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

Parents parking at the school leaving their engines one (also the school bus)
Not organising the heights of kids in shows so you cant even see yours (some not even on the stage whereas others 2 levels up).
Would prefer dd to be able to change her own book more so it is more frequent. I find it annoying that book changes vary so dramatically between schools from say 1 book to 10+ a week.
Communication is actually pretty good. And we have electronic payment.
School dinners i find there is not much choice but also you have little control as a parent.

Supervision at lunch/playtimes isnt very good, that is when issues occur for lots of the children.
When a child gets in trouble the story is only ever very short 'x child did this' no explanation when this reason for the behaviour could really make a difference. I also think verbal teasing/bullying should be taken more seriously.

I find it all a lot of extra work for women (i could be wrong), but im imagining that more men do not do much of the organisation even if both people work. So it is the women stressing about dressing up outfits/pe clothes days/trips/paying for trips/even maybe homework.
Certainly my dp hasnt even looked at school website let alone made a note of dates on a calendar.
I personally dont like rewarding random things so would prefer them to get things like week star for actually doing something, also for that to be something you could aim for and work towards (even if people did get it for different things). Certainly the system is a mystery to me and not motivating.
I agree with a pp the holidays are quite short and for SB kids they can get exhausted and overwhelmed before the end of term.
From the outside i dont like them sitting at group desks or carpet. As carpet i think leads to them getting bored and zoning out and they are all so close together ... Nits and colds. Group tables i think would be distracting.
We are setting up distractable kids to be labelled the equivalent of naughty.

Wow. Perhaps schools should just be closed down since there’s so much negativity towards them!

The assumption everyone is either a SAHP or works 9-5- therefore all parents are expected to make all daytime invites/ evening appointments/extra curricular clubs or events/ performances. Also they don't get that we really struggle to fit homework and reading in- both I and DH work evenings and weekends.

Oh and world bloody book day.

I love all these moans complaining about not being able to attend every event in your child' s life because you can only get a certain amount of time off work, As a teacher I never got time off for my children's events that happened during the day and that included GCSE and A Awards ceremonies in one instance. When I told the Head that I would be taking time off for my daughter's graduation he was not pleased.
Those who 'hate' uniform forget that it's a cheap way of dressing your child, which you have to do anyway, schools with no uniform are a nightmare as my daughter would tell you.

School pick up is 3.15 which I consider early as most other schools in area is 3.30. Anyway son started deception in September and I work so had to arrange all the people to pick him up etc on the days I can't. On the last day of settling in week they announce that reception children will be picked up at 3.05 instead of 3.15 'to help parents with other children'.

This totally messed up my arrangements. I've had to drop time at work to get there on my shorter days as that 10 minutes makes a huge difference to the time I leave work. And it's supposed to be a trial but they've ignored several parents pleas to change it back for commute reasons and because it actually means hanging round for ages waiting for older child to come out!

Idiots.

Also, they ring me at amp to tell me child is ill and can I pick him up. I'm an hour away at work. They acted like I'd just confessed to resting babies. An hour away? But he's ill! Terrible mother!!!

Other parents but that's another thread entirely!

Lunchbox police
Medical appointments police
Any thing that basically treat parents like the kids
Rebel

Like many pp, primary school pet peeves were:

Dressing up days
Art and craft projects to do at home
The constant belief we still live in the 1950s with a SAHM, on tap at the drop of a hat
Homework, the child cannot do by themselves (not including spellings and reading)
Ignoring child's needs - like DS was going short sighted in Y6. The ophthalmologist said he was not to sit at the back of the class; he was to sit at the front! So did his teacher take any notice? No, none whatsoever. She left DS at the back of the class all year!

Finally, schools never consider that for parents, who are self employed, whenever they have to take time off work for Parents Evenings in the afternoon or whatever, it's all unpaid leave! There are no paid holidays for the self employed! Teachers might say they don't get paid either, but as the parents of a child with SEN, we had to attend an awful lot of meetings at school, at times of their choosing and nobody ever asked us if it was at a convenient time or day for our work (which is very seasonal)!

@Duckyneedsaclean There is a pretty good reason for the defensiveness voice of experience. A lot of parents are VERY quick to point the finger about things that are their own/their child's/nobody's fault. It wears you down and can make you overly defensive.

tilly - I think it entirely depends on the school as to whether the uniform is a cheap way of dressing your child or not.

Mine - trousers, polo shirt, school jumper, shorts, joggers and t shirt for pe. Not overly bothered about exact colours, logos etc. Bring bag if choice.

Friends - trousers, polo with school logo, jumper with school logo, shorts and t shirt both with school logo. Impossible to find colour of joggers unless you buy the school ones from the uniform shop. Pe jumper with school logo. All in one suit again in impossible colour unless from uniform shop, Book bag, PE bag with school logo. Plus they heavily encourage you to buy the aforementioned coloured school jacket and back pack both with logo.

This is a normal primary in a not terribly affluent area where most children will be from catchment area. Not a lot of choice.

tilly - I take it then that you did not have a SEN child, when you have to take them for appointments and assessments with consultant paediatricians, speech therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, education psychologists, specialist speech and language teachers, social workers, consultant neurologists (at three different hospitals), the epilepsy nurse, neurosurgeons, the DWP, SEN officers, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, prospective special schools...not to mention annual reviews, IEP reviews and any other meetings at school to discuss behaviour...and act as general co-ordinator, copying everybody in on everybody else's paperwork!

You either take the time off work or your child doesn't get their input or an education!

As for school uniform being cheap, it's not when every item of clothing, apart from underwear, must have an embroidered school logo on it, which can only be bought from their supplier - and they change the uniform halfway through, so you can't even use sibling's hand me downs!

Private school peeves - fees constantly going up every year, ridiculous spending on replacing facilities that aren't needed, eg. £40k this year to replace the outside classroom. Its a field, ffs!

Haven't read the whole thread - saving it for lunchtime later, but already have two comments, apologies if they have been already said:

Only seemingly taking photos of teachers or T A' s kids for school twitter. - this is because they can be 100% sure that the kids' parents don't object to their pictures being put on twitter. They can call across the staffroom "Oh Sandra? Is it ok if we put Johnny's photo up?" - job done in 10 seconds. Compare that with emails to Child X, Child Y and Child Z, ooh hang on is that the back of Child V's head? Better email his Mum too or she'll kick off, you know what she's like . .
.
Using Comic Sans for any kind of official letters or paperwork. Who the heck uses Comic Sans in a professional environment?! Schools use Comic Sans a lot because it is the only font which features an a like the a you are teaching children to write. I agree they probably shouldn't use it on official letters or paperwork but it's easy to see why changing the font to Comic Sans on everything has become second nature and it's done without thinking.

Did the teachers slagging parents thread disappear?

I do like our school and reading some of these, realise that they are quite organised when it comes to communication and giving us plenty of notice.

They close at 2.30 on a Friday which is a PITA and no one seems to know why, it has always just been that

Small school so no great opportunity for school teams etc, which is annoying for my DCs but probably doesn't bother most

No after school club and very few child minders who pick up drop off at this school

No online payment system but they don't mind cheques, only reason I keep my cheque book

No running in the morning policy - because some parents can't seem to look after their younger children and someone got knocked over

Balloonslayer.....they don't need to ring the parents and check they are happy with their child's pic being on twitter, because all the parents complete a form giving permission these days. There would be a small number of kids whose parents have said no surely. By always always putting the same TA's child up causes animosity. The TA's child I'm referring to also got the main part in school play every single year. Then before she left they gave her opportunity to do a speech to the younger kids about her sporting achievements, and that was on twitter too, gushing about how marvellous she was.....then she got main part in leavers play too!!! Now they are in High school, noone hears about her so thinking she's not too amazing after all. Just saying perhaps teachers should stop and think if there are 500 plus kids in the school, give some others opportunity too. Surely all the kids are amazing. I saw the back of my child's head on twitter once, and that was over a five year period.

Uniform regulations eg. White trainers but must be lace up. I don't mind white soles for indoor wear so they don't mark, but why do they need to be white and why lace up only? I actually couldn't find that combination in ds's size at a decent price.

Mine want parents to come in at fairly short notice to do xyz - I'm a sahm so can mostly do it but they insist on saying that younger siblings aren't welcome, distinctly unhelpful when you have a 2yo.

Paying for everything with cash or cheque.

Any homework that isn't a sheet or some reading. Don't make me talk my seven year old through making a model of the Eiffel tower.

Letters about sickness. Believe me I wish my children didn't vomit as often as they do. You tell me I can't bring them back to school. Then you moan at me and threaten to report me because they've had too much time off. I don't care if it's an automated letter - you are supposed to be in a constructive relationship with me. This does not feel constructive.

Detention for being 1 minute late when the school routinely opens 10 minutes late and all the working parents are getting desperate.

Grey socks for boys. White socks for girls. Black socks for both for PE. Why?

And as I prepare to fill yet another holiday with pointless, expensive and inconvenient (start at 10, finish at 1 ) holiday clubs, why can't schools just stay open? They've got the equipment, they've got the space. Local authorities needs to make this happen before working parents lose their minds. Of course there'd be a cost but for two children I'm about to shell out approaching £800 for the next two weeks - I'm sure the local authority could do better than that.

Schools stuck in the 1950s. Every child has a mummy at home who can pop into school with 5 minutes notice

Yep

Same here.

Also Not taking some form of online payment.

And yy to whoever said about holiday cover.

Oh and if you do run after school clubs please recognise that the bulk of parents use them as child care, not for shits and giggles. So please don’t cancel with an hours notice.

I don’t see why schools sites can’t be contracted to provide wrap around and holiday cover. Surely it could be used to generate much needed income.

It drives me mad, the constant logistical battle. Most families have 2 working parents, why the fuck is childcare such a disjointed faff. All I want, all most of the parents at my kids school want is year round 8-5 cover in a nice setting at something slightly less than an astronomical price. Why is it so hard?

jedenfalls

the problem with wrap around cover is it doesn't actually seem to generate that much money - particularly the morning shift. Its very regulated with staff ratio, hygiene certificates, their own ofsted inspections and so on and the price parents can pay is limited. Remember also the classrooms are being used by the teachers setting up for the next day and being cleaned - so you need a building with 'spare' space. Obviously it can be done but not everywhere.

Also people don't realise how much caretaking goes on in a school over the holidays, all the deep cleans, workmen repairing things like roof leaks, repainting, re-carpeting, asbestos removal, remarking the playgrounds, installing new equipment, refitting kitchens - all sorts! You need some times when the school isn't being used as a school to get all this stuff done. Its really expensive to get things done only over the weekend and not all jobs can be done just in 2 days, but you can hardly have 300 children on site having decommissioned the toilets to repair the drains for instance. Again, its not impossible but its not an easy money winner you first think for every school.

Accelerated reader program. I hate it. I am a librarian and hate DD having to choose from the list rather than enjoy reading.

Rain, Same here! Ds loathes the AR scheme but absolutely loves reading, AR scheme dampens down the enthusiasm at school but he has wall to wall books at home and reads every night so we balance it out.