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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

School open day so lessons till 8pm

49 replies

opalfire · 05/06/2015 08:34

AIBU to be cross about this? We've had a letter from DC's school to inform us that on the school open day / evening in a couple of weeks the DC will go home after registration at 1.30 but then must be back for compulsory lessons at either 4-6pm for year 7s or 6-8pm for year 8s. Obviously school buses won't be running then so parents are told to pick up in a car park near school. My DS's school manages to run open days without this kind of expectation. I'm partly cross because of the implied assumption that any evening plans or commitments we have must be cancelled. So what does everyone think? AIBU or do other schools do similar things?

OP posts:
fiveacres · 05/06/2015 08:35

What? That's bonkers!

fiveacres · 05/06/2015 08:35

It's definitely not just 'children who have volunteered and look clean and shiny' going back, is it?

Original poster
opalfire · 05/06/2015 08:36

Nope. It says that these are the usual lessons held later and must be attended!

OP posts:
The5DayChicken · 05/06/2015 08:41

Well that's going to go down like a lead balloon.

marmaladegranny · 05/06/2015 08:43

My daughters' school used to do this (back in 1990s) - everyone sent home at lunchtime but it was only years 9 upwards that went back if I remember rightly. It was a right hassle because the 'village children' mostly didn't have a bus to get home and had to be collected but local mums used to organise something amongst themselves.
The girls were always very proud to go back and show off their school to potential newbies…..

BrianButterfield · 05/06/2015 08:44

That's crazy and I don't think it's enforceable.

IAmAPaleontologist · 05/06/2015 09:02

bonkers. Mind you my childhood school did open days on a Saturday so we'd have the Friday off and then do a normal school day on the Saturday. Love the assumption that everyone can accommodate the change, pick ups and childcare needs and that no children have other commitments in the evening.

ItsTricky · 05/06/2015 09:04

I would tell them to take a flying fuck

DarthVadersTailor · 05/06/2015 09:06

Quite simply, fuck that. This is ridiculous and I'd be saying to the school that attendance for your child here just isn't possible. Honestly who comes up with such idiotic ideas as that?? Hmm

Chopchopbusybusy · 05/06/2015 09:07

I don't think it's a bad idea but it certainly isn't compulsory.

halcyondays · 05/06/2015 10:02

Never heard of that. Ridiculous.

MythicalKings · 05/06/2015 10:12

This happened when I was at grammar school waaaaaaaaaay back in the 60s. I lived a long way away from the school and there were no buses after 6pm.

My parents told them to get lost. (No car)

yorkshapudding · 05/06/2015 10:44

That's ridiculous. I would be writing to the head that I felt this arrangement was impractical and inconsiderate. My DC would not be participating in the open evening as neither of us are able to leave work in the middle of the day to pick them up, take them home then bring them back to school a couple of hours later and then pick them again a couple of hours after that! When you have to carefully save your annual leave to cover school holidays, teacher training days etc these odd days or half days here and there really add up.

WanderWomble · 05/06/2015 11:20

I'd tell them to do one.

AuntieStella · 05/06/2015 11:27

Well, good on the staff for trying to provide extra time. They must realise that not everyone is going to be able to return, but I hope they can get some useful teaching and learning done.

I've never come across a school that does it like this, but as prospective parents want to see schools during the school day, and be guided round by pupils, they must have decided this was the best way to fit everyone in even if some classes weren't running.

flimflamflarnfilth · 05/06/2015 11:38

I was going to ask if this was a grammar school. I remember this from my school days in the 90's. Crazy to expect parents to make themselves available like that.

ninaaa · 05/06/2015 11:40

I can understand the idea behind it (show the school at work at a time when prospective parents can visit) but in reality the kids and teachers are going to be tired and learning will not be productive. In addition it would be extremely difficult for the parents.

In saying that, many schools do open evenings and weekends, and people do seem to manage. When I was at school, we had open day on Saturday, and we were expected to get there and be picked up (poor public transport and the usual school coaches didn't run). I don't remember it causing an issue, but maybe this is because it was a weekend so parents were available to drop off and pick up.

If you don't want them to go, then make up some after school commitment that can not be avoided.

PandaMummyofOne · 05/06/2015 11:49

I run E3, L1 and L2 courses in an FE college and any help we have on open days/evenings/weekends etc is on a voluntary basis and they get the time back in the week. I know there is a bit of an age difference between your DS and my learners but I think that is outrageous!

Mistigri · 05/06/2015 11:57

If our school did this the letter would go straight in the round filing cabinet under my desk. It's so unreasonable that I don't think I would even bother protesting. Some things are just too stupid to argue over.

nemo81 · 05/06/2015 12:06

My children wouldn't be attending. As far as i'm concerned their school day is from 8:30am until 3:15pm, they will attend their lessons between those times and nothing more. I wouldn't have a school dictate anything other than that.

LurkingHusband · 05/06/2015 12:30

Will non attendance be recorded as such ?

holidaysarenice · 05/06/2015 13:05

What happens if you don't pick them up at lunchtime and tell the school that the school day is to 3.15 and they are responsible?

NormaStits · 05/06/2015 14:04

I think it's bonkers but can I ask what open evening was like if/when you attended? Because if it was set up like this and you benefited from the opportunity at the expense of parents in years above you'd have less of a moral stance for refusal,though you still could if it was too inconvenient.

If it wasn't like this when you visited, definitely tell them to go to fuck.

19lottie82 · 05/06/2015 14:26

Is it a private school?

littlejohnnydory · 05/06/2015 16:56

They could fuck right off as far as I'm concerned!!

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