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Original poster

keeping up with endless school admin

25 replies

Hertsmum234 · 12/02/2025 17:05

The amount of stuff we get sent from the schools by email, text and WhatsApp - I honestly can't keep up! I never seem to ever know about a 'wear something yellow' day until the day before and then I'm always scrambling to find something.... "mum - this tshirt isn't yellow, it's orange!". hello again, mum guilt!
is this just me? is it bad to expect schools to better and more clearly communicate with parents?

I know that if I send out a message on WhatsApp to check these things, I need to think twice, three times whether the other parents are silently judging me!!🙈

I'm curious to ask the question below...

OP posts:
WilmaTitsDrop · 12/02/2025 17:08

The wear something yellow example that you gave.

Does that mean they're not informing parents until the day before?

If so, I'd be having a strong word about that.

elliejjtiny · 12/02/2025 17:09

I feel your pain. I have dc in 3 different schools at the moment and it's a flurry of play rehearsals, trampolining club, homework, cooking ingredients and wear green/red/stripes/stars day

Jiggedy · 12/02/2025 17:10

It's really not fair if they are just asking you to produce something yellow for the very next day.

Surely the school should be using one method of contact and not three.

I write things on the calendar the D that I get them. I reply to party invitations the minute I get them pretty much.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General education
Original poster
Hertsmum234 · 12/02/2025 17:16

WilmaTitsDrop · 12/02/2025 17:08

The wear something yellow example that you gave.

Does that mean they're not informing parents until the day before?

If so, I'd be having a strong word about that.

Most communication from the school is done via email, but so many other things are also sent via email, promotions, local charity events etc, so the important emails get a bit lost and I seem to be missing them.

OP posts:
TartanMammy · 12/02/2025 17:16

Are the school not telling you about 'wear something yellow day' until the day before? Or have you not the read the previous comms about it?

We have a big family planner on the kitchen wall, everything goes on that as soon as we see the letter or message from school, we check it regularly to make sure we don't miss anything or drop the ball.

This doesn't help if your school are being last-minute with requests though.

Jackiebrambles · 12/02/2025 17:18

I’m afraid you probably need to always read all the schools emails, otherwise you will miss stuff. I read them both (2 schools) and immediately set myself a reminder or a diary note for whatever the thing is - book day, yellow day etc!

EmmaEmEmz · 12/02/2025 17:19

I have three kids at three different schools.

I spend two mins at the end of each day putting everything onto the calendar which is in the kitchen by the door and then set a reminder for things like wear yellow etc on my phone for a week before so if anything needs buying or making, I have a week to do it

Jackiebrambles · 12/02/2025 17:19

Unless there’s a handy parent who does reminders in the WhatsApp group!

Original poster
Hertsmum234 · 12/02/2025 17:20

TartanMammy · 12/02/2025 17:16

Are the school not telling you about 'wear something yellow day' until the day before? Or have you not the read the previous comms about it?

We have a big family planner on the kitchen wall, everything goes on that as soon as we see the letter or message from school, we check it regularly to make sure we don't miss anything or drop the ball.

This doesn't help if your school are being last-minute with requests though.

Some are definitely last minute by the school! some get added to email newsletters, some are in the calendar, it's just all over the place.

OP posts:
Toutestbienquifinitbien · 12/02/2025 17:21

Some people seem to really struggle with this, I’ve read posts about it before.

Schools send out a lot of info. A lot of it isn’t relevant to my children so I can very quickly discard. Then I just make a note of dates and keep a list of things to do/get/attend. It doesn’t take long.

WilmaTitsDrop · 12/02/2025 17:22

Hertsmum234 · 12/02/2025 17:16

Most communication from the school is done via email, but so many other things are also sent via email, promotions, local charity events etc, so the important emails get a bit lost and I seem to be missing them.

Show quote history

Ok, it's not easy but I suppose you need to be more organised then.

If the school are giving you enough notice I mean.

RockahulaRocks · 12/02/2025 17:32

We have class reps who send out a reminder note on Sunday to the class WhatsApp group with all the important bits to remember for the upcoming week. They also keep the WhatsApp group description updated with key dates so it’s all in one place. Super handy.

reluctantbrit · 12/02/2025 17:34

All emails were filtered directly into a sub-folder and I went through them after work. So they couldn't get lost between my other emails.
A friend did a separate email account to keep them away from spam etc.

Bookbag was checked when DD was home and all paper ones dealt with like electronic ones.

Then permission slips were printed and signed and back to the school bag.
Anything payable was done immediately as well.
Events are going into the shared electronic calendar so DH sees them as well and on a wall calendar.

I found it helpful to get some plain Fruit of the Loom T-shirts in the main colours, red, white, yellow, pink and green. Blue was DD's house colour so that wasn't an issue.

They were big enough to last two years and she had them also for camps and forest school parties/days.

Houseflatboatplanejump · 12/02/2025 17:34

My youngest is in year 11 now (eldest at uni). So mine started when you got paper newsletters (in the bottom of the book bag) so definitely easier all being electronic. I find as soon as the email lands I read and make calendar reminders, take screenshots if needed add reminders eg buy xyz before x date and nowadays send a WhatsApp to dc when needed. It's the only way I've coped having 3 dc as a single parent I need to be organised (and probably take it to extremes but it's never let me down).

Ponderingwindow · 12/02/2025 17:37

The best thing I did for managing school was to make a school only email address. It comes to my phone with alerts and it’s own sound. All the emails are in one inbox with nothing else so they never get lost in the jumble.

DH did the same.

Original poster
Hertsmum234 · 12/02/2025 17:38

oddly, I think it would be easier with paper!

OP posts:
YoureLightning · 12/02/2025 17:38

You just need to be organised. Write stuff down/put it in your calendar as soon as you read something that’s applicable to your child. I do think some people like to make it into something it’s not to sound busy and others will genuinely struggle with organisation.

YoureLightning · 12/02/2025 17:39

Hertsmum234 · 12/02/2025 17:38

oddly, I think it would be easier with paper!

Nothing stopping you writing a paper list with any details and dates needed. Whatever works.

InvisibleAudience · 12/02/2025 17:40

Its not just you OP, on top of my full time job school admin is enough to tip me over the edge!

xyz111 · 12/02/2025 17:51

Our school has stopped sending emails and just do one big newsletter on a Friday. Makes it much easier. Feed it back to the school.

Original poster
Hertsmum234 · 12/02/2025 17:56

InvisibleAudience · 12/02/2025 17:40

Its not just you OP, on top of my full time job school admin is enough to tip me over the edge!

This!
thank you. I'm so glad I'm not alone...

OP posts:
Original poster
Hertsmum234 · 12/02/2025 17:57

xyz111 · 12/02/2025 17:51

Our school has stopped sending emails and just do one big newsletter on a Friday. Makes it much easier. Feed it back to the school.

great idea!

OP posts:
Fasterthan40 · 12/02/2025 19:38

Friend of friend is thinking about creating some sort of AI resource to go through school emails. I don't think it will work but in case you are interested forms.gle/eCtGyzuCEhjp8NEG7

elliejjtiny · 12/02/2025 20:46

For me, the main problem is that everything seems to clash. So tomorrow I already had dc2 needing to be picked up from college at 4:40, then taken to the dentist, dc3 having his year 9 options evening and dc5 having his school disco. Then we get a phone call saying that dc4 needs to have a hospital appointment 90 minutes drive away right in the middle of the school run. So I then have to grovel to the dentist and get that changed, call in babysitting favours. Thankfully dc1 can get himself to and from work by himself as it's only 20 minutes walk away.

I know that's partly my fault for having 5 dc but when I had the younger ones I didn't anticipate how complicated it would be when they got to the ages they are now.

Toutestbienquifinitbien · 12/02/2025 20:50

elliejjtiny · 12/02/2025 20:46

For me, the main problem is that everything seems to clash. So tomorrow I already had dc2 needing to be picked up from college at 4:40, then taken to the dentist, dc3 having his year 9 options evening and dc5 having his school disco. Then we get a phone call saying that dc4 needs to have a hospital appointment 90 minutes drive away right in the middle of the school run. So I then have to grovel to the dentist and get that changed, call in babysitting favours. Thankfully dc1 can get himself to and from work by himself as it's only 20 minutes walk away.

I know that's partly my fault for having 5 dc but when I had the younger ones I didn't anticipate how complicated it would be when they got to the ages they are now.

It’s certainly no one else’s fault, not that it’s yours as such, but it’s just life with 5 kids.

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