bella debate
A primary school has announced it will start fining parents £6 for picking up their children late at the end of the day So, we ask…
No
Kirsty Ketley, 43, parenting specialist and freelance writer
Waiting for my children to come out of school, I often wonder why I bust a gut to get there on time, when the kids are seldom out on time – on occasion they have been a good 10 minutes late! It is frustrating, particularly if we have to rush off to clubs.
I understand the complexity of getting 30 kids ready and out the door on time, so I don’t like to grumble too much, but I do think that the same compassion should be shown towards parents who are late to pick up, and they certainly should not be fined.
I, like all parents, am not late to the school gates intentionally – no parent just forgets to pick up their children or wants their child to be the last one standing in the playground, but on the occasion that tardiness does occur, it usually happens for a good reason, like bad traffic, not because the parent can’t manage their time.
To fine parents every time they are late may be lucrative for the school, but how can you properly enforce it when parents have children coming out of different doors or buildings, meaning they will always be late for one or the other, and when the children are often not out bang on time, will the teachers be fined for being late?
I very much understand the frustration of teachers when they are not aware that parents are running late, and parents should communicate with the school, but fining them, I feel, is unfair.
Yes
Sarah Haselwood, 47, freelance writer and journalist
As a mum who’s been doin
