Stupid rule about sending school an email

[Winebomb]

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...

Tw1nset- Because teachers have 101 other things to do - they could be inundated with e-mails from parents.

@cherish123 - I am a teacher. I answer emails from parents all the time. I also send a fair few

Parents send hard boiled eggs in their shells for children's snack time ( eaten outside in playground, So as not to be completely antisocial.) Or sometimes a Baby Bell, other wrapped cheese is available. Would that work OP? If you're a bit pushed for time in the egg boiling front I find quails eggs hard boil fastest.

Same as Tw1nset. I wonder if there's some confusion on the part of those aghast at the idea of parents having teachers' email addresses; at my school these are assigned by the school's management, not the teacher's personal addresses.

I've worked more then ten years in a system where parents can always email us directly, and have never been inundated. I roughly estimate about twenty a year come in, if that. I would imagine that if I was a primary school teacher or Head of Year, then it would be rather different.

I'm a teacher and a parent, and I think this rule is ridiculous.

School ends at 3pm, and I leave school by 4pm to collect DC from childcare. Whether someone sent me an email at 4.10pm or 7.30pm wouldn't make a difference, I would see both of those emails either that evening (I do most "admin" once DC are in bed) or the next morning. This is how I have a work-life balance.

I also check my personal emails in the evening, so that's when I would send an email to DD's teacher if I needed to.

Is this only in England? I teach in Scotland and our email addresses are not published. My HT would be aghast at the idea of parents emailing us directly.
Do you work in primary or secondary? I teach in secondary (England) and while our email addresses aren't published, almost all give them out to students so that they can send us homework, ask for an appointment, etc. Parents can then get my email from their DC, even though official school policy is for parents to email office@. In a large school, "FAO Mrs Jones" also causes its own problems.

I've worked more then ten years in a system where parents can always email us directly, and have never been inundated. I roughly estimate about twenty a year come in, if that
It depends what type of culture has been created.
Some schools I've been in are like yours. At my current school parents can email us but they tend to ask for a phonecall, usually because the nuances of their queery are easier tl discuss than email. Those who do email tend to be reasonable. Staff reply in a couple of days, no pressure.

A former school had some staff who would send emails at 23:00, reply to parents and students at all hours (including during class because they could 'multitask')and that created a culture where parents started emailing at all hours about tiny things, expecting replies within hours, complaining if tne reply wasn't quicj enough etc. It was awful.

Sorry to resurrect this, first of all thank you for all the replies! It does seem quite divided.

The rule is definitely not to send emails in the allotted time.

It's a village school, with average 21 children to a class, there are 3 TAs in reception, they have three in a morning and 2 in the afternoon.

My child goes to before and after school club, privately run on the school grounds, so I don't get to see his primary teachers.

I have worked 50-60 hours each week the last few weeks, so I really know what the god damn pain getting emails at midnight from stupid people..

I have sent my son with important replies to letters (school nurse, flu jab etc) to find the same replies in his bag for 3 days in a row. This included the Question about not having fruit for both snacks, No reply.

He has so far this term been picked up by the after school club without his:

3x Jumpers
1x pair of trousers (he tells me he fell in something wet)
1x hat
1x water bottle bottle

I just don't think this school gets parent communication..

We do get lots of invites to PTA stuff at 3:45pm.. great. We are what 3 weeks in and there has been 6 events/meetings already.

I give up!