My sons school secruity is a joke.

azjh77

Define 'locked in'..My kids run around in a field/play ground during breaktime, they wouldn't even notice they were 'locked in' - unless they tried to get out!

If your kids school is on fire do they run out into the street? No they stand in the playground. A locked gate wouldn't make much difference. 'the guy with the key' lives on the grounds in our case, and will get to the gate before the fire engine.

For younger children, on a main road - like our school - the gates are shut, with a high up latch to stop them 'wandering' No kids have yet claimed it an affront to their 'human right to liberty'

shellsuit

My childrens school front gates are left open, same with the infant school gate (kids are in junior school).

It's never even occured to me to think they should be closed or locked.

What if a parent or schooling bod had an appointment during school hours, how are they meant to get into the grounds??

The main entrance doors are always closed and you need to 'buzz' to be let in.

I don't see the problem?

lyla

shellsuit wrote: »

My childrens school front gates are left open, same with the infant school gate (kids are in junior school).

It's never even occured to me to think they should be closed or locked.

What if a parent or schooling bod had an appointment during school hours, how are they meant to get into the grounds??

The main entrance doors are always closed and you need to 'buzz' to be let in.

I don't see the problem?

i was thinking exactly that myself about people who have appointments during the day also people who need to deliver things, midday supervisors getting in ? the list goes on! i cannot see the problem aslong as the main reception doors have security. my childrens schools never have their gates locked and i do not know any that do. Totally over the top reaction.

new_mum_again

As i previously said there are 3 entrances to the school. One which has a locked during school time gate that leads onto a carpark and One that i and quite a few dont understand why it isnt locked and an entrance you have to go through a security door to get access to the inside of the school through this is a buzzer door that is operated by the ladies in the office. This is where the parents who need to collect children during the day go through and where delieveries go etc etc.
There is obviously more than one key so waiting for one person to unlock the gates in case of emergency is highly unlikely.

The point I was (trying)to state when I said about Aseas comment was about the Fathers taking their children out of the school and going abroad with them that is what a couple of the mums at the school are worried about even though they full custody etc. And Yes it does and can happen even if the odds are 1 in 100 i'd rather my child is not the 1.And I certainly wouldn't like to tell the parent of that one child that yes there is a gate with a padlock on it but it wasnt locked.I lock my frount door when i go to bed even though im in the house is this crazy and paranoid?
And like someone else said the children at this school assemble on the field or on the playground for fire drills not on the path outside the school.

kittiwoz

new_mum_again wrote:

I lock my frount door when i go to bed even though im in the house is this crazy and paranoid?

That depends. If you mean that you double lock it so that you need a key to get out as well as to get in then yes, that is crazy. If you have to look for the key then it is a major fire hazard. Also there is a problem if someone breaks in through a window and you disturb them. They would probably try and run away through the door but if it is locked they can't run away and will be backed into a corner and forced into a confrontation. They would have to go through you to get back to the window or force you to give them the door key. Most burglaries don't involve violence but if you trap a burglar in the house with you then that is most probably going to be exception. The only way you can double lock the door and avoid it being a fire hazard or a way of trapping burglars in the house with yourself is if you hang the key on a hook by the door but if you do that and you do get burgled (not that it is likely) you'll have to change the lock.

mpython

new_mum_again wrote: »

.......The point I was (trying)to state when I said about Aseas comment was about the Fathers taking their children out of the school and going abroad with them that is what a couple of the mums at the school are worried about even though they full custody etc. And Yes it does and can happen even if the odds are 1 in 100 ......

I know you feel strongly about this and I feel very strongly about the safety of my own children.

However, locking the gates won't stop parents taking their children out of school & abroad. As others have said, the biggest risk to children is in their own home, from people they know. There is a much bigger risk to children simply crossing the road than being abducted from school. In part this is due to children no longer walking to school but instead they are driven to the school gates in the mistaken belief that they are safer.

At the end of the day, we all take risks, some are known, some are unknown, some are managable/ addressable.

When you speak to the school, just try & keep a sense of proportion between the liklihood, impact, consequences & mitigating actions, as well as the views of other parents who may have a different point of view.

asea

wiggly wrote: »

there aren't "issues with kids talking to strangers" if you want to look at risk then a child is at more risk being locked up with family members at night, not by some strange bogey man on the street

should we lock kids away from all their family then?

no of course not - i was responding to the teaching kids 'fear of the unknown' i wasn't talking about where risks lie, i think you took my comments out of context or perhaps misunderstood

stars_bright

I work as a school secretary and in our school there are 2 gates - one is the pedestrian gate and the other is to the car park. The gate to the car park is open first thing in the morning and when school closes, to allow staff to enter and leave the car park. At other times the gate is shut but not locked. The pedestrian gate is shut but not locked at all times. This prevents the younger children from just running out of school, although they are supervised when they are outside anyway. It would not be practical to lock the gates because we have parents, the postman, dinner staff etc calling in all day. Entry to the actual building is via intercom only. I feel that this system is sensible and practical. I am sure that your headteacher will understand your concerns about very young children possibly wondering off through an open gate, but I doubt very much that it would be practical to lock the gates. Good luck and please let us know how you get on.

black-saturn

My daughters school locks the gates but TBH I've never thought about it as an issue until now. The security at their school is really tight. Once I was walking past on the way back from town past the school and my daughters class were all outside doing PE. My daughter and some of her friends spotted me and waved. Later that day when I picked her up the teacher said I shouldnt have waved back as the other children might think it's OK to communicate with people outside the school fence.

I think if the OP is still concerned she should write to her local education authority or to the school governors.

RadoJo

Well, if nothing else, OP you have a variety of opinions on the matter, so you can bear in mind the division of opinion here when approaching the school with your concerns - now you know what objections people may have to your suggestions you can think of creative ways to make everyone happy! Good luck...