To be concerned that a Mum from another class is still in our class WhatsApp group?

[ImageNet]

DC's in reception and at the start of the year I noticed a number in the class WhatsApp group whose name I didn't recognise. I assumed it was possibly a grandparent of one of DC's classmates, Anyway, I also felt it was a bit busybody-like to look into it especially as I'm not even a class rep so left it. Fast forward five months and after I posted in the group offering some items for a school activity, the mysterious number messaged me asking if I could pass them one. I joked that I hadn't met them yet and they said that their child is in one of the other Reception classes. I'm not sure what to make of it as although our class WhatsApp isn't very active, some parents do post photos of their children after a party and to me it just feels weird (with privacy concerns) that this mum is still in a class WhatsApp group when her DC isn't in it. My question is: is it something I should mention to a class rep as she's been in the group for almost half a year already. WWYD? AIBU to mention it to a class rep?

I think it's weird @ImageNet because a WhatsApp group is just for class information. Like if anyone has info to share, questions concerning school stuff, residential etc. It's boring stuff and no one posts pics (thank god) so I can't imagine anyone getting something out of it if they are not concerned.

I'm so old we didn't have WhatsApp groups when the DC were in primary school, we had Facebook groups. I really couldn't have named every child in either of their classes though, and certainly not every mum and even more certainly not in Reception when they had just started - I can't imagine seeing a phone number and thinking "Ooh I don't recognise that number, it isn't a mum from Armadillo Class, that's for sure!" But perhaps this is a very small school with just ten children in a class or something.

Im my case it is purely being the class's representative on the PFA and sending reminders to the WhatsApp group about upcoming events like discos and bake-sales and trying to enlist volunteers to run our class's stall at the summer fair etc.

In some places it seems to am official or semi-official link between the school and the class parents. Absolutely not the case at my school.

Class Whatsapp chats are not private. If your child is in a class of 30, you can have up to 60 parents on there. You shouldn't post anything on there that you wouldn't be happy to have sent out in the newsletter.

Is this person on the PA? Often the PA reps are on all the class chats.

Until you answer the question about what you meant by “still” in it, it’s impossible to say if you’re being unreasonable or not.

My dc class got mixed after the first year. I am still in the old class group because I had made friends with some of the parents and we still invite each others kids to things or want to catch up. They also have a newer chat for the new class which I’m not in. There can be as many WhatsApp groups as people like. It’s not like there’s one official chat allowed.
Anyway it’s all the same year so what does it matter?
You don’t know everyone in your own kids class is trustworthy plus they can forward photos etc on to anyone.
I would say PPs are right - stop treating the chat like it’s private, it’s not.

The group will get bloated if people stick around. If your kid is not in the class you shouldn't be there.

Well you're very on the ball, to know ALL the parents of a class! I only know four other parents 😂

At my DCs school, they children have friendship groups between the classes, so maybe "your" group would still be relevant to her, if they have mixed class parties?

Also for stuff like chickenpox and non uniform, the information would be the same? So maybe she just finds it useful having it on there? Either way, I think you're massively overthinking it.

I’m still in the wrong WhatsApp group after they mixed the classes up in August. I haven’t got round to leaving yet. How dare I lurk there, benefitting from all that admin 😂 you people are ridiculous

i wouldn’t like this as well. In our class group our description section, has the name of the mum, dad and child. This is such a great way of knowing who you are speaking to and who’s their child. I don’t see why someone from another class needs to be there?

But if you’re posting pics in a class WhatsApp (why?? Who do they think wants to see them?) you can’t be that concerned about privacy. I mean, they’re only random parents who happen to have children in your child’s class. You don’t necessarily know them anymore than a parent of a child in the other class.

I’d think she was a bit weird. But I wouldn’t be “concerned”. It’s of no interest to me who sees the tedious messages about whether PE day has changed.

In the school I teach, they had an active policy this year that all numbers in the group chat had to be identified as belonging to a parent of a child in the class. If they didn't have a child in the class they were removed.
This is apparently following on from last year there being people entering groups when they shouldn't be.

We have six classes in our year group, the same info is sent out in each one. I can't imagine wanting to be in more that one chat group.

Crumbs, I found the school gates challenging enough, thank goodness whatsapp groups werent a thing when my kid was at school.

OP can you articulate why you are bothered by this? What privacy concerns do you have? Surely if that was such a worry you wouldn't be on the group. Fair enough if it was a complete stranger no one knew, but a woman with a kid in the same year? Presumably someone invited her into the group?

Do you have too much time to overthink stuff? Honestly, if you're taking the time to go down the whatsapp list and look at who's on the group, I would suggest you have too much time on your hands.

Whats app groups arent my thing - I left a work one as half the members were no longer working there and I had never met them.
Anything urgent gets emailed to me .

Fortunately, when my kids were at primary they were not popular.
I did one once to arrange a collection for the class teacher who they had had 2 years running .

I don’t get what your privacy concerns are.

As long as she definitely has a child in the other reception class I can’t see the problem. She could be on the PTA or something and is making sure all classes get notifications etc.

As for privacy you don’t know the other parents from Adam. Just because you have said hello and chatted to them doesn’t mean you know them properly. You also don’t know who they are showing the pictures to or if they are forwarding them on to grandparents etc.

I don’t know who some of the numbers are in our class WhatsApp group and I’m sure some mums are from back before the classes got mixed around.

Doesn’t really bother me though as we don’t share photos (that’s just weird) it’s literally questions like “is it PE today” or “ do they need wellies”

This exactly. If there was different class groups then I’d want to be in both too. People organise days out with the kids, car pooling to school events, school volunteering, nights out. Parents and children get to know each other regardless of what class they’re in so I don’t understand the issue.

I don’t get why you care? School WhatsApp groups should only be about missing school items, homework, school plays etc

When people say someone is reading all of the messages, you only have to open the chat for it to come up as “read”. It doesn’t necessarily mean they are going through each one

This. Yes its a bit odd she's still in it but you shouldn't be posting photos or anything remotely private to your child on that chat anyway so I am not sure what your concerns are?

At the risk of sounding paranoid - any one of those adults on the chat who have a right to be there could be a paedophile or really dodgy in some way that you have no clue about. If you keep everything private and only post about class events such as what time the school fair is etc then I don't see the problem?

A class WhatsApp group isn't really a private space anyway, OP.

As a poster above has said, if there are 30 kids in the class, there are potentially around 60 parents on there - you surely don't know them all very well or where they might be saving/ sharing any photos or info you put onto that group.

I assume the child of the person you are worried about was moved from your class into a different one?

It really wouldn't concern me at all because a) That person is still a parent of a child at the school, not a complete rando, and b) I wouldn't share anything personal there anyway.

This.

Plus our classes are mixed up every year, it’s much easier to have a year WhatsApp group.

We have a whole year whatsapp rather than individual class ones, it’s more inclusive and makes it easier to organise parties and activities, share drop offs and pick ups etc. especially if your child has friends in other classes.

I’d never share anything personal or private on it, though - I’ve never even met many of the other parents!

But how will she find the time to be the busybody she claims she isn't?