Can't we just send our kids to school and not have constant events or texts to think about

[monotonousmum]

I probably am being a little unreasonable, but I can't be the only one who thinks like this.

Eldest started school in September....I say September but in reality it was a complicated mix of an hour one week, 2 hours the next, then a week of mornings (one day with lunch), finally starting full time first week of October. I was already wondering how anyone actually manages to work.

I work full time, as does my husband. 1 younger child in nursery. School only contact one parent for general day to day stuff, and that falls to me (which is another issue in itself).

So...each week I have anywhere between 5-20 texts from the school (don't park in the car park, don't forget it pj day next week, sponsorship money due yesterday, school photo day, school dinner reminder etc etc), a selection of emails (usually with attachments that are too long for text), some letters in the book bag, notes in the back or front of the reading record book.
Sometimes there is stuff on the school calendar which hasn't been mentioned elsewhere.

I'm totally overwhelmed. Some of the info is repeated in several places (e.g. text to tell us we've received an email about children in need), but just the amount of info was totally unexpected to me.

There's all sorts of sponsored events, dress up days, changes to snacks or schedules.

Can't I just drop my kid to school, they teach her to to read and write (among other things) and then I pick her up and ask her what she's had for lunch and what she learned?? (Not that she ever remembers either).

Is the school OTT or are they all like this? Am I the only one not coping?

You could always send them off to boarding school and pick them up at 18. Schools are doomed whatever they do. So many threads about school not communicating.

Yes because we all have land lines and stay at home all day waiting for that call

This reminds me of when I had 2 across 3 nurseries (eldest split 30hours) at Christmas it was the worst, wear your antlers day, jumper day, pj day, Christmas party, nativity, bring in a random amount of money for each one x 3 honestly felt like I needed they each needed a PA to manage their diaries!

It is really sad. We keep extra bits and pieces so that we can help them to feel more included. For example, tinsel and paper stars can quickly transform a plain or school jumper into a Christmas jumper.

What’s sad is everyone buying a Christmas jumper every year to be worn half a dozen times and grown out of by next year. What a pointless waste of resources.
And having all these costumes doesn’t show a huge amount of consideration for parents who can’t afford to go out and buy a Christmas jumper, and a yellow top for something else, and a stripy scarf for another day, or five tins of Pringles, or whatever it is. Maybe they can’t afford it and dread the next text about some other thing that needs to be bought.

I agree. I’ve just had the list of December events, this is the worst term - photos, Christmas e-cards, Christmas events parties etc. But forest school and farm trips are the ones that gets me - the school is in a tiny, rural village surrounded by woodland, the kids are in it every weekend, nearly everyone lives on a farm or next to one. Then we have to pay for a school trip to visit another 🤷‍♀️

erm they phone you using the land line, remember those things?

How many people use a landline either at home or work? I don’t know anyone.

It gets better when they go to secondary school. Less emails etc. But then you have teenagers to deal with so swings and roundabouts

@LifesTooShortForYourNonsense yeah I wouldn't have been impressed at visiting a farm if you are brought up in one. That is really for City kids.

@WildExcuses I dont know any businesses that don't have landlines. Unless you are talking about small self-employed ones.

Lifestooshort, your kid's school sounds amazing, lots of kids would be lucky to go there

Then we have to pay for a school trip to visit another

Is it a state school? Just don’t pay if you feel like that. It’s a voluntary contribution. I know one family who never paid for any school trip. Their child still got to go as the school covered it. And if not enough parents pay, the school may cancel.... but then you’d be happy because you didn’t want them to go anyway.

I dont know any businesses that don't have landlines. Unless you are talking about small self-employed ones.

No. Major household name companies. They issue staff with mobile phones.

Very annoying..... what gets me more I seem to be the only one that didn’t no lol. I haven’t got time to read 100 emails from the school every week

Yes, I used to feel that way. I have 1 in secondary and 2 in college now so it’s less full on. My job is especially busy in December and I used to feel completely overwhelmed that month. I can’t tell you the number of days I accidentally walked my kids to school only to get there and realise it was an inset day. I just couldn’t keep up with it all sometimes. It gets easier and now I’m glad of it all when I look back on some of the World Book Day and Christmas things they did in school.

Isn't it all just part of multiskilling?

@WildExcuses I have a work mobile phone. We still have a landline in main office.

@Cutemob

Yes because we all have land lines and stay at home all day waiting for that call

you know what in times before mobile phones, yeah yeah i know most of you have no idea of that concept, but it was normal practise the school had your home hone number or they had your work number, they contacted you on either of those, now in the event they couldnt get a message to you then they would look after your child until such time the school admin did get hold of you one way or another @ Cutiemob

Just wait until you have 2 children at different schools then it really gets complicated. Then they get to high school and it all stops and you end up shedding tears about the good old days!

@WildExcuses

I dont know any businesses that don't have landlines. Unless you are talking about small self-employed ones.

No. Major household name companies. They issue staff with mobile phones.

no they dont! the phones the staff are given to use while at work are not for personal calls, and they are normally just landline phones but cordless, or if the site is too big then its a mobile phone but the calls are locked to only have calls from within the site. they are not for you to give out the phone number to anyone and everyone! @WildExcuses

I have a work mobile phone. We still have a landline in main office.

But lots don’t. My partner and all our friends don’t, they just have company issued mobiles. I volunteer and have a mobile from them. My partner hasn’t had a landline at work for at least 7/8 years.

I am not talking about a personal landline phone at work. I mean the workplace as a whole still has a landline.

no they dont! the phones the staff are given to use while at work are not for personal calls, and they are normally just landline phones but cordless, or if the site is too big then its a mobile phone but the calls are locked to only have calls from within the site. they are not for you to give out the phone number to anyone and everyone! @WildExcuses**

My partner works for a very well known National company. He had a company issued iPhone which he can also use for personal use. He had the same on his last company to. He works at home now but when he was in the office there were no landlines, just mobiles.

YANBU …. total ball ache 😣

@WildExcuses in my office there are no landlines. We still have staff answering phones using landlines. I don't answer general enquiry number,

@WildExcuses

no they dont! the phones the staff are given to use while at work are not for personal calls, and they are normally just landline phones but cordless, or if the site is too big then its a mobile phone but the calls are locked to only have calls from within the site. they are not for you to give out the phone number to anyone and everyone! *@WildExcuses*

My partner works for a very well known National company. He had a company issued iPhone which he can also use for personal use. He had the same on his last company to. He works at home now but when he was in the office there were no landlines, just mobiles.

that is not the norm! @WildExcuses