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?

YANBU and sorry to add further stress, but this doesn't just stop when secondary school starts...

I remember mine getting to Y7 and breathing a sigh of relief that my days of trying to make/buy a Roman/Egyptian/dinosaur costume were over.

Nope, there were Roman shields, forts, masks and various other costumes still required in y7.

While this tailed off, there's still lots of admin even now in Y11. It's not just our school either - mine are at two different secondaries and each has its own systems, which still demand I check various platforms for communications.

I do envy my parents in the 70s snd 80s, with just the odd crumpled letter to read and maybe attending one event per year.

@WildExcuses

No, not my house - but yes, for a lot of the children at my school they only have grey socks because their families got school uniform funding and that’s what they bought. So they wear school socks all year round.

They could wear a sock belonging to their mum/dad/carer/cousin etc. Your arguments are becoming ridiculous.

you have to remember what date they’ve to wear odd socks, and is there a donation involved for the cause? Is it a charity thing?

Write it down. 🤷🏻‍♀️ A donation is ALWAYS optional. In fact, my kids have sometimes come home with the £1 coin I’ve sent them with. They’ve sometimes given it in the next day, but not always and no one has chased us for it.
If your school has lots of families who are struggling, they will be very understanding of this.

My kids primary had about 450 children in. They never made £450 on these donate £1 dress up days. And that’s because not everyone paid.

So they have to remember to ask, and then collect, a sock from a relative to meet an arbitrary school-organised event, and you think that’s reasonable?

Your arguments are becoming ridiculous.

OMG are you living my life? Exactly the same situation except I work 4 days but it's still totally overwhelming

Pumper, lucky you too, so much free time to bants with me!

@Fomofo

Pumper, lucky you too, so much free time to bants with me!

I know! Good old mumsnet

So they have to remember to ask, and then collect, a sock from a relative to meet an arbitrary school-organised event, and you think that’s reasonable?

Oh jesus, how far can you go?

Yes there are many events organised by schools that might be stressful,ridiculous or with too high expectations.

Finding a sock in a different colour/pattern isn't one of those.

Nope, there were Roman shields, forts, masks and various other costumes still required in y7.

I think theres a lot less at this at secondary in most cases. One of my kids is now at college and the only thing he had to make at secondary was a model of a cell for Science. My daughter is in year 8 and hasn’t had to do anything like this so far. My friends kids are at secondary and haven’t had to either. Most kids at this age are capable these things without parents help so there’s very little impact on parents.
The only dress up days we’ve had are Xmas jumper day which my kids opted out of.

@AccidentallyOnPurpose

So they have to remember to ask, and then collect, a sock from a relative to meet an arbitrary school-organised event, and you think that’s reasonable?

Oh jesus, how far can you go?

Yes there are many events organised by schools that might be stressful,ridiculous or with too high expectations.

Finding a sock in a different colour/pattern isn't one of those.

Ah, but you’re wrong - for a lot of families, it is.

So they have to remember to ask, and then collect, a sock from a relative to meet an arbitrary school-organised event, and you think that’s reasonable?

I don’t think there will be many households that don’t have a few different socks to be honest. People saying that they don’t have 2 different socks when you have at least a parent/carer and a child in a household...🤷🏻‍♀️

But if you really don’t, and it’s important your kids don’t feel left out then you’d do it. Or ask the school...our school was regularly asking for donations of uniform and other clothes including socks and underwear to help out families.

This just proves how argumentative and difficult people can be. I feel so sorry for schools.

@WildExcuses

So they have to remember to ask, and then collect, a sock from a relative to meet an arbitrary school-organised event, and you think that’s reasonable?

I don’t think there will be many households that don’t have a few different socks to be honest. People saying that they don’t have 2 different socks when you have at least a parent/carer and a child in a household...🤷🏻‍♀️

But if you really don’t, and it’s important your kids don’t feel left out then you’d do it. Or ask the school...our school was regularly asking for donations of uniform and other clothes including socks and underwear to help out families.

This just proves how argumentative and difficult people can be. I feel so sorry for schools.

A parent or carer doesn’t generally have the same sized feet as a primary school aged child. Certainly not a six year old.

If poverty levels in Britain in 2021 have totally escaped you, I’d suggest you do a bit of research around it. You’re going to be amazed at the challenges some people face.

A parent or carer doesn’t generally have the same sized feet as a primary school aged child. Certainly not a six year old.

It’s odd sock day.... wearing one child sized uniform sock in grey and adult sized sock in white will be fine for a day.

I’m am very aware of poverty in the UK, but again, more assumptions.

@WildExcuses

A parent or carer doesn’t generally have the same sized feet as a primary school aged child. Certainly not a six year old.

It’s odd sock day.... wearing one child sized uniform sock in grey and adult sized sock in white will be fine for a day.

I’m am very aware of poverty in the UK, but again, more assumptions.

You really don’t seem like you are if you can’t see the potential pitfalls in constant requests for parents to provide any sort of extra resource for their kids. And you’re so defensive of the idea that a lot of kids don’t have spare socks, that doesn’t strike me as someone with a good understanding of poverty.

Pumperthepumper

I’ve already said, dress up days should probably be stopped due to the cost for families and environmental impact.

Schools are trying to balance cost with some fun for the kids and things like odd sock day is one of the cheapest ways to do this. Most families will have access to different socks and the donation is not mandatory.

This thread is about the admin, .... let’s get back to that.... or have people realised how ridiculous they sound for saying they spend 5 hours a week on school admin and it’s like a part time job. 😬

Some people will always be ‘busy’...but never too busy to spend hours moaning about the thing they’re too busy for.

@WildExcuses

Pumperthepumper

I’ve already said, dress up days should probably be stopped due to the cost for families and environmental impact.

Schools are trying to balance cost with some fun for the kids and things like odd sock day is one of the cheapest ways to do this. Most families will have access to different socks and the donation is not mandatory.

This thread is about the admin, .... let’s get back to that.... or have people realised how ridiculous they sound for saying they spend 5 hours a week on school admin and it’s like a part time job. 😬

Some people will always be ‘busy’...but never too busy to spend hours moaning about the thing they’re too busy for.

How do you know they don’t spend five hours a week on school admin?

I grew up in poverty, we had plenty of odd socks

How do you know they don’t spend five hours a week on school admin?

Oh come on. 🤣

@WildExcuses

How do you know they don’t spend five hours a week on school admin?

Oh come on. 🤣

How do you know they don’t spend five hours a week on admin?

@Fomofo

I grew up in poverty, we had plenty of odd socks

More good luck you’ve had!

Pumper, or was it bad luck that we didn't have alot of matching socks?

@Fomofo

Pumper, or was it bad luck that we didn't have alot of matching socks?

You don’t seem to think so?

Pumper, that's not what I said but I guess it's where my ability to embrace non-conformity comes from!

@Fomofo

Pumper, that's not what I said but I guess it's where my ability to embrace non-conformity comes from!

You certainly seemed to be using it as a positive.

Non conformity is most definitely a positive, having mainly odd socks as a child not so much

@thepeopleversuswork

*I would not want my child at school 8.30am to say 7pm!!!!

Well lucky you have this choice then isn't it. Some of us don't.

You're saying you send your child to school 8.30-7.30 well that's your fault I'm afraid.

Poor kids.

Oh you're the poster that said as well as doing their normal teaching job and volunteering to host a school disco, teachers should look after the kids in between instead of sending them home to their parents.