Whitley Abbey Primary School
Dropping off and picking up before and after school guidance
A vital part of keeping children safe is ensuring the school knows who is responsible for dropping off and picking up a child and that parents keep school updated with these arrangements.
Information required
On enrolment to Whitley Abbey Primary School we ask parents and carers to provide the following information for each child:
- the names and full addresses of parents and carers (including confirmation of parental responsibility or private fostering arrangements and any relevant paperwork)
- home, work and mobile phone numbers
- email addresses where appropriate
- two authorised adult contacts who may be called in the event of the parents or carers being unobtainable or in the case of an emergency
- Information about any person who has been denied legal access to the child (with copies of any relevant legal documents).
The school will use a secure system to store this information and update it on an annual basis. Parents are asked to let school know of any changes or updates that are needed.
Children travelling to school without adult supervision
Whitley Abbey Primary School advises parents and carers with children under the age of 10 to make sure they are accompanied by an adult or an older sibling.
Please notify the school office if your child is travelling to school by bus without adult supervision or an older sibling.
Older Siblings accompanying a child to or from school on a parent or carers behalf
There is no law determining the age at which a sibling can accompany a child to school. It is ultimately up to parents and carers to decide whether they feel this is appropriate.
Please consider the following factors when making this decision:
- the maturity of all the children involved
- the length and nature of the journey home
- the behaviour of all the children involved
- the relationship between the children collecting or being collected.
If parents wish for older siblings (above the age of 14) to collect their younger siblings, they must communicate this with the school in writing. We do reserve the right to use our professional judgement to refuse to dismiss children to older siblings if we, as a school, do not feel it is appropriate or safe to do so.
All children except Year 6 should be picked up from the school site by a known adult or sibling/s provided they are 14 years old or above (as advised by the NSPCC).
It will be the Head teacher’s discretion to allow alternative collection arrangements due to exceptional circumstances.
Year 6 children
We advise parents to consider whether your child is ready to walk to and from school and assess any risks associated with the route and your child’s confidence. In deciding whether your child is ready to walk to school you should assess any risks associated with the route and your child’s confidence. Work with your children to build up their independence while walking to school through route finding, road safety skills and general awareness.
What happens if parent & carers are late to collect their child?
In the event of lateness for collection the school will:
- contact parents or carers
- call emergency contacts if parents and carers cannot be reached so an authorised adult can come and collect the child
- Keep records of late collections.
If parents and carers have authorised someone else to collect the child, they may not always be aware the child is being collected late, school will keep them informed if this happens.
Persistent lateness might indicate that a parent is struggling to meet their child’s needs. School will contact parents or carers outlining their concerns. This will also be recorded as a safeguarding concern using the school’s safeguarding procedures.
If school have ongoing concerns about a child’s welfare, we may need to make a referral to children’s social care so that the family can receive support.
What happens if parents & carers cannot collect the child?
If parents, carers or other authorised people are not able to collect the child and have arranged for someone else to come instead, the parents or carers must notify the school as soon as possible. Identification may be required when the person comes to collect the child.
If nobody comes to collect the child, the school must make every effort to contact the parents, carers or authorised person whose details have been supplied. School will apply child protection procedures and contact children’s social care at 4:30pm.
Until the child is collected, the child will stay at school in the care of two members of Senior Leader team/Safeguarding team
School staff and volunteers should never:
- take the child home with them
- transport the child home
- go in search of parents/carers.
Designated Safeguarding Lead will make a full written report of the incident. This report should be added to the child’s safeguarding file. If appropriate, this report should also be shared with children’s social care.
What happens if someone else comes to collect a child?
Whitley Abbey Primary School will not allow children to go with any unauthorised person without first getting permission from parents or carers.
If a child’s social worker is planning to collect them from school, this should be agreed in advance by the child’s parents and carers.
If an unauthorised person arrives to collect the child, the school should contact the child’s legal guardian. If the school is unable to make contact with the child’s legal guardian, or the legal guardian does not give their permission, the school should explain that they are unable to release the child to anyone else without authorisation from the child’s legal guardian.
If an unauthorised person refuses to leave the premises, becomes aggressive or violent or attempts an unauthorised removal of the child then it may be necessary to contact the police. This should be recorded as a safeguarding concern using the school’s usual safeguarding procedures.
What happens if parents & carers appear to be unable to provide safe care for their child?
There may be times when Whitley Abbey Primary School is worried that the adult collecting a child is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or their behaviour otherwise suggests that they may not be in a fit state to safely look after the child.
In this case, school will:
- contact another family member or authorised person to collect the child
- record the incident as a potential safeguarding concern.
Repeated instances of an adult appearing unfit to provide safe care will be discussed with children’s social care.
If the school has immediate concerns about a child’s welfare, and an alternative family member or authorised person is not available to collect the child, the school has a duty to prioritise the welfare and safety of the child.
The school should attempt to keep the child on the premises until they have received guidance or support from children’s social care or the police on what action to take.
If, despite the school’s efforts the parent insists on taking the child, then the school should:
- contact the police
- make a safeguarding referral to children’s social care
- Keep a full written report of the incident.