What has been the most entertaining/ crackers thing that has happened in your class WhatsApp?

[Caffeineislife]

We've currently got a huge class WhatsApp blowup with a new school mum who started DC school last week. She's going around asking people if they want to have playdates so the kids can get to know one another better and her DD "A" can make some friends during half term and a few weekends but it actually seems to be turning out to be a one sided child care swap. I know from the school gate small talk at pickup and drop off that they have moved a long way from their family for cheaper housing and the move has been very delayed. She also mentioned last week that she was struggling to find holiday care as they are all booked up. I'm not sure if she's been advised somewhere to see if other parents want to do a childcare swap for holidays and she's been a bit ham handed with it, or very unfortunate in that genuine errands have come up, or if she is a CF.

She asked queen bee yesterday morning and queen bee has decided it would make great parent WhatsApp content. The mum in question isn't on the class WhatsApp as her child started last Monday and queen bee (who is admin of the class WhatsApp group and head of PTA) was too busy organizing school sun cream, yr 6 leavers hoodies, yr 6 after sats treats and an end of term disco to add the new mum to the group. It's been a non stop slagging fest all yesterday and this morning and still going. One of Queen bee's hive mates who is a gob shite can't wait to be asked and is supposedly going to confront them when she is asked at pickup to publicly warn the rest of the class parents that A's mum is a CF. According to the whatsapp nearly every parent in DC's class has been asked about a playdate over the past week. There is only gob shite and the rest of Queen bee's hive that haven't been asked yet - possibly because they stand in a huddle and don't talk to anyone else. Apparently the new mum has a list of weekends she "can do (read needs child care for)".

Apparently last weekend she took "A" to "H's" house (not queen bee but another mum who is on the queen bee hive fringe) and made an excuse of really needing to do some "emergency errands" so couldn't stop but she would be back in a couple of hours, left her phone number and then refused to pick up the phone, anyway she came back at tea time (6 hrs later) and picked up A. It's emerged on the whatsapp she's also arranged a playdate before H's party on Saturday with "D's" mum and again there is some kind of errand that means A's mum can't stop for the playdate and is dropping off the car seat so D's mum can take A to H's party where she will pick up A from. H's mum is now worried that A will not get picked up from H's party as it finishes at 3 as last week she didn't pick up until 5.

I got asked on Tuesday (before yesterday's blow up) but said we were busy most weekends (we are) and going away at half term (again we are) but could do an evening after school if that worked to be told she would have to look at her calendar. I may have had a narrow escape.

That sounds horrendous (both the cf behaviour and also grown adults discussing it over WhatsApp).

the most drama we get is a few cack handed husband and wife parents messaging the class WhatsApp instead of each other (sometimes quite eyebrow raising content) and one hospital consultant doctor parent who somehow confuses the class WhatsApp group with her registrar and we get patient identifiable details and history circulated and then hastily withdrawn.

Avoid the parent at all costs. What an awful parent setting their child up for disaster acting like that. Entitled.

I think that's pretty poor use of a parents' WhatsApp. To be honest, I'm always a bit baffled by the high drama some people report about class WhatsApps on here -- I've been on three different school class WhatsApps, and there's never been anything remotely like that, only people asking about forgotten homework, lost jumpers, or reminders about cake sales etc.

Even when there was a genuinely concerning situation (an aggressive parent with obvious MH issues whose child bullied children in the class, after which the parent started harassing parents in the playground, leading to her being barred from school property and all school events), it never spilled onto WhatsApp.

God almighty!!!

I'm not on any WA groups for school now DC and I are happy with the school and they tell us if we need anything because their communication is good.

We did have a school prior that was hell bent on minimising issues and sent a letter out with a blanket ban on "complaining" about the school on WA, to all year groups, because too many parents were noticing bullying going on with no effort to stop them or mental health help in place. That triggered quite a few kids being pulled out as it made their attitude to concern very clear!

But class WhatsApps aren't for the school or communication modes associated with the school -- they are, in my experience, entirely informal networks set up by parents for parents, not in any official or PTA capacity. Therefore complaining about bullying on them is pointless, unless any other action is being taken. Take it up with the school.

one hospital consultant doctor parent who somehow confuses the class WhatsApp group with her registrar and we get patient identifiable details and history circulated and then hastily withdrawn.

That's... pretty horrendous!
Same as @LookAtAllThoseRoses no drama on the many that I am on! Mainly reminders and a bit of polite discussion.

Mine was just moany, constant complaints about the school, people riling each other up, daft comments and unrealistic expectations. I left as figured it would be less stressful to occasionally forget the PE dates had been swopped then listen to grown women moan all day long

I flounced off ours, when a new to the school Dad of about 3 weeks, decided the WhatsApp we'd all been using perfectly fine for about 5 years wasn't at all suitable for our needs. We got a lecture about him being a 'warrior of change' and a 'pioneer' - there was definitely a reference to gladiators in there too. Then he took it upon himself to change the 'Chat' into a WhatsApp 'Community' with about 15 different chats under subject titles such as, homework, lost property, clubs, urgent, uniform, trips etc, meaning instead of scrolling through one single chat, we had about 15 to monitor. One of the best things I've ever done, leaving the year WhatsApp, and I've not actually missed anything as I just read the school e mails!

The parents had taken it up with school and nothing was being done, so it was spilling over into the groups. The blanket ban was put in because parents were noticing nothing was being done and calling it out which was their only way of banding together to address the issue and prove more than one student was suffering.

Anyway, it was a poor school with terrible communication, high bullying and low wellbeing. We are well shot!

I’m wondering who are the children in this op. I don’t recall any of this drama when my own children were at primary school but WhatsApp was not around then in any case. These are supposedly grown women, but they are behaving like twelve year olds. The level of spite is unbelievable. I feel very sorry for the new child in the class as the other children will pick up on their mothers’ petty behaviour. Time for everyone to grow up.

We had a flaming row on there between two parents last week. That was quite good. Especially when some of the other parents joined in in an attempt to lighten the mood. I was extremely late to the party though as I’ve got the whole damn thing muted. I can’t strand the groups but my husband, who’s also in it, said I probably shouldn’t leave.

Apparently last weekend she took "A" to "H's" house (not queen bee but another mum who is on the queen bee hive fringe) and made an excuse of really needing to do some "emergency errands" so couldn't stop but she would be back in a couple of hours, left her phone number and then refused to pick up the phone, anyway she came back at tea time (6 hrs later) and picked up A.

That is horrendous behaviour. Who leaves their child with people they barely know and then disappears!

We had a bit of a storm in a teacup on the WhatsApp group over the yr 6 prom when one of the parents asked if the other parent volunteers who had volunteered to supervise for the evening had been DBS checked.

Most parents said that's OTT / ridiculous, a few parents agreed and then some of the volunteers took offence and backed out of helping. It was quite entertaining.

This has reminded me of the slightly catty "discussions" about teacher presents in Primary.

I remember one dad being adamant we should spend the £250 on a voucher for one of the services his business offered, because he had apparently had a long personal chat with the teacher who had specifically said she would need work done by him that year 🤔Everyone else was sold on John Lewis vouchers and he got very cross.

Johnny lost a sock.

Harry's mum has looked and can't find it.

Eva has Isaac's blazer but Isaac doesn't have Eva's.

I mute it.

The biggest drama we had was whether they were allowed to take backpacks on a school trip. Teachers said a carrier bag with packed lunch but someone spoke to the teacher to get exemption for their child and caused uproar haha.

Also when people were moaning about the cost of swimming lessons and someone claimed the school were making a profit from them when the cost does actually all go on the coaches.

@PanicAttax what a CF!!

Yep we have had lots of fun over collections for staff end of year gift collections with the question of whether the card is only signed by the children who contributed to the gift fund or from the whole class. It's very divisive...

I do wonder if it's because it's a Covid cohort (my DD will be year below) and some of the mum's missed out on all the baby group bitchy drama that sometimes happens. It very much reminds me of the bitchfest that was the NCT group. The main posters are the queen bee and hive and it's a constant stream of pictures and "huns banter" between them - why they haven't got their own group i don't know. Everyone else just posts stuff related to school or thanks for the information. In the possible CF situation, people said they had been asked but had to check calendar or were busy (lots to swimming at the weekend).

Luckily new kids mum is old news as "gobshite's" kid was sent home after been sick at lunchtime so last night it turned to "I wonder if the lunch was bad?", "oh no Hun", "they need to do a deep clean" and my favourite, photos of the hive kids with worry that they too are coming down with it as they look a bit pale. I'm sure it will be something else after the party as well.

@PanicAttax what a CF he is.

@popandchoc they have already banned backpacks in school earlier this year (I have a friend whose DC attends same school) due to some uproar in another year about branding and characters on backpacks.

@MavisTheMonkey I'm sure this WhatsApp group will have similar issues come up next term. As Queen Bee is a "Scentsy consultant" so no doubt end of year gift will include her product.

The main posters are the queen bee and hive and it's a constant stream of pictures and "huns banter" between them
This is really catty honestly. Are they not allowed to be friends?

why they haven't got their own group i don't know.
If they had their own group you just know someone would be here posting ‘there’s a clique who are leaving me out’.

Ours is fine, the parents seem to keep drama to a minimum.

We have a class FB messenger for my younger DC but it's not really used now . When it is, it's just people moaning.

Didn't have one for my older child

Having never indulged in the 'class WhatsApp' I can safely say all those participating; sound like bitches.

That’s pure whoZis episode of Motherland @edwinbear