AUBU? (For parents of school age children in particular)

[saraclara]

This article in the Guardian today made me think about that poster who threatened a headteacher with their solicitor if teachers asked their son to wear a mask.
And it's clearly not just parents who are putting ridiculous expectations on school leaders.

Diary of a Headteacher's Week
www.theguardian.com/education/2020/sep/26/our-first-case-of-covid-parents-are-hounding-me-staff-are-afraid-diary-of-a-headteachers-week

They get reputations for non communication,

She said she responds with an email. She doesn't get drawn into long conversations because she literally doesn't have time.

1500 kids at my school. Like fuck is the head going through the plans with them all. Parents have had a letter, make your own decision.

Arf spaniel, that's big bucks to me I'll never earn that in my life time and neithe will dh.

Our head has been bleating about teachers salaries and pensions... And how we all face the same holiday costs.
This was about 8 years ago.
I then looked up their salaries and hers! Earning far more than dh! And his pension compared to theirs! When I started to work in education I had to call hr several times because I could not understand or believe the pension.

well there's your solution then, become a Head!

I don't think they are all crap, but this particular head sounds dreadful.

Our own team leader deals with this on daily basis and doesn't moan about it.
Instead of making me feel, poor lady... I just feel moany, wingy.... Ridiculous.

For the level of responsibility, the pay as a HT is dire. The pension is decent (not as good as it used to be) but you do pay in generously. I pay 10% of my salary into it monthly. Everyone could choose to do that and end up with a decent pension, most don't.

I do know what it's like thanks, I am in a setting.

Where do you work then?

Become a head if you think it's so easy.

'in a setting' 'team leader'

"In a setting" could mean anything!!

@deflationexasperation these are people who have emailed the head.

Over the weekend I’ve received 15 emails from parents either arguing that our Covid-19 safety measures are not robust enough, or that Covid-19 is a hoax and by enforcing our safety measures I am abusing their child’s human rights. I have stock responses referencing official advice. I’m not engaging with these parents – it is too draining.

How would you answer (and how much time would you spend on) the latter group? I think a stock response referencing official advice is as much as any head can do with someone who thinks COVID is a hoax.
And given that s/he is not in the presence of the parents in the first group, reiterating official advice and confirming that the school is conforming with all if it, is as much as the head can offer them too.

"in a setting" aka dinner person who doesn't see any of the rest of the school day.

I don't think deflationexasperation works in any type of school at all, otherwise she would have SOME understanding of the current situation but clearly hasn't got a clue!

Primary senior leader and I will not be pursuing headship after all of this. I’m looking for an escape plan instead. I’m a good teacher and I work hard (including very very hard during lockdown). I’m well respected and presumed to be looking for a head role next. I love teaching and I love my school. It won’t be happening. The current climate is so negative that I just don’t want this to be my life anymore. I lay the blame at the door of the negative and unsupportive government, media and parents.

I presume ‘setting’ refers to an early years setting?

I’m support staff in a high school. It’s been the toughest 3 weeks but we are all pulling together to keep kids and each other safe. Our kids are escorted to toilets/everywhere by support staff on rotas and at break times so we are struggling to get our actual jobs done. Im averaging 12k steps a day during my 6 hour work day. Everyone is walking around in circles with one way systems and bubbles for each year.

Every phone call we get from a parent is asking us to decide for them what they should do with their kid who has runny nose, or complaining about the school not doing enough, or complaining we are doing too much, or demanding to be told the name of the one child who has tested positive. Parents complain that the school ‘is always bloody texting information’ or ‘the school never tells us anything’.

We are looking after 1300 kids a day, while some of their parents work from home. I would like it if we could get the tests that care home staff are thankfully getting now.

Someone early on asked what we can do.... whilst it's not tangible, if the school is doing it right, tell them, let the office know that it's good, it's working, that it's appreciated. Honestly, it's such hard work in education right now, that positive feedback really really will make a difference to those it references.

Trust the school to do what they need to do, if you have helpful suggestions let them know (we had issues with lunches and pta funded benches because someone suggested it to help) otherwise keep your kids head down and up to date with work and support them as much as you can

@deflationexasperation the HT had 15 emails over the weekend alone, if she spent 5 minutes personally replying to each one that’s 1hour and 15 minutes.

It's a difficult time, it's all new territory for teachers, pupils and parents.

The conflicting advice from government isn't helping either.

There should be a proper support system in place for staff and pupils to help with stress and anxiety.

But, what I have read in op article, some of the stuff is "normal" at school it's only magnified because of the added pressure from covid-19.

Depends on the school as to how much they have done. My friend is on the slt of a large (2000 students) city secondary and was working 1 day a week from March to July, he's back now of course. No online teaching (other than bought in maths software) just weekly work packs that weren't marked. He actually was saying it was the heads decision not to bother with teams lessons to makes their lives easier so yes if my kids were there I would have been formally complaining when other schools had 6 hours a day taught virtual school