Am I being silly re the lack of supervision at P1 home time?

[TracyK]

ds gets picked up at 12.15 with all the other Primary 1's - so 4 to 5 year olds. I usually pick him up but my mum or fil do too.

The bell goes and all the kids trot down a fairly long ramp down onto the main (ish) road. But I've never seen any teachers or assistants.

Yesterday I was late and just opened the car door for ds and he jumped in. No-one questioned or even noticed me. And according to ds his grandpa did the same on Monday.

Is this normal for home times at a primary school?

I just thought this was odd in such a security mad world??

At our school (very small - this year there are 6 P1s!) the TA or class teacher stands at teh door and releases the wee ones into teh care of an adult. They are not allowed to go away on their own.

I don't think it's normal. At dss' school, certainly in Reception the teacher comes out with the class and only lets the child go when they have seen the parent/carer.

At dd's school the Pi's and P2's have to wait till a parent is there to take them, their classroom door opens right into the playground, there was something about it in the school handbook for P1's

last year was my last p1 year. Dd was one of 75 p1s in her school. But each was released seperately to a known adult and if someone different was picking her up, I had to send a note or call the school to let them know.

Not normal for reception in our area, each child has to be handed over at the door to a recognised adult. If the adult in question is not knwn to the teacher, and there hasn't been a warning phonecall, then they have to be checked out before they can take the child.
Complicated but very secure.
Bear in mind though, that if security is tightened up, you will have to put up with the inconvenience and the grumbling of other parents who will no longer be able to pull up and then drive off. Or be able to let someone other than them collect the child without advance notice. And the traffic problems as everyone tries to park as close as they can to avoid walking any further than necessary.
Not so much of a problem if you walk.

ds1 is only let out of the classroom when myself/dh or other carer is there.this is the same for all in his year and the next year. he's in pre primary at the moment and year 1 in feb.live in oz so slightly different system! he's 5 nearly 6

not normal at all

ours are taken to the gate and allowed to go when they can point to their adult.

I watched today - and the janny and teacher comes out the gate at the top of the hill and all the kids come down the steps - but the 2 in charge were busy talking and didn't even look at the kids.

I'll ask my friend tomorrow who used to work at the school.

All the kids in DS's school are released into the playground at the back of the school. In reception (4-5) they can only go when the teacher spots the child's 'grown-up'. The reception kids have a fenced off area they wait in until they are collected so they can't run off. Good system IMO

Message withdrawn

I agree it's not normal. Reception children in our school are only allowed to go to a known adult. Like FourArms, they have a fenced off bit of the playground and they're not allowed through the gate unless their adult is waiting.