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.

No I'm delighted to say I don't pick up my year 7 DD. After 2 years of me taking and fetching (middle school), she is on day 3 of walking. She has dyspraxia and it has taken her the extra time to be safe enough and confident enough to walk and I am so relieved.

If dd goes in by bus she has to leave the house 7.20 (bus at 7.30) - if she comes home by bus (which she is tonight for the first time GULP ) she finishes at 3.30 and has to get a bus at 3.40 (from a stop about 7 minutes and a massive main road away) and won't be home 'til 4.30.
It's too long a day every single day

I drop my dd (14) off - however I drop her off round the corner from her school at 8 o'clock, she meets some mates and goes to breakfast club.

I drop her off despite there being a bus, as I used to commute to work to Bristol for a year, so was out the house at half 6 and back again 12 hours later, so it is a real luxury and treat to be able to have that 10 minutes chat time with dd on the way to school. I wouldn't want to give that up.

She gets the bus home.

I do think it's good for children to be independent, but it's not practical for everyone. Have just remembered ds takes his cello to school 4 times a week as well as everything else, so it really would be a struggle on the bus (& would take up an extra bus seat too which we would no doubt have to pay for).

I've worked in 4 different secondary schools, and have kids at 2 others, at all of them lots of children are picked by car by their parents, and all the surrounding streets get clogged up for a breif while. It's very common around here certainly. My kids love it if i can ever pick them up (not very often).

I don't have a secondary age child, but many of DD's friends hve siblings at nearby secondary level. Many of them walk over to DD's school and get a lift home with their parent and sibling(s).

It depends on distance they live from school, what the public transport is like, if there are nearby younger siblings they can get a lift with, etc.

Many of the children at the schools local to DD's primary travel quite a way for various reasons.

I don't drive so didn't pick up any of My DD's in a car. Wehn DD1 first went to high school I accompanied her on the bus the first day ( it was an ordanairy service bus not a school bus), But she came home on her own,. DD2 and 3 went by themselves from day one,

When I was at secondary school my mum picked me up. My dad worked at the same school and my sister was at the primary school down the road. Would have been silly for us all to go home separately (my dad can't drive by the way).

DD started Y7 and is meant to walk to DS's primary school to meet me there. She has managed it once in 3 days. On the other 2 days, she has been picked up in the car from the next street from her school. I really didn't want to be caught up in all the cars that are there every day.

While waiting for her to come out tonight, I saw 2 Year7 boys being collected. But worse than that (IMO) was, they came out and held their mums hands.
Its lovely that they are still affectionate at 11 years old, we all know kids grow up so fast. But what will their friends think of it and is the child or the parent having trouble letting go?

My DS is 8 and holds my hand if he wants to. I don't offer my hand, but its always there if he wants to hold it. He wouldn't be caught dead holding it anywhere near his school though

Ds is year 12 now and I still pick him up 2 days a week. His Dad has always dropped him off on the way to work in the mornings (still leaving ds with a 15 min walk from drop off point)

On the days that I work he has to catch the bus. It is 2 buses - with a 20-40 min wait between each one. He finishes school at 3 and gets home between 4.30 and 4.50. On the days that I pick him up we are home by 3.30. So, though he could catch the bus on the days that I don't work, I pick him up to save him time and save e bus money!

My children are at school 15 miles from home - and no buses went from where we live when my eldest started. A bus does run now but it would cost over £2000 a year for them to go - and then I would still have to do the late pick ups after sport clubs (wheras I make one wait at school until the other is finished so I only have to drive once)

I would say over 95% of children at their school do not live within walking distance so buses and parking are always a problem in the evening (not as much in the morning as drop offs are so much more staggered)

Thanks for thoughts all.

I guess even I wouldn't make DS walk 12 miles snorkie! LOL @ the cello on the bus. DS1 plays the French horn and I sometimes wish he had chosen the flute

But most people I would guess either don't have such a distance to go or there is a free school bus (surely free over 3 miles?).

goblinchld glad it's just a passing phase

Jannerbird I realise it's an issue at primary too! but I expect primary age kids to be picked up somehow.

I was just amazed that so many parents (and this is in a city, so I doubt any live miles away) were fetching an 11yo.

My DD uses the bus and if I have to go into school we travel separately, because she cannot possibly be seen with me :)

DD started year 7 today and will get the bus home. I took her in with all her stuff today ( LAX stick, kit bag, boot bag, school bag etc ) but she will bus as of tomorrow.

However, it's flipping expensive ( £6 ), so if you had more than one, or yuou lived close, it may make more sense to drive. Also it's in the middle of nowhere and no pavements, so walking isn't an option.

I drop and collect ds from school. He's been in Yr 7 a week now.
We live a 30 minute drive down rural roads.
There is no bus from our village.

There is a bus from a village 3 miles away, but I'd have to pay £2.50 a day for it, drive him to it, then follow it to the town where it drops ds at school and continue on a further 20 minutes beyond to work. Same on my way home from work.

As a lone parent on a low income I'm not prepared to fork out for a bus that I'd be following anyway. Luckily he doesn't want school dinners either as finding the money for the suggested £4 a day would be impossible! And the 'donations' towards DT materials, and subject workbooks are already rolling in.

No, we don't pick up.
The boys come home on the (service) bus.

Their bus passes cost £9 per week each.