Me or teacher?

[Thanksforthat123]

This little comment in the school newsletter.
Is it me being over sensitive or is it a bit passive aggressive?
Our family was working full time plus throughout as frontline NHS so home school for the four year old was learning through play, we didn’t log her into the online sessions as she was in childcare and explained to her teachers why.
I’m a bit frazzled so could be me being over sensitive. I just feel it’s a bit of an unnecessary dig. AIBU?

@Useruseruserusee

That’s not good. The SLT at the school need a keep a closer eye on communication with parents.

Actually I've just seen that it's the school newsletter. So presumably written by someone from the SLT. That's even worse.

It reads to me as each class teacher has given a comment as there’s a chunk of text for each class.
You’d hope the head would have gone if he’d seen it but I’m not sure.
I’ve emailed the head saying it was an unnecessary, passive aggressive comment which makes all those who’ve not been able to homeschool fully due to work etc feel like crap. Let’s see what he says on Monday.

Good on you!

Why won’t you answer whether your child was offered a place at school?

It does make a difference, because if you were offered a place and chose not to take it, you don’t really have the right to be offended by the truth. If they didn’t offer children of keyworkers a place, then it makes the comment even more out of order, because they’d be blaming parents for something that is their fault.

Learning through play isn’t just children being left to play with their own toys with no direction. Nurseries and pre schools wouldn’t need to be staffed by qualified professionals if it were.

I am a teacher and agree that this is terrible. There are so many parents who have struggled so much during this past year, juggling their own jobs, home schooling, childcare, caring for relatives, dealing with illness. Great if you have been able to dedicate lots of time to home schooling and your child has progressed, but so many parents have had no choice other than to muddle through and let the schoolwork slide. We are all worried enough about how this past year has affected our children without reading comments like this. 'Thank you to all of you for your efforts with home schooling' would have been so much nicer.

I think it is wrong and if there are parents who the school thinks have for whatever reason not made an effort, then they should be having a chat with them individually to try to find out why, not making a general comment.

OP I hope you can let us know the head's response once you have one (without any details that would be outing, of course).

Awful comment. Awful comma splice too.

@ItWorriesMeThisKindofThing just came on to post exactly that! Horrendous comma splice!

I'm a teacher. It's true, but they should never, ever have said it.

That's a dick comment.

Ahhh wish I’d put that in the email now 😂

[quote IHeartKingThistle]@ItWorriesMeThisKindofThing just came on to post exactly that! Horrendous comma splice!

I'm a teacher. It's true, but they should never, ever have said it. [/quote]

OP, so sorry this has upset you. It is indeed a dick comment. I hope you get a decent response.

I was about to spring to the teachers defence here...... But this is a terrible thing to say.

I know, I normally loath teacher bashing and think generally parents are dicks. But today I’m the parent and the teacher is the dick. 😣

That is a horrible thing to say and I would complain about it. I have sometimes pulled my school up for judgey comments, e.g. about attendance etc.

Glad to see you have emailed, will be interesting to see what response you get.

Yes, please report back, OP. I'm really glad that you've spoken out about it.

That’s a shit comment and I would be making a complaint to the school and watching closely how they handled it.

@Thanksforthat123

Although tbf I had to pull them when they sent me an attendance letter saying she had less than a certain percentage attendance and then laid it on very heavy with legal consequences if attendance continued to slip. She had impetigo caught from school, had to be quarantined, and is actually not legally obliged to be at school aged 4. I think perhaps the management need a closer eye on communications.

I think you're right. I would definitely address this with the school - it isn't ok to send out letters like that at all.

Yep, unnecessary. YANBU. What was the point of that sentence? To make parents who weren’t able to sit with their kids and do loads of input for a whole myriad of valid reasons feel guilty?!

Yep - shitty comment

I don't think I could let that one lie

I’m a teacher and I think YANBU.

I would also be tempted to write to the school governors if you don't get a satisfactory response from the head. And a satisfactory response should include a further newsletter (or a separate letter to parents in the age group) recognising how difficult it's been for them all, and how appreciative the school is of that, however much or little they've been able to do.

I wouldn't let that comment slide. The head would be getting a sharp email from me.

During this lockdown one of our older DC has been very poorly and hospitalised with their MH.
I’ve lost my job but still couldn’t manage to navigate homeschooling our Y2 DC whilst caring for such an ill child.
I emailed the Y2 staff and said we normally read each day, played and drew and they were absolutely fine with that.
In fact, the head said she could sort us out a school place for Y2 DD to make things easier for us and that they were proud of what we were already doing!

That’s how schools (in KS1) should be like. Not snidey remarks singling out parents who are struggling.

Initially we felt it was safest not to have the kids in school plus we had willing grandparents and the school very keen to be only a last resort.
Once the numbers started to decrease and we got increasingly burnt out, and concerned about our inability to homeschool I enquired about a school place and was told there is no space, and that tbh they are in multi year group and are supervised but not taught so would likely be in a similar situation.