Parents of prep school kids: I know this is going to sound like pathetic bleating but there is something - probably very petty - that irritates me so much about my dd's school

[huptwothree]

They don't update the sports board ready for the start of the new term

Told you it was petty.

It drives me DEMENTED. Still all the spring term fixtures up. The games teacher is really crap as well which doesnt help.

What does your school do?

No idea. Ds isn't that sporty. Even if he was I'm one of those who wouldn't even noticed

Notice gah

I dont' think anyone else notices except me tbh

I hate it so much I am thinking of taking down the last terms fixture list myself today.

Ds v little so doesn't affect us yet, but we get a weekly e newsletter which include sports fixtures, and at start of each term a little card calendar with major stuff like sports day, swim gala and school trips. They're very organised.

Yes, we get that too - all the prior preperation stuff is great. Its just the bloody board!! I think it is symptomatic to me that the sports teacher doesnt give a shit.

Yes we get texted and emailed regularly including about sports

I hate that too and the fact that the 'What's happening this week' is sometimes not updated until lunchtime on Monday (by which time we could have forgotten something vital).

I asked her to do it last year (3 weeks into the Spring term ). There's a new Director of sport AND A new head and they STILL HAVENT BLOODY DONE IT fans self

DC's prep school was always good at this. You got a calandar at the atart of term with all match dates/times/venues. Although the team selection only went out two days beforehand so you didn't actually know for sure your DC had been picked. You received notification by email.

Yes ours does that too wordfactory. I already know what all the fixtures are going to be as they printed the booklet diary thing 3 weeks ago. SO IT SHOULD BE EASY TO PUT THEM UP ON THE BLOODYBOARD AND TAKE LAST TERMS STUFF DOWN and breathe

hup - write to the HT. Dress it up as timetabling/housekeeping (ie his/her remit).

Say you need a copy of the fixture list at the start of term and team selection asap.

They send out a fixture list so I can't really complain. I am thinking of typing out the list and putting it on the board myself.

The board is in the bit of the school where we wait for our children, it would feel so nice and vibrant if it were updated and cuarrent!

My youngest dcs state primary always have new stuff on the walls.

Told you you should have gone state!

Ours puts the sporting fixtures in the diaries, on the parent portal (which is updated if any change or are cancelled) and on the board (updated on a Monday if anything changes). The children get the team sheets on a Monday and us parents can look for the team sheets on the parent portal from Monday lunchtime when they are uploaded.

It would annoy me if the parent portal wasn't updated (mine are boaders so its good to know what team they have made) but I know the day pupils parents always say the board is updated and once when it wasn't they spoke to the sports master and he stopped signing out children and went and printed the list out there and then and stuck it up.

I would raise it with them, do you have a parents voice group (we have them for each set of year groups, parent rep who gives you their email and brings up anything you don't like or want changing). If you don't have one suggest starting one its a way of the parents interacting with the headmaster and head of pastoral care in a relaxed way.

Oh so you know when the fixtures are...you just wantthem reflected on the board.

Hmmm, I have no idea what's on the board. Could be fixtures goig back to 1874 for all I know. I don't go in and look to be honest.
Pretty sure my DC wouldn't check it unless there were free bags of Hoola Hoops attached to it.

Are you a touch Monica, op? If you do actually know the fixtures but the notice board is just a bit tatty - meh.

It would bother me, especially as I have wasted hours turning up at the wrong field, or the wrong astroturf- no the other one, the one by the adventure playground etc. etc. or even the wrong Olympic swimming pool in the wrong suburb- how on earth was I supposed to know?

DCs school also keeps things secret

They send out a uniform list that bears to relation to what you actually need to buy, and they don't tell you when to switch from summer uniform to winter and vice versa, You only know when you turn up at school to find all the others tutting at your ignorance

There's a code to get on the parental site on the web, and a code to open the doors in each section of the school. But they don't tell you what it is

Rather than giving you the thumbs-up as to which after-school activities tend to be very gender-specific, you are expected to know this by osmosis. If you don't it is of course your own fault when your DS emerges, broken, from being flayed by his classmates for being the only boy in the swimming club.

Eventually of course, someone will show you the secret handshake you need in order to receive such information. Only then, my child, will you be annointed as one of the chosen few.

Bloody hell squiffy that place sounds awful.

I'm totally Monica!

Small village state primaries are no better, you ate meant to know things.
The HT thinks a text at 2.30pm to say please collect at 3.20 not 4.25 is acceptable.

Well actually given I'm a hour and a half up the M5

Are not ate

Ours only a lowly state primary but the website is amazing - always up to date and with everything you need. We also get emails and letters/news sheets weekly.

Squiffy - I think some people enjoy paying pricey school fees for that kind of thing. Makes 'em feel special

At ours, it drives me mad that team selections for a wed match are not on web site until tuesday. They encourage boys to use school bus, so most parents do not pick up from school to be able to look at notice boards.
Next day is not enough time to arrange time off work to go to match.
Humph.
Still like the school though. :)