To think this isn't what these groups are for.

Yes, this. No point in festering in silence. It’s hardly a wildly controversial thing to say, surely?

does anyone read all the school communications? I certainly don't (maybe because we have 3?) so i am delighted when a.n.other parent does and shares on whatsapp!!

Why didn't they invite you?

I left my daughters class WhatsApp after a group of mums started posting their "mums night out" photos.🙄 And that was just the tip of the iceberg.

You could create a new group chat called something like [NAME OF ORIGINAL CHAT] BUSINESS ONLY.
Then encourage everyone from the original chat to join the new one too. Explain that, amongst the banter/stories/irrelevant crap, you're worried that important times and dates might get missed.

Then you can mute or leave the original chat. It's probably something some of the other parents would welcome.

Do it, OP - save your sanity!

Just had a quick look and it's called a WhatsApp community - you can set one up and add the group chat into it and then have all the sub bits like announcements. Might be worth a suggestion to whoever 'owns' the chat

I'm in a group chat for my choir and they have sort of sub bits in it including an announcements 'page'. Could you suggest this kind of set up and useful stuff being popped in there? That way you're not policing people's chat but you're making it easier to find the bits you actually want.

Message the group admin and ask them to remind parents to stick to relevant info and questions about school otherwise important messages may get ignored or lost in all the noise.

I was on one WhatsApp, one time, for about a month before I left and, when added to others, or Facebook groups, left each time.
The mind rotting shite posted by others was just not worth it.
I never missed a daytime event or school notification because they would send the newsletter by email and I had the function to attach all dates to my calendar on my phone. Problem solved.

The final straw was a dad who posted that his son was being bullied (awful and sadly a huge issue at the school) so he was voting UKIP at the local election because then the boys involved would be sent "home". FFS. Yes there was an issue with a gang of boys from a community but that was apparently his best answer to it. And "home" was our town as they'd all been born at the local hospital!

That was game over for me. Peace prevailed!

Can your dh join the group in stead of you, if he's not already in it?

You do you, OP. Luteal and all

I agree. I'm just in very business like WhatsApp groups for school classes and they're really boring. I'd much rather hear about what others are up to!

I agree, some of you sound really miserable. You really don't need to be checking WhatsApp for every message. Just scroll through whenever it suits you and pick out anything important.

It's hardly "horrendous" or "feel your pain" etc it's hardly the biggest hardship.
And why not suggest drinks and get to know these people better, perhaps you won't find their messages so annoying if you've met them.

People always think they're better than the "school mums". Then you get the same people probably, posting that they have no friends at all, no one to ask a favour from or they don't know anyone in the world who can sign their DC passport application, which has come up recently.

I work, I don't have a lot of time, I only drop off and pick up a couple of times a week but I make an effort and I've made friends.

So patronising

Just leave the group - there were no WhatsApp groups when my kids were at school and we managed fine! Surely the school will email directly about anything important?

I added my exH to the chat because if I had to endure that shit, so did he!

There was a dad on ours who posted so much irrelevant crap, his ex wife gave him a couple of warnings, then as an admin, removed him from the group. That was cool.

Oh, I feel your pain, OP!

In reception there were random pictures of kids I didn't know eating x,y,z or doing whatever and all other kinds of stuff I did not want to see. It has eased off a lot over the years (yes, years!!). A few parents left the group quite early on and now we're down to one main offender.

Even she took the hint a little when I suggested she'd posted something to the wrong group chat with a laughing emoji. Horribly passive aggressive of me, but I was sick of the chat being abused and useful information getting lost amidst reams of self indulgent and ultimately useless shite!

I completely disagree with suggesting people ‘keep it to school stuff only’ you can’t police what people say or post. Some people like the general chit chat. Stay in the group or don’t if you prefer not to, but it’s unfair to tell people what they can and can’t talk about.

Worth saying something. You could argue that keeping it relevant ensures people take notice of the information.