To think many schools forget that lots of mums work?

[malificent7]

In primary school it was almost a given that they scheduled things in the school day which is understandable but a bit sad that when i was teaching myself, i couldn't get time off for sports day etc.

In secondary school I was chatying to a mum friend who was asked to go to a meeting during school time. She can't...she works! Not a huge issue i guess and not sure how it can be solved. As an ex teacher I wouldn't have wanted to meet parents outside school hours.

Our school is a nightmare for this - asking parents to drop children off for a trip 5 miles from school at 9.30am and collect at 2.30pm? Sure, I have nothing better to do…

And ironically, teaching is one of the hardest jobs to combine with having school-age children.

You have answered your own point. "As an ex teacher I wouldn't have wanted to meet parents outside school hours."

I agree. In a school with majority female employees, sometimes it felt as if none of them had ever come across the concept of working parents/mothers (because let's face it, it was alway mothers) before. The irony!

I don’t think any school “forgets” it. I think it’s fine to ask for a parent to attend a meeting during the school working day. Then the parents can arrange their shifts round it, request it on their non working day (after you forgetting that not all mums have the weekends off? 😉), or take leave.
That should be the starting point.

If that’s not possible (e.g. for a teacher like you!) the school need to help with other solutions - telephone call, etc.

They don’t forget - they just start with what they’ve got, and work from there.

My dc attend a primary school that has different holidays compared to other schools, so there isn't any clubs available for some breaks. And they finish at 1.30 on the last day of term. It's a nightmare for working parents.

But isn't it much like a dentist or doctors appointment? They are open between Xam and Ypm Monday to Friday, and if you work and need to attend, then you book time off work.

I don't see why there should be a "solution", and surely its not just a Mum thing but a parent thing?

Essential appointments (eg important meetings with teaching staff) - a parent books time off to attend, acknowledging that it's essential. Non essentials (eg sports days, parent helper on trips etc), attend if possible, if not don't worry

Our school is pretty bad for notifying parents of things at really short notice and it does grate when you are just expected to be available to pick up because school is closing early next Friday because of Y

So a parent can't meet in school hours because of work and a teacher can't meet out of school hours because they're not in work time.
Not quite sure what the point of your post is

I think it's fair enough. You'd take time off work for an appointment for health reasons, so why not for something school-related, such a meeting with the DC's teacher? Schools are open from 8-4 or whatever, so those are the teachers' working hours and they will have their own childcare and other commitments outside those hours. You can't expect them to stay on until 6pm, just because that's when you're able to accommodate a meeting outside your own working hours.

When should sports day be if not in the school day? An evening when kids are tired or a Saturday morning when staff are unpaid? If you want events in your personal time, start a musical group to do a Christmas play or organise your own sports day for hundreds of kids. Good luck.

So wherever you work, you are happy to be in work at whatever time your customers / clients want you there, and don't work any set hours? And why should female employees be more flexible and be available when parents want them to be? Teachers are there to do a job between set hours, just like any other employee. Your work or home life or preferences have nothing to do with that. It's astonishing how anyone whose work is related to children seems to be classed more as a servant than a professional doing a job of work.

some time ago now, but a TA, who also worked in a local shop, was quite critical of a mother whose son could not go swimming with the class, unless his mum accompanied him,
and the mum (of 5) couldnt accompany him since she was at work - otoh that was just her opinion.
another nursery nurse offered some sort of parenting course, i told i couldnt go unless it was evening, and she was most put out as she didnt want to run the classes in the evening.

My kids' primary school was like this when they first started. On Father's Day there would be coffee and bacon butties at 8.15am for the dads to go in and have breakfast with their kids (before work). The equivalent on Mother's Day was a scone and tea at 2pm where you were welcome to take your kids home early straight afterwards.

I pointed out the inconsistency/sexist assumption making and now both are breakfast events.

school I worked at was in an area of high unemployment so I never thought it as odd with meetings like target setting day with appointments through the day.... However if we as parents wanted to drop and walk our own kids to first day at primary all hell broke loose. Yes there was always someone trying for that dr, dentist appointment but truly most people tried to do it in the holidays unless emergency.

They don't forget, they prioritise the children and the school over your work schedule. So they should in my opinion.

It’s not that they forget, its that if they need to have a meeting with parents then they should be able to do that within their working day.

The school/teachers shouldn’t have to work into the evening to accommodate working parents, it’s for the the parents to make the sacrifices and awkward arrangements because it’s about their children.

Schools exist for the benefit of children, not their parents.

But as you said school staff will like anywhere else need to fit meetings into their working hours. Just the same as doctors and everyone else needs to.

it’s not about them forgetting but trying to work with what they have.

I got two texts from school yesterday within ten minutes, saying that 1) the class walk cannot go ahead tomorrow without parent volunteers and 2) neither can Sports Day on Friday, so please call the office and put yourself forward.

Right, I'll just take two days off work shall I, to walk a bunch of 11 year olds around the town?! Who, by the way, go around our small town on their own all the time 😆

Thankfully our school does parents evening until 630pm so that makes it easier to sort out with work. Same with our doctor who have a couple of days a week where appointments are until 7 or 8pm.
For a more standards appointment I'd expect it over the phone at a suitable time.

What annoys me more from school is that they always always ring me first and not my husband. And schedule random days of this and that notifying us through various inconsistent means and asking us to donate to various causes they want to support. I don't have an issue being merely asked to donate. I have an issue being reminded 10 times that i haven't (and will not, i am an adult and I can decide which good causes to donate to) donated yet. Oh and the days out where we get a completely out of the blue request for £20 for something we've not had a say in. Madness.

Mothers Day and Fathers Day are both on a Sunday when schools are closed though

Sports day shouldn't happen in school time?

They take a massive amount of organisation. They just wouldn't happen.

@IstayedForTheFeminism surely it’s obvious that school picks a close week day date? Do you object to schools doing a Xmas nativity play not on 25th December?

Yep they do the events on the Friday before, organised by the social committee so no extra burden on teachers

What annoys me more from school is that they always always ring me first and not my husband

then change the primary contact to him. They will always ring the first on the list first.

Obviously schools know parents work, and it's not just about mums, but all this moaning about not being able to fit things in, life is a juggling act,if you have chosen to have a family you gave to try and find ways to make it work