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Original poster

Has anyone else's primary school become completely heartless and unwelcoming?

30 replies

Dabralor · 08/11/2023 22:12

Bit of a rant.
Messed up today with after school football - didn't realise it was cancelled and so daughter was put in after school club whole I rushed from work to get her.
She was in there 15 mins max. I was totally in the wrong and of course I've paid for the session.

However, I've now had an automated email from the school booking system threatening me with losing her place in the club if I do this again. It's not a message from a real person, just the school booking system, but it just adds to this sense of everything being so formal and inhuman and unwelcoming. All our parents evenings are online, we haven't seen our children's classrooms where they learn every day since 2019 and we haven't seen any of our children's work because their books are incinerated at the end of every year. It's just so drab and souless! Are any other schools like this? Is it a Covid thing or a byproduct of academisation maybe?

OP posts:
Original poster
Dabralor · 08/11/2023 22:13

Btw this isn't anything about the teachers, they are all brilliant! Rather, just the systems and remoteness of all the communications and things.

OP posts:
Janieforever · 08/11/2023 22:15

Why dint you see your kids work, don’t they do homework and bring stuff home. If you want to go in make an appt,

Backtothe90ties · 08/11/2023 22:19

That is bizarre. I’ve never heard of them incinerating books and I’m a teacher. What a shame that it feels like this OP 😕

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General education
WarningOfGails · 08/11/2023 22:19

We don’t get to see the books either, they are all thrown away at the end of the year because of data protection…

AlliWantIsARoomSomewheeeere · 08/11/2023 22:20

My child started in September and already been in her classroom twice, once where they showed us around their classroom and what they have been working on and once for parents evening.
My son has started year 2, so he just missed the COVID shutdowns thankfully, just his first winter term had a few restrictions, but have seen all his classrooms, teachers and workbooks each year so definitely not the norm everywhere.

Shinyandnew1 · 08/11/2023 22:20

We have regular ‘open classrooms’ where parents can come in and see their child’s work. Our parents evenings are held in the classrooms in November/March as well and all books sent home at the end of the year. We also have a whole school open evening in July, Christmas nativity and performance for the leavers.

My own DC’s school still has remote parents evenings (secondary) and I’m fine with that-it stop some parents who would talk for ages over their time slot.

AlliWantIsARoomSomewheeeere · 08/11/2023 22:21

WarningOfGails · 08/11/2023 22:19

We don’t get to see the books either, they are all thrown away at the end of the year because of data protection…

Our son brought all his reception and year 1 books home at the end of the school year...

WarningOfGails · 08/11/2023 22:21

since Covid we haven’t been allowed on school grounds at drop off (we are at pick up) so if your kid is feeling off about school that morning you have to try to get them through the gates with no welcoming adult to jolly them along, or just give them a message about what’s up with the kid or anything. Feels so unwelcoming.

WarningOfGails · 08/11/2023 22:22

AlliWantIsARoomSomewheeeere · 08/11/2023 22:21

Our son brought all his reception and year 1 books home at the end of the school year...

Show quote history

That’s nice for you.

we got the books at my kids other schools (this is the third primary we’ve been at).

RandomUsernameHere · 08/11/2023 22:27

Ours isn't like this. All workbooks are sent home at the end of the year and are available to see at parents' evenings, which are held in the classroom. We have an open afternoon coming up and there are also lots of opportunities to help out on school trips.

DappledThings · 08/11/2023 22:39

Nothing like ours. Everything is very welcoming. Parents' evenings are in person and twice a year, got a load of books home at the end of last year. Wasn't expecting that to be honest and have no idea what to do with them but that's another story.

Breakfast club and after school club very flexible.

Head and deputy head are on the gate every morning and afternoon to say hello.

napody · 08/11/2023 22:42

Is it part of an academy trust?
Not saying all schools who have become part of one have lost their souls/individuality/connection with families.... but some certainly have

APurpleSquirrel · 08/11/2023 22:46

Ours isn't like this at all.
School books - we get to see them when we go into school for our in-person parents consultations twice a year; & most books & work is sent home at the end of the school year. We're asked to send in a named carrier bag!
Whilst we don't go into school for drop off & pick up; we can go in when we need to. Parents consultations, events, collecting items, meetings with the teachers etc. Parents consultations can be in person or on the phone.
No automated emails either.

Wolvesart · 08/11/2023 22:49

The books should be kept and passed to you at the end of the year and/or as each book is filled. Hereabouts, if they ever have to change schools during primary years (not sure about secondary) then the books need to be seen by the new school. It’s called ‘the handover information’.

itsalongwaybackfromsorry · 08/11/2023 22:52

That's nothing like our primary school. We had parents in after school today and this evening for a parents' evening. Their children's work books were available to be looked through while they waited.

stardust40 · 08/11/2023 22:58

I would ask to speak to the head and explain how you are feeling. It sounds as though nothing has moved on from Covid when in fact we are 2 years out now. This means for us a return to normal everything... parents Eve in school, parents in for reading/ class meetings etc, drop offs to class door to the teacher... learning mentor and head at the gate to welcome everyone on. Maybe if no one challenges the school they might tho k everyone is happy?!

Original poster
Dabralor · 08/11/2023 22:59

Lots of these schools sound so brilliant.

I forgot to say that we are allowed to see their books twice a year in the dinner hall - the children take their trays in and put them on the tables. And then we are able to go and see them. But it's at 3.30pm in the afternoon and so I've never been able to go 😢. Feel bad asking the teachers to go in at a different time - they are so busy.

It is weird not knowing what my children's classrooms look like- I can't visualise where they spend their days and that does make me a bit sad, really.

OP posts:
ForestofBears · 08/11/2023 23:00

Over the last year and a bit the primary school has gradually transitioned back to welcoming parents in. Parents evening was in person this term not online and we could go to the classroom and look at the books. There have been a couple of workshops that parents are invited to to meet the teachers and do an activity with the children. DD brought her books home last term. My older DC started secondary school just over a year ago so I don’t know what that was like in Covid times or when it changed, but I went to face to face parents evenings, meetings about trips, meetings with the head of year about concerns I had.

femfemlicious · 08/11/2023 23:04

I kinda wish they incinerated the books at mine😁. Piles of work books everywhere 😭.

Namddf · 08/11/2023 23:30

napody · 08/11/2023 22:42

Is it part of an academy trust?
Not saying all schools who have become part of one have lost their souls/individuality/connection with families.... but some certainly have

Ours.

Do you know why?

SuckingFunt · 08/11/2023 23:48

Share with OFSTED. They will accept comments about schools on their website, not only for when they have an inspection.

Sounds awful. Incinerating books? That just terrible. How is handing back a child's work to them a data protection issue? I would say the opposite, they are destroying a child's learning.

Raise it with the Governors, All of it,

RedToothBrush · 08/11/2023 23:51

WarningOfGails · 08/11/2023 22:19

We don’t get to see the books either, they are all thrown away at the end of the year because of data protection…

Er well that's bollocks! We get given all DSs books at the end of the year (to do with however we please. I have a massive drawer full I need to work out what the hell to do with!).

So it CAN'T be data protection otherwise it'd be advised as a national policy to incinerate them.

I have recently been to parents evening. I got to look through his books before the appointment. They said during the appointment I can ask to see his books anytime I like.

The in-person appointment. They now do a mix because the online ones work better for some parents. Teacher said it was nice to do face to face though too.

Smartiepants79 · 09/11/2023 00:00

Not the case in any of the schools I’ve ever had dealings with. We send all books home. My children bring all books home.
The school I work at has at least 2 opportunities a month for parents to drop into school and see what they’ve been doing.
My children’s school have given us at least 1 opportunity per half term to go into school.
I find what you’re describing to be very odd - such poor parent/school partnerships wouldn’t go down well in an ofsted inspection.
Do they ever ask for parents opinions?
I can’t even begin to imagine why you’d need to incinerate a child’s school books that’s truly awful. How do you teach them to value their work if all you’re going to do is burn it all!!

TheUsualChaos · 09/11/2023 00:01

This all sounds so sad OP. And I can't get my head around the concept of burning their books. I really hope the kids don't know that happens! What message does that send, all that work just to destroy it later on!

Agree, this all needs to go to the school governors, email head teacher. Get parents together and sign a joint letter. Anything you can think of. Tell the local paper about the book burning, low blow I know, but honestly this school needs a serious head wobble! If no one speaks up it won't change.

BitofaStramash · 09/11/2023 00:01

Ours is not like that all. Complete opposite