Childcare at 7.45am

bylromarha

sassyblue wrote: »

Shouldn't you have called them in for tea by now?

(Not sure the ROFL smilie was the best one you could have used there)

No, we've let them go feral. We only see them when they run howling past the window in their rags. :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Any

GobbledyGook wrote: »

No. In my mind someone who lives in the middle of the Sahara desert could give flood insurance a miss.

The risk of a child being abducted by a stranger on their way to school isn't 'moderate'. It is minuscule.


Oh and just for record - and not aimed at the person who I'm quoting now. I don't respond to PM's sent to have a go. If you have something to say about something I've posted then post it here.
My opinion is DIFFERENT to yours. Doesn't make it wrong and certainly doesn't mean I'm an appalling parent. In fact if you open your eyes you'll see I said in the OP's case - where the area they will be walking in isn't their local area - I wouldn't.

Someone actually did this???? WTH???
Some ppl are properly hysterical and it occures to me that they are the biggest danger to their children...

sassyblue

GobbledyGook wrote: »

Why is it not safe anywhere?

Seriously I do not get this. Where are the new dangers other than traffic?

The only difference is that child abuse is not something that is disbelieved, blamed on the child and brushed under the carpet.

If it was so common and dangerous then we'd see a child murder on the tv every week. Yet the last 3 big child cases I can remember on the news were all people who knew the child.

Children are in more danger from their parents and people they know than the mythical child snatchers supposedly hiding around every corner.

Yes you have to think about it, and yes you have to tailor it to where you live and to your children - so as I said DD2 will get less freedom than DD1 and a child whose house backs onto a motorway wouldn't get out to play as young as one that lives in a dead end cul-de-sac for example.

I know the statistics BUT the way l see it part of a parents job is to make it damned hard for random abductors to get your children. 7 and 9 year olds IMO are too young to adequately protect themselves.

suejb2

Any neighbours ( their children) you and your children know well enough to walk with them, in return for a few chores each week.Or a taxi driver who is prepared to wait an extra minute for an extra tip,obviously trying to set up a regular taxi driver.
As a teacher what would your stance be if the idea you have happened to children at your school? Good luck with your options.

bylromarha

Classroom is used for after school for clubs, so when I leave, nothing can be left out/set up/written on the board as it's a pointless task which will need redoing in the morning.

Then cleaners come in who have precious little paid time to do their job. Certainly no time to aim their sprays around anything which may have been left on a table, so get stuff gets drenched in cleaning product.

Register is on the computer, and that in itself is a 7 minute job from pushing the start button to getting the correct screen up.

Chairs need to be put out at tables every morning as they're stacked in front of the childrens drawers.

I can do it all (just) in 15 minutes on an average day - but am dreading Fridays and Tuesdays when there is a 8.30am staff briefing.

splishsplash

I raised my children to be independent from an early age, and by 7 and 5 my girls were walking around our local area too. I was happy for them to go to the park round the corner or to a nearby shop on their own. They walked to school from an early age also - a mere two minute walk, granted, but still... I see where you're coming from and agree with you that it's important to start drilling things like road safety and independence into children from an early age.

However, there are a couple of key differences between all that and what you're proposing.
You won't be available if there's an incident. I don't necessarily mean a catastrophic happening, but what about when the 7 year old trips over and scrapes his/her knees and hands - is it fair to land the 9 year old with that? Or if the 9 year old falls, what's the 7 year old supposed to do?

You may well be dropping your children in less than ideal circumstances - i.e. driving rain, gale force winds, thick ice etc. I wouldn't be happy with my small children being left to fend for themselves at that age in those conditions. It's still a bit dark at that time too, isn't it?

How will you know they've reached their destination safely every day? Will your children have some way to contact you to let you know they're ok for the day? How will you know if they don't arrive at the breakfast club?

Wouldn't you find it incredibly stressful every day knowing you've basically abandoned your small children to their own devices and gone on your merry way just hoping for the best?

It really sounds a little bit irresponsible, tbh. When you encourage your children to go on their 'little walks' that's one thing - they want to go, if they don't feel like going they don't have to, they know they can return home, that there are responsible adults within reach all the time.
Being left at the side of the road with no base and no adult to call is entirely different. Sorry, don't mean to sound harsh, but I wouldn't entertain option 1 as a possibility at all tbh.

claire16c

If there's that many classes in each year surely you could ask that your classroom isn't used after school hours as you need to set up for the next day?

Don't switch the computer off at night so no need to start it up each day?

daisiegg

claire16c wrote: »

If there's that many classes in each year surely you could ask that your classroom isn't used after school hours as you need to set up for the next day?

Don't switch the computer off at night so no need to start it up each day?

Don't know about the OP's school, but at ours, the computers automatically power down at something like 8pm.

I don't envy the situation. I would not be comfortable leaving children of that age to walk alone. But I do sympathise with the OP feeling like she has few options

bylromarha

suejb2 wrote: »

Any neighbours ( their children) you and your children know well enough to walk with them, in return for a few chores each week.Or a taxi driver who is prepared to wait an extra minute for an extra tip,obviously trying to set up a regular taxi driver.
As a teacher what would your stance be if the idea you have happened to children at your school? Good luck with your options.

If what happened at my school?

I have never known of any case in any school in the 2 counties I have worked in to have a child abducted off the street and dragged into a car. I have known of kids be flashed at when walking through alleyways.

However, 3 children throughout my school career have been killed in car crashes.

I have known of several more kids who have been systematically abused by relatives and people known to them.

As a teacher, I think the world has gone child protection mad and it is ridiculous that everyone is guilty until proven innocent with their DBS check. My old headteacher and I agreed that it has gone too far the other way. When did schools get to say that they knew the children better than the parents did?

There is no arbitary right age for this sort of stuff. I know of a 14 year old who cannot cope with crossing the road safely. He has to have an adult tell him when to cross as he's never been helped to make those speed judgements for himself and the mum insists he can't do it, and doesn't enable him to learn to do it "because he can't do it" So he never will.

Person_one

bylromarha wrote: »

As a teacher, I think the world has gone child protection mad and it is ridiculous that everyone is guilty until proven innocent with their DBS check. My old headteacher and I agreed that it has gone too far the other way. When did schools get to say that they knew the children better than the parents did?

I know (and know of more) a lot of children who've been protected by school staff who might just disagree with you there.