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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To believe that a communication system which relies on children between 7 and 11 to be messengers, is not going to be an effective means of communication?

66 replies

GiantSquirrelSpotter · 15/05/2007 15:49

And indeed, is going to inevitably be a downright inefficient and crap one?

This is the system my DS's school has in place. 7/ 8 year olds are old enough to take responsibility, so the theory goes, therefore they have to put papers, letters etc, in their bags and deliver to their parents. No-one checks that they have put said missives in their bags. I ask every day "have you forgotten anything from your tray?" and the answer is no.

So today I find out he's missed an afternoon club which I'd signed him up for, as he's never brought me back any paperwork about it. Last time it was my parents' evening appointment.

OK I know the theory, and I know it's time consuming and inefficient for the class teacher to check they've got everything and they're supposed to be old enough but er... he's not.

AIBU to expect the school to take communicating with parents a bit more seriously than this? Or should I just expect to be communicated with on an arbitrary ad hoc, inefficient, run by an eight year old basis? Am I being an over-demanding parent?

OP posts:
Jelley · 15/05/2007 16:59

I would be grateful if our dds school sent letters at all.

DD1 was expected to remember to tell me that she was in a show at 6pm, what costume she needed, what date, and when to be there beforehand. I got a written invitation to the show, but nothing else. DD1 claimed to have had no letter. I went in and asked and was told that the children are responsible for passing messages on

thedogsbollox · 15/05/2007 16:59

Our school has a contact book which the parents must sign each night against the items noted for the day.

If there is a letter, or need to bring money in for cake stall or have been picked for the netball team etc then it will say so in the contact book.

Mercy · 15/05/2007 16:58

Exactly MB. I've just said something similar in another thread (see Twiglett's thread)

In my dd's school I think that the number of families who have access to a PC is not exactly high.

saralou100 · 15/05/2007 16:57

sorry, but am pmsl at your last line!!!

doesn't sound unreasonable

Original poster
GiantSquirrelSpotter · 15/05/2007 16:57

I've thought of a good one: why not just pin all letters that have been sent home recently on the notice board?

Then if you haven't received your individual copy, at least you can look on the notice board and at least know that you should have got that letter and know what it contains.

This of course would not work for working parents who don't collect their children from school every day.

OP posts:
Blandmum · 15/05/2007 16:55

Because not all families have e-mail

gingertoo · 15/05/2007 16:54

I agree Tigana, Email would be SO much easier. I have mentioned it so many times at school but to no avail. They have recently introduced a system where, in line with their eco-school status, they only send one letter per family...Great in theory, trouble is, oldest DS says that the youngest sibling is supposed to take the letter, youngest claims the opposite is true!! Result: No letter!!
Why don't they just send a bloody email?????

Miaou · 15/05/2007 16:53

What is wrong with handing notes to children and getting them to put them in their bags rather than their trays, I ask? Surely just as much/little trouble? At least then as parents you can rake through their bag at the end of each day rather than rely on them to bring stuff home.

My dds (9 and 8) aren't bad at giving me notes, but I found out recently that they have been in school all day in their socks because they had BOTH lost their indoor pumps and neglected to do anything about it - grr!! For weeks too!! I couldn't understand why their socks were so filthy

3andnomore · 15/05/2007 16:49

OH, most schools seem to have this system...bugs the hell out of me...as my almost 11 year old is a crappy messenger, lol...bless his heart!

batters · 15/05/2007 16:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bossykate · 15/05/2007 16:21

harrumph. i have had ds's teacher tell me off because ds hasn't told me things. he's 5.

Nightynight · 15/05/2007 16:19

no, this is a crap system and our school does it too.
The french school had a special exercise book for notes, and the teacher oversaw them pasting the notes into it in the classroom. So you just had to check the book now and then. It was much better.

Wotzsaname · 15/05/2007 16:08

GiantSquirrelSpotter have I killed your thread?

Would you like some more ranting or have you taken yourself off somewhere?

Wotzsaname · 15/05/2007 15:53

If there is a good idea, it may have already been thought of

our school uses www.parentmail.co.uk

mosschops30 · 15/05/2007 15:52

This really pees me off too, they do it at guides too and I end up with some scrawl on a bit of paper that I have to decifer and end up phoning guide leader.

Tigana · 15/05/2007 15:51

will schools ever ask for a parental email address and just email out these letters do you think?

Do some do this already?

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