Do you pick yr DC up from secondary? In the car?

[Clary]

And if so why

I ask as I work in a secondary school; I left a bit early today as it was quiet and hit the rush (which I usually miss).

I was staggered by the number of cars, traffic which (in a quiet road) could only be folk picking up, as far as I could see anyway. It seemed more than usual, tho as I say I was early leaving.

What is even more amazing is that we only had about 250 students in today - just yr 7.

So could it just have been picking up on first day type thing? Will it stop in coming weeks?

It's just I am genuinely surprised that anyone would pick up an 11yo from school. If you do, why? I really want to know, not in order to be mean and nasty, honest.

Yes cat, I cannot imagine picking up DS1 (newly started in yr 7).

I really think he would be about as unkeen on that as he would on going into the women's changing room at the pool (I saw an 11yo boy there t'other day - but that's another thred )

I did yesterday but only because it was his first day.
I have offered him bus fare money but he said he would prefer to walk unless the weather is really bad. He's a little claustrophobic like me so the idea of a packed out bus doesn't really appeal to him. Its only a 45 minute walk (at slow 11 year old pace) or 30 minutes for the average human.

My DD asked me to pick her up today because she didn't enjoy the bus y'day (she has to get 2 buses home on her own) ... I said she should try again today so she's doing it again on her tod ... give us a break clary, most of them have only just started doing this for themselves and they need to get used to it ... only the first week!! ;) In a week or two, I'm sure they won't want us anywhere near the school gates!

It's a load of Primary mummies going through a painful transition. It will pass :D

Well if only yr 7s have started back would they bother putting on school buses for so few?

I have picked up both my kids on first day in year 7. They normally bus or walk or bike it. Unless we have a special reason or they have to stay extra late, then I might give them a lift. Some get lifts all the time, but I assume they live somewhere inaccessible, have activities to get to or SN (one boy is deaf and I understand his mother's worry). Oh and I knew one girl who was being threatened by another, so used to be picked up.

However schools I've worked in always have lots of cars picking up after school. (Don't try to leave by car between 3 and 4, is usually the advice.)

DS is on the train and walking with his friend. He is very excited by his lndependence
I'm not bunging up the road!!

Yes. Too far to cycle (about 12 miles, takes about an hour each way, though the dc have done this very occasionally). No public transport. School bus is very expensive (especially x2) and dh or I (usually both) have always worked close to the school so we've mostly been able to combine drop-offs and pick ups with journeys to/from work rather than making a special journey. Dd has changed school this term & she now cycles (about 4 miles each way). I think she likes the independence, but it's not uncommon to be driven at either school as many children travel longer distances and in ruralish areas the public transport isn't great.

My Y11 DS said to me that he couldn't believe how many parents were picking up their Y7 children now. He doesn't remember it being like this in other years.

I quite agree with you. Children now need to be independent. My children walked over a mile to school from Y5, with main roads, penguin crossings, zebra crossings, etc. It's good for their development.

i used to as ds's school was miles away, the buses were imo dangerous as they just jammed the kids in like sardines, oh and ds was badly bullied.

No, our DCs walk home and have done since day 1. Its about 30 minutes. The traffic round school is difficult though if ever I do have to pick them up for a special reason such as a GP appointment straight after school. Rarely do this though as I'm keen to worsen the traffic and usually I'm at work anyway.

No- ds gets bus home- about a 10 minute ride.
He did phone me at 5 yesterday after football practice to say the next bus wasn't due for 10 minutes and could I pick him and his friends up- the answer was no.

The buses where we are don't run if there are only year 7s in, so no choice but to pick them up (unless we want dd crossing a motorway!).

Now the rest of the school are back she gets bus home. We give her a lift there in the morning though as the alternative is her leaving the house at 7.15 - which is a step too far at the mo

DS walks home.

DD will as soon as she can cope with the twats who mount the kerb to park at school and generally kill anything/anyone in their way so that they can park right by school.

Ironic that the thing preventing her from walking to school on her own is the appalling attitude and driving of the other parents at her school(and the one next door)
[fuckers]

Ds1 has just started Yr7 today and has used public transport. He could walk (about 20mins) He will also get the bus home.

My DS has just started year 7. It's not our catchment school and he doesn't know anyone there.
It would take over an hour to walk, half an hour to bike and the only bus that goes near it is a good 20 minutes walk from our house.

I'm really hoping he'll cycle once he's got his confidence up but until then I'm driving him to a quiet road about 10 minutes walk away. At least he's gaining a bit of independence, I'm not clogging up the school gates and it gives me that extra 10 minutes to get to and from work!

My DS1 started today and he looked horrified when I asked him if he wanted a lift!

This isn't just a secondary problem - it's often chaos around primary schools and in my experience they generally live close enough to walk...

My DDs school has introduced what they call a 'travel plan' which essentially bans cars outside the school and suggests various drop off points which are within a 5 minute walk from the school. Not sure if it works as I happily wave my DDs off from the front door in my dressing gown before going back to bed getting DS his breakfast.

oh that didn't work was trying to cross it out.

I did pick dd up on her first day in Yr 7, but I walked there so we could walk back together as she was a bit nervous about getting lost. I then met her halfway a couple of times and after that she was confident to go there and back on her own. I didn't see a problem with that. She was already stressed about going to a school where she didn't know anybody so I just gave her one less thing to worry about.

Oh must admit I have on occasion picked her up in the car, but only when she had to take her electric guitar and her PE kit on the same day. It was quite a heavy load for someone still wearing age 8-9 school trousers.

DD is at High School in our local village, its about 15/20 mins walk. She would die of shame if I turned up for her. Dh occasionally drops her in the morning as he is going that way if it rains, even then she is out the car and door slammed without so much as a backwards glance.