To have asked DS’s school to stop calling us?

[Syncrows]

I was very polite but they keep calling and to be honest it’s a little irritating.

I requested the other day and said I’d call if we needed anything but still the daily phone calls continue - AIBU?

We are the same as Spacerader here, no calls at all and had a nice email from the head saying he had asked teachers to reign it in after feedback from parents as he realises that you can't replicate the school environment at home and that a lot of parents were either still out at work or trying to work from home. He also recognises that not everyone has multiple computers or printers.
We are on what would have been Easter holidays here now anyway (Greater Manchester) is everyone else still in term time?

Daily seems like overkill! Weekly would be nice I think. But the teacher is most likely just doing as directed.

We’ve not had any phone calls, but the work is set on Google Classroom, so the kids are all communicating with the teachers through that anyway, and DD’s form tutor is also her maths teacher. So I guess they wouldn’t need to also phone. The system is working pretty well so far.

But is he doing the homework/classwork?

We’ve had no phone calls (on day 13 here) but are using an online portal to communicate with teachers. We have work set each week but it’s minimal, mainly computer based and never marked. We only receive a reply if we ask a specific question.
Daily phone calls would put me on edge and annoy me. I’d also tread carefully though in case the teacher has concerns you are not aware of.

I'd be thankful for it.
We've had zero communication from school since this began and everyone has been told not to contact them either.

Daily is a bit much, and surely additional work they could be doing without. Weekly sounds reasonable.

Schools have a safeguarding legislation in place to insure all children are called and spoken to at least once a fortnight. Children that are vulnerable E.g EHCP are spoken to twice a week.

Do they in normal times, or is that recent? Because parents of children with EHCPs will tell you that when their children are excluded or out of school because they're just not coping, they really struggle to get schools to take an interest - unless they want to bully them about their attendance stats. And they don't seem to worry about their welfare during the holidays, either.

He's in Year 8?

Then give him permission and require him to answer the phone and talk to his teacher(s) himself about his work. Problem solved.

Also it's nothing to do with work! It's to make sure children and happy and SAFE!

Given that they're speaking to OP, not the children, it doesn't really work, does it? If she was mistreating or neglecting the kids she's hardly likely to tell the teacher.

And we come back to the fact that apparently they have no concerns about children's safety in the holidays.

Be grateful someone cares. There will be children out there not being cared for and neglected day after day. Schools need to be checking in on their pupils.

I saw that as two separate points as well, JanMeyer.

At least they're making an effort. Once a week would be better though, as I don't think daily is necessary either.

Maybe they do have safeguarding concerns. If you are working but have four kids who is looking after them? If it is your eldest, then I don't see why that wouldn't be a safeguarding concern? I can see that daily calls from anyone, including a teacher would be irritating tbh, you have made it clear that you don't feel you need them to call. I would follow this up with a polite but firm email.

Are you under social services
That would explain the phone calls

What's being in the top sets got to do with not having an EHCP?

@JanMeyer I don’t think she was. She was pointing it that there’s no reason she could think of why they would need daily calling as their dc does not have an EHCP, full stop. Neither are they struggling academically, that might warrant the over zealous checking wether he’s done his work (that’s a separate issue) . She wasn’t linking having an EHCP with academic achievement. You’ve misread it.

Also take some time to check if your son is actually doing the work. It could be that they want him to stay motivated and ahead.

Crossposted with a few others who have made the same point.

Why answer then? Just let it go to voicemail and don't return the call? Answer whenever you feel like it?

We have to contact our vulnerable children daily, our form at least once a week, although this one can be an email. But we do need to speak to them at least once a fortnight. Mine are year 13 so lots are now working, however they've still kept in touch.
Yes it takes time.
In addition I've also called every child who hadn't submitted any work, and been able to help some ( lots have been loaned a school laptop as there was only one in a household and parents are working from home)
We genuinely care about the children we teach and just want to know they're ok.
My ds ( who is in year 8) contact him once a week via email and if no reply within 24 hours they call.
Please also remember that some students your sons age will be at home all day as parents are still working, so checking in is a good thing.

Schools have a safeguarding legislation in place to insure all children are called and spoken to at least once a fortnight. Children that are vulnerable E.g EHCP are spoken to twice a week

Well that's clearly nonsense as you can see from the replies here.

We've not been contacted directly at all. Supportive messages from Head saying do what you can, and lots of stuff online, but no calls.

So OP this isn't 'legislation' but a decision within your school.

So I would call as high as you can and complain... especially if as you say your DS IS doing the work but it isn't actually being marked!

I agree that schools are trying hard to get it right, but I'd be bloody annoyed at a daily phone call insisting they talk to you when the work set hasn't even been marked. Next phone call, bat that back to them. 'Could I ask that the time taken for this phone call be redirected to marking and providing feedback on the work DS has completed please? That would be more useful to us at the moment'

They have to check on all children.

The Primary schools I am a governor for are regularly checking in with families. They were just going to check in with the vulnerable families but thought that some parents might take offence to that, so are contacting all families. It isn't just about schoolwork it is to check that everything is ok. Unfortunately, as some PP have said some parents will hide the fact that there is anything wrong, it is a very worrying time for very vulnerable children at the moment. Schools are doing whatever they can to help.

Does it really matter ? It's a phonecall, it isn't as though they're barging into your house.

My son's school insists on a.zoom call daily. And I know it's partly a welfare check (( he's vulnerable due to his disabilities )) it's hard for him as his school is part boarding school, he's a day pupil and the kids who have families who can't or won't take care of them are still there and carrying on as normal. Albeit being locked down on site (( acres of land so they got the better deal tbh )) but it's fine, we're persevering with it as I can see the benefit of staying in touch with school life.

It is because that particular head teacher is a micromanaging prat who wants all his staff in. Not sat at home being (safe) paid for doing nothing.
Trust me on this.
The staff hate making these calls as much as you hate receiving them and actually get quite a bit of abuse from some families.

No, we are not involved with social services!

The school comes up as withheld and I don’t want to block withheld numbers in case I miss something important.

My DH is supposed to be looking after the kids.