To think that if the school office is only available

[SpinningDizzy]

Between 730-1130 on a Monday and Wednesday then they should ANSWER THE FUCKING PHONE when you try to call and not leave the answerphone with "the office is now closed" message on.

We were supposed to submit the definite requirements for before and after school club for the coming school year last Wednesday and I can't get hold of anyone

Can't you email your requirements?

Leave a message on the answerphone?

No, because I won't know until the end of the month whether or not I've got the job. Which either means I need three days cover or none at all.
And I can't pay for it if I don't get the job, so I can't sign to say I'm taking the places, but neither do I want to sign to say I definitely don't need them, because if I get the job, I will.

It's not an answerphone. It's a message and then cuts off.

Can you call into the office and discuss it with them? YANBU if that's the hours of contact they should be available or at least have an answer phone or some other form of contact.

My DDs school have a dedicated line for their after school club which always goes to answer phone but last time I rang and left a message I didn't get a call back. I asked them about it and they told us they don't use it, so what's the point? I just leave a message with the office now.

So what are you going to tell them? What do you want them to do?

I want to know if it's possible to defer for a month.
Or say no now and if I do can I then apply before September.
I want to speak to someone!!! Yes, I guess I'll have to go in if I can't get through.

Probably on the other line?

Crappy pay, an overwhelming amount of work, budget pressure, whining kids, whining parents...they deserve a bloody medal imo, keep trying, to pop in?

That's astonishing opening hours. The primary school office I work in is open 8-5 each school day. Not even a big school.

I will agree with chipsandgin's summary of the job though.

ICrappy pay, an overwhelming amount of work, budget pressure, whining kids, whining parents...they deserve a bloody medal imo, keep trying, to pop in?*

Although none of this an excuse for not having an answering machine. Or turning the out of office message off. That’s just incompetent

You’re not working right now then? Presumably the school is close by. Just go down there and speak to them in person. The conversation will be easier face to face anyway. (And while there say, do you realise your answer machine is still on saying you are closed?)

(But why didn’t you just pop in when you did drop off?)

Between 7.30 and 9.30am, there's probably a large queue of cross looking parents standing at the other side of reception with their various grievances and, after that point, if she has time to stop before break and notices, there's most likely nobody there able to sort out any technical problem with the phones.

FFS, it doesn’t matter what the OP wants to say to the office - if those are their (astonishingly rubbish) opening hours then she is right, they need to answer the phone or ensure the correct message is ring heard.

Our school office is fully manned and has much better opening time (ie all day) but their communication is still atrocious, and they know it (mentioned on at least 2 Ofsted reports). They are completely complacent about it, and function such that they expect every family to have at At Home parent.

SpinningDizzy - How bizarre for a school only to be contactable by phone on two mornings a week?! How and who phones parents if a child is ill or has an accident? How do parents inform the school of absences or issues with collecting children from school? I can't help thinking you must have the wrong end of the stick, here, and that the number you are ringing is for a specific purpose/to get through to a specific person (but no-one is taking responsibility for it...), rather than the only possible way of getting through to the school via telephone.

Class teachers, headteachers and SENCO are statutory roles. The rest are not. Diminishing budgets- have etc cut non pupil facing roles first.

I can't help thinking you must have the wrong end of the stick, here,

No, definitely not! Absences we have to send a text to the class mobile. Teacher calls if accident or sick.

It's really bad but probably due to budget cuts. They probably can't afford to pay for someone to work full time and have prioritised cutting admin rather than teaching staff

Is the after school over subscribed? If so I'd book the space, then if you do not get the job quite sure someone joining school in September will be happy to have the space.

No, you can't swap or trade places. Once you sign the form you have to pay for the whole year.

Is it a tiny village school?

Sounds like it would be easier and more cost effective to get a childminder.

Is it a tiny village school?

Yes, and only the head was there so I think he probably didn't want to have to deal with phone calls.

He confirmed that if you register, you have to pay. Also that once you're registered it's for the whole year. They will do the allocations next week. But he has said he would consider a late application if the numbers fit as I've a good reason.

Wow, that sounds fabulously inflexible!

Thought so! I went to a tiny village school. The office was right off our classroom and when the phone rang the head (who was the p5,p6 and p7 teacher all in one room) asked a p7 to answer it.