Concerned about DD being a school office 'runner'

[NotMondayAgain]

Hi all, I just found out that later this week DD is going to be a runner for the school office for a whole day. She is in yr 8 and said all yr 8 children are made to do this for one day and they miss all lessons that day and instead do their homework or reading when they are not running errands.

I saw the headteachers last week at a school meeting and asked him about it. He admitted the reason is that they do not have enough staff to run messages around etc so they make the kids in yr 8bdonit onebday each.

I feel quite angry about my DD not learning anything for a day. Headteachers loads of schools do this and it is normal. Is he right?

Thanks

[NotMondayAgain]

Sorry about my very poor typing btw!

[Anywaythewindisblowing]

We had to do that in year 8 yes I remember it well. I never had to as am disabled but everyone else had to

[GoodJobSteve]

DS2's school does this too. It's just a day...your DD might be off for a day or two ill - hardly the end of the world...

[Finfintytint]

That’s unacceptable. What sort of school relies on pupils for messaging? Crap management.

[halcyondays]

Schools don’t usually employ staff to run messages about, I wouldn’t have thought. I remember going all round the school collecting the teachers’ tea money when I was in P.2.

[neonglow]

I had to do this in year 8 over 15 years ago, it’s obviously something a lot of schools do

[NovemberDays]

Never heard of this - in DD’s classrooms, there are telephones.

[NotMondayAgain]

Wow, it was totally a new one on me. I can't believe it's so common. It annoys me that I could take DD out of school for a day and get a fine but they think it's ok for kids to not learn anything for a day. At primary they were constantly giving the message that every day matters so I just find this a bit bizarre. Considering we live in an era of constant messaging, email etc

[corlan]

I work in a school that does this. The student has to go to the start of their normal lessons and ask the teacher for the work the class is doing. They go back to a desk by the school office, do the work and run messages as and when required.
My DD did it last year and picked up some very juicy gossip eavesdropping on the staff in the office, so it was a day well spent as far as she was concerned!

[NotMondayAgain]

Is that a bottle of gin instead of my confused smiley icon or is my screen playing up?!?!

[MaybeDoctor]

My understanding was that it is a bit like work-experience, especially if they are meeting/greeting visitors.

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

They do it at our school. I don't think it's a bad thing actually. The responsibility is good for them, they have to learn to take the initiative for catching up with the missed lessons and it's only once a year (at our school it's not just year 8, can't remember who else does it).
There are all sorts of things a child might miss the occasional lesson for (debating competition practice, maths challenges, being sent to isolation because they forgot their planner) and catching up with work seems to me very much the normal run of things and shouldn't be fatal to learning.

[al2616]

They do it at the school where I work. It is only one day. Plus I think they have the opportunity to learn a lot about how a school works (knowing how to use a laminate is a lifelong skill!) And also greeting guests to the school helps them to be able to communicate better with adults.

[NotMondayAgain]

The headteacher did say he was thinking about rebranding it. The word 'runner' does not sound great. I think if a school wants to do this they should give the parents a letter to explain how it works, rather than me just finding out at the dinner table.

[ClaudiaWankleman]

Is this also a school that refuses to authorise any absence?

Why is missing one Friday to go on holiday any different to sitting in the office one day a year?

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

They get to laminate?

[Pangur2]

They do it in my school. I agree with the above comment; it's very like work experience and they have to be independent and use skills not normally used in class. I don't think it is a staffing issue in my school; it was just felt it was good for their growth etc.

[Clymene]

I think it's a good thing too. Teaches them some responsibility and they get work to do when there aren't any errands to run.

[loutypips]

Do they not have emails? Crazy.

[PristineCondition]

I remember doing it in the 90's
I got to use a massive paper guillotine that was a big as a table with a machete type blade attached. It was fucking brill

[BertieBotts]

I used to love doing this! The most responsible students got picked to do it again in year 10 and we got to distribute the post into the teachers' pigeonholes! My head of year made out it was this huge responsibility and I put it in my ucas application. It didn't seem to do any harm.

[UncomfortableSilence]

They do this in the school I work in too. One day across the whole time they are there so hardly missing much. They greet visitors, run errands, take deliveries to teachers and staff and lots of other odd jobs. I see no harm in it.

[Foxyloxy1plus1]

I think many schools do it and mine certainly did. I don’t think it’s a bad thing and it is only one day. As for being fined if you took a child out of school for a day, no, that isn’t the case.

[SoupDragon]

I've never heard of this!

I wouldn't be particularly bothered about it though.

[Faffandahalf]

My school (workplace) do this too.
Kids do photocopying (like big booklets for exams and stuff)
Laminating
Tidying stuff
Running messages round the school (teachers don’t check email constantly during a lesson or at all)

They love it!