Is this a normal amount of requests from the school - its non stop!

[SchoolRequests]

Dc started reception just over 5 weeks ago and already had

• An ongoing weekly donation request
• Request to buy waterproofs (with 5 days notice of when needed)
• Non uniform day plus donation
• Harvest festival donation
• School photos
• Request to go through books with no words on a night and write in communication dairy on a daily / weekly basic
• Harvest bag to fill with leaves and pinecones
• Panto trip in december to pay for

I'm dreading opening his school bag to find more letters requesting things. It is just constant requests for time and money. Is this a normal amount? Do schools think parents have lots of free time and money to get stuff with little notice constantly and don't have work or other children to look after?

What is it like at your kids school?

Yes.

I have 2 DC in 2 different schools - primary is way worse than secondary for the sheer volume of stuff

The weekly donation, no. Everything else sounds pretty normal. We were asked to supply waterproofs to keep at school from day 1.

The first half of autumn term, the run up to Christmas and the second half of summer term are always intense. The others are more sensible.

My kids school is the same. I find it really frustrating but it seems to be way things are done

Apart from the weekly donation it all sounds fine to me.

Yep, standard, apart from the weekly donation!

Normal,it's a relief when they get to secondary school.

I found ours went through fits and starts.

i remember the peak of my annoyance was over Christmas 2020. Loads of stuff sent by text for the new year. The Monday morning before the kids returned to school (the next day) we got a text asking the kids to dress up on first day back as someone from their history topic. DS topic was Egypt. They also need snacks taking in for the party and donations and a written piece about who they were dressed as. We all could see they were going to close the schools, we were all waiting for Boris 8pm speech.

But of course you had to get everything ready just incase. Was ridiculous.

They seemed to leave us alone after the back lash after that 😂

Yep, that sounds standard. Our school lets you pay the donation twenty though so it's easier. It's a shame it's come to this but schools really need the help to make ends meet.

I’ve found Secondary to be far worse than Primary! I’ve a new Y7 and it’s bloomin relentless!

ours is the same - it’s as though despite most of the staff being full time working women they haven’t realised that parents work.

and don’t get me started on the assumption that you’ve got a second parent at home!

Aside from so many donations, yes the level of communication and demands on your time is normal.

When we were at school it was a letter once a week, at most. Now schools can make easy electronic communication they've gone bonkers. Constantly changing which day to wear p.e. kit, take in forest school kit, costumes to be made at short notice etc.

The sheer 'noise' from school drives me insane, I'm trying to work!

I think it sounds like a lot. Here’s my take on each of yours.

An ongoing weekly donation request - no. Is this for money?! What country are you in?

Request to buy waterproofs (with 5 days notice of when needed) - yes but they should have told you sooner.

Non uniform day plus donation - not yet. Prob next term based on last experience.

Harvest festival donation - yes.

School photos - not yet. Usually next term.

Request to go through books with no words on a night and write in communication dairy on a daily / weekly basic - no. Our school eases this on more slowly.

Harvest bag to fill with leaves and pinecones - yeah but this is the sort of thing you can ignore.

Panto trip in december to pay for - no. Our school is in a very mixed area and they thankfully wouldn’t dream of asking families to pay for this sort of thing.

Yes, totally normal. Is it a church school? We also have to pay a building maintenance fund every term, as a Catholic school.
While I'm here does anyone have any tips about what to write in the reading record every day? My DC is year 6 and an excellent reader and I really struggle to find something to say every night!

It is quite a task to keep on top of school Comms/requests.

I would ensure equipment needs/mufti day/school trip money/nightly reading (especially in the early years) were my priorities and not worry about the rest.

Weekly donation is within the realms of normal. DC1 secondary does it but DC2 primary does not. If they don't do weekly donation, then it'll be via events from the PTA. Money has to come somewhere to pay for all the trips, computers, playareas, library books. I actually prefer a weekly or monthly donation set up on direct debit.

All other communications are normal. I keep track of them with an online calendar and todo list. The list of stuff to buy and take to school is huge. It get worse in secondary.

I'd just sign it to show you'd listened to them and the pages read.

It goes in fits and starts, I think. It can be relentless- add in book days, disco, charity days, Easter competitions, cake sales, Summer Fairs, Book Fairs and a school trip and you’re about there. Then it’s sports clubs, performances, gum shields and Sports day😂.
The thing that remains consistent is the reading, spelling, times tables and homework though. It kind of gets easier in secondary, but really it’s just different pressures.

Thanks. I do that but DC moans that the teacher wants to see a comment every time too. FFS!

Yes except: a weekly donation. Not had to give money every week.

But some of this is optional- you don't need to buy school photos or give to harvest festival. Ignore what you don't want to do/ contribute.

@cinnabongene Our school have asked that the ‘free readers’ summarise what they have just read in a sentence rather than parents writing comments - would that work?

I honestly think our children must be at the same schools 🤪

The weekly donation is unusual but the rest is normal 😐. In addition we get regular cake sales with requests that parents donate cakes, set up, and man the sales booth during working hours. Ours also still expects parents to supply 4 volunteers to ‘help’ (aka lead most of the lesson) at forest school for half a morning each week, for an entire term! Plus separately they expect us to help drive the children to external lessons and also some other stuff. Just expects to receive around 400 man hours per year, for free 🤔

The way primary schools still operate is based on the old-fashioned set up where there was usually a mum at home, and they expected (and received) a lot of her time
and money for free. Now far fewer mums are available but the school expectations haven’t adjusted.

It all comes down to severe underfunding. Doesn’t help that politicians don’t see education as interesting or important, and it’s always just a stepping stone job for the Minister. So from Westminster there no leadership, no vision, low funding agh 😭

The one that really annoyed me was ‘dotty sock’ day. So hard to explain to a four year old that on Wednesday you must wear grey socks and will be told off if you don’t. But on Thursday they must be dotty.

Apart from the weekly donation, yes, it’s normal, and it also drives me mad. We’ve had:

• dc1 school trip to pay for in week 1 of the new term
• daily reading log to be written in
• weekly homework to be done (both ks1 and 2)
• school photos, announced on the day they happened
• harvest festival donation
• please come to harvest festival this Friday morning (on the Monday)
• Dc2 school trip to pay for this week
• PTA Halloween disco
• oops sorry we forgot to tell you ks1 topic homework is due next Monday (told this Monday)
• oh and please come in to school next Thursday (mid afternoon) for topic showcase.

It’s incessant.

Maybe it's year 7. My DC1 is in year 7 and it's much much worse. We have many trips and course work to pay for. If you don't pay, you don't get workbook, calculator or trips. Then we have PE which needed an emergency trip to Sports Direct for football boots, gum shield, shin pads and football socks. In addition, we have food tech ingredients to pack once a week. Music lessons have woodwind or brass depending on class and DC1 reed broke the first week and I needed to order more on Amazon. In addition then I have to top up weekly her canteen account and bus fares.