Do secondary schools have parent class reps like in primary schools?

[earlycomputers]

Just wondered if it's normal or not to have parent-teacher class reps in secondary school? If your secondary school doesn't have this, then who would you normally send complaints/comments etc to in the school? thanks

[bigbadbarry]

We don't have them at primary school.

[futureme]

Nor mine.

Seems odd to send comments or complaints via another parent though!!

[EvilTwins]

No, not normal at all. If you have a compliant, go to your DC's form tutor or head of year.

[IguanaTail]

No. There's normally a PTA.

Complaints - depends. If it's about a subject then the head of department. If it's a pastoral thing the head of year. If it's most other things the deputy head normally or the headteacher who will probably give it to someone on the senior leadership team to deal with.

[clary]

Never had one in primary or secondary.

If you had a comment or complaint, send it to the office, form tutor, subject teacher, head of year, head of faculty - but which would depend on what it was tbh.

[MrsKCastle]

I don't know any school that has this, primary or secondary. The school website should have a clear statement about who you can contact with any issues.

[noblegiraffe]

No, there are no class reps. Each student will have lots of different teachers. If you have a complaint then it depends what the complaint is about and school policy. At my school if it's something pastoral, then you would normally contact the form tutor or head of year. If subject-related then you would contact the subject teacher or head of department. Other schools say that everything should go through the form tutor (a complete faff as they know nothing and have no power).

Most parents go through secondary school without any contact outside of parents' evenings.

[youngestisapsycho]

My DDs secondary have 'heads of year' and also we can contact her form tutor if any problems.... Most parents abandon any input with secondary school. School of 1000 pupils and 6 parents came to PTA meeting!

[SparkleSoiree]

We have Parent Links - 2 for each form in the year. Each quarter they meet with certain staff and discuss any issues that parents have raised over that time. Lunches, lockers, clubs, etc.

[BackforGood]

Never heard of class reps, other than on MN, however, I would be very surprised if any did.
Apart from anything else, they are in different groups for each subject in many / some? schools.

If you are worried about something, then you can contact either the class teacher or HoY, or if it's subject specific, the subject teacher or HoD. A lot of schools have a pastoral lead for Yr7s anxious parents.

Tbh, even if I had ever come across a 'class rep' I wouldn't have thought it were the right medium for complaints, isn't it just for spreading information a bit wider ??

[Tottyandmarchpane1]

We have parent reps at primary school. They organise coffee mornings, parent drinks, remind us of when class trips are on etc. They are brilliant and get the parents socialising (if they want to!). We are told very firmly by the school that they are not for complaints, the school want to hear about complaints direct (and really you wouldn't want a complaint being fed through second hand!).

[SparkleSoiree]

Sorry, meant to clarify my post is in relation to a secondary school.

[BackforGood]

A lot of secondary schools have 'Paretns Forum' or 'Parents Council' or other groups that perform the same function but have different titles, but generally, anyone can go to these, there doesn't need to be someone representing you. They would be - very much like a school council made up of dc - a forum to talk about things that are working well, things that make life difficult, new ideas or suggestions, etc.,

It's going to depend a lot on what you mean by 'complaint' - that could be a route for a disgruntlement about lack of system for queuing for dinners fairly or not being allowed into the building before the bell, or something to do with the uniform, or some other 'rule' or 'system you think could be improved.

[lljkk]

omg, I thought parent reps were for the PTA, OP is saying they sometimes take complaints, too?

ALL the complaints would have been about my child. BAD IDEA.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

We have parent reps for disseminating info like contact lists and for minor gripes like lockers, no menu on the website etc.
Issues directly about your child you contact class tutors ( there are two), head of either lower or upper school or director of which ever area pastoral, cirriculum etc. You have a problem with.

[EdithWeston]

Depends on the school.

Primary did (very active PTA),;one secondary didn't (lots of PTA stuff, but not close to the classroom IYSWIM); other secondary did, somewhat to my surprise as I had though until then that they died out entirely at secondary.

[OddBoots]

The secondary here has a meeting once a half term alternating day time and evening where parents are invited to meet the head and a few other senior teachers and discuss these kinds of issues. The head uses this time to share info about planned things like uniform changes and sanctions. I am sure emails and letters to the central office would be fine too, no need to involve other parents.

[EdithWeston]

Sorry, meant to add:

For complaints/comments, if it is the sort of thing you would previously have taken to a class rep, then you would take them to straight to the chair of the PTA of a committee member.

The school, if it's any good at communication, should publish contact information on the website, which should give you a decent steer on who does what. But if in doubt, start with the form teacher or Head of Year.

And the one you missed out: statements of thanks etc, go directly to the staff member involved, copied to their likely line manager (eg subject teacher plus head of department).

[bojorojo]

Most PTAs will not have parental complaints in their terms of reference. Most Head teachers would object to this in the state sector. Most private schools too! Some schools have parental reps who meet the Head. Some schools have open meetings with the Head. They look at how policies are working, for example, and the Head uses them as a sounding board. Complaints about teachers would not be allowed though. Some schools expect parents to contact a head of year, individual teacher or whoever would deal with the complaint at stage 1. All schools must have a complaints policy. I would get hold of it and read it.