School to fine parents £5 for every half hour they are late to pick up children

Parents of a primary school have been warned they will be fined if they are late picking up their children.

Mums and dads face having to pay out £5 for every 30 minutes they are late picking up their kids.

The newsletter for Woodbank Primary School in Bury, Greater Manchester, adds fines will also be issued should parents decide to take their children on holiday during the term time.

One dad told the Manchester Evening News: “We got a message from school advising us of a £5 charge if you're late collecting your child from school. We also get told that the parents of kids going on holiday out of summer holidays will receive a fine.

The letter sent to mums and dads (Woodbank Primary School)

"Now we've had a message telling us that the teachers could be going on strike on four different occasions so school will be closed - again disrupting the education.

"We get fined for being late or going on holiday because it disrupts education, but it's OK for them to go on strike when it suits.

“I'll be sending a fine to the school for disrupting my child's education during the strike days."

The newsletter tells parents to pick up their children “promptly” at the end of the day.

It adds fines will be incurred because staff will be late to meetings and it “causes distress” to the youngster.

Headteacher Kelly Macadam said: "It is very important parents and carers pick up their children on time at the end of the school day.

“Children not collected on time often get upset and distressed if they do not know where their parent is.

“Also, staff members have to attend meetings, lead extra-curricular clubs or have work to complete, and sometimes have to leave school on time for their own childcare arrangements.

“We always make allowances for exceptional circumstances such as an emergency or being stuck in traffic, and we provide a ‘before and after school’ club which parents can use if they are going to be late.

"We would only consider charging parents who are persistently and repeatedly late. To date, no parent has been charged.

"If any parent has any concerns about school policy, I would urge them to contact me directly."