To complain DD’s head when schools are struggling, and teachers are frazzled

[PointySetter]

I can see that last term was an incredibly difficult time for teachers, and while I did email some concerns last term - I don’t feel I was given satisfactory responses. Schools are now closed, so I wondered if I should put in a more serious/formal complaint - or just give the school a break.

My main concern is about the safety/wellbeing of the children. New arrangement for drop and pick up of children has led to the following situation. There is a car park next to the school which parents use. As children are released at pick up time, children (Yr5) are released into the road serving the car park. The cars aren’t driving at speed, but I’ve seen 4 or 5 children run out in front of a car to their parent who is waiting on the opposite side of the road. I complained, and the heads response was to say that - as the children are older - and allowed to walk home independently - once the child has been dismissed, it’s the parents responsibility. However the teacher dismisses the child into the road, and the child (excitedly) runs across the road to their parents. The school (begrudgingly) then asked parents to not wait across the road after my complaint, but towards the end of term it was happening again.

My next concern is that my daughter was absent twice last term. One was a lengthy absence, and I needed authorisation - but I got not response until I promoted about 3 days later. Later in the term I emailed a second absence - however again I received no acknowledgement of my email. My concern is that if my daughter was walking to school, and didn’t arrive - and need the security of knowing that an absences are acknowledged by the school.
My third concern is that she has a reading record book, which I believe is supposed to be a two way communication, but is never - or rarely written in. I wrote a note in the book stating that my daughter had already received a flu jab, and wasn’t on the list to have one at school. There was no tick/response to my comment. My daughter asked a question in the book about her story - again no response. Book titles, page numbers, comments are only written by my daughters. Throughout her time at the school, I’ve only viewed her school books twice, and we never visit the classrooms to see displays etc (precovid times) as parent evenings are held in an office with no opportunity to view books/work. Should I complain?

Thank you!! I shall not complain. I witnessed a near accident where the car brakes sharply, right next to me. It just doesn’t feel safe, and I don’t want a child to get hurt. I can see I’m being moany in difficult times, so I shall stop!

General consensus is NO OP

Braked!

No petty.

Yes - I see this now...sorry!!

I would say assembly on road safety when they are back

Reverse? Are u actually a head who had this to deal with yesterday? I could well believe it. if you did.

The reading record is often only used as home record especially in ks2. I teach 5/6 and wouldn't be writing comments other than to initial that I had seen they had been reading. Teachers do Guided Reading in school and record this differently.

Last term, my children's school pointed out that they wouldn't be writing in books etc anyway because they would have to be quarantining it before handing it back so would make it fairly pointless to use it as they are expected to do daily reading.

No not a reverse!! Although I am a (not working) teacher myself, and I used to get petty complaints all the time. So I’m clearly turning into ‘that mum’...

You’re a teacher and you think these are valid complaints to take to a school at any time, let alone right now?? Do you have any idea how busy school staff are right now? Please drop it.

No don't complain.

The road thing sounds weird but my school is on a really busy A road so I can't even imagine this happening so can't picture it.

Flu jab thing....at our school you have to opt in to the health service's letter not to the school, so if you hadn't opted in you didn't need to tell them. There is the whole school that is being coordinated here not just your child or your class. The class teacher has nothing to do with the organisation of flu jabs.

The absence thing....was it something that needed to be authorised or unauthorised? At our school the parents get a letter back to say if it is authorised or not, that is the only alnowledgement they get. If you let them know they won't be chasing you on the day of her absence. If you hadn't let them know they should be chasing you really but you have to understand at the moment there are a lot of absenses to chance.

Now the reading record, I am a reception teacher which may make my response here different. I use the reading diary a LOT. I read 1:1 every week with the children and they all have a guided read session too. On both of these days I write a comment in the diary about their reading. Parents also write in comments at home. (I'm mean and if they haven't read their reading book at home and made a comment I send the same book again!) As a classroom teacher this is one of the important jobs i think. Maybe in KS2 it isn't seen as important I don't know.

The reading record thing has been not just this year, but throughout her time at school. Apart from one comment where DD was asked to write more about characterisation/views - so she now writes a mini essay which are never acknowledged.

@PointySetter

So the situation is - teacher is waiting with child one side of the road, teacher sees parent on other side of the road. Says goodbye to child, and child runs in front of car because they have seen their parents. The child doesn’t check as they cross.

And that’s on the parent. They’ve been told not to wait on other side of the road and continue to do so.

Your second point is silly to complain about. They don’t need to acknowledge this, they will have recorded it internally. Not responding to you does mean that if your Dd didn’t turn up one day when expected that they would’ve do stuff.

They should be doing more with the reading record book. Ime this was always an issue, even pre pandemic.

Reading records aren't the place for things like flu jab/medical information. Email or phone someone

I really don't think it's the right time - you're better off bringing it up once they're back at school again and a couple of days into term once things have settled down. I think if you do it now you're just likely to get a snippy response because most teachers will be busy getting home learning up off the ground again, and it's not like any of the issues are going to be a problem for 6 weeks now.

@Russell19 yep I’m KS1, and I wrote in it regularly - just to give some feedback, or I’d put a sticker in to indicate guided reading had taken places. It’s very, very rarely written in by DD’s teachers - not even the date or book title. This is precovid times.

I'd have an issue with the third point only. If it happened before coronavirus, then it's a bit rubbish. Probably worth waiting a few weeks but perhaps drop the teacher an email

I can't believe you are even thinking about complaining. Teachers are on their knees and you're moaning about trivial matters.

Stop it.

The pick up I’ll try and explain better. Class who are walking home alone are dismissed onto pavement. Class with parents collecting are dismissed once parent is seen. Parents have no space to social distance so wait on a green which is over the road. Teacher is dismissing child directly into the road to their parent who is waving to child on the green. Child excited to see parent, runs in front of car - parents/children are congregated so it’s v difficult to see traffic on the road. It’s busy and unsafe.

I don't think you should have written in the book log about the flu jab, that should haven been an email. Even if they had looked at it, it could have been after the vaccination was due to take place.
I'd be concerned about the road crossing but it's something I'd work on with my child, at that age they shouldn't be rushing into the road without checking for traffic.

@DurhamDurham I think they rush into the road because they see their parent. I don’t think a child as they are being dismissed would necessarily think - bye to my teacher, I’ve been dismissed, I can see mum, I want to tell her about my day, I’m going to run to her - ooops I better wait as I’m about to run in front of a car. The car bit happens before they’ve got to their mum.

The parents are sort of forced onto the green, as the area just outside the school where teachers dismiss is busy with children/other parents waiting and cars streaming in and out of car park.

Jesus Christ. Is this for real?

TBH it is a bit rubbish. Although I accept that I am being moany. The other thing that grated me was they released an Xmas video where they had added a clip art banner that completely obscured the faces of the children performing. Not just for a couple of seconds - but for the child’s whole performance.

Yep very real, but I just simply wouldn’t do these things as a teacher! I just wouldn’t! I worked in a private school though, and the parents would have simply exploded if I’d sent home a video of their child performing with a banner over their face...