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?

If my year 5 child can't be trusted not to run out in front of traffic, that's my issue as their parent isn't it?

Yes you are a bit intense and no you shouldn't raise them further at the moment.
The road safety issue is one for the parents to raise with their children.

Reading records are not the place for communicating with the school about anything other than reading why wouldn't you email the school?

Maybe frame it in a positive way e.g. a road safety campaign. By year 5 they shouldn't just run into the road so encouraging them to be responsible for their own safety on the road would be a very positive thing.

Re the absence if you had already moved 2 hrs away due to a commitment did it matter if it was authorised? Would you have gone back if you had got an email refusing to authorise it. I think if I got an email saying someone wasn't coming into school as they had to move 2 hrs away I'd assume they were informing me not asking for permission.

Others have explained the reading record book.

I do think it is odd that you can't see the books, next time you have one ask if you can go and look. No need to complain unless they refuse.

Why didn’t you raise these issues last term? DCs books are sent home once a term and at the end of the academic year we keep them. You should ask to see them but definitely not now.

Are you serious? Timing is everything.

Year 5 children should have enough road sense to cope with the earlier thing you complained about.

In regards to the reading journal, I think they only write stuff in there with little kids or those with additional needs. I think by year 5 the kids are expected to use it to keep a record of what they have read.

I wouldn't use it to put a note about the flu jab in as I would imagine the teachers never look.

It is nice you are looking out for other kids re: pick up arrangements. Some parents are so negligent. I would pick that one up again post-Covid chaos.

It’s interesting to see that many parents on here are not only accepting that children may receive a poor quality of education, they get annoyed when it’s pointed out.

Why are your standards so low?

We moved to Ireland partly because of the poor quality of primary education in U.K. state schools. Too much focus on box ticking exercises and not enough on developing happy contented children. When I speak to my old NCT buddies back in the U.K., it reinforces in my mind, that we did the right thing for our D.C.

You sound like a lone voice OP but change has to start somewhere.

Why would the email you to say they got your email ? And why didnt you phone absence in.
Normally schools only contact re: absense if they haven't heard from family. I forgot to call in for ds went off to work and git caught up , i had a phone call in the morning advising he wasn't in.
The rd yes raise when back in but why are parents not using their common sense and also teaching children road sense.
Reading book is for recording reading not notes about flu jab that sort of thing I would put in writing to the office or call the office.
Why do you email and not call school ? Is that their policy , most schools have an attendance line ?

@VintageStitchers how have you taken that from this post
They didn't respond to a reading diary about flu jab - as its a reading diary
The road - parents are there, why would you let your child run across a road if your stood there
The absenSe she emailed but didn't get a response ? They wouldn't need to , they would mark as absent and that would be that
You get a call if you don't let them know , to check all is ok.
But every school I know has an attendance line that you call to report absence, many would not accept an email.

Complain away, no bother.
But this is a pandemic, the shit has hit the fan and people are dying.
Your complaints will be filed in the bin.
Good luck to you.

@spanieleyes

Not today.

You forgot Satan.

School will only contact you if your child doesn't show up and you haven't called or emailed. The time they contact you varies but is usually within the first hour max in
My experience. This has always been the situation at both primary and secondary. If you want to be sure they got the message then call rather than email.

The road thing is on parents. It's not ideal
they have to let kids out here but I'm
Presuming it's because they are using all possible exits to try and maintain distancing.

Year 5 children are 9/10. Many will be walking home alone at this age if they live close. All are old enough to know not to blindly run across a road. Also knowing the kids come out into the road parents could easily arrive in time to park before the kids come out then leave after the Majority of kids are with parents. If this isn't possible they could park elsewhere. All of them should be driving very slowly and be aware of the kids anyway. The only real alternative is what the secondaries here do which is close the car park gates for 10-15 mins at the time the kids come in and out. I bet the grief parents would give the school about that makes it not worth it.

Reading records are pointless. Teachers barely have time to hear the kids read let alone fill them in. Most schools have abandoned them here. I rarely saw comments in any of them. Same re planners at secondary.

I'd save my breath for the big issues personally, especially right now.

Get
a
fucking
grip

Op read the room.

This will be seen as a shit sandwich. FFS they probabkt won't even be going back in Feb.

I have sent 3 complaints in the last 24 hours ‘ pandemic are not we there are still issues that need addressed.

Most headteachers didn’t get any sleep last night because they were sorting out pandemic covid mess

3 complaints in 24 hours?! I feel sorry for the teachers at your school.

Also some schools aren’t using reading records this year because there’s no way of sterilising or quarantining them and teachers are already exposed to a lot of risk without regularly touching things that have been hanging around peoples houses

Are the children ‘released’ onto the road or onto the pavement?

I agree strongly with @VintageStitchers and also a a PP who said
"Anyway you are in a state school and this is just how it is. Unfortunately. It was a shock to me at first but now I understand how busy they are..what can you do? Our kids have parent helpers in who read with them. Allegedly."

I had so much of this nonsense even as my children were in nursery and I looked around and could see it would be the same crap at any nursery in my area.

The teachers have no time or resources, even before Covid, so I took the choice to homeschool, and I'm not even a teacher, but I can do better than they were. I looked into private, would've hit the breadline to pay for it, but I don't drive and there are no private nurseries close by.

My kids are doing great! They both have asd and non verbal, but my 4 yo can count verbally to 21, and knows his alphabet and how to form all letters and numbers, literally the only language he has is his numbers and letters but the other day he spelled his first word, a five letter word, " quiet"!
My 3 yo can count verbally to 18, knows all his letters and numbers and all his animal sounds and we have so much fun!

I never regretted it and I keep track of all their developments in the eyfs journal and set targets and methods, none of which his teachers had time for.

I also had safeguarding concerns at the nursery, my eldest was supposed to have 1-1 and was always having to share this, gates left open and poor supervision when my child is a runner with no sense of danger, safe sleep practise not followed when he would fall asleep at nursery and so many other questionable practices, too many to list here.

I don't blame the teachers though. They were all working incredibly hard.

Hi! Interesting to come back and read! Of course I didn’t complain, and I’m so amazed today with what has been provided. My DD had a great day of home schooling, and got to see all her friends via google classrooms. The teachers not only delivered this, but classroom lessons to quite a significant number of key worker children. She’s also been given a class pack tailored to her learning.

However - yes. Children are released into a road by the teacher. The parents are silly to stand where they stand, but the children’s safety is key. An accident should be prevented if it can be prevented. So I’m not letting that one go. Of course I’ll wait til school starts again though.

I am also concerned about the absence because I specifically asked if the absence was authorised. It was October at the time, and I stated that my daughter might be off for at least a month. No acknowledgement was given.

Get a hobby. These are non issues and it sounds like you are looking for an argument with the school. School staff particularly headteachers are on their knees at the moment.

1. The school cannot move the road. Parents take responsibility for their child. If you think there should be a crossing patrol, wait until school returns and make that request to the council or the school. Maybe the PTA can set up a rota in the meantime?
2. There is no reason to get an acknowledgement of every email you send. You informed the school. You can assume the school have read the notification of your dd absence. They do not need to let you know.
3. The reading record: This comes under the heading of don't sweat the small stuff. The big questions are: is your child reading regularly with an adult? Is she making good progress with her reading? You can ask these questions of her teacher at parents eve or when she goes back to school. You will look like a real fool to raise these issues now. Schools and teachers are stretched very thin at the moment.