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

School dinners. Ds is a strapping Y6 and gets tiny portions (in his words)

Bit specific but attendance issues/ notice.

At DSs school we have to fill in a form to get authorised absence. So grandparent (my parent) dies (at other end of country) and I request 2 days off on the form (with letter explaining and apologising for short notice).

Cue texts from school on day of funeral demanding to know why DS isn't in school. The day before, the travelling day, I had rung in and left message to say 2 days absence (on top of sending form). Why can't they link up the pieces of information?

Urgh.

Meanwhile other child's school not only authorises absence but sends condolences. No snotty texts.

And breathe....

Back, that’s terrible.

We’ve recently attended a funeral with Ds. No forms needed filling in, we just told the office Ds wouldn’t be in.

Mine are:

School dinners- (think a PP has mentioned this) same portion size for a small reception child and an adult sized Y6. And having recently suffered had a school meal myself all of it is luke warm at best.

The assumption that all parents are as familiar with the school calendar/jargon as teachers eg. assumption that all parents will know when to book time off for parents evening (actually more like afternoon), where Mrs X's room is to collect children from an afterschool club, what the bloody hell 'using the chunking' method means (I am now an expert if anyone wants to know :).

On the other hand, I know from teacher friends that schools often can't win. Some parents will complain that there is not enough communication, others that they are sick of so many letters etc etc

Agreeing with all of the pp about lack of communication. It's has gotten better since they introduced a weekly school newsletter which is emailed, but door notices don't work when your child goes to an after-school club! Also lack of notice for anything and the assumption that Dad goes to work, returns at 5, hangs his hat on the peg and Mum serves dinner! My rota is done three months in advance, I can't just not go to work for a few hours so that I can watch my child say one line in an assembly!

After school wrap around care who claim to be open until 6, but bring the children to wait in reception at 5.45 and then get arsey when you arrive at 5.55......they are open (and paid for!) Until 6!!!

Pointless homework, really what is the point in term projects which have no relevance to anything? Following on from that, homework set which is due in the next day!

I find our school generally quite good but things that bug me

Food tech teacher doesn't post recipes/ingredients due for Monday until Friday before - we are often away for the weekend and it's a bloody pain to get ingredients.

Silly uniform rules. Not allowed to tuck in summer shirts - so fucking stupid. No boots - why in British weather is this a rule, what is so offensive about boots. Sixth form rules for clothing must be suits - even for the girls! So stupid, preparing for the workplace where wearing suits is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. Cheap ill fitting polyester suits are not smart.

Crap science and maths teachers....this isn't the schools fault recruitment is a real problem, but most people I know have a maths tutor.

And craft homework - even at secondary school this irritation continues.