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?

To be fair...my DC's school is well organised and the admin staff are fab...I can't fault them. It's just there's so much stuff going on which requires so much input from the parents. I've been a sahm throughout my DC's primary years and it's really been incessant....schools seem to assume there's a parent mum at home on call yet reality is most work nowadays.

We had a tetchy reminder about some form or other we should have filled in. I eventually found the original link to the form buried on the very last page a multiple page school newsletter, beneath the usual stuff about bad parking, teacher doing a sponsored run, etc.

Would it be too much to ask to put the important stuff at the front of the newsletter?

I agree that it can seem overwhelming at first but just get a family calendar on the wall and jot important stuff on there. I love that our primary school has so many events and extracurricular stuff. School is a lot more than “learning to read and write” as you put it. Also you are aware that learning isn’t solely the job of the teachers it’s a collaborative exercise and you do need to be involved!!!

It would be far more efficient for parents to make a one off monetary contribution at the start of each term for whatever that term's donations will be.

Mufty day only ever on the last day of the Summer term.

All. And I mean all school information only posted on school website. Updated (accurately) every Monday morning.

For the love of God, just stop with the: Dress as Renaissance Artisan Cheesemaker: Wear a red hat: Construct a working replica of the solar system: Express your feelings about climate change through the medium of interpretive dance SHITE

Instead, provide longer, more detailed parents' evening sessions.

Thank you.

I'd rather too much communication than too little

Doesn't get any better in secondary. There is a school App for parent, App for children. Multiple learning websites (e g Hegarty, Seneca) all with different usernames and passwords !

@Youngatheart00

Isn’t it just part of parenting?

I think the volume of contact the OP is getting is unusual and excessive

The Calendar on my phone is indispensable for this. Immediately just put in a reminder. If something has to be made like a hat, put it in for a week in advance as well.

I was so grateful youngest’s primary provided costumes for school plays and coloured tops and baseball caps for sports days after having to remember to make/get them for my older 3 who were all in primary at the same time.

I have had 4 texts and 3 emails from DD's primary school today alone. 2 of the emails were repeating things that were already stated in the school Newsletter. The first text was to tell us they had sent an email. The second was about an event they already text us about yesterday. The third text was a correction to a mistake (wrong date) in the second text. The fourth text was actually something useful.
It drives me up the wall.

I'm dreading this. Can you opt out?

Oh don't forget the posters on the door or window which you don't see because you either use a childminder or someone was standing in front of it .. just throw pounds coins at them weekly

School isn't supposed to just be treated as childcare to make your life easier (although really we all know that's what it's for really, alongside indoctrination into the system). School's have a duty to provide these events and experiences, alongside building links with families and the local community. Ofsted would rip a school apart who weren't doing all of these things. As a primary teacher and parent though, I do understand that it can certainly feel like a lot of life admin. Isn't that just being an adult in this slave system though?

I have a Y11 and a Y13 going through mocks. With revision details, timetables, parents eve, Covid reminders, Uni applications, sixth form applications etc my head feels as if it's about to spin off.

It doesn't get any easier OP 🙈

@cowburp you really can’t, because then your kid is the one who isn’t in bright clothes for Diwali, or a jumper for some charity thing, or a world book day costume, and so on and so on.

I am of course half joking, and do want to be involved in my child's education. I'm currently staying in a job (I don't hate it, but could progress elsewhere) that allows me the flexibility to be able to do school pick up most days. I join the zoom calls teaching me how they now teach maths and English etc. We read together every day. I'm not expecting the school to raise her.

I just think it could be a little better managed - as others have said, weekly newsletter with all the important info. Or even if it was all just one method of communication! I don't feel comfortable raising it with the school as individually they're all doing an amazing job (except whoever proofreads the emails ), and I don't want to be a problem parents just a couple of months in.

Less pressure on having to take things in/dress the kids up would also be appreciated. To be fair to the school, the email and book bag note they sent about Princess day/Castle week does say they have spare costumes if anyone doesn't have one - so at least I wouldn't have to go out and buy another costume. But that's not the only event that week!

I have no idea what my child does all day or how she's doing! Parents evening is a 9 minute zoom call in a few weeks, bookable by some other app that I need to register for by tomorrow morning.

[quote Rainallnight]@cowburp you really can’t, because then your kid is the one who isn’t in bright clothes for Diwali, or a jumper for some charity thing, or a world book day costume, and so on and so on.[/quote]
Ah I see. Must be a right pain in the bum for the teachers having to constantly remind people of things too.

YADNBU - our school has a knack for sending out millions of emails and tweets and messages, and none of them have any actual information in them. They also never write the subject on the email so searching through them is impossible.

Although the one that drives me furthest up the wall is parents using the group chat as google. ‘What time does the coop in the high street shut?’ Ffs

The day that I got 8 texts about a wheel barrow was the day I snapped and phoned the school and requested they take me off the list of recipients. I was nightshift and don’t mind my phone pinging but it was none stop that day.

I still find out about things on group chat, email etc so hasn’t been a problem.

@Nicknacky

The day that I got 8 texts about a wheel barrow was the day I snapped and phoned the school and requested they take me off the list of recipients. I was nightshift and don’t mind my phone pinging but it was none stop that day.

I still find out about things on group chat, email etc so hasn’t been a problem.

that is too much what on earth was so important!

I'm getting anxiety about it reading these stories

I do feel sorry for the kids whose parents are never going to make sure they are dressed up etc. It must be difficult for young kids to always be the odd one out.

Sorry not read the whole thread, but DS's school was like this for years: notices on classroom windows, texts, emails... I was a SAHM and felt like I spent hours ever week dealing with it all. In the end, they switched to putting everything into an app called School Ping. Much, much easier. Anything that I miss seems to crop up again on the class whatsapp group (set it up myself, parents can choose to be on it or not). Works 100% better!

I'm wondering if our children have started in the same school OP!

It's so chaotic and I'm struggling. Especially as I'm not remotely an organised person or someone who knows how to remember things (I'm very much out of sight out of mind)

*For the love of God, just stop with the: Dress as Renaissance Artisan Cheesemaker: Wear a red hat: Construct a working replica of the solar system: Express your feelings about climate change through the medium of interpretive dance SHITE

Instead, provide longer, more detailed parents' evening sessions.*

@peaceanddove has it! Perfectly put.