To have thought an email would suffice?

[DaysDragonBy]

Sent DS's teacher an email 3 weeks ago saying he wouldn't be in school this morning because of orthodontist appointment.

Suddenly thought as we were leaving that maybe I should remind her. Wrote text. Before I could send it she called asking why he wasn't in school!

I must admit I assumed she'd have it in a diary and she would think I was being patronising to remind her!

Should I have done it yesterday? Sent a text earlier this morning?
Or is it actually ok to assume an email a few weeks in advance is sufficient?

He was sufficiently late by 8.30am that the teacher called to check up?
What time does his school start? Maybe that early start is why they have no office staff

I'm confused as to how she could call you at 8.30, when he was presumably late as school had started whilst simultaneously being in charge of her class?

Surely if they have approx. 130 students then there is sufficient amounts of paperwork for them to employ someone to be in the office every day. Their current system sounds bloody ridiculous.

Gosh, my daughters school has only 35 pupils and still has a secretary!

I would consider asking the class teacher whether she would prefer you to give advanced warning of your dc’s orthodontic appointment (as you did this time), or whether she would rather you tell her closer to the day.

What was the point in emailing so far in advance?

You email the day you make the appointment and put it in your own diary or its easy to forget. especially if you have multiple children and multiple appointments etc to juggle. Also it give the school as much notice as possible.

Yes it should have been in a diary, paper or electronic.

You don’t have anything to apologise for. Didn’t the teacher say “oh sorry I forgot” when you told her?

Why does it matter if it's three weeks in advance? Why does it have to be the day before?

Either way the school has been informed, it's not op's fault the teacher forgot. The teacher will have a thousand other things to deal with so forgetting is sometimes understandable.

No one is at fault particularly, no one needs to apologise.

I have taught in much smaller schools and there has always been office staff each morning! That poor teacher.

If I’d known there were no office staff in on the day the planned absence would be (as you seem to), I would have written it on a piece of paper the day before so it would have gone straight in the register. It’s so easy to forget an email from weeks before when you’re filling in a register. Sounds like the teacher has spent her break time ringing parents about absences.

YANBU. There is no excuse for missing this regardless of when the school secretary works. If the school's procedure is to alert the teacher to absences then it's up to the teacher to properly enter the dates on some kind of calendar.

At work here in admin we get notice of meetings, time off, appointments,inspections etc often months in advance by email. How do we keep track of it all for around 100 people in 2018? We put it on our outlook calendar, prompted by the email client itself when it 'recognizes' a date/time format in the body of the email. We also make sure it's copied into the relevant person's electronic calendar and write it in the physical desk diaries some Luddites people still have.

Holidayshopping I get what you're saying but if the teacher works in a school where she knows there is little admin support and part of her job expectation is to do this herself then even more reason to get with 2018 and set up her email account properly. It will save her having to spend her break calling parents for one thing. Most email client calendars can be set to send reminders of appointments 48/24/18 or however many hours in advance you prefer. Honestly the more I think about this, the less excuse there is.

How do we keep track of it all for around 100 people in 2018? We put it on our outlook calendar, prompted by the email client itself when it 'recognizes' a date/time format in the body of the email. We also make sure it's copied into the relevant person's electronic calendar and write it in the physical desk diaries some Luddites people still have.

Microsoft exchange has had the calendar functionality for nearly 25 years. It's hardly "newfangled".

In the Olden Days, a note would be sent in and placed in the register so the teacher would be aware.

DGRosetti Precisely.

You don't need to apologise.

It would have been better to give less notice so that it's top of mind but she didn't record it or remember, that's not your fault.

Let it go!

Also it give the school as much notice as possible.

Why does the school need 2/3 weeks notice of a short absence? It's not as if they're actually going to rearrange their teaching plans is it? If a child was sick in the night, the school wouldn't get notice of them not being in the next day.

Not your fault OP. No need to apologise.

I do have to laugh at some comments though. So the OPs school does it differently. It doesn't matter how other schools do it or that you think a school needs office staff. The OPs school doesn't and there's little she can do and nothing she can do about an event passed.

Well at primary level/dd's scondary planned absences would affect things like ordering of school meals, planned trips, assessments (do they need to be re-arranged for an absent child, etc. Letting classmates know in case it affects group work in subjects like GCSE drama etc.

She didn't mention it when I took him in so I think she must have checked her emails by then! I emailed when I made the appointment else I would almost certainly have forgotten to do so. Judging by the noise, she called from the classroom, so no kids left unattended. Doors open at 810, registration at 815. 5 minutes 'late allowance' and then parents are called. Each class has an assigned mobile, there are set times we are allowed to call, excluding emergencies, else have to send a message or email.
Would it make you all happy to know that the secretary is only there on the days when the headmaster is on site the rest of his time he runs the local art gallery

Judging by the noise, she called from the classroom, so no kids left unattended.

I'm still confused as to what the children were doing whilst she was calling parents? It all sounds so random surely she is supposed to be teaching the class during this time not spending it contacting parents?

I don't blame you for emailing at the time of receiving the appointment nor do I blame her for forgetting something she read 3 weeks ago but truthfully I think the school needs a better system in place.

I'm still confused as to what the children were doing whilst she was calling parents? It all sounds so random surely she is supposed to be teaching the class during this time not spending it contacting parents?

If there’s no secretary, who else is going up do it?

Absolutely nuts. There’s no way I’d work in a school without office staff.

If there’s no secretary, who else is going up do it? Absolutely nuts. There’s no way I’d work in a school without office staff.

I have no idea, but I certainly wouldn't want to waste my teaching time ringing parents. I had assumed maybe incorrectly that they don't have TAs if they only need office staff for 2 mornings a week.

I have known in my time teaching, receptionists to spend 20-25 minutes trying to get through to a parent regarding an absent child and am left wondering what would happen in that sort of situation? Does the teacher stop calling and teach or do they continue to call thinking about the safeguarding aspect of the absent child and leave the class to teach themselves?

They must realise that this system is flawed?

I'm still confused as to what the children were doing whilst she was calling parents?

Playing with matches and then wetting their fingers before sticking them in the electric socket, one assumes.

What a bizarre situation! Not a school I’d want to work in.