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Authorisation for someone else to collect your child from school (UK)
England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales · in English · for parents
€2.00Fill it in online free — pay only to download
13 questions · about 5 min
Made for use in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
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For a parent anywhere in the UK who wants a grandparent, a childminder, a friend or another adult to collect their child from school. A signed letter to the school naming each person allowed to collect the child, when the authorisation applies, and how they will prove who they are, which stays in force until you withdraw it in writing. Handed in at the school office. Many schools have their own collection form or app; use it first if yours does.
- Made for use in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
- Last updated October 28, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Published byDocMuse
When to use this document
- A grandparent will pick your child up from school in the UK and the school wants it in writing.
- You work late and a childminder will collect your child from school this term.
- A friend is collecting your child from school on a day you cannot get there.
- You want the school to know exactly which adults may take your child home.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Sender
- Sender's address
- Town or city
- Sender's postcode
- Date
- School
- School's address
- Recipient's postcode
- Child's name
- Class teacher
- Authorised persons
- When the authorisation applies (days or dates)
- Phone
Common questions
- Does the school have its own form for letting someone else collect my child?
- Many schools do, on paper or in their app, and keep a list of the adults allowed to collect each child; if yours does, use it first. This letter is for when there is no form, or when you want to give the school a signed authorisation that names each person, says when it applies and how they will prove who they are.
- Who is allowed to collect a child from school?
- No general law sets this: each school's safeguarding policy decides, and many schools release children only to adults above a minimum age they set. A school may refuse to hand a child to someone it does not know or who is not on its list. Tell the school about any court order that limits who may have contact with your child.
- Do both parents have to sign a school collection authorisation?
- No. In England and Wales each person with parental responsibility can act alone in matters such as this (section 2(7) of the Children Act 1989), in Scotland each person with a parental right may exercise it without the other's consent (section 2(2) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995), and in Northern Ireland each person with parental responsibility may act alone (Article 5(6) of the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995), unless a court order says otherwise. If the other parent disagrees with the arrangement, the school will usually ask you both to settle it, and it follows any court order it has been given.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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