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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think that if the school office is only available

44 replies

SpinningDizzy · 29/04/2019 07:41

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

OP posts:

Original poster

SpinningDizzy · 29/04/2019 13:21

Our head isn't even a teacher. He's here two mornings a week, another school two mornings a week and the rest of the time he runs one of the local businesses!

OP posts:

Comefromaway · 29/04/2019 13:23

What on earth happens if there is an emergency? I speak as both a parent and the wife of a teacher who has had to contact schools in emergency situations including safeguarding incidents.

Original poster

SpinningDizzy · 29/04/2019 13:27

You mean if DC has an accident? Then whoever is taking the class calls me from the class mobile.

OP posts:

JessieMcJessie · 29/04/2019 13:29

Is that legal? Or are you not in the UK?

JessieMcJessie · 29/04/2019 13:30

The head not being full time or a qualified teacher I mean.

Comefromaway · 29/04/2019 13:30

I'm thinking more of the situation where a family member is hospitalised and so school need to be informed as they can't pick the child up, or you need to report a safeguarding incident (I've had to do this a couple of times) or you have found something else serious out that the school needs to take immediate action on. Or outside agancies need to contact the school.

lyralalala · 29/04/2019 13:32

The head will be a qualified teacher who just doesn’t do any teaching anymore.

Comefromaway · 29/04/2019 13:34

Not necessarily Lyralala. If its an Academy he/she doesn't have to be.

Original poster

SpinningDizzy · 29/04/2019 13:38

You'd call the class mobile.

Although if I knew I was going to be late to pick up I'd call my neighbours or parents of one of DD's friends first.

I imagine staffroom have Head on speed dial. We are given staffroom number (take your chances), office number (Mon and Wed am) and class mobile (emergencies only, plus text absences).

OP posts:

drspouse · 29/04/2019 13:38

One of my DCs was taken to hospital while the other was at school - school needed to know that and while (as it happened) DH was on school premises with the ill DC - it could well have been outside school/child at another school. We'd have had to ring school.

PlainSpeakingStraightTalking · 29/04/2019 13:42

Our Academy has Head of School - which parents assume is head teacher - but shes not qualified , no NPQH (National Professional Qualification for Headship)

Comefromaway · 29/04/2019 13:52

And I'd love to know how a teacher on a class mobile would deal with a serious peer on peer abuse allegation or even god an allegation against a member of staff.

Comefromaway · 29/04/2019 13:54

Or the instance where I needed urgently to contact school as I found out from social media that older children from ds's former school were trying to entice him to abscond at lunchtime (SEN involved)

Original poster

SpinningDizzy · 29/04/2019 14:01

Or the instance where I needed urgently to contact school as I found out from social media that older children from ds's former school were trying to entice him to abscond at lunchtime (SEN involved)

I would call the staffroom and if no answer, the class mobile. As it's urgent.

And I'd love to know how a teacher on a class mobile would deal with a serious peer on peer abuse allegation
Send a text asking teacher to call back ASAP.

or even god an allegation against a member of staff.
When this happened with DS, I sent an email saying I needed to see the teacher after school.

OP posts:

Original poster

SpinningDizzy · 29/04/2019 14:12

Ok, I see what you mean. It wasn't the teacher who had the phone who I had to complain about.

I guess I'd
a) send an email to the Head to ask him to call back asap.
b) call the staff room and ask for a contact number for him or him to call me back urgently.
c) call his business number

OP posts:

Comefromaway · 29/04/2019 14:14

OK, you didn't make it clear in your OP that you had alternate telephone contact numbers. MOst schools would not give out staff room or mobile telephone numbers (and its quite unprofessional to expect a class teacher to answer a call whilst teaching)

Original poster

SpinningDizzy · 29/04/2019 14:26

OK, you didn't make it clear in your OP that you had alternate telephone contact numbers.

That's because I needed to speak to the office non-urgently.

OP posts:

SadOtter · 29/04/2019 14:37

Your school office is only open 07:30 to 11:30 2 days a week and has no answerphone? How on earth does that work?

Fair enough you might not be the only parent calling so that might be why you cant get through but why is there no answerphone? Surely that's the easiest answer if they don't have staff to man the phone all the time as then they know what you want before calling back and can prioritise you/find out answers before phoning.

Walkaround · 29/04/2019 16:27

SadOtter - if nobody is employed in the school office, I doubt they want hundreds of non-urgent phone messages piling up. Better for parents to know there is nobody listening at the other end!
SpinningDizzy - surely there is an office e-mail address? Why can't you e-mail about non-urgent things, as e-mail inboxes never fill up, whereas voicemail messages do? (And if there isn't, then the HT needs to expect to receive hundreds of non-urgent communications himself).

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