To not attend school video meeting at 8pm?

[glossypeach]

i have a four year old who’s due to start reception in September. His nursery, in which hopefully he will attend the reception there, is having a group video call meeting at 8pm a day next week. It’s to discuss what to expect within the education next year.

anyway, am I being unreasonable to think this is a ridiculous time, especially for parents of young children? My son has suspected adhd and he does not sleep of a night until a silly time and I’m a single parent so I have no one to ask to look after him to attend the meeting at that time. So I obviously cannot attend.

I do think a lot of the time, they don’t take into account single parents. Even if I wasn’t, I’m sure other parents with partners who are working or other kids to attend to, etc will not be able to attend. It just seems a bit unreasonable timing.

It's on zoom so you can attend without childcare. Just turn your camera off and listen.

But there won’t be time that suits everyone. Everyone had their own circumstances and time issues.

if you can’t attend then you can’t attend. Not much you can do about it.

Sounds like they tried to time it for after children in bed, online, to minimise childcare problems.

I think school are thinking most kids will be in bed by 8pm so it's a good time for most.

Just join the meeting on your phone and listen to it with camera and sound off.

I agree they will be trying to time it for after dinner and bedtimes, when parents are back home after shift work etc.

I just do these with headphones in and my camera off. I believe that even if I only hear half of what's going on it probably better than nothing.

I assume they will not mind if children make an appearance on screen. What time would you rather they have it. 8pm seems a time when most parents (unless shift workers) would be available (allowing for commutes and feeding little ones)

What time should they have done it? Before 6pm most parents are at work/travelling. 6-8pm families are having dinner and putting kids to bed. 9pm or later is rather late to be doing a meeting. It’s unfortunate your child would not go to sleep earlier but I would say that time would suit the majority of working parents.

Nothing's going to suit everyone but I would have thought 8pm was a good time for most. Any earlier and it would clash more with bath and bedtime, and anytime after 9pm is a bit late.

It’s a video meeting so I don’t see why you can’t attend. Don’t you care about your child’s education?

Schools really cannot win, can they.

Have the meeting during the day, there will be complaints.

Have the meeting hours after the end of teacher directed time and for which the staff will not be paid an extra penny, still complaining!

I think they’re being really considerate, giving up their own time to provide information to parents

It will be at 8pm specifically because this will suit the majority of parents of young children, single or not. Their children will likely already be in bed by then so they are not having to wrangle the child, sort dinnertime and having to listen to the meeting at the same time.

At 8pm, it won't be suiting the staff delivering the meeting as they will be giving up their own personal time, for free, to run the session for parents.

You are quite lucky they use zoom these days. When mine started school we went along to a meeting at school, also at a time that spanned bed time.

this. just attend and turn your device camera off I know it isn't ideal for you but everyone has circumstances that a time wouldn't suit.

The school can’t win, do it in school hours some parents won’t get time off work to attend. Weekendsis family time. Evenings online seems a good idea as most children are in bed by 8pm and can have camera and sound off so you can listen even if children are still up and about.

Sounds like a good time for most and very thoughtful of the teacher to give up their evening. Just turn your mic and camera off if you’ll be child-wrangling.

So what time would you consider reasonable?

I'd be thrilled that a school was thinking of parents who may work full time and couldn't attend during a 9-3 school day!

But yes, listen with camera off, headphones in... or if it really doesn't work ask if the session could be recorded and sent to you.

Welcome to the school years. You have to do things at times that don't suit you because no time suits everyone. How kind that the teachers are willing to work that late for the benefit of new parents. Also know this - some parents of reception kids also have teenagers that have later activities etc. Time to crack out of your bubble and accept that there will be all kinds of families in reception.

Also another thing to consider is that it won't look the best if you don't attend, so if you decide upon this course of action, I'd be emailing the school office with your apologies and reasons. I'd also ask for any power point or bullet points to be emailed to you. Otherwise you run the risk of it looking like you're not engaged with your child's education before they've even started.

Odd to have the meeting before school places have been offered.

There is no ideal time, indeed during the day would be restricting who could attend and favouring those with both parents resident and one working from home.

^This

I'd say at 8pm most nursery children would be in bed and parents home from work, so a reasonably sensible time to catch as many people as possible.

Can you not just have the meeting on your phone/tablet on in the background and listen in with camera off.

You can't attend due to no childcare, would that not apply to any other time as well? Unless they did it during the day when your DC was at the nursery, when most other parents would be working. If 8pm is unreasonable, what time would you say was reasonable?