Is this school newsletter too rude?

[RudeHead]

NC as obviously outing to other parents. This week's primary school newsletter had the following from the head^^ about parents' evening...

Thank you for all the positive comments that teachers received yesterday. They all work so hard for each child in their class. Though I have noticed that there are too many parents not attending the parents meeting and making individual appointments with teachers before and after school This will not be allowed. We start at 1.30pm and finish at 7pm so whatever job you have, you can still make the consultation. I have to keep the workload down for our teachers. If there is a reason why you cannot meet on the designated parent consultation, which is dated in September, then please write to me.

AIBU that this is unacceptably rude? I feel like I should write in or something. I get her point but surely there's a better way to make it?

It’s unreasonable. There may be slots available from 1.30-7 but not enough of them fall outside normal working hours. Assuming ten minute slots with no breaks at all, there would only be nine slots between 5.30-7. I don’t believe that 21 families out of 30 in a class can get out of work and make it to the school before 5.30.

What would be better is if the head ran parents evenings on two consecutive days - say 3pm - 8pm. That way there would be double the number of after hours slots.

I purposely started making separate appointments for parents evenings when our school decided to do the parents evenings in the school hall instead of the classrooms.

This may be unreasonable of me, but I do have a lot of sympathy with this stance.
One of my DC struggles a lot with school, and almost every parents evening of theirs we’ve been to has had the teacher talking about DCs problems in a level of detail that I wouldn’t want some random parent to be eavesdropping on.

I dont think it's rude and for a lot of people those would be doable hours. Of course there will be some who can't make it, but on the whole I would imagine most people can.

Don't think this is rude. You wouldn't expect other professional to go out of hours I.e dentists, solicitors. Think with a 6 month warning of a parents evening this is quite fair plus the head has invited those who would find it difficult the opportunity to write. Sounds accommodating to me whilst looking after their workforce. Two consecutive nights would mean 10 hours of meetings after school as opposed to 5 1/2....so increasing teacher workload.

Repeat after me.

Only. The. Mandatory. Holidays. Are. Paid. To. Teachers.

Don't actually get paid for the holidays.

We have a salary, paid for 195 days a year. That salary is just spread over 12 months.

If I could have that added to with bring paid my standard daily rate for the hols, that'd be peachy, thanks!

Parents evenings are held in the school hall for the safety of teachers. Not unheard of for a disgruntled parent to get abusive with a teacher.

Desks should be far enough apart so that eavesdropping is not possible.

totally agree with this message, people expect unreasonable amounts from teachers and lack respect for them - so many of my friends are really good experienced teachers and they have had such poor treatment from certain types of parents who want to blame the teachers for the problems in education when they are the ones who vote for bad political parties who treat education as a political football for putting down the aspirations on those struggling - vote for a party who supports education done properly and if you want to know more about that watch this ted link -that way you get happier students whole people and wonderful teachers doing great teaching www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_how_to_escape_education_s_death_valley

So I certainly didn't expect this to be the lead thread in the daily email! I'm definitely not going to take this any further as no doubt this thread will be passed to the head... sorry about that if you're reading this!

Not rude. Just telling it like it is. If you cant organise an hour or two off in September to discuss your childs education when given notice in March then theres a problem either with your works policys or your own.

It’s not rude and the Head is asking you to make contact if you need a different time slot!

Yes sylviemc!!
I’d vote for you in fact!!

Not rude. What's rude is the parent that came to parents evening where I work. Then because the teachers were running behind (60 odd kids at five minutes late) by 10 minutes. The parents walked out, then insisted on seeing the teachers one after the other a week later in the time between the end of the school day and start of the next parents eve. So those teachers had no break from lunch til 9pm. Teachers do parents eve. If you can't make it for a very valid reason you ask nicely but don't demand and don't expect to get exactly what you want

I think it is rude actually! Not everyone can get there in the afternoon and the evening slots will be taken by whoever gets in first. I agree that teachers do A LOT of extra hours but they do get 13 weeks holiday a year... suck it up people

they problem get the most paid holidays per year with the best paid sociable hours
Wtf? How about you educate yourself before making a fool of yourself on the internet.
Teachers have some of the least sociable working hours during term time (60+ hours a week, open-ended) and are NOT paid for the holidays, beyond the statutory 5 weeks or so.
HTH.

I'll tell you who couldn't make it. Teachers who's kids have parents eve the same day!

no. what is rude is expecting the teachers to work around you. if your kids are important you will make time to meet the teacher surely?? my sister and her husband both work different shifts one comes home the other goes out to work and they swap shifts use holiday whatever it takes so they can BOTH be there

Try walking in the shoes of some the parents I'd say

You don't think that any teachers are also parents?

I haven’t rtft but oh my days, if the consultation is in September (stated in op) then you ABVU!!!!

What was the question? I'm only here for Yellows next installment!!!

I think that's perfectly acceptable

Its s very generous timeslot with a very generous pre- warning. Either arrange shifts, or take the day off and you are sorted. A lot of people have to take a (half) day of for appointments , so the head is very reasonable

It's very patronising and talks down to parents like they are students imo.

I’ve personally had to see parents before and after school over a two week period because of having to be so flexible towards parents. Sometimes it can really take the p*. I also have a family to see and work long hours. I wish my HT would be a little more like the HT in your post. Maybe a balance between the two would be more reasonable?

Dianebz1 only stupid, stupid cunts still think teachers get paid holidays.
We get paid for 39 weeks which gets evenly split over 12 months.
You're obviously way too busy to check simple facts