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?

So why can't your DH pick up the phone?

Schools seem to be wrong whatever they do at the moment, too little work, too much work, no contact, too much contact.

They are just trying their best. I would rather schools contact too much rather than too little, if they can help just one vulnerable child that is better than not helping any. And I am sure there are many families out there struggling to cope at the moment, when previously they would never have been on the schools radar.

Do you have an answer phone, change the message, to thank people for the call, and say that you won’t be returning it.

Schools have a safeguarding legislation in place to insure all children are called and spoken to at least once a fortnight.

There's a happy medium between once a fortnight and every day.

Children that are vulnerable E.g EHCP are spoken to twice a week.

But the OP's DS is not vulnerable and she is receiving calls five times a week.

Assuming there are no issues the OP hasn't mentioned, I don't really understand why a school would make a rod for its own back like that.

I would hate to be bothered weekly, never mind daily

Don’t answer?

There is a lot that can happen in a fortnight.

daily calls seem over the top. we are technically on week 1 of the holidays, so had one week closure, I haven't received one email or phone call , maybe they will ring after Easter holidays end. DD is completing all the work set though and continuing to work through the holiday, so hopefully they will see that and leave us alone.

My DH is supposed to be looking after the kids.

But is he actually looking after the kids? Is he checking that DS is getting his work done and sent in? Perhaps give the school his mobile number for these daily calls.

Mine are primary age. I've had one check-in via dojo between two children, not the one with SNs! I have intermittently exchanged a couple of messages with both teachers.

Daily seems like overkill. Weekly would be more productive in having more to feedback on.

As other PP have said it is not just about schoolwork.

When your DC are at school teachers will notice whether there is anything amiss with a child eg clothes are dirtier than normal, child not as cheerful as usual. They will follow this up in different ways depending on what they see. This is partly what these phone calls are about. They are looking out for their pupils.

They can make the calls. OP is under no obligation to answer. You could just answer one in 4 calls or something OP.

Did you ask them just to call every week or fortnight ?

If your son has no ECP and no major exams, daily is unnecessary

Imagine if you were the parent of a child who is being abused/ neglected at home.

How would you react when the school phones to check that they are safe and well, when in truth they aren’t? You'd try to stop them calling and checking up on you by not answering or blocking the number.

If there aren't already concerns then there soon will be if you follow some of the advice you have been given. If it feels that intrusive, then what you are trying to prevent the school knowing?

Ask the teacher to ring at an agreed time, when you would be having a tea-break anyway, if it is genuinely interrupting your work.

If I was abusing my child, I probably wouldn’t say so on the phone.

I can't understand why schools are phoning, unless a child is at risk.
Our 13 year old (Sen ) has been in mainstream education since age 4 and we've never had any calls during the 13 weeks of school holidays every year.
But now, we are getting calls once a week or more. I always find the long summer holidays terrible with ds behaviour. It seems strange 🤷

Id not answer the calls either....

I teach at my DD’s school and I’ve had enough of the constant emails coming to me. She is 6 FFS! I have deleted the class Dojo app and refuse to look at the emails her teacher send me.

I can help her with school work next week in The holidays but until then my DP and I are focusing on our work.

DD’s teacher is great but I don’t have the time to print off work sheets from Twinkl for her to tell the time from or pictures of a daffodil for her to colour in. I’m setting her work to do which I actually think is putting her ahead of her classmates via a couple of apps, some work books we have and playing scrabble.

Schools feel under so much pressure to this right at the moment but it can lead to pressure which many families don’t need.

I'm getting overwhelmed by the constant messages.

I get notifications by:

E-mail
Parent Class Dojo
School Gateway
Text message
Phone calls

I work in FE, so slightly different, but part of our funding rules at the moment says that we have to show and be able to evidence that we are maintaining regular contact with all our students. If the students don't reply to emails, or don't send work back, we have to make reasonable efforts to contact them.

OP I know a few teachers and they are checking on those classed as vulnerable or in an abusive home. Maybe they are checking your dc are safe and well in a polite non invasive way?

Give the school your DH's mobile number, then they won't disturb you. Maybe email the tutor to phone every other day, so they have it in writing. I am assuming the tutor has been told to phone, rather than doing it off their own back.

Social services, police, teachers, health workers etc are all very concerned about how the level of domestic violence, neglect, poverty are all going to increase at this time. There will be many families that will now be at risk that weren't before. Maybe think that the slight inconvenience to you to have to spend on a short time on the phone is a small price to pay if some at risk families can be identified and hopefully helped.

How would you react when the school phones to check that they are safe and well, when in truth they aren’t? You'd try to stop them calling and checking up on you by not answering or blocking the number.

No, you wouldn't. You'd just lie.

Sorry, first para of that should have been in bold

So many children. Across the country living in hell right now. That’s the real tragedy here.