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

I would join but mute it.
It will be hilarious when it inevitably kicks off between two of the mums who h is what happens at least once a term on both the ones for my DC's.

There is a year group Facebook one but very early gets used. It sounds unnessecary

I’m on two, they are fine. No-one has kicked off of fallen out in the past few years. I find it handy for remembering one off dress down days etc, and for party invites as it is a pain in the rear getting invites out, especially when you go down to just a few and the school won’t share the class list for GDPR.

Lots of hockey and rugby stuff on ours which I ignore.

Been in them for the last 6 school years with 2 primary kids and not a drama in sight! Just helpful for spellings, "is it wear yellow day?" and general pleasantries!
If you don't like it, leave. Or mute.

Handy over lockdown too - arranged zoom calls for the y5s etc to see each others faces.

We have them, find them quite useful for reminders and asking for lost things. I would join but just be prepared to stay out of the gossip etc.. (if you want to)

DD started Reception in September. I don't mind it, there's no bitchiness, no one is "in charge" everyone seems pleasant enough and its nice to get to "know" other mums especially as school is discouraging parents loitering at pick up.

My close friend had a nightmare with hers.

One parent wanted to set up an excel spreadsheet of the children’s marks so all the parents could see where their child came in the class. They were 7!!! 😱😱😱😱
It split the WhatsApp group in half with the For and Against parents!

Then the dads set up a dads only one and one dad suggested a rather «spirited boys night out» involving lap dances. The shocked husbands on the group told

their wives and all hell broke lose when the «in the dark» wives found out a couple of days before the proposed night out that their husbands had signed up for it.

I am in several as multiple children and they’re quite nice at times, useful reminders and funny chat but equally sometimes too many messages about mundane things. Join, mute and dip in and out when you like.

LockdownLove that is hilarious!! I can’t imagine what either parent was thinking!
My husband has a great group of dad friends from my eldest’s year but the middle one’s year the dads were out on the pull and rating the mums out of 10 so he’s never gone out with them since, they weren’t his type, the mums have been a laugh though :)

Join and mute.

I’m a primary school teacher and I would advise you to be cautious with WhatsApp as it can cause so much drama - for mums and pupils! I quickly found out last year that Year 5 pupils felt pressured to keep their WhatsApp notifications on. If you want to join a group when keep it on mute.

My children are in reception & year 3 and it’s the norm at our school. Every class had one. My classes are good about not over using them, but we use it to communicate things like signups for class mystery reader (parents taking turns reading to the class, virtually this year), “just a reminder” emails such as today is odd sock day or wellies for today’s tomorrow’s field trip. We also use it to communicate about teacher’s holiday gifts. In non-COVID times, we might even send out electronic birthday party invitations or simply for the connection to other parent for private messaging for to set up play dates. Unless you really have no interest in what’s going on at school and don’t what to know the other parents, I don’t see why you wouldn’t want to be included. Being left out will surely mean you and your child will be...well, left out (but I’m sure there are plenty of people that appeals to ).

I will say that we have relatively small class sizes (10 & 14) so that may contribute to there not being as much jibber jabber.

I teach and I know that all of our classes have what's app groups. We've heard them mentioned and we've also had complaints from some parents regarding the way they've been used.

We have to explain that they are nothing to do with school.

Following a specific incident we now send out annual letters reminding parents that these are unofficial, nothing to do with the school and they are not allowed to use the official school logo, and if they include the school name they must state that they are unofficial and not affiliated to school/school staff in any way.

@CosyAcorn

Ours is useful for reminders of non uniform days.

Also when a child tested positive for coronavirus we had a place to send love and reassurance to the family who were feeling guilty that the class had to isolate It was good to see everyone rallying together to be nice.

Nice it was used that way.

We had issues that one class were using it to try to identify who had tested positive and then trying to lay the blame in them for the bubble closing, making out that they family must have been breaking the rules to catch it (they had no proof this was the case at all) and making comments regarding staff behaviours which have led to bubble closures (again all inaccurate.)

They can be useful,tools for parents but sadly they can have a big negative side too.

Someone set one up for our pre school - join at your peril - 75 messages in the space of less than an hour one morning - about nothing! Muted it in the end.

We have them, basically it's a class rep, always very organised and on the ball they just send out the odd reminders like don't forget they need a shoe box this week and dealing for returning school photos orders if Friday for example

I find them really useful

They’re great, I would join. Now on my third with my son, but never had one with my daughter and definitely harder to get through the term without. Now I wonder why I didn’t set one up for her class!
Only maybe 10% non-school. Just nice and friendly and sensible. I always worked full time and so doubly good.

Useful. Its not for parents' social benefit. Its for the info sharing around school life and allows you pm parents that you might not see at the gate. I found it helps parents feel more connected as not everyone does school run at same time and everyone leaves quickly as requested on covid grounds.

They can be an absolute minefield, and not really needed if the school communicates effectively with parents anyway, and you have at least one or two, or more, school mum friends who you chat to and share school updates with via texts and a phone call now and then, or when you see them. No need for social media to be fulfilling this purpose at all.

It's also assuming that everyone has whatsapp. I only joined the platform because of a school class group which only one person had told me about via a txt when there was a class event even being organised outside of school by some of the mums, which was supposed to be for all the kids in the class. So not everyone has it, and people who do, shouldn't assume others do. I actually left the group with a matter of days because it was awful, and quite honestly I didn't really need it, to be able to keep.up to date. I had a friend who txtd me and the mums who were organising actually gave me their numbers at the school gate and we then kept in touch via text. No need whatsoever for WhatsApp.

Ours is via Facebook, as kids have got older it gets used less but it's still handy to have it.
When you've realised at 7pm DS doesn't have the spelling words it's too late to contact school. Or kid says Miss says tomorrow is dress down day and you missed it on the school newsletter. It is handy as someone will confirm / straighten up when it is.
One of the funniest was "DDs skirt is missing after gym", "Yes I've got it, it was in DSs bag" mum can stop stressing.

Avoid. Not sure why society has become obsessed with having a Whatsapp group for everything. Unless you are working on a project together there’s no need. It’s too intrusive for new associates to have that much access

They are useful if you’ve misplaced homework or need help with something to do with their homework
Useful as some goody two shoes will remind you that it’s no uniform day tomorrow or it’s the last day for paying for a school trip or photos etc