Should parents have teachers' direct emails?

[MathsMagpie]

I work in a school where parents are given their child's teacher's direct email.

At my children's school, we are not allowed to have the class teacher's email address and instead everything is sent to the office and then dealt with accordingly and all replies (even from the teachers) then come back from the office email address.

Which way do you prefer as either a parent and/or teacher?

I find it frustrating sometimes not being able to get a message to my children's teacher direct (I can't do drop off and pick up) but then also feel very frustrated by so many of the many many parent emails that I receive.

Sounds like a complete nightmare for the teacher to have parents emailing them constantly.

It must create lots of extra admin!

Secondary I don't mind it. Most of the emails are relevant.

Primary I completely understand why they don't hand them out. The poor teachers inboxes would be carnage.

I'm primary

I’m a teacher, parents don’t have my email-good.
as a parent, I don’t have my children’s teacher’s email-good.

If you really want to send a message, why not send an actual note with your child? Then whoever does drop off (or childcare) can pass it on?

I have always had teacher’s email addresses through primary, intermediate and now in secondary. The school DD attends now is way too big to consider having everything routed through the office. TBH I’ve only used their email addresses very occasionally but I think it’s good to be able to do that if needed.

But usually the email address is firstname.surname@ so you could figure it out if you needed to.

I’m happy emailing the office. Sometimes the teacher isn’t the right person for the query I have and the office are good at flagging potential issues to the senior leadership team where they think it’s needed. If I really need to speak to the teacher I’ll make arrangements to pick up my child and the teacher isn’t usually happy to have a quick chat.

Looking at the stuff on the schools Facebook group I just know parents would be inundating teachers directly for utter nonsense, I’d rather they were able to focus on teaching.

As a parent I'd prefer it, which is why I never emailed the school (general admin email) and I just talked to the teacher face to face when needed. No idea how that affected workload compared to an email.

As school staff, I know it’s an absolute nightmare for teachers just through sheer volume, nevermind issues that actually need replying/action taken.

She's at secondary now and I have a few teacher's emails , but it turns out I don't really need them, anyway.

Secondary - many schools publish every teacher's email address. Some give HoD's. As a teacher/form tutor, I don't mind parents emailing, and I always give it to parents who ask at parents evenings.

My children go to independent and we have all the teacher’s emails. They also answer them up to about 11pm at night! I feel sorry for them to be honest but it keeps the parents happy.

As a teacher, parents can message me on Synergy. They’re not supposed to do from their child’s account though because that comes straight to me, some do though. They should use the parent version which goes via the office. I contact via the office for the schools my children go to. I don’t think parents should email teachers directly, especially not in primary. The teachers would never get anything done.

We have class dojo. Very helpful to send quick unimportant messages.

as a parent, I prefer to have the teacher’s direct email (and I hardly ever use it).

This

dd is in yr 3

we’ve had emails in all 4 yrs

name . @schoolname

My children go to independent and we have all the teacher’s emails. They also answer them up to about 11pm at night! I feel sorry for them to be honest but it keeps the parents happy.

What a shame that parents happy to pay for their child’s education don’t consider the impact on teachers of responding to emails late into the night.

My youngest is now at secondary and the teachers individual email addresses are all on the school website if anyone needs them.
I’ve never emailed them of my own back but have responded to emails they send me.
Poor bloody teachers!

From the time email was a thing, the schools my DCs went to have had email addresses for the teachers, principals, deans, etc. Not their own personal emails, but for example Ateachername @ schoolname . whatever .

I can't imagine any other way of doing things, quite frankly and I've never heard of any parents bombarding teachers with emails and making nuisances of themselves (I have teacher friends working in both schools and if this was a problem I'd hear of it).

My DCs' schools guaranteed a response within 24 hours. Private elementary and public high school (US).

We live in Spain and you get sent a list of the full teaching staffs emails every Sept!
Some teachers also use telegram so you can message them on there too.
All our kids get email addresses too, so teachers just send emails to the child's email for catch ups and anything homework related if needed.
They also all have agendas from 6 years old so can write in those too.
Always lots of ways to contact them, and them us.

Completely agree. Although no one is making the teachers reply at that time, often there is no time in the school day to respond and then also needing to live your own life around family etc.
Being on the go from 7-11 is hardly sustainable, no wonder there are so many in education that are burnt out

I work in a small school, we used to get sent emails directly but then realised for a number of reasons this wasn't working for eg an email at 9:30 to say John was to walk home with his big sister. Of course we cannot check emails during the day so John was still standing outside school at 3pm!

So now all emails go through the office anything important like a pick up secretary tells us. Principal is also brilliant for filtering the shitty ones.

We also have a Right to Disconnect Policy in school so no emails are forwarded or replied to after 5:30.

We have Class Dojo so we can always contact the teachers through there. They always reply within 24 hours.

Both my childrens primary and secondary schools use an app in which you can message the teachers. Emailadresses are so oldfashioned 😅

Yes primary, no way. My DCs school was via the office. Secondary is different, my DDs secondary we have all the teachers emails and it's very clear who to email for which concern so the tutors are not bombarded about subject issues!

As a parent I am happy to have both primary and secondary school
teachers email.
addresses. I occasionally ( twice this year) have used secondary teachers email to check something. I got polite helpful responses back straight away.

I go to the primary school maximum once a week. I have sent perhaps 4 emails last term to my 9 years teacher, one was an ask for them to keep an eye on DS as he had fallen out with best friend . One was a thank you. Two were messages about play dates/ pickups. I get nice messages back and feel like I could approach the teacher more readily ( like with the friendship issue) .

I have only found it helpful and hope the teacher has too .