To feel RAGE against schools lack of care towards working parents?

[Stormy900]

I'm so, so angry!!!!
I'm a working parent.
I'm a nurse, so I can't WFH.
Why oh why oh why do primary schools set ALL their plays and productions during school hours when I, and so many other parents I know, are AT WORK!!!!
WHY don't schools factor this in????
My DC has a Christmas performance coming up and it is really important to him and to me that I'm there, it would fill my heart with absolute joy to see him. But school only informed us of the date 10 days ago. I have requested to take annual leave to attend it, but it has been refused by my manager because there are other colleagues on annual leave that day who have already requested, and I've been told my request is too short notice, but I've only recently been informed of the date by school. I'm absolutely heartbroken to not be able to attend. If I'd been given much more notice, I could have attended.
Also, another issue is HOW LITTLE NOTICE schools give parents about dates for events that parents are invited to. Sports day, parents being invited in to see DC's work and class displays, summer shows, Easter performances, class assemblies where my DC have speaking parts, and of course Christmas events. The school tells us no more than 2 weeks in advance maximum. Why?????
In my job, A/L has to be requested SIX WEEKS in advance because of staff rotas.
And don't get me started on children being given award certificates in assembly each week, which parents are invited to watch and the teachers TELL THE CHILDREN THEIR PARENTS ARE INVITED....they invite parents on the afternoon of THE DAY BEFORE THE CERTIFICATE ASSEMBLY!!!!
On Monday, school sent an email to me at 3pm, which I didn't pick up because I was managing a blood transfusion for a critically ill patient, so I picked it up later that day, as I can't access my emails as soon as they come in if I'm working. The invite was for 9am THE NEXT DAY!!!
There was no way I could attend at this level of short notice, as I was due to be at work the next morning, starting at 7am.
My little DD cried and cried. She said she wanted me there more than anything.
I have missed sooooooo many primary school events for my 2 DC because of horrific short notice from school. If I'd had dates in advance I could have attended them all.
WHY do schools do this???
They MUST KNOW what dates they're going to do events on. I simply refuse to believe they don't. They MUST have to plan their school calendar, activities, shows, performances, awards, in advance.
WHY do they assume all parents are eithet stay at home mothers or are in WFH jobs??
I'm SO angry!!!

I'd actually say the most important factor is having parents who can be arsed about your education and take an interest in it.
The recently-published PISA report showed how (second-generation) British Asian students brought the average grade UP for the whole country.

My husband and I both have flexible jobs and it’s really rare one of us can’t make something, even at short notice. But what’s surprising is that 80% of other children seem to have either a SAHM or flexibility/wfh parents. I would have thought we were the exception. But every minor event in school is absolutely rammed with parents even when only a week’s notice given.

I'd actually say the most important factor is having parents who can be arsed about your education and take an interest in it.
This is a huge factor.
Parents who value education are likely to make decisions in their parenting that support a child's education.

There's an overlap between wealthy parents and those who value education though and those who are wealthy have more funds available to spend on enrichment, school fees, house in catchment for the right state school and so on, but it's the caring about education that's likely to be the big factor.

There was another finding, possibly also PISA, that found that working class students from some BAME communities were vastly higher than white working class students.

This was one of my biggest bugbear when my children were in Primary School.

I could never understand as a parent and a parent governor why on earth we couldn't give a list of dates in September at least the ones already in the diary for between September and Christmas as these dates have already agreed. The school my children would give as little notice as possible like each event was a state secret and put in newsletters about the lack of parent attendance.