Mums setting up class wattsapp groups?

[Glitterzzz]

Hi

My little one has started reception in September. It’s been a while since I’ve dealt with schooling for this age group as my eldest is much elder

Anyways I have been notified a mum from each class has set up a wattsapp group for each class.. just wondering if this is the norm? With newsletters, emails, texts and the x2 daily school run what is the purpose of the wattsapp groups ?

Would you recommend joining or avoid ?

Thanks

What annoys me about this is that it is always (ok, usually) the mums doing it. So more Wifework (read the book if you haven't yet!). Are the dads on the group? It continues the stereotype that the mums are primarily in charge of the children and the dads are optional. Do the dads know what the spellings list is, or put together a red outfit, or keeping track of when all the events are? No I bet they are not! They are just carrying on working their job and doing their 'hobby' at the weekend.

Rant over, as you were!

I find our groups very useful. Reminders, information and any lost kit. It keeps me in the loop, and has been very helpful.

No one really posts anything personal. I guess you need to see what yours is like. No harm in joining and keeping quiet.

@MissBaskinIfYoureNasty

Klaxon!! Avoid! My sons class doesn't have one but my daughters does and the batshit parents all wind each other up. There's weekly hysteria over rubbish like school dinners or non uniform days. I ended up leaving it because they're all quite mad.

I hear similar 🤣

Half of me wants to join as the feedback I get from other sometimes sounds pretty funny. But I know it will change my opinion of people and even annoy me as there’s been covid related rule avoiding and I’d hate to start warring with someone I then have to see on the school run.

It seems safer to avoid.

Our class What'sApp group is a lifesaver!

I'm not the most organised and we're good at reminding each other about things like Mufti day and invites to whole-class parties (which I have been known to miss in the past, and I expect my DC will still be reminding me about my failures on this account into their 30s!)

It's incredibly useful.

The purpose is it's a channel for parents to talk to each other directly, these groups aren't run by the school (usually) so it's a totally different thing to the school newsletter.

If your DC's classes parents are arseholes, that's a shame and of course it'd make a group chat a pain but you can always leave if it's not for you. But that isn't to be expected, and those telling you not to join for that reason are being pessimistic and prejudiced about groups of mums IMO (and it is mostly mums. We have 1 dad on ours, my other half!)

I've been on these groups for 4 different classes and they've been great.

Tracking down lost clothes is another regular post. ("little johnny came home with two identical-looking but differently sized shoes today, does anyone have the other one by any chance?"), organising chipping in for teachers presents etc

Or asking what this week's homework was.

Also it's good if parents need to speak to each other urgently about nice things (inviting everyone to the park on the last day of term) or difficult things, for example one of the dads in my DD's class sadly died of covid. The mum was able to tell us all via the Whatsapp group so we could have a chance to prepare our DC for hearing this news before they heard it in the playground and to know what was the best way to approach her DS about it.

As others have said, useful for admin and reminders. Reception one can be a bit more irritating as a few people will think it's a group for everyone to be friends. But eventually they all get the message that with 30+ complete strangers it is NOT that. It's for practical day to day uses.

We've just moved to google classroom and our school is particularly bad at comms so it's been a godsend for people struggling to log on who can get help. Also there's usually one parent who will log on and notice that new homework has been posted and let the rest of us know (I think our school purposefully doesn't communicate - they honestly don't understand why we aren't all logging onto google classroom as standard every single day....)

And ditto re self isolation. School sent a bloody letter via email when we had to self isolate. At 7:36 am. Needless to say, the vast bulk of the class would have turned up as normal if it hadn't been for one eagle eyed parent who spotted the email and informed the rest of us!!!

But yes, never say anything on WhatsApp you wouldn't feel comfortable saying to teacher/school etc in person.... Who these people are who forward whatsapp information to the school I don't know, but they clearly exist.

Our year group have been friends for 16 years now, when the app group came out we went with it. We have met up for meals for years, so the app made that easier. Our kids are 19-20 now. The app. has been a godsend in lockdown, the latest we remotely advised and ooh ahed on the choices for a hallway floor. We have done a zoom call, lasted two hours lots of coffee and wine involved. I would not dismiss it.

I'm similar in that my eldest is much older and was secretly dreading the WhatsApp group but actually it's been really useful especially with COVID and working straight from the school run. No pressure to respond but useful for remembering spotty clothes odd socks etc

We have one for each class and it’s useful, especially when your class has been told to isolate and you’d have missed the email and turned up at school otherwise!

Generally ours is a reminder about things and support during homeschooling.

Can't stand ours. Its driven me batshit over the last 9 months.

Half of them are utter fuckwits. Its made me have a much lower opinion of a lot of the parents to the point that I want to actively avoid some of them. I HATE IT.

Its brainless, lazy shite like: "when do the kids go back?" Go and check their website like the rest of us. Or "Oh I didn't realise that the email telling us not to send the kids in with toys meant my child too". Then there's the "My child is being discriminated against because he isn't getting a laptop. He can't access work because I'm too busy on mine doing my super important well paid job and his older brother is too busy on his getting his private tuition for the 11+ and I can't possibly do the 20 minutes of weekly work on a weekend". And the "Sparkles and Rainbows competitive lockdown vomit". Then the joys of the pyramid seller. Then endless silly giggles about how stupid they are because they couldn't remember if it was Tuesday or Wednesday in a vapid 'ickle girl' tone. And the "Do you think £15 each for the Christmas collection for the teachers is too much?" and everyone is too gutless to say any different (there's also an end of year one).

I swear sometimes that I don't know how some of these grown women hold down the jobs they have and how they cope with reality.

I am waiting for the day that things go back to normal so I can exit the damn thing without it being of detriment to my son. Its fucking dreadful. It sucks my soul and drains every bit of patience and tolerance I have.

Don't join it unless you struggle with tieing your own shoe laces together. It will either rot your braincells or what to make you punch the parents of your kid's friends in the face repeatedly.

Nice idea in principle - until people start talking. Mute for your sanity if you HAVE to join it.

My DD started reception this year and we are in one. The PTA use them to send out info via class reps. Has also been useful for checking in on reminders etc. There was one 😬 moment when one parent messaged asking who’s child had hit their child and made them cry. But otherwise fine. You can always mute and check in occasionally as others have said.

Yes, totally normal nowadays.

I have one each for secondary and primary school kids. Was extremely useful during first lockdown. We had parents who volunteered and did fun art/history/french zoom sessions that anyone from the class could join/not join but was great for the kids to see their classmates, have a laugh but also learn a few sentences in French. It was also a nice break in the day during home learning.

But yes, you have to avoid any controversial topics and not join if anyone is foolish enough to start them.

Maybe join and see how it goes.

I'd say definitely join, but with caution!

It depends on your class, one of my DC class is lovely and their WhatsApp group is equally lovely/useful. My other DC class is a bit odd and have never really gelled, it's fairly useful but used much less, it's easy to get information when you need it though.

Join then mute. They can be useful for reminders like “bring 2 quid for non uniform” or whatever, but they can also be comedy gold. I particularly enjoy the ever more hysterical “what shall we get the teacher for Christmas- started early November this year!

@SpaceOp

But yes, never say anything on WhatsApp you wouldn't feel comfortable saying to teacher/school etc in person.... Who these people are who forward whatsapp information to the school I don't know, but they clearly exist.

2 of the parents in my kid's class are TA in the school, so they are "the school"

After the 479 times being asked who’s child took little Shezleez lost jacket/jumper/shoes etc etc I muted it.

I'd join.

WhatsApp does have a search function (I mean, there are other problems with it but this is not one of them)

do you mean the search function through the entire app, or is there a search function specific to a specific group?

@RedToothBrush

Can't stand ours. Its driven me batshit over the last 9 months.

Half of them are utter fuckwits. Its made me have a much lower opinion of a lot of the parents to the point that I want to actively avoid some of them. I HATE IT.

Its brainless, lazy shite like: "when do the kids go back?" Go and check their website like the rest of us. Or "Oh I didn't realise that the email telling us not to send the kids in with toys meant my child too". Then there's the "My child is being discriminated against because he isn't getting a laptop. He can't access work because I'm too busy on mine doing my super important well paid job and his older brother is too busy on his getting his private tuition for the 11+ and I can't possibly do the 20 minutes of weekly work on a weekend". And the "Sparkles and Rainbows competitive lockdown vomit". Then the joys of the pyramid seller. Then endless silly giggles about how stupid they are because they couldn't remember if it was Tuesday or Wednesday in a vapid 'ickle girl' tone. And the "Do you think £15 each for the Christmas collection for the teachers is too much?" and everyone is too gutless to say any different (there's also an end of year one).

I swear sometimes that I don't know how some of these grown women hold down the jobs they have and how they cope with reality.

I am waiting for the day that things go back to normal so I can exit the damn thing without it being of detriment to my son. Its fucking dreadful. It sucks my soul and drains every bit of patience and tolerance I have.

Don't join it unless you struggle with tieing your own shoe laces together. It will either rot your braincells or what to make you punch the parents of your kid's friends in the face repeatedly.

Nice idea in principle - until people start talking. Mute for your sanity if you HAVE to join it.

🤣

I was at the tail end of WhatsApp groups as my youngest DC then moved on from primary. I found it really useful for reminders and also questions about homework or lost property or responding with answers on that level. I never engaged in chit chat, photo sharing, banter etc on WhatsApp. If threads stay on the level of friendly but strictly school business then that’s great but if they become opinion gathering “I’m going to say something about [a negative] and I wonder what you all think/are you behind me on this?” then that’s another matter. I’ve also watched a couple of threads become unproductive because someone has got offended or been misunderstood and everything has got a bit personal.

Oh, and watch out for the misuse of your data by the parent in the group who is in MLM!

Ours is awful 🤣🤣 it’s basically just about the women who set it ups son’s achievements and this other mum who sends videos of her daughter reading for our children incase they can’t 🤣

I find ours really useful. Theres usually someone more organised than me who reminds everyone its children in need/anti-bullying day/house charity/wear something yellow .....or whatever we're meant to be doing that week. Some keenos ask if the teacher has set homework (if their child doesnt appear to have any) or if their child has been away.
If people have outgrown uniform or football boots they often offer it on there. Equally if someone needs that they might ask there.

I'm in one for my year 2 child, initially was a drinks / night out group that grew. it's useful for all the things mentioned above as well as secondhand stuff but annoying to get 50 messages about lost jumpers (since they always turn up the next day anyway) and there was a mum spreading anti-vax / covid is a hoax stuff for a bit - I nearly left then. also when schools reopened there was a bit of judgment about those of us who sent their kids in. It has relaxed again thankfully.

I am not joining one for reception though if it gets set up!

Ours is great but those only 12 children in the class so less room for undesirable content.

Nothing mad on the one for DSs year, just reminders, appeals for lost things or costumes , info on term dates, homework and events. As DS is year 6 I don’t do the school run anymore, so it’s pretty helpful for keeping up with stuff I would have picked up in the playground before. DS doesn’t bring his spelling book home so it’s helpful to have them posted on there everyweek.

It wasn’t as useful before when I was doing the school run all the time, but It was only ever around 20 messages a week which was manageable.