School WhatsApp groups never disappoint...

[SausageChipsBeansAndGravy]

I'll start...

Our rather overzealous PTA informally announced that if children didn't bring in a raffle prize donation, they'd have to wear school uniform on non-uniform day.

One mum decided to send her kids to school in full uniform in protest, announcing it to the WhatsApp group. The group was silent for a change, with people not knowing quite what to say.

I could see what she was trying to do, but it seemed a bit harsh to inflict it on her own kids, especially as everyone knew the school wasn't actually going to enforce the rule.

Do your WhatsApp groups have any stories?

You don't have to be on a class whatsApp or the PTA. It isn't the law!

Well non uniform days aren’t obligatory so she chose for her children not to take part. I don’t understand the problem? I do sympathise with the PTFA though if it’s the same as our school it’s seems to be the parents that can’t afford much are really the most generous and the ones who can afford it don’t bother which is disappointing. Last non uniform day we raised just shy of £180 but have over 340 in the school, suggested donation is £1 but a few coppers would do!

Annoying I agree but tbh there are many parents who get the same mail and still ask the same questions covered in the email on the WhatsApp group so maybe she is being proactive 😂

Was the school trying to force you to use WhatsApp to receive information? Because I imagine that in the school office you got a bit of an eye roll quoting GDPR at them when they probably use the school portal anyway and don’t give a monkeys whether the parents are on the WhatsApp group or not.

FYI, you don’t choose to join a PTA. All parents are automatically members. You can join the committee. Most PTAs are just working hard to fundraise for the extras that make school that bit nicer and/or fun. School trips, books, play equipment etc.

My favourite one is when someone asks Theo has lost his jumper, does anyone have it? When probed further he lost it on the field and it only has his initials in. 400 kids in school....

I deeply appreciate the screen shotters 😅

Our group is a constant source of entertainment, generally listing who has lost what, multiple messages on PE days. By this point at the end of the school year, there's one kid who seems to have lost multiple PE kits and school uniforms that I wonder what he is wearing to school each day!

My friend said her school whatsapp group has these mass “have a good weekend everyone” type messages every Friday with about 20 replies all saying similar, every week.

yes, yes we can. The people who ask about xyz are looking for direct contact possibly to get informal feedback or context also about xyz. For example, wanting to know about what time the fete starts, yes surely they can search emails but also maybe they want someone to say, its starts x time but im not going till this time. do you know what i mean?
when someone asks, yes please do screenshot. Otherwise no! The message you're giving is clearly, 'all of you lot are such a disorganized bunch you meed an efficient secretary like me'.
Nope not true.

Yes, it’s so incredibly tedious. We have one of those too. It’s always the same parents constantly commenting. One Dad who thinks he’s hilarious and won’t stop sharing “funny” comments and jokes. We’ve even had a one upmanship exchange between two Dads over career related nonsense. Then there are those who ask for nannies or house keepers… The worst was the mum who bitched and moaned about everything constantly. She finally left when she took her child out of the school and went to share her spite and bile with another group of people.

No one cares! I wonder if they have no life at all. I have to archive the chat and check it over once a day to make sure I’ve not missed something. I wish schools would get rid of them.

I left the class WhatsApp group a looooong while ago. My goodness me, the rubbish that would be written on there was astounding!

"Tommy has lost his jumper, can you all check to see if your child has brought it home with them" this message was DAILY!

"We are currently fighting for accommodations for Emily, she is finding everything too much in school and will not be in today, sorry guys"... Absolutely no one cares whether Emily is in school or not, take it up with the school, not the parents group

"Just a reminder about school rules, parents should not be staying onsite past door opening times, it is also becoming quite upsetting for a few who are not involved in these morning talks" ... Say the PTA mum who thinks it's her job to run the school.

Total crap, daily.

"What's a nativity?" Was she never in one?

The time that Boris announced the second lockdown due to Covid where he clearly said all schools shut from immediate effect. Message on the group…is school open tomorrow? 🙈

We have a mum who uses the class WhatsApp like a family chat ‘little Marty’s having his first big boy hair cut, doesn’t he look cute’…5 photos from all angles.., ‘Marty’s entered the local child artist of the year competition, here are his efforts’…10 photos … ‘we’re at the park today feeding the birds if anyone wants to join us, Marty loves feeding the birds’…3 photos

It’s exhausting but we have a really polite class WhatsApp group who all indulge her. She also ‘accidentally’ posted to our chat when she was in A&E having fainted. Cue lots of mums wishing her well-rather than apologise and delete it she ‘thought she’d keep us all updated on her condition’ as we’d all been so kind asking!

Its made it difficult to filter the really important messages out as there’s so much daily life crap from her

I can understand, DC get distracted. DS1 once managed to put his school shirt on over his pj top because he forgot to take the latter off. Just as well I take pj's to put in the wash as soon as they take them off, so I noticed.

I’ve had a primary aged child or below for 20 years and I’m so thankful I’ve never experienced a class or nursery WhatsApp group 😂 Only reason I’d want one is for the entertainment value!

Ahh thats an easy one see if his WIFE reminded him he could deny it and say she didn't and thats why he "forgot" but someone outside the marriage does it? That he HAS to notice as a "good parent"

(Goes the same way with mums btw im just replying to this example)

We had a horrendous one in primary school there was a family tragedy and some people in the group blamed one of the mums they were extremely mean and cruel I ended up screenshotting the worst of it and going to the school saying I think this is enough now can you step in they put out a generic be kind message and had a word with the ringleaders the mum rejoined the group and it didn't get "too bad" for the rest of the time we were there sadly one family took it out on the child because they couldn't get to the mother so glad secondary doesn't have this drama

The email screenshotters are v helpful. On our group its now expected. I briefly toyed with stepping up as class rep at one point but had decided if I did, that i would have to make it clear that i would NOT be doing that and that if people have missed something I would happily answer if I a) saw message promptly and b) have answer to hand but that i would expect the rest of the group to do the same as I wasnt the pa.

But i figured that wouldn't go down well so j just didnt step up.

When whatsapp class groups first started that was how it worked but now it seems to have changed to one person being the class organiser/reminder and everyone else being silent and it pisses me off.

We had a parent ask our class rep to please contact the school with a query about homework! I was furious - the class rep isn't a PA.

I didn't step in that time but when a bunch of queen bee mums who had taken on organising a year 6 leavers event without discussing with anyone else got really high and mighty and started being mean to one of the mums who was questioning it, i had to say something. I also did not attend the year 6 leaving event and when I collected dd i got a very frosty reception! 🤣🤣

Personally, I think the ones who get too big for their boots would be oushed right back if a few more parents stepped up but I have learnt most wont.

Cant wait for year 7. I know there are a few class groups but I have successfully avoided them for older dc and have no intention of signing up for dd.

I never send the contribution in for non uniform days. My son’s school is having one next week which is being a bottle for the Xmas Fayre!! It’s 6 months or so away!!! Also it’s always bring a bottle and they don’t have a bottle raffle ever. They have this key game where you pick a key and open a box. There’s always orange squash or Vimto in there!! So no idea where the alcoholic ones go!! (I don’t drink so doesn’t bother me, but makes me wonder what happened to said bottles of wine etc).

Another one that really annoys me is the idea/suggestion or request made by the ring leader.
this can be anything really, from a collection for a teacher or a group activity.

it is followed by “all those who want to participate please let us know”

this is followed by 25 different mum’s and dads replying separately

“Hey thanks for this. Great idea. We are in! “

“Hi, thank you. Yes good idea.”

“Great suggestion, we are in!”

and repeat….

surely the proposal should read; “if anyone does not wish to participate please pm me directly”

Those of us whose kids finished school before smartphones are SO glad we were born when we were.

I sometimes wonder if falling birth rates are due to women reading and hearing about all the shit that happens on these school WhatsApp groups and thinking "fuck that shit".

I don't mind contributing but I would rather it be £1 each and only those who can afford and want to contribute with no pressure. I think on the whole the PTA add value and arrange some great events in our school, but they also need to stay in their lane and accept what they get without making statements that kids will have to wear uniform if they don't donate.

Btw as an aside, the school staff don't really care about themes or contributions for non uniform days so as PPs said the PTA don't have any right to admonish or specify consequences if you don't do specifically what they asked. Eg, PTA specify it's Wear Yellow day to raise money for the summer fayre but you send DC in wearing blue jeans and a red t-shirt. Teachers won't comment or insist the child changes clothes. Child doesn't bring in the bottle or £1 contribution in exchange for wearing their own clothes - teacher won't ask them why they didn't bring it in. The teacher generally knows the families who are struggling financially, and even the ones who aren't it's not the child's fault parents made a choice not to contribute. Teachers just want to get on with teaching.

As a teacher, the only time I have asked a child to change what they're wearing on a non uniform day is when they are wearing something genuinely unsuitable (eg open toe sandals which are unsafe on the playground - change into PE trainers/socks if they have some in school, or a jumper with no t-shirt on a hot day and they are overheating, change into PE t-shirt (either their own or a spare from the cupboard).