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Original poster

The same child got all the jobs AGAIN

109 replies

Year5ClassJobs · 08/09/2023 16:21

Children are Year 5, 3 classes per year.

Each class has 1 boy and 1 girl in school council, 1 boy and 1 girl on the eco-council then Year 5 have 1 boy and 1 girl per house (3 houses) as Deputy House Captains, and Year 6 have 1 boy and 1 girl per house as House Captains (usually the ones who where DHCs in Year 5).

It’s supposed to be that you are only allowed 1 job per year, you can’t be on both councils or be on a council and be a House Captain.

Except the last 2 years the same girl has been on both councils for the class, and this year she’s been voted again and also given Deputy House Captain. There was literally no point in my DD standing up to do the speeches for each as when this girl stood up to do hers DD knew she’d get all the jobs again, and she did – shes the same team as my DD so DD had no chance.

It just seems wholely unfair. There’s no logic behind it, she’s a popular girl among the class but she’s not related to a teacher or anything so I don’t get it. Usually the HT is very fair and ensures each child only gets 1 job per year but this child seems to get round that rule.

I’m all for boosting the confidence of DC who need it, but it just seems unfair for this girl to stand up and get all the jobs when others have never had a chance.

I’m not going to complain, I did a few years ago when she was given School Council and Eco-Council and was told by the HT that she always ensures each child only gets 1 job and that all the Year 5s and 6s have equal chance of getting DHT or HC. And that any child who put themselves forward for any job that didn't get a job will be given a big part in the Year 6 end of school show.

Why does this happen though? Why is this one child allowed 3 jobs when 2 other DC who’ve never had a chance could do it?

OP posts:
Floralnomad · 08/09/2023 18:22

If everyone thinks there’s no point complaining then nothing will ever change

bpirockin · 08/09/2023 18:39

Of course you must complain. How on earth can the HT stand by and state that no-one is allowed more than one, when this girl has three? Absolutely ridiculous and unfair. The other children deserve a chance to shine/come into their own. If necessary find some other parents who feel the same and tackle it en masse. All the others are losing out on a chance to build their confidence and develop new skills. Some inevitably won't want to be in the 'limelight', but they should all at least have a realistic chance, whereas clearly they are not being given one.

mikado1 · 08/09/2023 18:42

modgepodge · 08/09/2023 16:26

As a teacher I can’t tell you how little influence the PTA have on my decisions on these type of things.

Are they voted by the children OP? If so, you have your answer - this girl is clearly popular. Whether or not that’s a good way to choose things or not I don’t know but if that’s the way they do it then that’s the reason. If selected by the teacher this is clearly rubbish.

At my school we also have the rule that children can’t do 2 jobs, and I’d they are voted for both we ask them to choose which they’d prefer. We also have the rule that they can’t do jobs in successive years, for exactly this reason - to give lots of people a chance.

In your situation I actually would complain as the school has gone against its own policy letting her do multiple jobs.

Agree 100% with every point you've made, especially the first one!!

Interested in this thread?

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General education Primary education
Sunset6 · 08/09/2023 18:45

Who cares? I think you are over-involved here. Can’t imagine giving a stuff about who was voted as school prefect/milk monitor/house captain, either when I was a child or from my perspective now as a parent.

fetchacloth · 08/09/2023 18:48

Itslosenotloose · 08/09/2023 16:23

Parent will be a massive PTA lick arse.

Yup, that's a certainty 🙄

PutinSmellsPassItOn · 08/09/2023 18:49

That's crap, things like this mean a lot to little kids.....I mean I still remember the girl who was in charge of the nature table AND was given the responsibility of taking the lunch money to the receptionist each day. She looked so smug collecting those little brown envelopes and adjusting her pine cones.......not that I bare a grudge almost 40 years on. 🙄😬😡

Iammetoday · 08/09/2023 18:50

Oh we have the same in my dc school! There's a child who's parents are a teacher and a TA. I've known them for years - parents are lovely, child is an only, she is good at everything and quite popular but when she turns against a child it's brutal! I think a mixture of popularity abd fear mean she is voted for for jobs and school have broken their policy of not same child being on school council..... definitely face fits!

TooOldForThisNonsense · 08/09/2023 18:56

A lot of people will say YABU but I don’t think you are, primary schools are IME really bad for favouritism. And in our school anyway ot wasn’t bawd on PTA involvement.

As others said it changed in high school, where they get rewarded for hard work and results, my son has had awards every year and in the leadership team now.

Nothing will change if you don’t address it with the school though x

starfishmummy · 08/09/2023 19:18

I remember this at ds's school. Always volunteering, always told "next year" but of course next year never came. Same children got the jobs every year. However he was in a couple of well respected groups out of school, who regarded him highly so I persuaded him to concentrate on those.

⁶

TickleMyPickle · 08/09/2023 19:29

One of mine was the golden child. Picked for every major part in the plays, school council, rep for this and that.
I wasn’t on the PTA or mates with any of the teachers. He was just a really likeable, competent, amenable nice kid.
I know all the other parents would be hating on him, as I had with the golden kids in my other child’s year that never got picked for anything!!!

EggbertHeartsTina · 08/09/2023 19:36

If it's a anything like my school, it's the kid with the parents who complain the most Hmm

Throwaway23X · 08/09/2023 19:49

Forgive me if I’m being ignorant but what does a house captain do in primary school? We had these in secondary, usually yr. 11s.

Sounds like it’s a popularity contest and I’d definitely be asking them if they know how to count, given the rule states ‘one’ and said child has ‘three’. Head might need to pop back to reception for a bit!

Positive41 · 08/09/2023 20:45

It is really unfair, would piss me off.

I have seen parents provide things for special school days and alas their kid is in the school photo and one school even plugged their business on their FB page. Absolutely outrageous in my opinion.

Hairbal · 08/09/2023 20:53

we had similar, same three children given important jobs, assembly rewards and main character in plays each year. Year 6 suddenly other children rightfully get these responsibilities (new teacher), it was a breath of fresh air with everyone rooting for them.

nutmegnook · 08/09/2023 20:55

Itslosenotloose · 08/09/2023 16:23

Parent will be a massive PTA lick arse.

Lol

Motheranddaughter · 08/09/2023 20:56

Hopefully it has improved since my DC were little but back then it was teachers DC/ DC of PTA members /random people linked to school staff / everyone else

Original poster
Year5ClassJobs · 08/09/2023 20:57

Throwaway23X · 08/09/2023 19:49

Forgive me if I’m being ignorant but what does a house captain do in primary school? We had these in secondary, usually yr. 11s.

Sounds like it’s a popularity contest and I’d definitely be asking them if they know how to count, given the rule states ‘one’ and said child has ‘three’. Head might need to pop back to reception for a bit!

@Throwaway23X They count up house points each week and miss a lesson to do it, they can give out house points to anyone in Year 4 or below (but can't take them away), they help the headteacher with tours around school on opens days and also in general, they get first pick of rooms on the Year 6 residential. They're more likely to be called upon to do special jobs for the teacher etc.

School Council get an earlier lunchtime once a week for meetings and get to speak in assemblies sometimes.

Eco-council just go to meetings about how to recycle etc. and help with school fundraisers.

OP posts:
notahappybunny7 · 08/09/2023 21:01

User3735 · 08/09/2023 16:32

This stuff winds me up too. It will never change though, same when I was in school. My year 2 son said 'guess who got star of the week today?' And I guessed correctly and my husband said how on earth did you know that! Did you see it? Nope, just that pupil always gets it first, and multiple times through the year instead of once like everyone else, and wins all the competitions and gets main part in plays etc the same child even joined my son's dance class and won all the certificates on a competition on only her second week. Something is really off about it to me, either the child is genuinely amazing or the parents are manipulating somehow financially.

Edited

The wealthiest families children get all the certificates, jobs etc in my dds class too.

BlossomOfOrange · 08/09/2023 21:25

my suggestion would be not to complain, as such. Point out the facts ie the school policy and what you’ve observed. Then ask the school to explain.

BottlingBurpsForGrandma · 08/09/2023 21:30

My DD was a bit of the golden child at Primary but my god she worked hard at it. She was Sports Councillor, Eco Councillor, MP and House Captain (there are four possible jobs and she'd been them all across the 7 years) and worked for hours on her speeches ahead of nominations for each role. For House Captain they have a job interview with the Head Teacher and the outgoing Year 6, did I wish she went to bed instead of spending 3 hours preparing, yes - but was I proud of her for getting it? Also yes.

She also had good parts in all the school plays, again because she arrived to school, rehearsals and evening performances on time, meticulously learns her lines and remembers all costumes and accessories reliably. She was even on the football team and won lots of races at sports day. A real good all rounder but a hard worker too.

Boshi · 08/09/2023 21:39

Just complain again to the head. Particularly if this girl has had multiple roles in more than one year, not sure how the school can defend that.

Mention that your daughter applied for these roles too.

Bogbrushhair · 08/09/2023 22:29

Seen this in the past too. Infuriating. Think sometimes some teaching staff get tunnel vision for these popular alpha types, and their name is just top of their mind for every opportunity. These jobs should be about giving as many kids as possible the chance to have responsibility, build skills and confidence. But sometimes the kids that need it least seem to get it time and again.

Bogbrushhair · 08/09/2023 22:38

BottlingBurpsForGrandma · 08/09/2023 21:30

My DD was a bit of the golden child at Primary but my god she worked hard at it. She was Sports Councillor, Eco Councillor, MP and House Captain (there are four possible jobs and she'd been them all across the 7 years) and worked for hours on her speeches ahead of nominations for each role. For House Captain they have a job interview with the Head Teacher and the outgoing Year 6, did I wish she went to bed instead of spending 3 hours preparing, yes - but was I proud of her for getting it? Also yes.

She also had good parts in all the school plays, again because she arrived to school, rehearsals and evening performances on time, meticulously learns her lines and remembers all costumes and accessories reliably. She was even on the football team and won lots of races at sports day. A real good all rounder but a hard worker too.

School is not work, where the most able and well prepared should get the responsibility.
School is about giving children opportunities to develop skills and confidence, which they might not already have, so the child who is best prepared and most qualified should not always get all those opportunities.. because they don’t need them.

Sometimeswinning · 08/09/2023 22:42

Itslosenotloose · 08/09/2023 16:23

Parent will be a massive PTA lick arse.

I didn’t realise we had this power 😂 Oh yeah. We don’t.

TicTacNicNak · 08/09/2023 22:50

Bloody hell, nothing ever changes, does it.

I'm 60 and still clearly remember the teacher picking the same two girls to be team leaders in everything. PE? Yes, they were picked and then had to take turns selecting their teams from their classmates. Same quiet kids would be the ones standing there not picked, every time. My mum was a "dinner lady" at my primary school and she took this teacher to task about favouriting the same two girls every time.