Using school playgound out-of-hours

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Chris D - 03 Jun 2008 15:56 GMT

Hi folks,

Our primary school has implemented a new policy that all parents and
children must be off the school grounds within 10-15 minutes of the end
of the school day. Aside from any legal requirement, this is actually
an important time for socialisation between parents (it's less formal
than the coffee invites, etc.) and it is frustrating a number of parents.

Apparently this new policy is primarily to do with (the lack of) school
insurance for after hours play, despite that children have ended school
and so are playing under the supervision of their parents/carers.

I'm curious to know what other schools and parents do, particularly as I
noticed this last weekend that a local village school's play equipment
was being happily used by local children outside school hours. And
unsupervised, too.

Any thoughts, please?

Cheers,
Chris

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Mogga - 03 Jun 2008 20:11 GMT

>Hi folks,
>
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
>Cheers,
>Chris

It's not a PFI school is it? These are notoriously strict about
everything (One teacher has had a warning about using bluetack on the
wall)

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Welches - 03 Jun 2008 20:56 GMT

> Hi folks,
>
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
>
> Any thoughts, please?

Well, except at splashtime (outside swimming pool at school) almost all
parents not speaking to teachers would be away certainly within 20 minutes.
There is a very good playground adjacent to the school so parents go there
to chat though, which probably makes a difference.
I can see the point though, if they're having parents & children round for
30 minutes plus, when the teachers are wanting to finish duty and
caretaker/cleaners wanting to finish the day.

On the insurance: if it's the school equipment, they're probably liable,
even if you are supervising. Certainly the pool at the local school has to
be very secure because if a drunk person scales the 8' high fence, and leaps
into the pool and drowns, the school can still be liable (stupid though it
may seem) if they haven't made every effort to prevent such a person getting
in (which is why we have a very tight net to go over the top, which the
idiots walk over and cause damage instead...)

Another school may have different insurance, or it may have been an official
party or something, which would need to have it's own insurance.

I'd say for me it would depend on how they implement it. If they're making
hard "go away" noises from 10 minutes after then end of school, then I'd be
irritated. If it's more gentle reminders as it's getting towards half an
hour, I don't think you can object to that.
Debbie

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Chris Davies - 04 Jun 2008 13:15 GMT

Hi Debbie,

> I can see the point though, if they're having parents & children round for
> 30 minutes plus, when the teachers are wanting to finish duty and
> caretaker/cleaners wanting to finish the day.

Absolutely, I can see that the school would want people out of the
buildings ASAP. I was really intending to refer only to the outside bits
(tarmac, grass).

> I'd say for me it would depend on how they implement it. If they're making
> hard "go away" noises from 10 minutes after then end of school, then I'd be
> irritated. If it's more gentle reminders as it's getting towards half an
> hour, I don't think you can object to that.

It's being more and more strongly stated on the weekly newsletter that
all parents and children must be off the premises within (I think)
10 or so minutes of the end of school.

Thanks,
Chris

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Penny Gaines - 04 Jun 2008 17:35 GMT

[snip]

> It's being more and more strongly stated on the weekly newsletter that
> all parents and children must be off the premises within (I think)
> 10 or so minutes of the end of school.

Ten minutes seems a very short amount of time, unless they always come
out to the minute. It doesn't allow any time for being a couple of
minutes late, then going back in to the toilet and then going back in
again to look for their jumper...

On the subject of village children using school equiptment at the
weekends, it might be quite a different situation. Our village primary
is on land owned by the church, including the school playing field. The
parish council provides the playground equiptment. It might look like
the school property is used at weekends, but actually it is the school
who are using someone else's equiptment.

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Penny Gaines
UK mum to three

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Chris Davies - 04 Jun 2008 19:50 GMT

> On the subject of village children using school equiptment at the
> weekends, it might be quite a different situation. Our village primary
> is on land owned by the church, including the school playing field. The
> parish council provides the playground equiptment. It might look like
> the school property is used at weekends, but actually it is the school
> who are using someone else's equiptment.

Ah! I hadn't even considered that. Thank you so much!
Chris

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Welches - 05 Jun 2008 11:24 GMT

> Hi Debbie,
>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> buildings ASAP. I was really intending to refer only to the outside bits
> (tarmac, grass).

Yes, buildings, absolutely. But also the outside. If you're trying to
complete at the end of the day then it can be a little irritating to be
working round others standing around chatting. Particularly if you're a
teacher and the children will come up and ask what you're doing, can they
help etc. #1's school does close up the grounds as well as the buildings
once the last parent has gone.

>> I'd say for me it would depend on how they implement it. If they're
>> making
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> all parents and children must be off the premises within (I think)
> 10 or so minutes of the end of school.

10 minutes is very quick. Maybe #1's school is a little slow at coming out,
but I'd think that there would almost always be one class that hadn't
completely finished coming out 10 minutes after the close. What if you're
talking to the teacher? Or getting out of school when you realise you've
forgotten the homework?

I would say that 20 minutes after the end of school there would be few if
any parents around at #1's school. Those who were still on the grounds would
probably be talking to the teacher or in the office.

Also shortly they will have to offer an afterschool club of some sorts. It
may be that they are preparing the way for the afterschool club to be using
the grounds, and then it will make it much more difficult to have parents
and their children around.

Debbie

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M&S - 29 Jun 2008 09:37 GMT

It's only because the teachers want to go home and they want you to believe
they are there until 8pm every night - lol - please don't take offense
anybody!!! Just a bitter pill to swallow!!

S

> Hi folks,
>
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> Cheers,
> Chris

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Family Forum / Parenting / Parenting / June 2008

Using school playgound out-of-hours