Carterton Primary School is committed to ensuring the safety of all pupils when they leave school at the end of the day. We appreciate that arrangements need to be flexible and that it may be that several people care for the child after school.  We have set out clear procedures to ensure the safeguarding and wellbeing of our pupils. 

A sanction of removing access to ASP and After School Clubs is possible if terms and conditions and collection protocols are not met.

General Collection Procedure 

Parents will promptly collect pupils at the end of the school day, which is 3:15pm (3:00pm for Reception). Pupils will only be permitted to leave the premises with an authorised adult or a sibling who is at least 16 years old.

Staff members will supervise classroom doors until all pupils have been collected.  Pupils will be allowed to walk home on their own, only if a ‘permission to walk home form’ has been completed (form is available from the School Office).  The school’s general rule is that only pupils in year 5 or above should be walking home independently, but this will be considered on an individual basis for younger children. 

Staff members will not release a pupil if it is felt that the parents are not in a fit state to ensure the pupil’s safety or if the pupil shows signs of distress or anxiety.  In these cases, the school’s Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy will be followed and children’s social care, and the police if appropriate, will be contacted. 

Collecting During School Day

In the event of an emergency where parents need to collect their children during the school day, they should notify the office via email or phone. The admin team will then inform the class teacher.

If this is not possible, parents can report to the office directly. For safeguarding reasons, parents will need to be visually verified by a member of staff who knows the child and parents before their child can be released to them.  This may take some time, so please allow for this.  For all other leave of absence throughout the school day, the exceptional leave form should be completed; the above protocol will be followed.

https://forms.office.com/e/Q4c6VA9BcW

After-School Clubs Collection Procedure 

Finish times and pick up locations can be found on ParentPay and should be noted when making a club booking.   Where an after-school club is provided by an external organisation, the organisation will implement an appropriate process for the collection of pupils, ensuring that they effectively identify and respond to safeguarding concerns. Pupils who have not been collected following an after-school club will be taken to ASP and parents will be charged in accordance with ASP Terms and Conditions.

After School Provision (ASP) Collection Procedure 

A password will be provided for another trusted adult to collect. If your child is collected late from the short afternoon session, you will be charged for the long session.  Children collected after 5:15pm will incur a late collection charge of £10.00 per child per half hour to cover the cost of staff to stay late to supervise the child(ren).  If contact is not made with the parent/carer within 15 minutes of ASP closing, ie 5:30pm, Children’s’ Social Care will be contacted.  

 If late collection becomes an issue, the following action will be taken:  

• More than twice in a term will trigger a clear warning letter.
• Further/Persistent late collection will result in the place at ASP being revoked.

In some circumstances there may be a need to communicate the decision in writing where organising a meeting is not feasible in the timeframe needed.

Off-Site Collection Procedure 

On occasion, children may need to be collected from another local school, or public facility following a trip or enrichment opportunity. Details will be outlined in the original correspondence from school, along with collection times, location and responsible adults.

 Late Collection Procedure 

 Parents will notify the school at the first possible opportunity if they believe they will be late to collect their child. Parents should call the office on 01993 842502, selecting the ASP option on the phone line after 4:00pm. 

The school will hold at least two emergency contacts for each pupil.  If contact cannot be made using contact details provided, the Non-Collection Procedure (below) will be followed. Pupils placed in ASP will be charged in accordance with ASP Terms and Conditions. 

Non-Collection Procedure 

The school will continue to try and contact the parents and emergency contacts in the event of a noncollection.  A detailed record of the action taken will be kept and passed on to SLT following any noncollection incident.  Children will supervised at all times. 

If no contact can be made and no one arrives to collect the pupil, the MASH team will be contacted on 0800 833 408 for further advice. A member of staff will stay with the pupil until children’s social care arrives. 

Recurrence of Late Collection 

Late collections are monitored by the school and a record kept on CPOMs of incidents where parents are late with no reasonable explanation.  Concerns regarding a pupil’s safety and welfare associated with late collection will be dealt with in accordance with the school’s Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy. 

Parents will be made aware of the arrangements that may be put in place if they continue to collect their child late, including the school’s right to enforce a penalty charge. 

Collecting a Child on Someone’s Behalf 

The school will never release a pupil into the care of another adult who is not a family member or named emergency contact without parental consent.  Parents must notify the school in advance of any change in arrangements.  In an emergency, verbal consent (including a full description of the responsible person) may be given.  Under no circumstances will a pupil be allowed to be collected by someone if the child shows signs of distress or anxiety. 

Staff members who are unsure of an adult’s identity will ask to see identification. If there is uncertainty about a person’s identity, the following procedure will be followed: 

• The pupil’s parents will be contacted for further advice 
• A member of the SLT will be made aware of the situation 
• If the pupil’s parents are not contactable, the standard procedure for uncollected pupils will be followed