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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To send a letter back to school with DD's name corrected?

58 replies

MarioandLuigi · 08/02/2011 20:53

DD came home from school with a letter today and her name has been spelt wrong. The letter has to go back so would it be wrong of me to cross it out and put the correct spelling? I am not a massive pedant and spelling mistakes dont usually bother me, but this is the 3rd time its happened and I had to say something about her peg badge being spelt wrong.

Its not a kerazy spelling or anything, although it is a traditional Irish name and we are in England.

OP posts:
Hulababy · 08/02/2011 20:55

I would change it on the form and send it back as normal, with no further comment.

DD has had things sent home from various places with the incorrect spelling of her name. I simply correct it and send it back, so hopefully they take note and change their records.

Original poster
MarioandLuigi · 08/02/2011 20:56

Yes, that what I was going to do, just cross out one spelling and write the other above it :)

OP posts:
NellieForbush · 08/02/2011 20:56

YANBU. They should spell her name correctly. Maybe someone has inputted it wrongly on a computer somewhere and thats why it keeps happening? How confusing for her.

blueberryboybaitonSafari · 08/02/2011 20:58

I would change it but then again I am currently trying to decide whether to send my DD to a nursery where they have had 2 application forms, copy of a baptism certificate, a letter from us and a number of e-mails with DD's name in and they still insist on spelling it wrong - not just slightly but ridiculously. Her name ends in ea they insist on spelling it ga and called her it with the ga ending even though she corrected them many times when we visited.

Original poster
MarioandLuigi · 08/02/2011 20:58

No - its handwritten, she is only 3 but at the stage where she is trying to learn how to spell her name so I want it to be right.

OP posts:
goingforit · 08/02/2011 20:59

Definitely. A school is a place of education, and obviously somebody needs educating as to how to spell your daughter's name.

Whether it will get picked up and noted on a database is another matter.

magna · 08/02/2011 20:59

YANBU DS1 had his school report sent home with his surname spelt wrong. That was after his name had printed incorrectly in the Nativity Programme that christmas.

I just sent it back in crossed out and spelt correctly. I had a brand new sent to me amended.

QuestionNumber · 08/02/2011 20:59

No problem correcting it, but it would be nicer to also put a polite note "Please could you update your records as DD's name has appeared incorrectly on school information a few times, thanks!"

ChippyMinton · 08/02/2011 20:59

I've had to do this - on the cover of DD's spellings book of all places. It came back the following week with a little apology from her teacher written inside Smile

Ohjustshootmenow · 08/02/2011 20:59

I always correct and return with no further comment BUT as it has happened several times now i feel there is actually an error on the register so next time i will go in and speak to them.

Might be worth checking if this is the case at your school OP

MrsDeidreIppy · 08/02/2011 21:00

Changing it on the letter might look a bit arsey and it might be better to just politely mention it to the office or teacher. But then if you've already politely mentioned many times then maybe its ok to be a bit arsey Smile

edam · 08/02/2011 21:02

Yes, do correct it. When ds started nursery at around the same age, someone had a brainstorm and got his name wrong - they had all the correct details and everyone else managed but somewhere some gremlin crept in. Bizarre as the mistake wasn't even a related or legitimate spelling, it was extra letters that have nothing to do with his name or any variation of it ever!

I pointed out the name on his peg was wrong and then the same mistake happened on a letter home. Polite reminder sorted it out.

Underachieving · 08/02/2011 21:04

On the third occassion? Not unreasonable to say something. Not sure a red pen edit as such is the best way, as it's a bit harsh. Perhaps a slightly gentler note to say thanks for your letter of (date), I noticed you sometimes misspell my daughters name, it's Siobhan rather than Shiobhan might be better.

Ireland might be geographically near but linguistically words of gaelic origin can sometimes be pretty baffling to english speakers.

mumbar · 08/02/2011 21:12

chippyminton That happened to my DS too. At the end of a spelling test in which he had faired well (his spelling is awful btw!) teacher had written 'well tried [insert mispelt name]' I ROFL when I saw it Grin

OP YANBU, people make mistakes its called being human but if they correct it then ay least you know they care!!

mumbar · 08/02/2011 21:13

OH LMAO misspelt Grin

Mssoul · 08/02/2011 21:18

I'd change it. I think it's important they get this right and I don't think they'll mind. They should be embarrassed by the mistake, not you.

When I started a new job the email set up for me spelt my name wrong. I asked for it to be changed and they suggested I left it the way it was (too much hassle to change) Hmm but I said 'but that's not my name'! Weird.

gaelicsheep · 08/02/2011 21:19

Definitely not unreasonable to do this. All it takes is a little care on the part of the school. If they can't be bothered to spell their pupils' names correctly what does that say?

I think there's nothing at all wrong with an edit the first couple of times. If it happens AGAIN I would be speaking to somebody.

HecateQueenOfWitches · 08/02/2011 21:21

I do it all the time.

Drives me nuts. How often do they need to see my son's name before they REALISE THAT IT'S AN A NOT A BLOODY PIGGING SODDING FRIGGING BLASTED ROTTEN GOD-DAMNED E?

quitescared · 08/02/2011 21:21

I'm a teacher and would definitely want to know if i'd misspelt a pupil's name. x

Kewcumber · 08/02/2011 21:22

well DS's class has children of Japanese, Indian, pakistani, kazakh, singaporean, bulagarian and serbo-croat origin (though some of the names are spelled in an anglicised way) but I'm not aware of the school having any problems with spelling any of them, so can;t imagine that Celtic names can be so tough once you have been told how to spell and pronounce them.

One child has a very unusual name spelling which her mother hates and uses the simpler spelling and occasionally the school reverts to the odder spelling - though to be fair to the school it was the name she was registered under so understandable!

If I wanted to be mean, could I insist the school used the cyrillic alphabet to spell DS's name as that is on his birth certificate? Grin

Oh and yes of couse you should correct them.

gaelicsheep · 08/02/2011 21:24

Hecate - I'm wondering if your son and mine have the same name... I have an A versus E problem as well!

sobloodystupid · 08/02/2011 21:25

eek! Dd's name is always spelt correctly but they pronounce it wrong. I fear tis too late 'cos no matter how many times I say "C'mon Teacher will say "Bye "ddname" but like Hecate with an "a" sound instead of e.

MavisGrind · 08/02/2011 21:31

So, (and slight hi-jack here sorry,) do you correct the reading record of a Reception age child that comes home with the phrase "MasterGrind new all the words". Am feeling a bit passive aggressive about it!

gaelicsheep · 08/02/2011 21:36

Yes I would. (I think I'm going to be very unpopular with DS's teacher when he starts proper school!)

ErnestTheBavarian · 08/02/2011 21:45

Me too Hecate & gaelicsheep - not Aidan by any chance?