if you are a headteacher, why is it apparently impossible......

[Ncncncagain]

to give parents a reasonable amount of notice for school events that you expect them to attend or any dumb theme day that requires a costume or magenta coloured clothes ? We have experience of 3 schools (private and state primary FWIW), and the administration in all of them is dreadful. Received emails on Monday from 2 schools asking us to attend daytime meetings this coming Monday and Tuesday. So 7 &8 days notice respectively. Nothing on previous newsletters or term calendars. DH and I both work, no where near the schools. We both have a reasonable amount of flexibility with sufficient notice, like a month, but can't do much with only 7 days. AIBU?

A week should be reasonable notice for most people, sometimes stuff happens!

Yanbu at all.

We got a sheet of paper in September with all the dates for the whole year on. There’s been a couple of minor changes but with plenty of notice. #smug.
Can you go give the headteacher a kick up the bum?

Billy really? Do you work, and if so what do you do that it wouldn't matter that you take next Monday morning off? (and would it be counted as annual leave?) I don't think I have one working friend who could easily reschedule with a weeks notice.

I think the problem lies with the fact that the core jobs in schools are teaching and safeguarding. Events are nice but the vast majority of heads’ and teachers’ time is taken up with teaching and safeguarding so sometimes sending emails to parents about events doesn’t happen in a perfect way. More admin and support staff would help!

I agree 1 week is shocking. The roster in my workplace is written at least 1 month in advance ( if not more!)

School that do this must be aware than significant numbers of parents will not be able to attend...but maybe that could be considered a bonus ( and they tick the tried to engage parents and the wider community boxes for ofsted?)

If they're things that happen every year - parents meetings, choices meetings, transition meetings - then a week's notice is a piece of nonsense. The dates should be set at the start of the year.

If they're meeting about progress or behaviour or whatever then a week is giving decent notice that one of you is needed to discuss your child.

In exactly the same position. Full dress rehearsal for end of year show on Saturday. Notified today.
Had plans with other family which now are ruined or DC will be out of the show.

Surely it is reasonable to either make attendance at the weekend optional or to provide a little more notice?

Definitely YANBU..i had a similar thing today. Message came in that need to attend an activity next Thursday for which I already have meetings organised... how do i shuffle three meetings, all important ones to attend this event... I understand if outs outdoor activities they can't know in advance but this is not even outdoors and either way they can mention that we are planning to do x on the following data's depending on weather...

Nurse and mum here- 1 week is certainly not enough notice for me. I need at least 4 weeks to book a day off unless I can organise a swap of shift but to guarantee the day off I need to put holiday in and that is at least 4 weeks notice.

A Week Is Not Enough.

Some schools are perfectly capable of doing this. We have obviously been very lucky.

This drives me insane. I work in substance misuse and partner is a probation officer. Both involves having people booked in diaries usually up to 6 weeks in advance. 1
Weeks notice is nowhere near long enough!

That's very short notice. Significant dates are in newsletters months in advance at our school, with reminder texts sent the week before.

If true, I think it would be worth emailing them your feedback. I only say 'if true' because every single similar complaint I've ever had has been from a parent who didn't see an earlier newsletter, letter, email, text or notice on the front page of the school website.

1 week is "reasonable" in whose world. I work in a hospital so 1 week's notice for a school event is no way "reasonable". I'm baffled anyone thinks it is tbh. Our head has got better as parents are very vocal

butterfly we emailed one of schools last term asking for key dates that we were expected to attend this term. Apparently they forgot about next week's meeting. I honestly think they know that DC will guilt you into going/never let you forget that you sent them in green clothes on magenta day or label you as the parent who isn't interested in their child's education, because you make no effort to attend meetings that were announced with no notice.

YANBU - but don’t just complain about it here - find a way to tell them - be the voice of parents, tell them what people need and offer to come and help them put together their first calendar. I did that through the parent council, we now have a whole school calendar where each dress down day / school trip / visitors in - anything that requires planning / money / different pick up time from parents. We had our diary planning meeting with our head today for next year - the calendar won’t be finalised until August - but today we dealt with issues like comic relief coming so close to world book day, and planning in swimming sessions so parents helpers can plan to be there. (We are also going to do a fancy dress ‘swap’ sale a few weeks before world book day to help with planning, cut down costs for families and to be more environmentally sustainable)

It’s not perfect, things still come up that aren’t included, and letters are forgotten, or they suddenly ask for £15 with two days notice - but we have really made progress because a group of parents stood up and said ‘this is what we need, what can we do to help you to help us?’

Agree Op. this always used to drive me crazy. None of us have jobs, lives or other commitments (apparently).
I remember many years ago returning a parental questionnaire where we were asked for suggestions ( I was a new to school stuff parent) and replied that it would be useful to have a ‘termly calendar ‘ with key dates on. My friend who worked in the school office told me later that week that the head had brought this response into the office complaining that this parent had ‘dared’ make such a suggestion, and that parents get notice of everything in plenty of time (they didn’t). That was the first and last time I ever made a suggestion.

I’ve just had less than two days notice! As a stroke of luck a meeting I was due to be in all day was cancelled so I could make it.

'Your child requires a white shirt for x tomorrow' a text I received from school, after 5pm, I live in a rural area with a very small Tesco so a tiny clothing section with no white shirts, and the DC don't have to wear shirts to school, just polo shirts/Hoodies with the school logo.
Thankfully I managed to beg one on Fb, but I feel your pain!!

I raised this exact point at our last Governor’s meeting. Head is looking in to it. I know they’re busy, but I think it is disorganisation. These events they’re inviting us to happen every year, therefore they can set dates well in advance.

They were also wondering why no one can come to their impromptu daytime meeting about inclusion - I pointed out that by doing at that time and giving basically no notice, they are excluding a vast number of parents who work and can’t have the day off at five mins notice!

hellodarkness the school we emailed last term is a new school for one DC, we wanted to make sure we didn't miss any key dates...they told us about moving up day, but forgot about next week for the parents. Current school has a somewhat random entry on the term calendar, which seems to imply it was a day only for parents of musicians.....checked with a couple of other parents of non musical children, they didn't realise it was for everyone.

I work in a school, communication can be somewhat last minute even for the staff so I can understand the frustration. Teachers also have families and so also experience short notice of events in the schools their own children attend, so we do get it.

Sometimes it's because as @Fourandthedog said, its to do with priorities. Emergencies happen (like children being taken into care, or an emergency safeguarding meeting, or an incident has happened at school) and the Headteacher can find themselves getting swallowed up with that stuff. Or it may be that if any outside agencies are involved, that things can change and have to be rescheduled due to staffing shortage/illness.

If it's events like a fundraising, or an assembly, these just have to fit in as and when, around everything else that goes on. Before I started working in a school I had no idea of what else happens and the pressures within a school to support it's pupils, not just in academic education, but also in social/emotional support too.

I would however politely feed back that you would love to attend and show support for the event, but that you would need more than a weeks notice to do so, and could that be taken into consideration for future events?

(As school staff, I don't get to attend my kids events during school hours, so I do sympathise).

I do think they could give more than a week's notice to be honest. I assume these things are planned more than a week in advance. To be fair my school gives us a calendar with the whole term's events on. If you lose it you're screwed as you'll be reminded with 2 days notice but I've learned to put the relevant days in my calendar with reminders immediately.

Sometimes these things happen. Teachers have a lot going on and things can slip through the net. Everyone can make mistakes in their job, I know I do.

If short notice is given, the teacher/school will understand not everyone can attend.

Gentle feedback is the best course of action.