Dropping off little schoolies

[*donnalouise*]

I have a little boy who has just started reception. he is a very very lovely little boy but I am struggling with drop off's at school.

At the school he attends, the parents take them inside... see them sort out water/coats/bags ect then sit down with them to do their morning books (usually writing name and some letter practice). The trouble I have here is that I have my own daughter (aged 3), second daughter (aged 18mth) and mindee (aged 12mth).

At the minute im leaving the HUGE double buggy just inside the cloakroom with the kids in - and hurrying along the little boy and my 3 year old. But sometimes the babies get distressed .... or people get annoyed by the buggy being in the way. Another c/minder drops off and leaves her buggy with mindees outside :panic:

What would you do in this situation??? And are all reception classes like this???

Thanks Donna

[julie w]

At our school we can go in the door and help with bags and coats. It seems a bit much to sit with a book as there must be many parents/childminders with other children who find this difficult. I would have a word with the teacher and see if they would take him from you at the door. As long as he gets a hug and the same routine every day he should be fine. I would never leave minded children outside the door. Hope this helps.xx

[babs]

i wouldnt leave them outside , id take them in with me... our school they come to the door children go in and off we go..... when they go up to reception parents can go in earlier and sit with them but ive already stated that ill be dropping then coming away....

[*donnalouise*]

Dont worry... im not the sort of person that would leave children/babies outside!!!!!

I would really like to just hand over littloe boy at the door... but there is 45 kids in his class and just 2 teachers there when we go in... and they are usually snowed under.

Everyone else's mums/nans ect go in, and he has took ages to settle at this school, plus his mum and grandma go in with him on the days I dont take him. Seems really harsh to be saying I cant come in with you, im pretty sure this would upset both him and mum.

I just cant see another way around it. I cant possibly get both babies out and my 3 year old and take them in from claokroom. They would run riot, its a small classroom and already heaving from parents/children. GRRRRR:mad:

[Baildon bears]

I think it's going to be hard what ever you do, I would be tempted to leave double buggy out side but bring little ones in and sit them somewhere they can play while you get 3 year olds sorted, I Know from my school it hectic in the morning getting the kids in and sorted I have my two children to get in then one in pre-school, she is always late as I'm always trying to hurry up mine. It is very stressful but I always think it's 15 min of mayhem and then I can get home and have a cup of tea.

[*donnalouise*]

Thats what gets me through... knowing in 15 minutes time i'll be sat with 2 very well behaved little ones playing. all calm.

Think im gonna have to get the little ones out. The buggy is clearly annoying others, and the little ones sometimes get distressed by this. Ive been giving my own daughter food to keep her happy at drop off but even this has lost its appeal.

Thanks x

[westbrom44]

I would not be able to do this anyway as I drop a child in reception at one school and then take my own daughter on to High School. How do working parents get on if they go onto work. It sounds very time consuming for a school drop off.

It doesnt sound as if the school is encouraging the children to be independent.

[pinkbutterfly]

Hmm this sounds a bit odd to me. It works well if the parent has only one child ... but if they have more how can they give attention. I would be tempted to talk to the teacher and drop off at the door so that teacher acknowledged she seen him arrive and go my own way. I remember when my daughter started reception some parents were coming in to do the coats etc but it just got crowded and messy and parents were advised that best to let the children go in and sort themselves out because they can at that age be quite independent.

[aunt sally]

I completely understand what you are saying. In our local school parents/carers take reception children in and help sort out lunches/ snacks etc. We then have a morning activity to do together e.g sometimes a writing activity, a small game or read a book together. However we are not allowed to take pushchairs in so when I have little ones it gets quite stressy. I agree with you, I would never leave a child outside in a pushchair and nor would it be fair miss the morning activity with the reception child. I just try to be as calm as I can as it is only for 10 minutes but its my least favourite activity we do during the day.

[blue bear]

I had this problem a couple of years back and will again in September, I talked to the teacher and she agreed to me dropping off a couple of minutes late, other children were in and sorted and ta dealt withy mindees jobs etc. There was no way I could carry 2 non walkers in never mind the hazards of the classroom (scissors etc) and I would never leave them outside. Schools should be working with us, talk to the teacher see was can be arranged

[Gizmo]

That is hard work, at our school its only for the 1st two weeks and then its just take them in to take jackets off and leave with the teacher, surely all parents cant stay every day ??

[onceinabluemoon]

My teenagers school did the book thing when they were in reception. I think its their way of getting parents involved in the kiddies' schoolwork.

WRT your situation, could you:

have a chat with the teacher in advance and let her know this situation is unworkable for you and why
Tell the teacher that you will be dropping off the child directly to her/a TA in the mornings.
Take off the child's coat and bag in the playground to reduce the amount of time you block of the cloakroom
Push the buggy into the cloakroom as normal, drop the child's coat etc onto his peg then drop off child to teacher


Would it be worthwhile buying a smaller buggy for the schoolrun if yours is causing problems?

WRT the child's mum and gran not being happy you are not staying with him, you may have to explain that you have duty of care to all the children in your care and cannot leave the others in the cloakroom while you sit with theirs in the classroom

Hope you get it sorted x

[wendywu]

Our school is like this, but im afraid i do take the little ones out of the buggy and into the classroom with me, and help mindee hang coat and book bag up.

But i do not sit and read with them as some mums do, i say goodbye give a big kiss and leave.

:rolleyes:

[singingcactus]

At our school the poor reception kids have a huge list of tasks to complete in the morning too. It would be lovely for them if they were treated the same as the other kids and allowed to just hang their coats and get on with the day...but noooo, they have to hang coats, put daft pointless letter book in the basket (if they can find where teacher has left it today), find their name, find the right peg with the correct picture of their lunch on, squeeze past everyone to get to the self registration place, force their name into the little see through slot whilst managing to keep the lunch peg attached on the top, put their book bag in their drawer, work out on what they are supposed to be writing their name, write it, locate teacher, fight for her attention, show her the name, find the whiteboard marker, clean whatever board they have written their name on, put the board away then finally they get to say goodbye to their parent! All this with parents and staff blocking doorways and standing in the middle of the room gossiping, and the teacher changing every day!
For my mindees, I carry the youngest in a wrap or meitai, hold the hand of walkers and get through the ordeal - whilst trying to stay looking happy so my son is okay with being left in the chaos!
And it only stays this calm when they open the door that leads directly to reception class. Unfortunately they frequently open the single door at the other end of the school so we have to fight our way down the narrow corridor to the far end of the school before we go through the ordeal.

[*donnalouise*]

That is hard work, at our school its only for the 1st two weeks and then its just take them in to take jackets off and leave with the teacher, surely all parents cant stay every day ??

He started jan... and yes.... all parents go in :panic:

I do feel it unfair on him to be the odd one out.... and if it was my own three year old I would like to think someone was going in with her.... then again, maybe im being soft.

I might try taking both the babies out of the pram tomorrow and see how things work then. Trouble is im in a rush from school as have to then get my 3 yr old to nursery straight after. I'll give it a try. if it doesnt work i'll have to speak to teacher and parents about handing over at door.
x

[Tealady]

Blimey! What a palava!

My DD is in reception and the parents/carers start encouraging the children to line up. The bell then gets rung and parents step back from the line and the teacher or TA then comes out to get them and off they go and that's it. one or two more sensitive children have there parents/carers take them in as do a couple of children with learning difficulties, but then they only get taken to the cloak room and helped off with their coats.

Perhaps you could be one of the last to go in. It may be a bit calmer and most of the parents may have gone

[berkschick]

Do you know the other minder? Would you be able to help each other out?

This is what we do at our school.

There are 6 of us with children in Foundation. No buggys are allowed in the building and I have 4 under 5 everyday plus my 4 (classed as 5 as in full time school) year old to take into foundation.

To be fair it is well organised but I would not be able to sort out her lunch, bag, self reg, etc, etc with 4 age 3 and under with me too! So 4 of us wait outside foundation with the under 5's whilst the other 2 take the foundation children in. We are all each others back up minders so all permissions in place!

[mushpea]

I wouldnt go in with him and would have made it clear to both the parents and the teachers from the start that its not practical to go in with them,, I stand at the door and watch the children hang their coats up then they go in and actutaly they are now the more independant children who are happy to go straight in of a morning,,, the schoolie I have whoose mum drops her off in the morning is still so clingy and now the teachers have taken to standing at the door to stop mum from going in with her!
I also drop at two schools so couldnt stay at one.
i think you need to speak to mum and the school and explain that its not working out and could they take him from you at the door

[amirose]

I drop off a little one to reception and the situation in the classroom is exactly the same as yours.
I get my 19 month old mindee out of the pushchair and stick him in the role play area with my other 3 year old mindee, that's them occupied happy.
Then I stand somewhere in the middle so can watch them and help H.
I take out his lunch box get him to put it on the trolley then take his coat off. Give him the coat and bag in one hand and say that goes on your peg, in the other hand I give him his water bottle and say that goes in your tray (yep repeat everyday, his a boy, lol) and he runs off and does it.
I then hand over to the teaching assistant, who has a handful of children whose parents/carers can't stay, that she takes charge off. She then takes him off to do his worksheets and I grab 3 year old, 19 month old and rush off to preschool to do it all again for 3 year old! :laughing:
Obviously a little harder for you as your other mindees are younger but this is currently working well for me!

[AnnieM]

Our local primary is the same, I used to go in and read with the child if I only had one or 2 other lo's, but if I had more I used to just do coats and send them on in, I then started doing the local private school where things were much more civilised, :D the children are taken to the nursery playground (fenced and gated) and line up by class, the teacher stands in front of the line, we stand at the other side of the fence, at 8.35 they go inside, if we were running late they just ran in. :thumbsup: Now they are all older I just drop in the car park and they walk down themselves, (this is how it is done) it is great in bad weather as I don't have to get out of the car, when we had the snow they operated a dro off system for all children where teachers waited in the car park and you just dropped off, even nursery children and the teachers took them down in small groups. :D