KEY PRINCIPLES
- Class Teachers are responsible for the orderly dismissal of pupils from their classrooms.
- Class Teachers must be sure that pupils’ leaving arrangements are SAFE
- Class Teachers will not allow children to leave with unknown persons
- Children in Years 5 & 6 are only allowed to walk home alone with written permission from parents and agreement from school H&S committee that it is appropriate and safe to do so.
- Where changes to a child’s normal pattern of home time occurs, the school expects to be informed by the parent on or before the day.
- Where a person other than a child’s parent is collecting a child from school – school expects to be informed
- When children start in Foundation Stage parents, need to make the teacher aware of who will be collecting the child each day.
- Where a different to the usual person is sent to pick up a child – school needs notification as they will not release a child to an unknown adult or to another parent
- Parents will drop off / collect children (or arrange for this to happen) punctually – if parents are late then the children will be placed in Kids Club and there will be a charge. Please note there is an expectation that you collect promptly at 3:00 (or 4:15pm if your child participates in an extra – curricular activity)
- Late collection is monitored by Miss Ashworth (Family Learning Mentor)
For all the other issued raised we have developed a Drop Off and Collection Policy.
The following are the Key Summary Points.
- No child must be left unattended on the playground. The children are your responsibility until staff open the doors at 8.45am. If children are dropped off, without supervision, they will be placed in Kids Club and parents will be billed accordingly.
- All children must be in school by 8.55 am – Doors will be closed at this time and as parents, it is your responsibility to be on time. The impact of lateness is not just on your children but also on all the others in the class when lessons have to be stopped and the teacher has to go and explain to late children what they need to do.
- The Attendance Officer (Miss Ashworth) and H&S committee will monitor lateness. They will offer support where appropriate. However, parents who persistently drop children off late despite support from school will be referred to the County Attendance Team
- Staff will release children at 3pm from their respective doors to a responsible adult that is known to school
- KS1 children will only be released to a sibling over 16 years of age.
- KS2 children may be released to a sibling of secondary school age.
- Children will not be released to any adult that is unknown to school or to another parent unless school has been notified in advance. If an unknown adult or another parent comes to collect without school being informed in advance and we cannot contact parents – the child will be placed in Kids Club until we can contact parents.
- Whilst we recognise that there are occasions where parents are delayed through no fault of their own e.g. traffic jams etc. Children that are not collected on time will be placed into Kids Club and parents charged according. The H&S committee feel that this will reduce the stress and pressure on parents rushing to school, as you know your child will be looked after safely until you can collect them. There will be a charge for this.
- The H&S committee feel it is important that all parents are aware that at 3pm all Teaching Assistants finish work and Teachers have a range of commitments – from meeting with parents, running extra-curricular clubs, staff training, marking books attending meetings etc. They are not available after school to look after your children.
- As a school, we provide an afterschool facility that is available to look after your child if you cannot for whatever reason collect your child / children on time. This is why if children are not collected punctually they will be placed in Kids Club where they will be cared for until your arrival.
- In Y5/6 parents can if they wish request that pupils walk to and from school. However, the LCC Legal Department has advised that given the location of the school – there needs to be some discussion and agreement with school as to whether the children can walk home safely. Therefore, in light of this, parents will need to apply to the H&S committee – who will look at each individual case. They will consider location of house from school, roads that will need to be crossed, any special needs the children might have, the time of the children leaving school – for example in the winter it is dark after extra-curricular activities.
- Provided the H&S Committee agree, the school then requires written parental consent for their children in years 5 and 6 only to walk to and from school alone.
- In the event of a child not being collected from school and school not being able to contact parents/ emergency contacts, after 60 mins the school will follow its child protection procedures and the police and social services will be informed.
- The H&S and Safeguarding committee meet on a monthly basis and if you have any issues that you feel they need to be made aware of, they ask that you let school know via the office or put your points in a letter addressed to Keith Walker, Governor and Chair of the SHE Committee, and post in the drop box.