For families and schools

Safe pick-up at school: how to know who is collecting each child

Pick-up is the busiest five minutes of a school day, and the one that matters most for safety. A clear routine lets staff be friendly and careful at the same time.

A trusted adults list

Every child should have a list of the people allowed to collect them, kept by the school and kept up to date by the family. A photo of each person helps new staff.

At the gate

• Check every collector against the list, even familiar faces when staff are new
• Ask for ID from anyone a member of staff does not recognise
• Never release a child to someone not on the list without speaking to the family first
• Record who collected each child, and when

When plans change

Grandma is collecting today; an aunt is coming instead. Families should be able to tell the school in advance, easily, so staff are not relying on a phone call at the gate.

With toddlepath, a family adds a trusted adult or tells the school who is collecting today from their phone, and staff see it on the child’s record at check-out.