School WhatsApp wildness…

[Fruitbatdancer]

I’ve lost the will to read the school WhatsApp already…
they don’t go back till tomorrow and there already been 30+ messages today.
everyone whinged about no update from school, update sent, then they all whinged about the update. The slagging off (of the actually very good I think) school and staff is wild.
one of the email updates today was on parent code of conduct and it specifically said parents will be banned from school premises if agressive and inappropriate behaviour on social media! Made me lol as then they all bitched about it! It’s the same 3/4 mums.every. Time.

30 messages in and someone just asked if they go back tomorrow 😂

please tell me most parents are also reading this shite thinking ‘how do these people function in their day to day lives’?!

id remove myself but then I’ll be ‘that mum’ 😂

This applies to primary school but the OP is talking about a secondary school group. No kid is missing out because their parent isn’t on a WhatsApp group for year 7!

Be that mum. Life is way too short.

Oh sorry! Completely missed that. It’s a way, I guess, to try and get to know some parents - something that feels harder for secondary but equally feels completely unnecessary at year 7 stage!

There is absolutely no need for a secondary WhatsApp in ordinary circumstances. Remove yourself

we’re 3 days in and there’s still no class WhatsApp. Doesn’t look like anyone is willing to be the one to start it 😄

At our secondary school loads of the parents already know each other and it feels like they just wanted a platform to moan about the school 😂😂

My favourite are the parents who gave knowingly bought school uniform items which are not allowed and then complain when their kids get into trouble! I just feel
sorry for the kids.

Yeah get off asap. Honestly they will be so wrapped up in it they will not notice.

I would honestly question how useful it can be to be on a school whatsapp group with over 100 parents and no identified purpose.

Just leave the group.

If there's anything you need to know, the school will tell you directly.

I started WhatsApp group for my child's year for a two form entry school. It was a big part of fostering a sense of community. The only insistence was that it stayed on topic. All our children except two who moved are going to the same secondary. A couple of people who declared themselves above such things actually joined later because they realised they were missing out. These things are what you make of them. It was especially valuable for bridging the gap between full time working parents and parents who could do the school run themselves. We offered help in times of crisis and with pick ups and drop offs when needed.

I get the feeling you probably live in quite a nice area. This would not pan out in the same way everywhere.

Well I jinxed myself there. 10 mins later there’s now a group 😑

I am always glad my children went to primary school before the times of parents WhatsApp groups. There always seems to be a few toxic parents in these groups who spend all their time complaining!

Wasn’t a thing with older ones, was a thing with younger ones. I didn’t bother. Kids did just fine. I guess I was that parent.

We have a very small group of maybe 5-6 parents whose kids all moved up to secondary from our tiny tiny primary.

I love them all, but fucking hell, they cannot read an e-mail. This week alone they've lost the term dates (on the website), school starting time (on the website), the link to the meals app (in an email), the school ID for the meals app (in an email), and been baffled by the 'black shoes' school uniform rule. They need to take a packed lunch today, which has been checked multiple times.

These people all have jobs.

Never went on one in secondary it’s weird sorry. They are older so should be sorting their own admin not mummy hovering they are not in primary. Plus there are so many timetable variants they group information is pretty meaningless. Leave them to it and get on with your life!

Also the only parents who persist with WhatsApp group for secondary age are the neurotic control freak helicopters parent types.

Had a group with genuine school mum friends of course not huge ones with hundreds of randoms!

I like them and find them useful! They’re also handy for hunting down parents whose children you want to invite to a party/ play date . Much easier than paper invitations which tend to get lost.

I do sometimes wonder how people get through life. The level of disorganisation from some parents is crazy! But it doesn’t bother me unduly.

One of mine is going into year 9 and a parent was asking about study guides for GCSEs! That made me 😳 but they’re just trying to do their best for their child.

I’ve been on them for years and only encountered drama once; when parents stated discussing a particularly naughty child but it was quickly shut down by others.

I've managed to get one DC all the way through school and the other one to sixth form age without being part of a WhatsApp group and I am now part of one for the first time ever - Year 12. The wittering is outstanding. I can already tell it will be uber middle class, stealth boastful, passive aggressive and patronising.

It was a bit useful for finding out who were the parents of ds friends as I wasn’t often at school for pick up to get to know them.
Once I knew who was who, got their details so I could contact them separately, then muted it for a while. Any time I checked back in it was insane.
The day he left primary I deleted it and that was that.
Absolutely no need for secondary to have a group at all! No thanks!

This is for secondary school. I doubt parents will be sending party invitations through WhatsApp for their 14/15 year olds 😂

My son is now in Year 11, and I thank my lucky stars that WhatsApp groups didn't really exist for his school during Infant/Junior school. We had a parents Facebook page for the entire school, and that was it. At secondary school WhatsApp groups cease to exist, because parents aren't so involved.

Mute and delete when it takes up space

You won’t be ‘that Mum’. Nobody will notice or care.

Ours is lovely and reasonable. We have a bulletin group that only reps post to, and this contains key info for the week ahead and last minute announcements. There is a group chat for asking stuff, but having the bulletin group means you don’t miss stuff but can keep out the chit chat.