To think a school should be capable of including more than one parent per child in its text message service?

[FetchezLaVache]

Just that, really! ExH asked to be added to the school text message system, which they did - only they didn't tell him that he would be replacing me on the system as they can only send out to one parent per child. So DS ends up being the only child in uniform when they text out about an impromptu non-uniform day at short notice, for instance (ExH didn't think to let me know because as far as he was aware, I would have received the same message myself).

So I rang up and asked to be put back on the system, but the only way they can do that, apparently, is by bumping ExH back off it.

Is it me or is this bollocks?? He needs to know this stuff too as he has DS a couple of nights a week and is very involved. Sure, I could just forward him each message as it arrives, but honestly, I'm likely to forget why can't they just send the same message to both of us?

What systems do your kids' schools have? If it's relevant, it's a primary school of about 300 pupils. And should I complain to the head about it?

Here's a thought for those whose school's systems can't handle it> Have it sent to the most organised parent and they then forward it to the other every time. That way both get it.

On a related note both of my kids have swimming lessons at the same sports centre. I always get two copies of exactly the same e-mail as there system doesn't check for duplicate e-mail addresses. Annoying!

Yanbu at all. Our son's primary school uses the Parentmail app, and we both get the huge amounts of messages as standard.

This is a massive problem due to the number of separated parents. Even in cases of 50/50 split access they'll only allow one number.. In this day and age it's not fit for purpose, as it's not just 'mum doing the parenting' anymore. There are so many scenarios where this is failing. It needs updating and could help avoid alot of issues for children who miss out, or get caught up in the fall out from it.

I last used an SMS gateway with customer communications about 10 years ago ... then we were being offered 100,000 text at about 0.2p/text. So if there's a cost implication, it's not unfair to question the competence of the suppliers purchasing department.

It is possible to make an SMS redirector (one->many) if you have a 2G/3G dongle for a PC, and the appropriate software. But it's really a nerd+ type project. I did a bit of work on it over 10 years ago, but didn't get too far, as the organisation I was working for went and bought a plugin for their exchange server so that you could SMS to/from the email system. There was also a pretty nifty plugin which turned faxes into emails - effectively every employee had their own fax number.

I am well aware of how good IT can be - which is why it irritates the out of me to see it done badly. (shades of Blackadder: "I want to see how IT is done; so badly ...")

YANBU of course. I suspect they have a really crap contract that costs lots per text, when it would be cheaper to buy a contract iphone and send out the text direct.

There are so many low cost IT solutions now that it's ridiculous to limit communications to one per child

Otoh I forgot to phone in first thing this morning to day one of my dc was absent (again, having been absent yesterday and did phone in). By lunch time me and dh had each received 3 or 4 texts and similar number of emails.
I had responded after the first text.

They can have more than one number. Dh wishes they didn't!

YANBU.

Even when parents are together, we are both equal parents of our children. We should both be sent information from the school if we want it. My not very expensive contract phone allows me to send 5000 texts a month. In a school with 200 families, that's still 25 texts for each family a month, which is far more than they send. No reason for the school contract to be so expensive/stingy on numbers.

Our school won't even allow 2 email address as contacts for school emails.

I get very lonely sometimes, with my credo of "the system should fit the person", rather than the other way around. IT is a tail, not a dog.

Drifting OT in an AIBU stylee, the inability of online retailers (oh, Amazon excepted - but then Amazon are the Gold Standard for almost everything) to understand that in a household, there might just be two people who want to access the online shopping account. With different email addresses.

That's an improvement I suggested to Tesco and Sainsburys 8 years ago.

We have exactly the same problem.

Is it Teachers2Parents?

I asked for exh to be put on it as well as me and they said no, only if I come off. Obviously I'm not willing to come off as I do way more if the life organising, so it means I always have to tell him things.

It suggests they haven't even considered that not all parents are a couple.

It suggests they haven't even considered that not all parents are a couple.

Ah, software imposing moral values !

Lurking

Same problem here. Dh and I work opposite shifts and don't have access to our phones. We both receive generic texts but texts specific to dd only go to dh. This is no good if she needs picking up in a hurry.
Dh has been in the office and it turns out nice Secretary always sends it to both of us but her sidekick doesn't. They have been reminded!

i think that legally both parents have the right to information from school. certainly for reports etc.

Legally they have the right to school reports and so on, but there is no statutory obligation for schools to text parents with reminders about mufty days.

Honestly, schools can't win, can they? They try to communicate frequently but just end up getting moaned at about either too many texts or the fact that they can't reinvent their support systems to suit individual family circumstances.

It's not in terms of tech, it's a cost thing. They get charged by the number of texts they send.

And some families have five or six contacts on their child's file - it is reasonable to limit by cost.

So what do you want schools to do?

Ever increasing costs vs decreasing budgets.

It costs them a bit more but if you beg/explain you are both responsible for the DC they should hopefully co-operate. We got our primary school to do this. Secondary no luck. We both work and might be abroad/out of signal at any time.

I'd happily pay school a tenner to subsidise an extra name on the texts for the year.

Seems fair enough to have one point of contact. Texts cost money, why should schools double the budget they have to spend on texting parents because the parents can't be bothered to liaise with one another?

Also a non-uniform day is hardly an emergency - there would be more sympathy if your child had died at school for instance, in that case it would be reasonable to expect a text to both parents (and preferably a phone call).

WLF - you try having an autistic child who is fairly distressed at being the only child in uniform!

BTW my issue is not with how they reach individual parents in the event of an actual emergency (and I for one would be quite upset if I received a text to inform me that my son was dead), but the automated text-out service by which they let parents know what's going on at school. Wrt the non-uniform day, that was the only channel by which they notified parents it was happening, and I didn't get a text because I'd been removed from the system without my knowledge.

is it Teachers2Parents&?

I've used T2P, texting on behalf of the PTA, and have noticed that several pupils have their name listed twice. Once with the mother's number and a second entry with the father's. There are ways around it.

We use Teachers2Parents and even with the system set up to only text primary number, it can be sorted. The school need to add the additional person manually and we usually slightly amend the pupil's name (eg PicM for mum's no. and PicD for Dad's) then send message to both.
They just have to remember (or be reminded) to re enter the numbers every time they do a roll up from the school's management system (prob 3 times a year) as for some reason it overrides/deletes.

Ours had both parents on and I get a duplicate text for all children.

It's just penny pinching in area that won't save them much money.

DS's school use Teachers2Parents. For separated parents, both numbers get texted. Everyone else has to pick a primary parent.