School open day so lessons till 8pm

[opalfire]

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?

surely the teachers should be talking to the prospective students and their families, and don't students normally escourt them round?
.Also I am surprised they wouldn't want (vetted) volunteers only.Who wants disgruntled kids kicking off or the 'hard-core nutters' in?

It's a sodding Academy I'll bet.

Well, if this were my DD, she'd be developing a sudden terrible 24 hour cold for the afternoon and would have to stay at home for the rest of the day.

I absolutely would not be sending my DC in - people have evening commitments, the school needs to recognise this. I'd be telling them so, very politely, with clearly implied undertones of 'fuck off'.

Clearly bonkers, and I'd be inventing a commitment.

In my last UK school, in addition ot the usual open evening, there would be designated mornings during the autumn term when groups of parents would be shown round and come in and look at lessons. While we always knew the day, we'd never know whether or not it would be our lesson. Suddenly there'd be faces at the window a herd of smiley mums, dads and kids would shuffle to the back of the class for a while. It worked rather well, and certainly added greater authenticity to the whole thing.

Is this an open evening for prospective new students? If so were the students there working when you went to look round before starting?

I would not make mine go back and I'm not convinced it's enforceable.

If I looked round a school and found they did this DD would not be going there as there would be no way we could manage it. We both work full time and there would be no one to fetch them. Ridiculous

Very odd to make it compulsory.

When I was at school I can remember going back to school for open evenings to do 'special' lessons (choir, drama, science experiments, clay etc). But that was voluntary. It's nuts to say they have to go, loads will have regular after school commitments.

Though I can see why it's good for the prospective parents. I work in a private school and we have our open days on Saturdays. But only year 4 and up have Saturday school and most of those that come to the open morning are younger than that so their areas of the school are just empty rooms. Think it would go down like a lead balloon if we told the younger year groups they had to come in though - their teachers create enough fuss about coming in without the kids!

Crikey imagine trying to teach tired, grumpy and hungry 11-13 year olds at 7 in the evening. Seems like a silly idea. Have they only given you 2 weeks notice?

Possibly the worst idea I've ever heard. Fuck that.

Wouldn't bother me but then it's fairly normal for a couple of mine to finish school at 8 they don't start until 11am when it's a late finish tho

Not to mention tired and grumpy teachers. I expect school finishes at lunchtime to enable preparation for the evening then they're being expected to teach the returning classes having been at work since the beginning of the day.

Maybe it's deliberate. The school must know perfectly well that many students won't show up- and those that do will be from the type of family where they just go along with the rules without question.*

So the school gets to close early, prepare for an open evening with nice, biddable pupils while still maintaining the illusion that they're providing the required number of hours.

*Disclaimer- obviously many lovely families with rule-following pupils won't come back in- it's a ridiculous expectation. But you can pretty much guarantee that any 'difficult' pupils won't be there in the evening.

We had open days on Saturdays --it's amazing how many 'family commitments ' we had

Mental!!! I have to tell them to do one. I have work and so does Dh. What an utterly stupid thing to do.

My DD's school does this - some kids do demos, most act as guides showing families around. They're registered for the afternoon session, then dismissed until 5pm. Yrs 7, 8 & 9 did the early slot until half six; older kids did the late slot.

Most yr 7 kids turned up to help, they seemed to have been pleased to do the touring (we remember our guide from when we looked at the school as a prospective family). The school gets so many people visiting, they couldn't run it without the help of its students.

Our school does open evenings, with the difference that helping out is voluntary. My DDs have both attended, we were happy for them to do so and they thoroughly enjoyed it. Making it compulsory just ruins it.

The primary school where I teach has some Year 6 volunteers who show parents around on open evenings. DD's secondary school has loads of pupils doing tours, carrying out demo lessons etc - but all volunteers.

I've never heard of it being compulsory. It's ridiculous and surely unenforceable.

I think it's a good idea and it wouldn't bother me but obviously if you can't do it then don't. You do seem to be objecting in principle though, so maybe be sure it's a principle you hold dear.

That's just not going to happen is it?! Love to hear the responses from the parents.

DD's school has open evenings and open mornings on a couple of evening/Saturdays in September each year, ahead of the deadline for secondary admissions.

It's all voluntary, and on top of normal lessons. Most of the kids want to help.

But if this situation was presented to me, ie, a compulsory evening after being dismissed at lunchtime, then quite frankly, the school could take a running jump.

Both DP and I work out of town and our childcare arrangements are geared to normal school hours. Also we don't have much in the way of alternative childcare and have to keep our annual leave to cover school holidays.

Sorry, only just got a moment to sit down. In answer to questions its a state grammar school. Did they do this when we went round? Quite possibly. The place was heaving though, and while some girls were sitting in classrooms it wasn't clear why! Obviously, I can now see they were meant to be having lessons. Not convinced that they learnt much with people milling around them! My issue is that the school is pretty inflexible about any time out of school. We're very careful to arrange dentist and optician appointments etc outside of the school day. We all have evening commitments, and plenty of girls rely on a school bus to get them home - which obviously won't be possible.

I needed a good rant to get it off my chest. So many thanks to everyone who has replied. In Junior school days I would have known other parents to discuss it with, but at scondary I don't know anyone. Thank heavens for mumsnet!