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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Stupid rule about sending school an email

409 replies

Winebomb · 19/09/2017 22:04

So preparing to write an email to my sons school about snack times (see my other thread) but just remembered we got a newsletter the first week of school stating:

"If you want to email the class teacher it must be sent between the hours of 8am and 5pm, any emails sent outside of this time will not be responded to"

Now I get there are some parents who are batshit, and think that if they email the teacher at 11pm they will have a response personally at the school gates the following morning, when they drop off their precious little snow flakes.

But isn't sending emails like writing a letter. I will write it at a convienient time, it may have been written at 11pm at night. But I am not batshit and expect it to be read either the next working day or at least the next working day afterwards after it's been delivered.

I work in the private sector and receive/send loads of emails post 5pm, and the same rules apply. Who are these parents who are just being bonkers???

All I can think of is writing my email and timing it in Outlook to be sent within the allotted time. But it just seems pointless.

Sorry probably answered my own AIBU and this is turning into more of a rant! But really!?!? Who are these people...

OP posts:
Believeitornot · 19/09/2017 22:05

Maybe they mean you won't get a response in the same day or until those hours???

Otherwise it sounds ridiculous

sooperdooper · 19/09/2017 22:06

Surely they mean you'll only get a reply during those times, not that it can only be sent then

NSEA · 19/09/2017 22:07

I don't understand. Do they look at the time each email is received and just delete them? :). I bet they mean response as pp says!

Original poster
Winebomb · 19/09/2017 22:08

It's clearly worded that it can only be sent in these times. I can only imagine that lots of parents have been sending emails late at night and are wanting an update at school drop off.

It's really quite bonkers.

OP posts:
Tw1nsetAndPearls · 19/09/2017 22:09

It sounds daft. I suspect it is to stop people from expecting an immediate reply but you would think they would just say only expect a reply during these hours.

You can delay sending emails from outlook, I do this all the time as I have to work around my toddler and so sometimes compose an email quite late but then don't want it to be sent until 8 am.

StripyHorse · 19/09/2017 22:09

Surely it makes more sense for the school to reply that it will not be responded to until the following working day- and that the teacher may not be able to respond until after 3pm.

Tw1nsetAndPearls · 19/09/2017 22:09

Sorry have read to the bottom of your post and you know how to delay an email. Sorry

FitbitAddict · 19/09/2017 22:09

I'm a Deputy Head and unlike many teachers I know I do not have work email on my personal mobile. I can imagine that if you do, it's a nuisance to have them pinging through during your evenings and weekends.

MrsHathaway · 19/09/2017 22:10

If you send an email through Outlook with a delay on it, it may still be displayed with the time you pressed the button. I've fallen foul of that before.

It's a ridiculous rule. What if you can only send personal emails from home and you work a normal 9-5 pattern? Stand by your laptop until the clock flicks over to 8am, hit send, then leg it to work with your fingers crossed?

grasspigeons · 19/09/2017 22:11

Brilliant! Its a beautifully absurd requirement.

Can you put an instruction in the title line 'Not to be read until 20th September between 8 and 5'

HangingRock · 19/09/2017 22:12

Might it be that the teachers find it stressful if they keep getting emails all evening/late at night or something?

Tw1nsetAndPearls · 19/09/2017 22:12

I think Fitbit is right.

I used to have my work email on my personal phone and it would ping away until quite late at night and even if I didn't pick up the email the knowledge that people were emailing me whilst I was trying to relax would make me feel tense.

The answer is for teachers to take their email off their phones or turn off notifications.

My colleagues in my department have their email on their phones which is why I use the "delay sending " function so that I don't interrupt their evening because of my strange working patterns.

HangingRock · 19/09/2017 22:14

Maybe one of the teachers was upset by an 11pm emailed rant or something

Notcontent · 19/09/2017 22:14

That is the most ridiculous thing I have heard for a long time!!!

Paperclipmover · 19/09/2017 22:15

So if you sent an email at midnight saying "the SMT are all evil cucumbers and I think I'm a Dalek" no one would respond? Brilliant. What fun you could have.

SnowiestMountain · 19/09/2017 22:16

They can't possibly mean that you can't send it now, surely they must mean that it will only be read between 8 & 5

Butterymuffin · 19/09/2017 22:18

Ask them to reword it more sensibly.

alltouchedout · 19/09/2017 22:20

That's really daft. Totally and utterly reasonable to specify replies will only be written between those hours, but insane to think they can specify when you can send an email! I would have to write to them (snail mail probably) and say so, only more politely.

Papergirl1968 · 19/09/2017 22:22

I often email late at night as that's when I have a moment. One of the department head's at Dd's school replies at 3am or 4am. I'm told he doesn't need much sleep...

brasty · 19/09/2017 22:22

I suspect the teacher does not have a work mobile, so it is her personal mobile. Getting an email and reading at 9pm that x parent is furious about how their pfb is treated, could be very stressful.

reallybadidea · 19/09/2017 22:24

My kids school used to have a similar rule. Funnily enough I was pretty busy during working hours working myself! I ignored it and carried on sending emails when I was able to in evenings and weekends. Utterly ridiculous!

JimLahey · 19/09/2017 22:25

I might be wrong but I worked in a school with a similar rule and it was to stop the teachers sending emails after 6pm as a few teachers were sending emails late at night and some parents expected all teachers to do the same. Maybe that's what's happened here too.

paddlingwhenIshouldbeworking · 19/09/2017 22:29

It does sound daft but I found having my work email on my phone pretty detrimental to my ability to relax during the evening and weekends. Its hard to ignore something you know is there. I never have notifications on but used to go into my email to check something for me and would see the email sender and title. I could ignore them but I'd feel tense, or I could look and at best be drawn into thinking about work situations and at worst spend a night completely stressed.

ohreallyohreallyoh · 19/09/2017 22:30

The wording isn't great but I have worked in a school with this kind of policy. ^You* may be sensible and not require an immediate response but I can sure you there are parents who think we are at their immediate disposal any time of day or night. It can be very unpleasant to deal with so a blanket ban makes life easier.

LindyHemming · 19/09/2017 22:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.