Managing late collection of pupils

Last reviewed on 3 August 2022
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 8441

Get expert advice on what to do if parents don't collect their children from school on time or fail to collect them. See examples of school policies on late or non-collection.

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Contents

  1. Establish a clear procedure for late collection
  2. How to deal with parents who are persistently late in collecting children
  3. How to respond when parents fail to collect their children
  4. Charging parents for late collection
  5. Examples of school policies on late and non-collection

Establish a clear procedure for late collection

Your school should have a clear protocol for what to do if parents are late, or if they fail to collect their children. 

Your procedures should align with your safeguarding procedures.

Make sure parents are aware of your procedures. Easy ways to do this include:

  • Adding your procedures your home-school agreement (if you have one) or parent information pack
  • Sharing your procedures on your website
  • Sending reminder emails at the beginning of each term
  • Providing copies of your procedures to parents at parents evenings

Jenny Moss, a former headteacher of a special school, told us this.

How to deal with parents who are persistently late in collecting children

Find out the reasons behind the late collection

Arrange a meeting with the parent to try to establish:

For

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