.
Is this Dotheboys Hall?

My DH would be warmly shaking the head teacher by the THROAT if this happened to us.

Make a big complaint. Ask them what the process and procedure is for home lunches and why obviously unaccompanied children can be shoved into the street.

Thank heavens for that lovely lady who found him. What a great person she was.

Really really make a fuss here, this is important for all the children. They should be safe.

I'm just

It sounds like any passing stranger could just "collect" any child. Appalling. They cannot guarantee the safety of the children if there are no staff out there with them. Ask about their Child Protection Policy as well as the Health and Safety Policy.

The thing is, the office should NOT take the word of a 5 year old. I cannot believe the office staff would let a 5 year old walk home for lunch on his own anyway.
Does this school also just open the doors at 3pm and let the children leave, without checking an adult has turned up to collect them?

That does sound awful- our school has playground supervisors at lunchtime, I thought it was obligatory? They also don't let any child in P1 or P2 go until they have been handed over to a parent- the teacher stays until they are all accounted for. No wonder you're worried.

I've asked DS ad he says they're asked in the morning who's a home, and who's a dinner or packed lunch. DS told his teacher he was a home and that's why he was let out. He's never been a home since he started school last august.

I think I'll need to make an appointment to discuss this. Parents night is in 2 weeks. It might be worth talking it through then.

TBH I wouldn't leave it for 2 weeks I would go in tomorrow and sort it out now.

This is unacceptable!

Also, gently remind Junior he mustn't say he is a home dinner when he knows he isn't. (Maybe he would like to be?)

But gscrym, he was let out without an adult being at the door to collect him. Or do all home lunchers just get put out, without the school checking anyone is there to walk them home??

A question you need to ask, I think. Sounds awful for you. How was he?

how on earth was this allowed to happen? at our school the doors are locked, the gates are locked so the only way a child could get out into the street would be to go through reception where they would have to be let out. And no child in reception-y2 is allowed out at home time without an adult being there to collect them.

I would be making an appointment with the head, and I would also be writing to the head and the chair of governors to demand that this procedure be changed, with immediate effect.

am on your behalf.

Can I ask - does your school allow children out at the end of the day without checking a parent or adult carer is there to collect them? My DD is in reception, the teacher has to actually see me/dp before they will let her out. I really find this frightening, apart from anything else happening - is your DS road aware? I thought children weren't at this age. Anything could have happened. You should definitely not leave this 2 weeks. Go and see the had tomorrow, surely they have a duty of care and surely this has been breached. I tell you I would be giving them hell.

I'm on nights tonight so DH is going to phone the school tomorrow and arrange to see his teacher who is also Head of Early Years (p1 - p3). He's very angry about it all but wants to have a chat to see what exactly happened and how he got out without anyone being there. Since DS started school there have only been 3 people picking him up. Me, my dad and my best friend (twice).

At home time, each teacher stands at the door when the class comes out but I know that the days my dad picks him up, ds walks up the path path from the infants to get my dad as it gets very busy in the little playground. I'm going to start keeping a closer eye on how things are done at home time as I'm only looking for DS.

DS was fine and didn't mention it to me on Friday. I've had a good chat with him to re-inforce that he doesn't come home. Also checked there was nothing going on in the dinner hall that would make him not want to go there.