Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

School reception was rude to me

315 replies

Avalaura · 14/05/2019 09:08

Do I have the right to be angry?
My son moved school and today I forgot to give him some money for a stall were they will be selling buns. So i went to recpetion to see if anyone could give the money to him because they always did at the other school. And she just said " I haven't got time for that I'm afraid I've got other things to do " and then when I walked away she said to other people in the corridor that she has other things to do not bother with that. Then I waited for the reception door to open because it's a lock one. Then she said the other woman that she said she could take it up for her but she can't bother with silly things like that. Im so angry should I complain?

OP posts:
my2bundles · 14/05/2019 09:24

At my child's school items brought in late eg lunch boxes etc are sent down to class with the children selected to take registers to the office. Works well.

Marmablade · 14/05/2019 09:24

Our school receptionist is not the friendliest but in this situation she would because essentially the OP was trying to give her child money to spend at the school for the school's fundraising efforts! Of course it would make sense to let the child have the money because then the school will get that money.

Prequelle · 14/05/2019 09:24

Yeah she was rude.

I'm so busy my feet don't touch the floor at work but I wouldn't refuse to give a patient something their family wanted me to pass on Confused it's not that time consuming.

NCforthis2019 · 14/05/2019 09:24

Imagine if every parent asked the receptionist to run errands for them..... it’s a busy time for them at the start of the day. Let it go.

Willowtreecottage · 14/05/2019 09:24

This would be a perfectly normal request in a school l’ve worked in/or sent my children to.
Not a massive deal. I’ve never known a secretary be annoyed with this request!
They are normally only too pleased!

yellow876 · 14/05/2019 09:25

I have 3 kids at 2 different schools and both schools would totally do this, as your previous school would have done. I'd be pissed off I'd chosen a school where this sort of thing didn't happen. I also have experience of a third school (we've moved area since then) when the kids were little, where I needed to take in some trousers (can't remember why). DS was 5ish. Receptionist told me to go on up to his class, I was able to take him out into the corridor and get him changed and then send him back into the room again.

I must live in a really friendly area! You should move here. Wink

NoSauce · 14/05/2019 09:25

Yes she was rude tbh. Although I think you were probably a bit cheeky to ask for money to give to your son.

SleepingStandingUp · 14/05/2019 09:25

Why could you just not ask to go back in to your child and hand over the money??
Does you school really let parents go wandering around the school after bell has gone in order to interrupt classes and drop off random belongings??

Prequelle · 14/05/2019 09:25

People saying it's not her job, as a receptionist she is the front facing person, the parents connection to the school. Who else could they have asked to pass something over to their kid?

aintnothinbutagstring · 14/05/2019 09:25

Our school wouldn't have a problem with this, I'm sure most parents have forgotten something only to bring it later.

wonkylegs · 14/05/2019 09:26

At our school the receptionist would phone the classroom and the kid would be sent to reception at break to get whatever had been forgotten.
I don't think you were unreasonable to ask but I also don't think they were unreasonable to decline. They could have been a bit more polite but I wouldn't get het up about it.

SarahTancredi · 14/05/2019 09:26

Very rude of her, it’s part of pastoral care and most receptionists would do it with a smile. Everyone is busy, everyone needs a hand once in a while

But imagine handfuls of lose change by multiple parents who forgot.

It's never just one person.

Perhaps not so bad in a labelled envelope. But you cant just hand over loose change.

It would be too easily forgotten/lost when they were dealing with complaints, signing in late comers, chasing parents who failed to bring lunches or pay Bills or give consent for trips etc

TakemedowntoPotatoCity · 14/05/2019 09:27

I can't understand what is wrong with this! I have taken forgotten lunch boxes, you name it. Never considered it wasn't part of their job to pass it on.

GiveMyHeadPeaceffs · 14/05/2019 09:27

I don't think you were being unreasonable at all. Not sure why people seem to think you were asking the school to give your dc money either. The receptionist could have explained politely why she wasn't able to but my guess is that she's either a disobliging baggage or you got her on a bad day. Grin

ineedtostopbeingsolazy · 14/05/2019 09:27

My school would have done this without any problems. I'd have been furious if they'd have spoken to me like that. Even if it's not their policy to give something to pupils speaking to parents like that isn't really on.

Youngandfree · 14/05/2019 09:28

I just don’t understand why you couldn’t ask to go give it to your son tbh. At my DD’s school the secretary would just buzz you through and that’s it! Unless it’s a Wednesday when she’s off so then you have to buzz through to the head. He equally wouldn’t be bothered.🤷‍♀️

Prequelle · 14/05/2019 09:29

Most schools won't let people just buzz in and interrupt lessons Confused

SleepingStandingUp · 14/05/2019 09:30

I'm surprised the number of schools happy to have parents wandering round at any time of day interrupting lessons

edwinbear · 14/05/2019 09:30

This would be absolutely fine at our school. The receptionist might not be able to take it down during their 8am - 9am rush hour, but once lessons had started they will happily take forgotten PE kit, medicine, lunch boxes, money etc to the classrooms. She was rude.

NoSauce · 14/05/2019 09:30

Sorry OP, I thought you were asking to borrow the money from school for your son. Yanbu at all in asking her if she could get your money to him. Hardly a big ask.

Gazelda · 14/05/2019 09:30

I don’t know much about it but surely this is the type of thing under their remit? Otherwise what do they do?

Ooh, that's a bit inflammatory!

I guess they're busy with new intake admin at the moment, as well as all the paperwork, scheduling etc for Y6 transfers. That's on top of registers, attendance records, organising meetings, printing posters for the PTA's summer fair, managing list property, fielding calls from parents to report child sickness, chasing dinner money, processing accounts, handling calls for Head and staff, being first aid, booking vaccination programmes etc etc etc.

AJPTaylor · 14/05/2019 09:31

Never been an issue at any primary school I have dealt with.

Original poster
Avalaura · 14/05/2019 09:31

It was 5 mins before school has started but he had gone in already when I went to look for him. Really, it doesn't matter anymore just thanks to all who were on my side

OP posts:
Sirzy · 14/05/2019 09:31

Where you just handing in a random pound coin or was it in a clearly marked envelope? I wouldn’t expect anything that wasn’t clearly marked to be passed on because of the risk of things getting lost or misplaced.

Prequelle · 14/05/2019 09:32

This thread reminds me of a story

I was in reception and got pulled out of lesson by the receptionist and bundled into the school loos only to see my mum there, she had forgotten to put my knickers on and had only noticed when she saw they laying out Blush I'm glad the receptionist was kind enough to help as I was wearing a skirt!