Dropping kids @ the school Gate....

thebullkf

then legging it....

Seems to be the modus operandi of a few parents in my local Infants school....

Does anyone else experience this?
Ami being over protective--over reacting??

i mean literally,schools officially not open,but school yard is.
parents walk in gate-kiss/hug child then they feck off:eek:

I have to be honest here-- i would never do that...and if i had a/caught a childminder/babysitter/family member even doing it,they'd never get a second chance to do it!.

Any thoughts?

(apologies if this has been done to death:o-i had a quick look and didn't see a similar thread)

we'llallhavetea_old

well i don't do it. i walk my daughter into the class, she's in senior infants. however, i don't see anything wrong with letting them walk in from the gate. obviously it's not nice to just leg it, but what are you suppose to do? stand there staring at the child playing with the other kids?

i think you're over reacting tbh. when my daughter is ready to walk in from the gate, she will.

astra2000

Oh ya I have seen this done at my childs then playschool. I was shocked mind you it wasnt the norm just the same couple of parents too busy trying to get off to work than to spend the time escorting their kids into the building, actually they didnt even drop them at the gates pulled up in a little parking area let them off and then off they went leaving a 3 or 4 year old to make their own way in.

alex73

I don't get out of the car, Drop the kids off 15mins before school starts. 400 pupils in primary and I have never seen any of the parents walk the children to the class (apart from junior infance). 25% of the kids walk to school anyway.

alex73

I presume the thread relates to some Dublin school.

XxMCRxBabyxX

I was never escorted into the building as a kid. I was only ever dropped at the gate (Minus my first day in my new school when I moved to Ireland)

I really don't see the problem tbh. As long as you get the child to school what's going to happen?!

Nevyn

It depends on the age of the kids and soon it is before the school opens, often in many schools the kids line up in thier classes in the yard before the bell goes, and then they troop into the school building, can't see that being an issue as long as it's not pelting rain and the kids are there more then 10 mins or so before the time.

alex73

XxMCRxBabyxX wrote: »

I was never escorted into the building as a kid. I was only ever dropped at the gate (Minus my first day in my new school when I moved to Ireland)

I really don't see the problem tbh. As long as you get the child to school what's going to happen?!

Exactly,, I presume the thread was started by some parent who sends kids to fee paying private school..

XxMCRxBabyxX

alex73 wrote: »

Exactly,, I presume the thread was started by some parent who sends kids to fee paying private school..

My first school was a fee paying private school in the middle of Africa!

In fact I don't think any of my classmates in that school were dropped further than the gates either!

astra2000

OP when you say infant school do you mean preschool or primary school?

thebullkf

ok.. bear with me...lots of posts in like 2 mins..:)

thebullkf

its not a private school

junior infants....4-5 year olds.


kids dropped @ gate. parents = gone.

10-20 mins before school.:eek:

thebullkf

we'llallhavetea wrote: »

well i don't do it. i walk my daughter into the class, she's in senior infants. however, i don't see anything wrong with letting them walk in from the gate. obviously it's not nice to just leg it, but what are you suppose to do? stand there staring at the child playing with the other kids?

i think you're over reacting tbh. when my daughter is ready to walk in from the gate, she will.

???


i stand there with some other parents till teacher comes out to escort my child to class.

kids are all in their lína's

thebullkf

alex73 wrote: »

I presume the thread relates to some Dublin school.

yes.

and?

slarkin123

I don't see anything wrong with kids being dropped off at the gates if they're open. In our school they're not. Kids are being left outside locked gates and there is a chance of one wandering off.

XxMCRxBabyxX

thebullkf wrote: »

its not a private school

junior infants....4-5 year olds.


kids dropped @ gate. parents = gone.

10-20 mins before school.:eek:

As far as I'm concerned my point still stands then.
They're being dropped off at school, why should a parent have to wait? I certainly turned out fine without my parents waiting for me to head into the classroom

littlebug

Our school have a policy that the parents must not leave until the child has gone in the door.

thebullkf

astra2000 wrote: »

Oh ya I have seen this done at my childs then playschool. I was shocked mind you it wasnt the norm just the same couple of parents too busy trying to get off to work than to spend the time escorting their kids into the building, actually they didnt even drop them at the gates pulled up in a little parking area let them off and then off they went leaving a 3 or 4 year old to make their own way in.

similar story here...

thebullkf

XxMCRxBabyxX wrote: »

As far as I'm concerned my point still stands then.
They're being dropped off at school, why should a parent have to wait? I certainly turned out fine without my parents waiting for me to head into the classroom

presumablyso your child doesn't get abducted


there's nobody in the yard bar kids+ parents....

XxMCRxBabyxX

thebullkf wrote: »

presumablyso your child doesn't get abducted


there's nobody in the yard bar kids+ parents....

More than enough witnesses to prevent anyone attempting to abduct a child. Like I said myself and everyone I went to school with were fine.

silja

At 5 I walked to my kindergarten, about 1/2 a mile from our house, though that was in a more rural setting in Switzerland.

4 may be a bit early, depending on the maturity of the child, but at 5 years old I think that is perfectly acceptable, especially as they are not alone- there are several of their mates and parents around, as was stated. That being said, at the playschool my kids go to, everyone up to kindergarten (4.5 years) must be signed for at the classroom door, signed in and out every day. That is in the USA though, where we currently live.

we'llallhavetea_old

thebullkf wrote: »

???

huh?

when my daughter decides she wants to walk in from the gate by herself she will... whats the confusion? i'm confused? *scratches head*

i stand there with some other parents till teacher comes out to escort my child to class.

kids are all in their lína's

there are no lines to go in in the morning at my daughters school. the kids are playing outside or are in class yakkin, waiting for class to start.

i don't really know what you're worrying about.

cynder

In my lads school only around 10 out of 120 parents stay with their junior/senior infants, the rest leave them in the playground.

school starts at 9.20 at 9.10 a teacher is on yard duty, many leave their kids off before 9.10. I'm at the school at 8.50 as my boy starts pre school in the school at 9.00 i drop him off then stay with my 5 year old either until his teacher comes or someone is on active yard duty.

The kids are not permitted to enter the school before 9.20 bell unless is it pouring down with rain. (not drizzle, heavy rain).

cbyrd

I drop at the school gate very rarely ... mine would be embarrassed if i hung around :rolleyes: the school is open from 9am school starts at 9.20am and parents are not encouraged to walk the children into class except in the first week of junior infants as it leaves the hall too full of adults and can lead to confusion and overcrowding.

That said i drop mine some morning around the corner from the school and they walk about 5 mins in a nice quiet housing estate with other kids from school (its a common shortcut).. i'm not too paraniod about abducters round every corner and i hope i have instilled some street smarts into my girls, i cannot be there with them at every moment and i need to know that if i cannot for any reason get to them (puncture illness etc) that they have the smarts to get home safe. and no i'm not irresponsible, mad, getting at amyone or too liberal with them, they are my life and as such i must teach them how to do things without me....;)

thebullkf

XxMCRxBabyxX wrote: »

More than enough witnesses to prevent anyone attempting to abduct a child. Like I said myself and everyone I went to school with were fine.

not really. i was on my own with 3 kids for 10 mins yesterday morning.
not a soul around. i'm on school property but unsupervised.

thebullkf

we'llallhavetea wrote: »

huh?

i was wondering about the walk in when she's ready comment.;)

when my daughter decides she wants to walk in from the gate by herself she will... whats the confusion? i'm confused? *scratches head*

i think you misunderstand,i'm not talking about handholding them into class.
i'm talking about alocked building,empty of visible staff.
open schoolyard,and kids being left-

there are no lines to go in in the morning at my daughters school. the kids are playing outside or are in class yakkin, waiting for class to start.

i don't really know what you're worrying about.

yeah i'm prob. over reacting:o

thebullkf

cbyrd wrote: »

I drop at the school gate very rarely ... mine would be embarrassed if i hung around :rolleyes: the school is open from 9am school starts at 9.20am and parents are not encouraged to walk the children into class except in the first week of junior infants as it leaves the hall too full of adults and can lead to confusion and overcrowding.

That said i drop mine some morning around the corner from the school and they walk about 5 mins in a nice quiet housing estate with other kids from school (its a common shortcut).. i'm not too paraniod about abducters round every corner and i hope i have instilled some street smarts into my girls, i cannot be there with them at every moment and i need to know that if i cannot for any reason get to them (puncture illness etc) that they have the smarts to get home safe. and no i'm not irresponsible, mad, getting at amyone or too liberal with them, they are my life and as such i must teach them how to do things without me....;)

good post.


but what age group? i'm talking 4/5 year olds....

i live miles from the school....

Maddison

My little boy is 7 and Ive only started allowing him to walk into the yard by himself recently, I park across the road from the school and he is escourted across the road by the lollypop lady, I watch him enter the gates & drive away. I only started doing this because he has come to an age where he doesnt want mammy walking him in and hugging him in front of his friends, I suppose he feels that little bit more grown up. He gives me a cuddle in the car & goes on his merry way with mammy watching him from a distance.

thebullkf

why should a parent have to wait?

why wouldn't a parent wait?? surely nothings too important to not watch your kid....?

we'llallhavetea_old

thebullkf wrote: »

i think you misunderstand,i'm not talking about handholding them into class.
i'm talking about alocked building,empty of visible staff.
open schoolyard,and kids being left-

ah well, we usually skid to a halt in the bus space and leg it in (out of breath) just in the nick of time, most mornings

i'm never down there earlier than ten past tbh, so the school is already unlocked.

but if my daughter wanted to go in by herself, she would be in the yard or class for the ten minutes without supervision i guess... i wouldn't be worried about that.

yeah i'm prob. over reacting:o

well, your school is different to our school, so i dunno really

implausible

thebullkf wrote: »

presumably so your child doesn't get abducted

Seriously, I don't get this obsession with kids being abducted. The chances of a child being kidnapped are no greater nowadays than they were a generation ago, you just hear far more about it now. There is a far greater danger of them being knocked down; now, there's a reason to hang around the school - if your child is crossing the road.

I wouldn't necessarily agree with parents dropping kids off so early that none of the staff are there, but there isn't a need for parents to stay if the teachers are there.

thebullkf

deemark wrote: »

Seriously, I don't get this obsession with kids being abducted. The chances of a child being kidnapped are no greater nowadays than they were a generation ago,

i disagree,but neither of us can back it up-also a generation ago,kids were more polite,peole more pleasant.

I wouldn't necessarily agree with parents dropping kids off so early that none of the staff are there, but there isn't a need for parents to stay if the teachers are there.

this is my point.... NO supervision....only other parents.

deisemum

Mine got the school bus and didn't have their mammy walking them up to the yard.

Parents are actively discouraged from bringing their children up to the yard unless they want to have a quick word with the teacher when she/he comes out to bring in her class or if they're in JI but by halloween they're expected to walk up. 6th class pupils act as buddies and escort the JI pupils up to the yard.

implausible

thebullkf wrote: »

i disagree,but neither of us can back it up-also a generation ago,kids were more polite,peole more pleasant.

Will have to go find this, but I definitely heard a radio slot before where the guy was quoting abduction figures from the UK and there had been no increase in 20 years. There have been a few high profile cases lately that have pushed it to the forefront of parents' minds, but the risk is no greater.

this is my point.... NO supervision....only other parents.

Well, that could put a different slant on it for some. In case of bullying, messing in the yard etc, I would prefer if a staff member was on the premises, however, if you haven't time to wait around, surely any adult is better than none.

angelfire9

Have to confess I'm one of those drop her and run mothers
Mainly at the start because school starts at 9 and work started at 9 so i didn't really have a choice
Then again my daughter is little miss independent, this is the child who started school in Sept 2005 having turned 4 in August 2005!
The same child who was brought into Jnr Infants in June to meet her class and her teacher for an afternoon and turned around to me when I brought her in and said "its ok Mammy you can go back to work now I'll be fine"

Now she is 9 (going on 90) she wouldn't want me to hang around the yard in the mornings anyway even though now I actually have the time :rolleyes:

I wouldn't be worried about child abductions in Ennis to be honest, no one would try with my daughter anyway she is well capable of kicking/screaming abuse at anyone who tries anything like this poor sod in Dunnes about a year ago that was looking for his daughter and saw mine dressed in almost identical clothes and thought our daughter was his (simple case of mistaken identity) all the poor man did was put a hand on her shoulder & mini me went into some weird combat pose she'd seen on TV and kicked the poor guy in the shins and screamed at him to get away from her and I was standing right beside her
Don't know who was more mortified me or the poor sod with the missing daughter

BostonB

Our school expects the kids in low/high infants to have a parent or sibling with them in the yard. From first class onward, they can walk in on their own.

I'd be more concerned of the kids messing than anything else. Theres no one watching them other than parents, and often, parents only really watch their own circle. Also some kids are more likely to mess than others. So if you've one of those, ( I do) you probably want to keep an eye on them.

In this day and age, schools really are very backward if they start at 9. How can people get to work if they do that. Very unfair.

smelltheglove

I drop my 8 year old off, only this year started letting her go in alone. Its a large school with a lot of kids. A lot of parents do stay with the kids but the school tries to discourage the parents from standing at the door and waving goodbye to their kids, glad to say I was never one of those.

My daughters first school was a country school where they wouldnt allow parents in the yard with the kids, as she was only in junior infants then I used to wait outside the gate until I saw them go in as she was a shy child but now I think she is more than capable to walk through the gates alone. I wouldnt leave a 4 or 5 yr old to do it alone, many parents do though, I think it depends on the childs maturity levels, Im relaxed enough in the knowledge that my daughter will go through those gates and not come back out.

Also the school starts at 9 as does the little ones playschool so I would have to be late every day for the playschool if I was to chaerone my daughter to the door.

alex73

My school does not allow any parents in, drop the kids 15 mins before school and they play. No idea where the person who start this thread gets his/her info, needs a reality check, what hold you kids hand to the classroom??.. In the 80's I remember only about 1 in 10 kids were driven to school, the rest of us went on the bus or walked.

Nevyn

thebullkf if you have an issue with a post report it.

implausible

BostonB wrote: »

In this day and age, schools really are very backward if they start at 9. How can people get to work if they do that. Very unfair.

Backward? Most primary schools don't start until after 9. Teachers aren't babysitters and it isn't in their contracts to be there from 8 o'clock onwards. Schools who have outside people supervising in the yard usually need those hours for lunch-time.

What if you started school at 8, or 7:30, would you expect someone to be waiting at the gate for your child and likewise, if you didn't finish until 5 o'clock, would you expect a teacher to wait around? Schools have opening and closing times, always have had. Parents have always known they have to work around that.

Perhaps there is scope for change, opening schools at 8:30 for example and increasing supervision hours but you'd still have people complaining.

BostonB

Its simple maths. Giving people time to get to work, gives vastly more people a lot more options. It can effect peoples lives dramatically. Other countries manage to stagger their times, are schools here just unable to grasp this? or just unwilling? It would help traffic too.

Lots of schools have after school clubs, or people can arrange with partners, family or friends to share pickups. Many work half days etc. but a lot of work is out if you can't get there by 9.

Our school starts at 8.30, and theres no teachers in the yard before then. So if there were no parents, you'd have 500 kids with no supervision. When I was a kid, because so many kids were in the yard early, without parents, the school had to have a teacher(s) in the yard before school.

Some people would complain if they won the lotto. You don't have to pay attention to stupid complaints though.

Khannie

thebullkf wrote: »

also i'm not a grammar nazi but <insert ridonculous spelling guidance here>

Leave that out please. I really dislike it.

BostonB

Unless something is unreadable, miss-spelling should be ignored, thats just Netiquette.

http://albion.com/bookNetiquette/0963702513p75.html
http://www.albury.net.au/new-users/netiquet.htm

deemark

deemark wrote: »

Backward? Most primary schools don't start until after 9. Teachers aren't babysitters and it isn't in their contracts to be there from 8 o'clock onwards. Schools who have outside people supervising in the yard usually need those hours for lunch-time.

What if you started school at 8, or 7:30, would you expect someone to be waiting at the gate for your child and likewise, if you didn't finish until 5 o'clock, would you expect a teacher to wait around? Schools have opening and closing times, always have had. Parents have always known they have to work around that.

Perhaps there is scope for change, opening schools at 8:30 for example and increasing supervision hours but you'd still have people complaining.

I think the point is that the school hours should be changed from 9.00 - 2.30 to 8.30 - 2, not just having people supervising til 9

CK2010

i had never really thought about this before, my girl is only three and wont start school til 5, but now that i think about it and have read all the pros and cons so to speak im really undecided.

lets say if im in mcdonalds with the little one and we sit down and then i realise ive forgotten straws (every time i go in i forget them!) il always take my lil one up with me to get them. i feel ridiculous leaving my food and dragging her up with me but id feel uneasy leaving her sitting alone with no trusted/specific supervision (although like i said she is only three), nothing specific has given me reason to feel like this i just do so i really dont think id be able to drop her and leave when school time arrives.

i think its not an issue of some bad man could get her, its more an issue of wanting my child under the supervision of a trusted adult at all times. not just randomers in mcdonalds/the school that may or may not keep their eye on her but someone specifically chosen by me to look after her. basically ensuring that someone is actively responsible for her well being at all times because god forbid anything was to happen there'd be nobody to blame but myself. and i dont mean it in a blame game kind of way. its hard to explain.

i just think that we wouldnt allow our kids to be left in a random room of strangers hoping they take notice of her while we went out for the night, we'd appoint a specific person to take responsibility, so why take that chance on a regular basis just because its for a smaller amount of time before the appointed adult (in this case the teacher) appears. id love to think that most parents would look out for all kids but tbh its not a chance id be willing to take unless id discussed it with the parents first and knew it for definite.

but like i said, im not at that stage yet and my view may change once im in that position, i dont know.

having said that, it does depend on your childs age, mental development, maturity, social abilities etc.

byhookorbycrook

We tried to open school early , i.e. 8.50 but couldn't do so because of buses.Schools do not have to supervise in the morning. If you choose to leave your child in early, then the school is not responsible. I presume you would not drop them at say, a playcentre , before it was open?

jaybee747

Personally my kids are dropped off at the gate 2 mins before they're due to start and I watch until their in the line. But I know what the OP is saying i've known some mothers to drop their kids at the gate at 8.30 (school starts 9.15) , This is a disgrace, some of the kids are 6/7 years of age. The principal has even send home letters stating nobody should drop kids of at that hour but still happens.

CK2010

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

We tried to open school early , i.e. 8.50 but couldn't do so because of buses.Schools do not have to supervise in the morning. If you choose to leave your child in early, then the school is not responsible. I presume you would not drop them at say, a playcentre , before it was open?

you managed to say in a few lines what i tried to say in my long post!!

BostonB

Sorry what have buses got to do with it? or play centres?

Some schools open before 9am. I guess where theres a will theres a way. Where theres no will theres no way.

9.15 is an odd starting time. IMO.

byhookorbycrook

Buses have everything to do with it, if children can't get in ,how does school start?

BostonB

Unless Moses made the timetable, bus timetables can be changed.