To ask , as a parent , what are your pet peeves about school?

[SteveAs]

Inspired by the teacher and the school child thread

I will start

Schools closing at 2pm on Wednesday every week , such a pain

Thing about uniform is that I genuinely think it keeps competition about clothes at bay.
Pupils will try and subvert it - that's as old as the hills - but at least everyone suffers it.

Sen support is awful. Communication between playtime staff and the school/teachers and then back to us is non-existent. The school are only friendly and open towards parents when they’re fundraising. The rest of the time our emails are ignored and the staff don’t give us the time of day! By staff I mean management/admin/office/the head. The teachers are mostly passionate and wonderful, swimming against the tide. My kids seem to be doing really well thanks to the teachers, but no thanks to the terrible overall mismanagement.

Stressing Year 6 kids out to the point of tears and sleeplessness for 2 terms about SATs tests. Making them believe their SATs scores will be really, really important to their future lives (when actually these scores are only important to the school's own government rankings).

Neglecting actual useful lessons to cram in more SATs crap.

Once the SATs are over, leaving the Year 6s to do nothing and get bored for the final term. Because the stuff the school gets judged on is over now, and educating the kids in any way is therefore deemed unnecessary.

Generic parents evening.
I'm sure I could listen in to all the other girls chats and they'd all be the same as my daughters report.
The attainment graphs and targets are generic, dull and meaningless to me. They're primary school kids...stop with the graphs..😕
They seem so scared to offend these days, I often wonder if they're just repeating the same thing to all.

Apart from that, I think it's a good school and am pleased with how my DD is getting on.

Poor communication really bothers me and for my secondary school I find they have trouble understanding that not every parent can or wants to pay thousands for school trips The secondary school also has shown to really prioritise the high achievers in GCSEs and for the lower attainers are somewhat forgotten and unsupported in the same way. I have 2 in Yr 11 one is in the high achievers academy and the other is average so have seen both sides of the support offered.

Communication here too.
And school dinners! Ours get the kids to choose what they want and give them a coloured wristband so they know what they are having and then never ever have enough! Completely pointless system!

Primary School - the assumption that I don’t work and am an affluent lady wot lunches. And I’m therefore free to ‘just pop to the school with Johnny’s lunch box / pen / trainers / musical instrument. That I can just bob into the staff room for coffee briefings at 9.30
And that the PTA have their meetings in the pub at 3.45 pm, and send out guilt trippy emails about poor attendance rates to them
I DO work though. So I don’t have time. So you need to communicate better and IN ADVANCE in order for little Johnny’s things to be supplied.
And no, being as me and anyone else with a day job can’t make your coffee briefings, I don’t think the ofstef minimum required feedback you supply at the end of the year when it’s too late to make adjustments to my child’s education is enough

Parents Evening that isn't in the evening. Need to take time off work and arrange childcare.

Reading records in a very selective private school in years 5+. My son reads a book every 2 days and this is known - why do I need to document this and sign off on it? Everyone in his year group is similar!

Oh, and suddenly deciding after years that no, we can’t bring children to parents evening immediately scuppers anyone who is a lone parent or whose other half can’t get home from work in time etc
Lo and behold! Low attendance at your less than useful parents evening, an early finish for teaching staff, but a tick in the box for OFSTED, so, that’s all right then...

Communication in terms of setting dates far enough in advance for things. The content of the letters and the way they are distributed is fine.

Same as a few other posters - asking parents to come in for meetings about the curriculum/look at your child's work/assemblies at 1130 or 145 meaning that if it's a working day I have to use a half day's holiday to attend a performance or meeting that's about 45 mins long. I've stopped doing it with DC2, I just have to suffer the guilt. Why not hold these things first thing so that parents that work could at least go in late? I really don't think teachers understand that juggling a job (even PT like mine ) around school hours is really difficult and this sort of thing exacerbates it. That and 3 snow days last week has really hit my holiday hours .

Poor communication.

I kid you not..

9.30 am School rings
School: can you just bring little Johnny’s Double Bass in please? He needs it for a musical day at the local high school
Me: Bit difficult, as I’m in a meeting in (town 2 hours drive away)
School: oh, isn’t there anyone who can collect it from your home?
Me: No there isn’t
School: Are you sure? Can’t your husband bring it in?
Me: I’m quite sure that there’s no one else thanks.
School: well we did tell you it was needed, little Johnny’s been practising for (event I have not been told about at all ever, much less given permission for)
Me: no you didn’t. And he hasn’t practised a stroke, I know because the double bass is in my house gathering dust because he HATES it and you only give them out because there is some arts grant. And don’t think I didn’t notice the ‘by the way you are liable for damage to this instrument’ note you pinned to it whilst foisting it on my child, without my knowledge or consent to receive and care for said expensive instrument. Good luck with me agreeing to be liable for THAT
School: But he’s our STAR music person we sent along to high school for rising music talent
Me: Not on a double bass he isn’t Just what is it you expect me to do about it from (town 2 hours drive away) at no notice?
School: why are you 2 hours away?
Me: I’m at work

(later in year, school sends out letter stating no parent is allowed to work more than 10 mins drive away....)

Dd is only in reception so it's my first year as a school parent but so far I've got no problems!

They send a newsletter home every Wednesday by email, you order school lunches online so you can choose what your child eats, teachers are happy to stop and talk at any time and if you have no internet, the school office are happy to use alternative methods to ensure you are kept up to date

The fact that they ask you for no less than 4 contact people in case of emergency, then you get a call saying your child is ill and they've been trying to get old of you for hours - and they haven't even tried any of the other 3 people (who in the particular case I'm thinking of would all have been able to get there faster).

Supply lessons. AIB totally U as I know teachers get sick just like the rest of us but ds1 has so many and gets so frustrated.

Lunch boxes. I agree that there should be no fizzy drinks but I think it is hypocritical that those who have hot dinners get dessert daily but my child got a small maryland cooking taken away.

Dressing up days- just quit it

Loads of bloody texts which I get double of

The senior school is just crap right now. So the whole school is just one big peeve. I feel sorry for the good teachers though. They got a new head and it all went to shit. Lots of good teachers got laid off, and my children ended up with different supply teachers all the time. There was no consistency. I remember one parent's evening where a supply teacher was trying to tell me about my son, but admitted he only met him once. Apparently there was no one else to do it.

Complaining that the can't contact me in an emergency when they've ignored the emergency contact number I gave them and called my mobile instead. I don't get mobile phone reception at work. (The number I've given them is my work number - during office hours it redirects to my secretary if I'm away from my desk).

Refusing to address me by my name, and insisting on calling me 'Mrs HisName' - No. This is not my name. I'm Dr MyName (I'm not married, so everything about Mrs HisName is incorrect).

Half the school finishing at 2.30 and the other half 3pm. So either spend every day sat at school for half an hour or have to find someone to pick up dd while I’m at work til 3
Only another two and half years of this to go...

All the PTA and other type meetings held during school hours (I work in another school so can’t get out to attend)

Playground has such poor drainage the kids look like they have been mud bathed every day from October to April.

BUT it’s a fantastic school, great teachers, both kids doing really well. So I suck it up and say nothing. Comms super too due to excellent school secretary which is know if a major bug bear at most schools.
Plus they are always so grateful for whatever help you give or anything you send in!

Where’s the other thread?!

I don’t really have complaints! I do think they’re too lenient with kids that aren’t very well behaved! And before anyone starts; I’m not talking about SEN.

School have been really good. The only thing I font like is they get given between 10 and 20 spellings on a Friday for test on Tuesday. That’s not enough time to learn them. Friday she’s exhausted, Monday she has after school club so comes home tired do that only leaves Sat and Sunday and she needs more time as law of diminishing returns if you do too many in one go.
Then they don’t always do the test on a Tuesday so it’s inconsistent and you never know what day to help her prepare for.

That’s Y2 for spellings do it’s a lot for a 6 year old

Not having facility to pay for anything online or at least by card at school. Everything is cash at mines and I rarely have any cash

(later in year, school sends out letter stating no parent is allowed to work more than 10 mins drive away....)

Seriously?!