School office lost my son's school bag

[Liglig]

AIBU to feel annoyed about a staff member misplacing my son's schoolbag? Unfortunately we got to school and realised we forgot my son's school bag at home, so as I live close by I popped home and dropped my son's school bag into the office to pass it on to his classroom for us, this is not usually a problem and we very rarely do it.

This time the bag didn't make it to the classroom and the lady who took it up went home early so we had to wait days for her to come in again as she does not work everyday.

When she finally turns up the office says the lady cannot remember where she took my son's bag to. We waited days just to get this reply. AIBU to think they could of phoned her up and asked her on the day the bag went missing where she put it? Maybe she would've known and remembered while it was fresh in her mind, but instead they waited days until she forgot.

I went to the head teacher and they just keep saying they'll look out for it and that there is nothing else they can really do. I describe the bag as blue and black everyday and still each time office staff as if it's blue and yellow, they don't take note of what I say.

AIBU that this person who lost my son's schoolbag is not being held accountable. I feel like I'm just being fobbed off, not even had any apologies or anything, his bag had a PE kit and his reading record in there which would've been nice to keep as it is his last year there. I am not financially well off as now I have to buy another bag and a set of PE clothes just for the last 2 months he has at this school and the reading records I usually like to keep for keepsake.

Sorry this is so long I don't know how to type in a nutshell and end up typing a novel.

Good grief, it's a bloody missing PE bag not a missing bag of precious gems!
I honestly couldn't get worked up over this. It will either turn up or it won't.
Just send him with the closest items you have to whatever the school PE kit is and don't buy new for the few weeks left.
The receptionist is a human being, and human beings make mistakes, just like you and your son who forgot the bag in the first place.

you can be excused for forgetting something but the member of staff can’t…. Right..

you really need to calm down about this, other people are human too, it is not just you who is human.

get a grip and get over it.

Do you have any idea how many lost bags/late lunchboxes/missing glasses/football boots/pencil cases and God knows what else a school office has to field every week? It might be one bag to you but in a school of 600 kids it's one of many to staff. Of course you're not unreasonable to be pissed off but you only have one, maybe a couple of children to sort out, we have all of them.

And everything that @Ohwhatalovelymorning said!

Schools are like twilight zones for lost property sometimes...I'm sure it will find its way back - DD came home with her (labeled) coat the other day which went missing 6 months ago - just turned up on the back of her chair - god knows where it had been all that time!

YABU I can see how this happens

Johnny in Year 6s mum drops off his bag but then on the way to drop it off at his class you get called into Year 2 because Janes been sick, so you take Jane back to reception office and forget where you put the bag.

Easily done. If it's named it'll turn up surely?

You think the excess would be less than the cost of a school bag? 😅😅😅

Insurance policy 😂

Surely that poster is winding us up!

You need to start adjusting your expectations.

When he goes to what you cal, "Big School", they won't even notice if he goes missing!

I can see why you are annoyed but people should not be contacted on their days off and you have said there are around 600 students at the school. Staff can't be responsible for all their belongings!

Put in writing what happened probably best by email with a title of black and blue bag. Then bullet point the things that have concerned you like the fact they keep saying "blue and yellow".

Then include a list of actions like X will be attending PE in non-school uniform kit until the items are found. And ask them to check lost property and the other classrooms during half term for it. If you want to take it further, you could complain to the council but that seems unreasonable. I also wouldn't be blaming the woman who took it in as it is not her fault she can't remember what happened and she may well have delivered it to the right class and a teacher or teaching assistant has misplaced it.

Are you a child yourself? Grow up. They didn't steal or misplace it deliberately. What do you think office staff want with old PE Kit and a reading log?

It was a mistake. Mistakes happen. Do you want her to be fired? Is that 'accountable' enough? 🙄

On AIBU you get a load of sad twats who love to have a go at the OP, no matter what the topic. All the ones carping on about it was your fault it got forgotten are just pathetic.

I agree with you Op, the office staff should be more careful with belongings, make sure it got to the right place, and just do their job properly! I'd be pissed off too as I would expect them to be able to do this simple task.

Agree don't buy new kit, and if the school say anything remind them the bag is missing due to their incompetence.

It's a shame about the reading record, but you mustn't fork out for another PE kit - your lad must have tshirts and joggers or jogger shorts at home? Either send them in a bag for life or buy a bag that will be suitable for Y7 as well and tell school you're not replacing something a) a member of their staff lost and b) your son will only get weeks of wear out of.

While I don't think the staff member needs raking over the coals and certainly hasn't taken the kit, IDK why PP are getting so fucking weird over a parent bringing forgotten items to reception? That's what my parents did and what I have done. Snack pots, bottles and PE kits occasionally get forgotten in the scramble to get out the house.

Be a bit fucking weird for kiddo to get home "mum, I felt really embarrassed that I didn't have my kit" "oh sorry honey, I noticed it was here as soon as I got in, but I didn't want to bother the office staff with it, even though it's an accepted part of their job".

If you ask nicely, chances are the school will give you PE kit from the piles in lost property. Most schools do this all the time when stuff goes missing.

Place this in a bag for life or similar, and your son’ll be sorted for the last half term. And it won’t have cost you or the school anything.

even though it's an accepted part of their job

It isn't. It's an expectation by some parents.

😂 ''do their job properly''

It's not their job!!!

Fucking hell!

You know the office staff have a full list of duties right? So taking crap you forgot to a classroom interrupts their working day, eats into their break time, cos all the proper jobs still have to get done.

Thank you to those that had some constructive advice and showed empathy and understanding in what I am trying to say.

This can't be a serious suggestion surely? 😂
It'll turn up OP, they haven't stolen it or lost it deliberately, and if you or your child can lose things, you should understand how easy it is to do.

I once found my sons lost coat on an internal coat rack whilst at a school social evening. I hadn’t been allowed in to look myself and he didn’t go down that particular corridor as it was infants and he was juniors. Pure fluke I saw it. He never would have found it as he also wasn’t allowed along the corridor.

The headteacher once went into the boys changing room/toilets as he was fed up with me going everyday for a week to ask about my sons school shoe (singular). He for changed for an after school club and the shoe hadn’t made it into the bag. The office told me it wasn’t there - again not allowed to look myself. The head found it in 2 minutes flat.

no advice just keep chasing. Someone will get bored with you and look. Hopefully.

YANBU to be a bit annoyed. It sounds like the school could have handled it better.

BUT I despair I really do. I work in a school office. Parents like you are why people leave.

Schools have no money. Therefore they are short staffed and staff are under huge pressure and workloads are massive.

Support staff like me are paid peanuts yet we do our best and go above and beyond day in day out for your children for no appreciation.

Vacancies are now unfilled because there's no WFH.

And you expect me to take a call in my own time. I actually want to cry.

Oh.. and excuse me for being human too.

If the OP has been has unreasonable to the school office staff as she been on here I can’t imagine they are very motivated to help
her.

@MenoRageisReal tell you what, I'll try harder to do my job properly and complete simple tasks, if parents do likewise. Deal?