School Receptionists - A Law Unto Themselves?

[ItsAllaBitNoisy]

9.03am this morning I braced myself and rang the school.

ME: Hello, I think I have an appointment with XXX today at 2.30pm, I would like to.. [INTERRUPTED]

RECEPTIONIST: And what's your name?

ME: XXXX, I'd like to...[INTURRUPTED]

RECEPTIONIST: Right. Phone number?

ME: 01...

ME: I'm not sure if the appointment was ever made, as someone was supposed to ring back and confirm it with.. [INTERRUPTED]

RECEPTIONIST: Was this yesterday?

ME: Er no. It was a few days ag.. [INTERRUPTED]

RECEPTIONIST: Is it about work experience?

ME: Eh? No, it's about my child.

RECEPTIONIST: What's your child's name?

ME: XXX. (Giving up trying to speak at this stage)

RECEPTIONIST: Okay I'll get someone to ring you back to confirm it.

ME: No, I want to cancel it!

RECEPTIONIST: Oh? Well I'll get someone to ring you about the appointment.

ME (Speaking very slowly, and a little louder than usual): I RANG TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH XXXXX. THE APPOINTMENT WAS NEVER CONFIRMED AS YOU HAD SAID IT WOULD BE. IF THERE IS AN APPOINTMENT, I WANT TO CANCEL IT.
THANK YOU.

I then hung up before my blood pressure peaked.

-Everytime- I ring it's the same chaos.

She's your typical lady in her 60's who appears to think she runs the entire school. Glasses perched on end of nose type, while she peers over them looking at you.

AIBU to want to throttle explain a receptionists job to this woman? What would you do?

Yeah, I hang around in reception all day stinking asking the receptionists to mind my kids.

So THATS why they are so incredibly rude. I see now.

They are totally right to not let me finish a sentence as I am more than likely a totally shit parent.

I get it now. Silly me.

At one of my previous schools, the main office staff were lovely but the Head's PA, was...not. She answered the phone one day (beneath her, done under severe protest) to a colleague's wife who had gone into labour. She said she would inform him. She did so by putting a note in his pigeon hole

She did get a right bollocking for that one...

FWIW, I can vouch for Bella being an absolute Babe and I would happily have her as either of my childrens receptionists.....AND I would buy her chocolate...

Certainly some school receptionists are a pain and certainly some parents equally so.

Most primary schools don't actually have a receptionist. They have a person who is trying to answer the phone, see parents at the hatch, give first aid, deliver PE kits, messages, lunch boxes etc ad infinitum alongside more serious stuff such as balancing the school budget and organising SS to come and see a child that's just reported a child protection issue. It's a bloody thankless task frankly.

9 am is never the best time to call but it doesn't excuse impoliteness.

If it's any consolation, we have a mardy & puffed up receptionist (secondary).

All the stuff she wouldn't quite dare say to parents? Teachers get the unfiltered force of her, erm, strong personality...

I think there's a problem across the whole public sector with SOME people in these sorts of roles. You know the type, moaning it would be a great job if it weren't for the parents / students / patients /clients /staff etc and acting as if they're do us all a favour by turning up for work and doing a half arsed job.

Invariably they are women with grown up / growing up children who are very bright but resentful of the professionals they service and assert themselves over the more powerless users of the service. I wish they'd got themselves a satisfying career or a job without public contact

Sack 'em all I say and replace them with the wonderful, efficient, kind and sweet people who struggle to work alongside these ogres.

when I took DSs in late today, the woman in the office opened the hatch, smiled at me and said "Dentist?" before reaching for the correct registers to sign them in.

I don't think it's a public sector issue, have met plenty of ruddy officious jobsworths in the private sector too. Mostly when I'm a customer i.e. attempting to give them my money!

Have to say office staff at ds's school are very nice and helpful. But the bursar is a cow. I'm a relatively new governor and have noticed she delights in pretending she's caught people out doing something 'wrong' i.e. not according to procedures she has dreamt up and never told them about in the first place. Yet when I check out what she's claiming, turns out to be rubbish anyway.

I agree there are fab school office staff and vile ones. As there are great parents, shit ones and PITA ones. But I wish they'd realise they are the face of the school- I often have to phone schools as part of my job, and the attitude of some beggars belief.
And heads PAS are the worst- I think their job title goes to their heads. I know one, at a certain private school in SW LOndon, who is so rude and obstructive. When a head has told me to call him...I would expect to be put through. But no.Bloody woman.

If the cap fits Itsalla

Mitts - thank you!

See, some parents live in a little bubble with their kids and think the receptionist is just there to deal with them and them only - NOT TRUE!

At my daughter's infant school we had the loveliest receptionist you could imagine. We had just recently moved to the UK from South Africa and she patiently answered my stupid questions like: 'Where do I buy school socks' Answer: 'At Marks and Spencers' My question: 'What is Marks and Spencers and where do I find it'. I would also get lost and phone the school telling them I'm going to be late picking up my poor little Reception daughter. She was a star - phoning me back to check if I was all right and offering her help. Also dropped stuff off at home for me - I loved her. Who cared if she got things mixed up and lost now and then - she is an angel!!!

Our school receptionist is lovely.
Now, the dental receptionists I have to deal with ... sigh.

Good and bad experiences but I have sorted the bad one at DDs senior school. Man, she was rude! Always, without fail, permanantly bloody ignorant from the moment she opened the glass hatch, having shuffled paper for 10 minutes without acknowledging me, to the moment she slammed it shut without a please, thank you, good morning or kiss my ass!

She caught me on a bad day recently. Having been rude again ("Yes?" "What?" "Hold on!" SIGH!), she put me through to the teacher I wanted to speak to. Now, I'm ALWAYS polite, I can boast that at 45 I still get compliments for my manners. I was not amused.

Having sorted what I needed to with the teacher I told her that by the way, I am sorry to have to say this, but Mrs X is the rudest person I have ever met and all attempts at manners on my part bypass her.

I went into school the next week. Trembling. She swished back the hatch... "Good morning Ms X! Yes, certainly, I'll do that, thank you very much").

Last week she chatted merrily about the weather and even smiled!

We don't have hatches, I think the people that sit behind those perhaps think they are more superior than any one else.

We just have one open plan reception..

Hatches = scary Hitler type receptionists!

Oh yes. We have a hatch.

So the old bat peers over her glasses at you - eventually, and doesn't move, so she can't hear you and makes no move to open the hatch, while you shuffle from foot to foot, eventually she will let the glasses fall on their rolled gold chain around her neck as she shuffles off her chair and makes a huge effort to open the hatch (which only requires her to lift her arm and swing it open from her original position).

She then launches into the "attack mode". How very fucking DARE you come into MY school.

and LOL at asking the receptionist what is Marks and Spencers! She sounds great!

ItsAllABitNoisy, do your DCs go to my DCs school perchance?

Or are there really two receptionists out there like that?

Maybe our receptionist has a twin.... or has been cloned...

Oh, the receptionist at ds school obviously bucks the trend.She is LOVELY.

Valhalla, I am very concerned at the thought of this woman being cloned. It would be the end of civilisation as we know it.

Do you happen to be in North West Ireland? If not then I think we can rule out twins

There must be 3 receptionists like that.

When I go to the hatch, I see her peering up but she just ignores me for about 5 minutes before coming over and saying "Yeeeesss????"

I told another parent that next time I go in if she doesnt acknowledge me, even just a "could you give a mo" I am going to start banging on the glass and constantly ringing the bell shouting "heeellooo, I know you know I am here!!!!"

They also lost my dd's lunch money for the term and insisted (totally patronising I elt) I must have forgotten to hand it in even though her teacher said she can remember receiving it and giving the envelope to the office. She was insistant I would have to pay it again to which I told her I would leave it for her to sort out and wouldnt be paying.

She called me at home about an hour later to say they had found it in a safe with an envelope on top. Her tone was really frosty so I asked her if that was her way of apologising!

Oh, don't get me started! There was a woman like this behind the hatch at my DS's nursery. I knew it wasn't just me because my sister - her colleague - and the rest of the staff feel the same
Later at primary school, when DS was going through a school refusal stage, I had to take him through the office and deal with them every morning of every day.

There are real, live, nicer people working there, even if they're not in very often, so it proves that they don't have to be like that!

We have a hatch. Tis necessary to have a barrier sometimes (for both the sake of the parent and the staff)

Especially the parent who comes in - sees me on the phone, I acknowledge her; make eye contact and she still rings the farkin bell! What's that all about then?

IME you reap what you sow. I'm polite and helpful, I expect parents to be the same.

Sounds like it must be a very hard job, however DS last receptionist in the primary was wicked. I remember her from my old school days. Having to request a new uniform form or informing of unmoveable hospital appointments in school time struck dread into even the most hardened super mummies.

Then we got the new receptionist. Same job, same pay, and she's wonderful! I had to ring DS in sick two days in a row, on the second day she thanked me for calling again on time as she understood I must be busy and tired and wish my DS a speedy recovery.

Now I know you should ALWAYS ring in when your child is ill. But it was so nice to have a bit of empathy and thanks from her. I put her down for a nice bottle of something at Christmas time.

Ooo I like you Teasmaid. Especially because you ring when your child is sick and don't leave it for me to chase you and then huff and puff because I've disturbed you.