School keeps asking for parents to join in in the middle of the working day?!

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I am new to the whole school emails thing, but my son has started at a pre-school attached to a new infants school. Teaching is great, we love it. But they are asking for a lot of parent participation, which I feel quite trapped by. It will be a friendly request, such as come in at 2pm to celebrate the children’s achievements in the mini marathon. To attend I would need to take time off work to go. And if i don’t go will my son be sad that he’s one of the only kids without a parent there? It breaks my heart to think that.

The latest email, which has really wound me up, is an invitation for parents to join children at 12pm for christmas lunch. I have to pay for a lunch I don’t want, and take time off work to be there. And on top of this if my child would like to see Santa and receive a gift I need to pay £6. This isn't exactly optional as I can’t be the only mum who doesn’t join for Christmas dinner and doesn’t buy my kid a ticket to see Santa. Imagine how he would feel, for a teacher to tell him, no your mummy can;t come.

Am being I unreasonable to think that these kinds of things should be on a Saturday and legitimately be optional, rather than in the school days when many parents are working? or at least kept to a minimun and dates sent out at the start of term?! It creates such an unfair divide for children and puts so much pressure on working parents who already have to take time out for school holidays, inset days and sicknesses.

The only things ever held on Saturday in my 40 year teaching career were school fetes and Christmas Fayres. The presence of teachers was always optional.

It's not possible to hold anything at weekends that requires, or is aimed at, all pupils. Families have other commitments then and pupil presence is very far from guaranteed

..oh, and many school fetes continue to be held at weekends. I went to my last school's in June.

Massive hassle. Very disruptive. Particularly challenging for all of our children with SEN who thrive on routine.

We have to do it though - for "parental engagement and the wider community."

This is the most ludicrous suggestion I have ever heard! So you expect the teacher to teach all day, then talk to all the parents individually about their child's education, and then organise and conduct all the children in a class performance at the end. Quite what you imagine all the children and parents are going to be doing in the gap between seeing the teacher and watching the performance (especially if you were first to see the teacher and have to wait for all 29 others to have their turn) beggars belief! The mind boggles at the ignorance some people have about what it is actually like to work in education if this is thought to be a workable possibility!

Ha ha ha ha !

I'm a teacher and often cannot go to school events during the day. Sometimes DH goes and sometimes a Grandparent goes.

You will 100% not be the only one not there. I work in a school and all the Christmas activities are in full swing. We had open afternoon last week and less than 10% of parents came. Its hard as a working parent but just go to what you can.

You won’t be the only parent not there - I’m freelance so a bit flexible and I went when possible (not often, work is v demanding) Sometimes their dad went, sometimes grandparents could be prevailed upon to go. It’s tricky.

OK so you have to see 30 kids' parents from 3 pm. So that's 2.5 hours assuming everyone is on time and only takes 5 minutes. So parents evening runs from 3-5.30 and parents have to pick up at 3, attend the appointment, keep their kid and then hand them back for a performance. Earliest you could even hope is 6 pm start. Finish at 6.30.

Meanwhile the parents have been loitering around with nothing to do from 3-6 apart from a 5 appt. Can't all be in the class cos they've got the kids with them.

So even our small school, there's now 220 kids and say 150 parents and 50 siblings loitering around the school site.

Kids haven't been fed since lunch so parents need to make sure they bring food because by the time they get home, it's going to be gone 7.

Teachers won't have time to eat and will be lucky to be home by 8.

Ooh why so many cynical people think it won't work 😂😂😂

You cannot possibly speak to 30 sets of parents by 5.30 or in just in 2.5hrs- most schools don't quite finish at 3pm, then there needs to be a dismissal time which takes about 10 minutes for all parents and children to be matched up and some are invariably a bit late, and even with only 5 minutes per family that doesn't allow changeover time between parents, doesn't allow a toilet or drink break for the teacher. It is just about impossible to stick to an exact time for a parental meeting when face to face- most schools do parents evening over two nights as it's too intense to see all 30 in one go!

But even in the fantasy land where you can stick to those times, it's ridiculous. That was my point.
Our school closes early parents eve day so runs 3.15-7pm.x

I realise that @SleepingStandingUp , I was just trying to help reinforce the ridiculousness for you 🙂

Perhaps things like parents' evening need restructuring.

They have those book evenings, during which parents come and celebrate the creative minds of their dear children.Those and more use of zoom to use to speak individually with parents would be good. Zoom meetings before class starts - one per morning.

Then the play after book inspection.

Maybe the traditional parents' evening format has had its day.

more use of zoom to use to speak individually with parents would be good. Zoom meetings before class starts - one per morning.

Your ideas get more insane by the hour @Diverseopinions . What do you think that teachers are doing before the children arrive? Sitting in the staffroom waiting for the bell? No, they're preparing the classroom, gathering resources, checking the IT that they need...and many other things. Lessons don't just happen out of thin air you know.

Seriously, I'm starting to think that you're not actually genuine.

Zoom meetings before class starts? I can't see many parents wanting the 6am slot

It would also be interesting to know what proton of patents are available for a consultation meeting at 8:40 in the morning 🙄

It would also be interesting to know what proton of patents are available for a consultation meeting at 8:40 in the morning

Maybe they could do an electron?

Sara Lara

Well, regardless of how you do it, it's not an insane suggestion to restructure the format of parents' evening. Everything else has been restructured since Covid: GP appointments; uni lectures - now, so often taught on line. The notion of actual face-to- face meetings (with those who come next queuing) is passing out of use. I expect even the police make use of email for people we to report crime; once they would visit the station. Probably even Catholic confessionals and counselling sessions with therapists will soon normally happen online. I know this latter example to be true, already, from what relatives say.

I am being sincere and genuine.

I'm not in a position to say what preparation needs doing before school, but obviously, I believe that there would be time for one 15 minute teams meeting, per morning. Why not use student teachers to get the classroom equipped and ready? Plenty of people want to volunteer in schools, anyway.

I barely have time to remember go to the loo in the morning before school. The suggestion of a 15 minute zoom meeting before the kids come in is fucking laughable.

Never mind the fact the parents would be busy themselves, you know, getting their kids to school...

Student teachers have loads to do - an experience teachers have there lessons in mind and know what comes next in the curriculum - student teachers have to plan to the smallest detail.

It’s laughable you think student teachers and ‘helping’ they aren’t!

Don't students do observations and observe. Lots of people would like to volunteer in schools to gain experience. Maybe taking them on would be a good idea.

Anyway, I can't argue it, not knowing what goes on.

What kind of things do you have in mind that volunteers could help with?

And who do you think would have to oversee these casual observers in the classroom – teachers!

I honestly can't tell if you mean well with your ridiculous suggestions or if you are a troll being deliberately goady to wind people up.

Couldn't volunteers put out equipment, such as art stuff, for the sessions ahead, to free up the teacher a bit? Depending on their skills, they could even play the guitar to a phonics song, during the school day, if they were say a musician/ guitar tutor/ drama graduate who wanted to get into teaching.

Someone has to show them what to do and where to go and because of the school's safe guarding responsibilities for pupils the teachers would still have to keep an eye on them. You can't just let randoms in to wander around school. I thought you were a parent-governor once? Surely you know this?