I have found 8 grammar and/or spelling mistakes in my 'Parent Information Sheet' for my son's new class.

[SilverBellsandCockleShells]

WIBU to mark them up in red and ask the teacher to see me after school?

Including the headmistress.

This sort of thing makes me furious too. It's a fucking school, for god's sake. They're supposed to be teaching your kids to read and write.

However, I would avoid doing anything that is going to antagonise them. Just make sure you teach your child spelling and grammar at home.

nickelcognito I have seen that one.

In fact I have seen (this is absolutely true) "Your'e" on a blackboard outside a cafe.

I wouldn't have much confidence that children at this school would learn to use the apostrophe correctly. They've managed to put one version in the URL for the school website and another in the official name of the school. It's named after a road. The Hawthorne's Free School makes no sort of sense at all as a school name.

Hawthorne's is going to be tricky. Why not 'Hawthornes' or just 'Hawthorne'? Was someone just trying to be clever?

I feel your pain. Reading DS2's academic reference for college supplied by the head of post-16 at his school, I was horrified.

It appeared to have been written by a 9 year old - a single A4 sheet with no paragraphs, weird spell-checky/ auto correct type errors, exclamation marks agogo and to cap it all it was signed Mrs . No initials, no first name.

How do these people get these jobs?

So support staff are obviously thick and can't spell euphemia? Thanks.

I hate this. I cringe at public signs with incorrect spelling, particularly those which have clearly been produced at some expense. I did at a sign in the town centre where I live last weekend- it was a small pub, advertising itself as a "Family run independant restaurant". Someone had corrected the erroneous "a" by going over and over it with a biro. I'd like to think it was a random passer-by.

I had to stop taking my toddler DS to a Saturday class held at a local primary because I couldn't focus for the pedantic rage within, surrounded, as I was, by class projects on the wall with carefully-designed titles such as 'Our Hollyday photo's' and 'We love birthday party's'. One of the class leaders happened to be a classroom assistant there and when I pointed it out once, she sighed and said "Does it really matter?". Well, yes, I replied and made a mental note to make sure he goes to one of the other local primaries when the time comes.

There is no excuse for any grown adult without any educational difficulties to not be able to spell and pluralise properly.

I think it is unacceptable, and I hope you do mark the mistakes and send it back.
It may have been typed by a member of the support staff, but the teacher should be checking it before it goes out, just like reports.

I work in DD's school as a TA and I am constantly correcting teachers' spelling. Just today, a year 4 child was showing me the homework she had been set by her teacher. At the end it said, "remember, your parent's can help you with your project."

I've just been looking at "this weeks Friday note". As well as being wished a "good week end", I've also been reminded to use the "pedestrian gate way" in future. Pass the Tanqueray.

Loving all the beginning of the year parent threads tonight!

As a teacher I have to write all class letters and correspondence to parents, and then it is proof read by the key stage leader. Admin write general newsletters etc. but anything that is class specific is written by us.

I agree that there is no real excuse for bad spelling/grammar on a letter to parents (our ks leader is particularly picky!) and that if we are teachers we should set the example.

However, I would implore you to please not mark the letter in red pen and return! I have had parents pick out the most ridiculous (and debatable) grammar on homework sheets that have not even been written by us but have been provided by a publisher, and it really does just make me think that they must have nothing better to do with their time!

I see these threads quite regularly on Mumsnet, and I'm always surprised. At our school, letters are always checked religiously and don't go out littered with errors. They just don't. And, in fact, it was our school secretary who retrieved the PTA newsletter from the board outside quick sharp because of crimes against the apostrophe. I think a lot of Mumsnetters do think teachers, particularly primary, are thick. Some might be. And I'd be worried if my child's teacher was teaching misconceptions too!

But I'm a primary teacher, and I have a first class degree awarded by what I know from Mumsnet is a Russell Group university, as well as a PGCE. Some people who are well educated do actually choose to be primary teachers....

I had this problem last week!! A load of apostrophes where they shoyldn't be on the Reception class window (PE is on Monday's, Library on Tuesday's etc) and also on EVERY page of the communication book it said 'you're activities for next week are...' SO I promptly emailed the head to complain on Friday night and on Monday all 60 books were withdrawn and reprinted and the sign on the window was corrected. Result!!

HOWEVER I also put a picture of the incorrect 'you're' (which I had indeed circled and written the correct spelling above) on Facebook with a minor rant, which somehow ended up being seen by the head who promptly called me into his office and asked that I remove!!!! HOW on earth he saw it i'll never know....(we have no mutual friends, I don't know the teachers....think maybe someone inadvertedly dobbed me in??! Or someone hates me?!) but he was a complete arse...It's not MY FAULT THEIR TEACHERS CANNOT SPELL but he clearly didn't like the bad publicity and the 30-odd 'likes' and comments about what shit English skills the staff had. Wanker. Freedom of speech is clearly dead where I live!

You were right to complain. I would have.

FB, I wouldn't have, but again, it's your right, I think; you are not an employee of the school.

I do wonder how so many Mumsnetters are experiencing these terrible schools. I've worked in three, and been on placement in three more, with very different demographics, and never seen it.

"the teacher should be checking it before it goes out, just like reports"

Normally I'd agree but in our school we simply do not have time at the moment to proofread things. It's the first full week of the year when all is chaos. Our teachers are all working up to 12 hours a day and they are tired. Tired people make mistakes.

I've pointed out mistakes at infant school - including the info for the term sheet that had on the back of it a list of all the things they expected you to do with your child - including 'daily spelling practise' instead of practice - and I did point out the irony of having that particular point wrong! Luckily it was for a sheet sent out to the whole year rather than just the class and so it was done by the head of year rather than the teacher I pointed it out to so it wasn't her mistake (although hopefully she would have read it before it got sent out).

She did realise it as soon as I pointed it out and promised to tell the head of year - but then the next term's info sheet came out with exactly the same sentence on - and then again the final term of the year (and yes, I pointed it out each time . Mind you the head of year seemed a bit dippy - she ended up sending out 3 letters about the end of year trip as she'd made mistakes in the first 2 ...

I've also pointed out mistakes in math's sheets where they've been poorly written (some of them have been downloaded ones, not sure if that's better or worse as somebody will have chosen something that is wrong and still used it without correcting it).

I also agree that if it is a school then it should have a robust attitude to making sure the info it sends out is correct. Everyone can make the odd mistake or have a typo slip through but it's the way they deal with it when told that shows what the ethos of the school is and how it will be taught or not to the kids. If they apologise and are embarrassed then fine, if they dismiss it as not important then time to worry about the education they provide.

I almost dismissed the school I eventually chose for ds1 because of mistakes in its website and prospectus. Luckily there were similar numbers of mistakes in the other local school websites too and I got good feedback about it from others that had had kids there so I went to look at it.

math's sheets, zipzap?

LaQ I know of a similar one to that, a pub in Sydenham, South London, called The Two Half's.

I've always wondered whether that was deliberate, but maybe not if there's a Roses Posy's too!

mickeyjohn - fair enough to complain about misused apostrophes to the school (it is my absolute bugbear!).

However, to also post a picture and rant about stuff on facebook so that you and all the other parents can enjoy wallowing in the fact that all the staff are as thick as shit, is verging on the extreme end of petty. You are one of those parents!

"if they dismiss it as not important then time to worry about the education they provide."

Zipzap, you would rather a teacher spent less time preparing lessons and more time proofreading admin?

I cannot stand spelling errors - they do funny things to my brain - but I don't think you understand how restricted time can be as a teacher, especially at the beginning of the year.

Sometimes it can be a choice between educating the children properly or simply making do because you've run out of time to give it your best. In those circumstances I expect the priority of my staff to be the welfare and education of the children, not the frills around the edge.