School parking

There are close to the schools near me a metro car park, a supermarket car park and a library car park. All of these would require children to walk for a few minutes, which apparently they can't manage.

It is unlawful to park on yellow zig zag 'School, Keep Clear' markings and it is police, not local authority, enforceable and offenders should be reported every time.
When my daughter was in primary school the Head or Deputy Head came out every day, start and finish of school and made sure parents did not illegally park . It did work and it was only 5/10 minutes out of his day.
If a vehicle blocks you on your drive call the police and have it towed away - it is causing an obstruction which is unlawful.
Preventing you from access ON to your drive is not an obstruction.

I think there are similar issues all over the country GoldenAge my DGS can’t get into a primary anywhere near home . There is no way on this earth he could walk to the one he has to go to . It would take hours and there are no pavements either .

I agree that people can be very intolerant .

I have similar parking problems because of a school, but the thing that really annoys me are the people who park with their engines running and just sit there!!

My DGS’s teacher started early September 2018. She went off sick in October and despite assurances from the head that “ she would be back at Christmas/Easter/ May etc” she never came back. I lost count at the amount of supply teachers he had over the course of year 4 . So many that they barely got to know the children’s names . Such a shame as the school seemed to be turning itself around a bit . My DDiL and I have done numerous appeals for 3 schools closer to home but they’re all full.

I can tell you minismo what happened to walking to school - at least in London - many kids just don't live anything like walking distance any more - there are so many children wanting places at their nearest primary school that the catchment areas are becoming smaller and smaller meaning that a child living two streets away from his/her local school, can't get in some years and is given a choice of five others, none of which is within walking distance - travelling on buses to school is a nightmare with little ones in rush hour.
This whole issue of getting kids to and from school requires a lot more understanding on everybody's part - I sympathise with residents who have their roads blocked with the ubiquitous 4x4s that guzzle petrol at a rate of knots, but also with those parents who genuinely have to get kids carrying bags, and PE kits, and heaven knows what else some distance from their home. Tolerance is a good word here.

Gillybob

I know what you mean, two of my grandchildren have two teachers, two and a half days each, it seems to be working out alright, but it’s not ideal

Unfortunately there are no breakfast or afternoon clubs at my DGS’s primary . They struggle to provide teachers never mind after school clubs . My DGS went through the entirety of year 4 without a proper (regular) class teacher .

Sandra

I fear you’re right, I’m sure as an ex head, you’ll tell me why this won’t work, but couldn’t pick up times be staggered a bit? and with so many children going to breakfast club, and after school club, you’d think things might be eased a bit.

I dropped my grandchildren off at breakfast club one day last week, it was wonderful!

I don't think there's ever going to be a satisfactory answer to this. I was Head of a Primary School with many selfish parkers. I had phone calls from residents complaining they had missed hospital appointments, been late collecting grandchildren from school, etc because cars were parked across their access and one even said someone had parked on their drive! I even had one parent tell me we should buy the house nearest to the school, demolish it and put a car park there - this I found beyond belief as we struggled to pay staff salaries, but he was quite serious.

There are many reasons why children are driven to school . Dangerous roads without pavements , long distances from home to school , parents or grandparents needing to go on to work . As it happens I fit into all 3 categories.

Sometimes I wish GN wasn’t so judgemental .

PS: Our kids' secondary school was only 1.5 miles away, but as it was a busy, narrow, twisty road, school buses were laid on for free. I don't think that applies now.

I think the reasons have been detailed here in different posts, and they all apply to people I know:
1. not always being able to get in to a school near home
2. parent needing to get to work - if my DiL drives the kids to school, she has a 10 minute drive to work; if she walks the 10 mins back and starts from home, the road layout means she arrives 30 minutes later.
3. some children needing to be picked up then dropped off for sports training or similar. I had to do this with some of mine.

A school was being considered for 1 of my GCs, but it was unlikely he would get in. They live 250 metres away and according to the school's website, the furthest away child was at 200 metres (dense, terraced housing). I later read in the local paper that during renovations, the school had arranged 'alternative car parking' for parents. I generously assumed they meant for GPs and other 'minders' who needed to travel to pick the children up!

Gabriella

So no, it’s not too complicated, just too dangerous and impractical!

Gabriella

She still lives a mile or so outside of the village, even so, I’d be quite happy, would in fact quite enjoy it, but to get to school is a single lane road, with cars, enormous tractors, the odd school bus going past, I’m not happy pushing a pushchair along there.

Saggi
Talking sense never makes sense to those who have none.

Parklife1
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I couldn't agree more.

Paul276056
Why don't you walk her to school?You talk about other parents and their 'little darlings' but you are one of them, albeit a GP.
If you walked, there would be no problem with cars, parking and other parents/GPs.

Sara65
Why can't/don't you walk as school is in same village where they live?
School can't be a million miles from their home if it's a village.
Before you start on about buggies and 3 children, you could all walk.
If you live at a distance from the daughter whose children you collect, why not leave your car at her house and walk the rest of the way...or is that too complicated to think about?

Over the years my children were at seven different schools, a couple were difficult, but I can’t ever remember any real problems, a couple had big car parks, but never big enough, and a couple had the drop off system which work amazingly well. I think the schools have to start taking responsibility, and maybe give up some of their land for dropping off, it’s not fair to pass the problem on to the community.
There is a case for saying, if you go and live near a school, you know what to expect, but I’m sure no one expects the level of ill manners we seem to be seeing now.

Well I take my GD to school she is only 6 and have to park considerately because I am 4 streets away from school the other 4 side streets have cars parked both side of road on school markings entrances to housing estates and once they have dropped off their little darlings we are stuck in queues for 30 minutes plus trying to get back onto main road so I lose an hour every day I would walk her but as I can't get down the streets for other parents cars I would be dropping her at school at 8am and collecting at 4.30pm school is powerless to do anything.

My grandchildren are good walkers, one is at this moment doing a D of E Bronze expedition. There is no way they could safely walk the four miles from their country village to catch the bus to secondary school. It is a busy road, a lorry route, with no pavement and many bends. Quite apart from the time factor ( the bus leaves at 7.20) the road is lethal for pedestrians.
Not everyone can walk. Mind you, I, and all other children used to walk to infants school by ourselves. I walked my own children to school, a good 20 minute walk, until I started work. Then they came on the bus with me and I relied on the crossing patrol lady to see them safely over the road after they got off the bus. There is so much reliance on cars these days, not all of it necessary.

I was a teacher for many years and for a period of time, travelled to a number of different schools as part of my role.

I have never seen a school where parking works and that’s mostly because people are inconsiderate. Car engines running for long periods of time, blocking the road, blocking drives, parking illegally. It happens everywhere.

I don’t know what schools can do about it. Every school I’ve known has spoken to parents, published reminders about considerate parking every week in newsletters, had PCSOs patrolling where possible, but none of it is a long term solution. It’s the responsibility of parents and caters to park considerately, not the school.

I think the only thing that will help is to clamp cars, or be able to fine people or inconvenience them in some way. I can’t see it happening though. Whilst I appreciate that some people are en route to work when they drop their children off, I don’t see why they can’t park a little way away.

The needs of parents to drop their children at school don’t trump the rights of everyone else in my view, but I know that it’s regarded as a right to inconvenience others by some parents.

The problem with clamping is that it fixes the badly or dangerously parked cars in the space they're badly or dangerously parked. Also I believe you can't clamp a car that has anyone inside.
Also (not outside a school though) I read something a while ago in my local paper about a clamper who was assaulted by an irate driver with a steering lock and had bad head injuries requiring a stay in hospital and lots of stitches .

I don't know how to do it or if it is legal but why can't they be clamped any income could help towards school funds.