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.

I can't believe how nasty people are being OP, I assume that they think everyone can afford to buy new bags and PE kits easily. And not to even offer an apology is just plain rude.

Why didn't you take it to his classroom?

Because quite rightly random adults be they parents or not are not allowed to go wandering around the school.

Ah Ok different where I am.

Curious to know where you live that allows you to walk the school corridors after school has started?

Not UK.

Mind you it's a while since mine were at school so things might have changed.

Certainly it would have been acceptable to tap on the door & hand something over.

That said probably if you were only more or less following your child & the class hadn't quite started.

You’ll probably get a lot further by asking the caretaker or cleaner if they’ve spotted it.

Ime schools have some weird social hierarchies; teachers won’t check on other classrooms, office staff won’t venture further than the staffroom. The head teacher isn’t going to risk upsetting anyone by asking awkward questions, especially not for a parent who’ll only be around a few weeks more.

It's annoying and I'd be pissed off too, and hopefully it'll turn up.

Regarding the reading record - I know that right now it feels like something you'd like to keep, but after a few years it won't matter so much.

There's absolutely no way I'd be buying a new bag and PE kit for a few weeks. I'm sure the school can find spare kit for your son, or he can wear his own clothes for PE.

Ive worked in a school office. They absolutely should remember where they took it. Or they should do a proper look around the whole school.

They can't just shrug their shoulders and ignore it. If nothing else I'd want money back for the bag and contents. It's different if your child lost it but clearly the staff member put it somewhere.

I totally get why you are cross. It's really annoying.

But suggesting the staff member needs to be held to account or that she may have stolen it - you've lost your sense of proportion.

I work in a school office. It's a 1 form entry school and I know most of the children's names and classes off the top of my head. In a school of 600 children, office staff can't possibly know every child personally. They probably took it to the wrong classroom accidentally. FWIW school office staff are rushed off their feet all day long.

Oh, and of course she didn't steal it. That's absurd.

Send him to school in shorts and t shirt, can't believe you went to the headteacher over a school bag.

While it is irritating, you are overreacting. Obviously it went to the wrong classroom and was moved by someone else. This is hardly a huge incident. It will probably turn up. I recently spent ages looking for a child's belongings only to find them in his locker under some rubbish! Said child had of course told his mum he had looked in his locker already!

Things go missing in big schools if the owner isn't taking care of their own things, staff are busy and it is understandable they can't keep a close eye on personal belongings within 600 kids when you/your ds can't even watch their own belongings 🤷‍♀️

It can be frustrating but not something worth getting this worked up about, especially when you/your ds initiated the circumstances where the bag could get lost.

You could perhaps stick an air tag in his next bag to try to keep a track of it, but at age 10 I would be letting him deal with the consequences of forgetting it and not running after him.

I had a ds that constantly lost stuff, so I was a regular visitor to the lost property box. I was always amazed at what was in there. Really nice coats, proper school shoes, even some of the shoes that had wheels in them. As well as all the general uniform. None of which was labelled or ever claimed. Baffling.

If I really could find DS's item I would take similar from the lost property. If his named one turned up, I would put the one I had taken back into the lost property. I think I must have washed and ironed pretty much the entire collection of boys clothing by the end of each school year 🤣🤣

So OP, don't buy any PE kit, just visit the lost property box and take your pick!!

It is an accepted part of their job, as evidenced by them doing it at every school I have attended or my children have attended. Whose job should it be, it has to be someone's as parents aren't allowed to roam the school

"Some parents" so every parent whose child has forgotten something ever during their schooling - probably MOST parents then, yes?

As somebody who used to work in a primary school office, I think you are being unreasonable. The majority of families at schools have absolutely no idea how busy the staff in school offices are, you may have only forgotten things a few times, but I can guarantee that every day the office will be inundated with forgotten items being dropped off, water bottles, coats, bags, hats, suncream, reading books, pe kits, homework etc, most won't have a name in them. Then there's all of the 1st aid, the last minute calls from parents asking the office to remind their little angels they need to walk to a different place that day, or that somebody else is collecting their child but they haven't filled out the appropriate paperwork, parents moaning at you because their child has lost something (usually without a name in it), chasing parents because they rarely return forms/chase payments etc on time. Don't get me started with children who arrive late for school, you can't just send the kids in, you have to update registers, fire registers, lunch orders, update the kitchen, that's before they even arrive late to their lessons, meaning the class are u trusted, teacher has to then go through what the child has missed. The list is endless, school office staff are usually drastically understaffed, underpaid and work far longer hours than they are paid for tontry and get the job done. If you can sit for 15mins in a school office without being interupted its a miracle. I think all parents to should be forced to spend a few days working in a school office, it may make them organise themselves better or at least treat the staff with a little more kindness. Your child is not the only 1 in the school and by year 6 should have known they needed their pe kit that day. If it hadn't been forgotten it wouldn't have been misplaced.

So true about Lost Property.
We used to have a return session once every half-term, starting with the named possessions, (often the child concerned would earnestly insist that they had checked Lost Property, but why miss precious playtime doing that when Mummy's role is to come up to the school and do it, or school staff can trail around after you?) and I was always amazed at the stuff which seemed to have been cast aside with never a care.
At the end of term, when storage was becoming an issue, clothing in good condition was passed to a parent who was a social worker, and staff got first dibs on good quality towels, while the local vet was grateful for older ones.
The one which always worried me was - how can you go home minus underwear and not notice? On the plus side, a useful reserve for "accidents".

I'm always surprised by the numbers who seem to be capable of functioning without their high prescription glasses. I suppose the reason they aren't collecting them when they literally walk past the table that has them laid out at the end of each term every day for a week must be that they can't see them. Or they've suddenly regained their sight? In previous years, the newsletters would carry photos of the carefully organised table, complete with housekeys and distinctive keyrings, personalised but unnamed water bottles and many, many expensive coats, but that didn't seem to result in any responses, either. And I would have thought that somebody might have noticed one of the five iPhones and three Samsungs plus earbuds, watches and jewellery (that shouldn't have been worn in school in the first place) had gone missing.

Plenty of mad people parents screaming blue murder that the receptionist has clearly stolen or deliberately hidden their precious child's stinking trainer or bookbag to teach them a lesson, though.

As a teacher all I can say is thank you. I literally can’t do my job without our support staff. You are undervalued and underpaid for the crazy workloads you have. I hope OPs bag turns up, but her attitude towards the school staff makes me sad.

Shit happens.

I haven’t read the whole thread. But school should have apologised sincerely and then asked if they could try and replace some items from lost property. That’s all anyone can ask for reallt.

If I lost something of someone’s at work, I would feel responsible and apologise. How weird to blame the OP for this and make out she is being unreasonable for holding the school accountable. They are! They should not have agreed to take the bag otherwise.

Nah. We all have responsibilities in busy jobs.

The person in the office took responsibility for the bag. Fine she lost it, these things happen. She should have immediately apologised and attempted to find replacements from lost property. A sincere apology costs nothing and takes a few mins.

I hate it when people use being busy as an excuse to be unprofessional and/or rude. I work in the NHS and never take out my stresses on patients and relatives. However busy I am.

Might be worth trying to get in over half term and checking all the classroom areas / pegs / lost property etc as it should be relatively clear of other kids clutter