Are schools ruining our society? Advice.
 

I think this is ridiculous or am I an irresponsible parent?

Today we received a letter from the 'acting' head our sons infant school. He is 7 years old and in his final year here. It's not a big school 150 kids perhaps at most and a small 'community' one at that.

In the letter it asked for a written guarantee that we take responsibility for our son if we are not walking him all the way to his classroom in the morning.

This included - the 30-50 metre walk along the footpath of the road outside, across the staff carpark entrance (used in frequently and around 12 spaces), into the main walk-in gate, into the area he drops his lunchbox off and onto his classroom.

I got into trouble the other day when dropping him off for sitting in my car and watching him walk into the gate, before driving off. I have done this on and off with my daughter when she was at school here and have just started if I can get a park close to the gate with my son and see him on the path in.

My son is quite proud to be able to walk in himself and for me it is giving him some responsibility and part of building confidence - earning trust etc. For the teachers I guess I am lazy and irresponsible...

I can understand they are worried about health and safety but I think they are going to far making an issue out of things like this due to policy that does more to protect the school than teach our kids.

I am unsure if I should think differently and just wanted others opinion on the matter before taking a stand on the matter - or complying with the other lemmings and walk him into the classroom.

Re: Are schools ruining our society? Advice.
 

Tell them you're a registered sex offender and it's part of your licence that you don't enter any school premises. That should give them something serious to worry about....

Re: Are schools ruining our society? Advice.
 

I am in the same situation. I have started letting my 7yr old walk into the gate aswell. He is usually with his 10yr old sister, but if she was off i would still let him do it. I wouldnt let him cross a road on his own though or walk to school the full distance alone.

I don't think the school would be justified in issueing such a letter to us, as at the end of the day they just open the doors and the kids could walk off in any direction with anyone, the teachers wouldnt have a clue.

Re: Are schools ruining our society? Advice.
 

I just literally sat laughing to myself... that is brilliant :cheers:

Re: Are schools ruining our society? Advice.
 

Me too... I can see the look on the parents faces when I loudly announce it at the gate :)

Re: Are schools ruining our society? Advice.
 

Jesus wept.

When I was 5 years old my mum used to wave me off at the garden gate, from where I'd walk half a mile with my two elder sisters to catch a school-bus from Serangoon, where we lived in Singapore, to Selerang School. To get to the bus-stop we'd have to cross one of the busiest roads in Singapore, the one that led from Serangoon to the airport. My sister's bus always arrived before mine by about 5 minutes, so me and my friends would wait patiently for ours to arrive.

On the return journey I would get off the bus and cross the road with friends, walk through a local kampong village and into our road alone, because none of my schoolfriends live nearby.

My ex had a similar trip to mine every day from the age of 8 until she was 16, when she attended a local all girls school in Bedford. She'd have to cross the main road, catch a bus into the centre of town and then negotiate a bus station and a couple of very busy roads before getting into school.

Neither of us had any problems and nor did our schoolfriends. My kids were encouraged to go out and toughen up in the same way I was. As soon as they were old enough to travel on a bus alone, that's what they did every day until they got driving licences and cars of their own.

We're breeding a nation of bloody wimps who can't do anything unless mummy holds their hand.

Re: Are schools ruining our society? Advice.
 

We'll if you're a irresponsible parent, then my mum and dad would have been locked up for life.

I used to walk from home from my house to school everyday almost as soon after starting school at 5. It was about 10mins from home. Then after school I used to catch the bus to get to my mum & dads office.

Acting head seems like he or she is trying to make a name for themselves.

Ask for a copy of this policy and then take it up with the local education department.

Re: Are schools ruining our society? Advice.
 

so are you expected to wander around the school when it finishes to collect your kid from the classroom or are the school taking full responsibility in opening the doors and assuming your kid is going to find its way to you through all the other children?

Re: Are schools ruining our society? Advice.
 

Tell them to get off their ar5e in the tea room and get out there and manage their charges!

It would be funny if it wasn't so ...........................relax Bri, your kids are now old enough not to have to put up with teflon coated..........breath 2,3,4

I'm a tree, I'm a tree...

Re: Are schools ruining our society? Advice.
 

Don't blame the school, blame the courts. Schools are just covering their asses.

Because someone, somewhere, took a school to court (and won) because <insert tragedy here> happened to their kid, on school property, unsupervised, before school officially started.

I don't know what to tell you. Yeah, it's ridiculous.

What's the school going to do if you don't sign the form? Ban your kid?