Can parents email teachers at your school?

[OvernightOats]

A recent Ofsted inspection at my DCs primary school highlighted that parents would like improved communications. A parent-survey followed, which indicated parents would like to be able to communicate with teachers using email. However, the school responded that teachers don't have the time to do that during class.

How common is it for teachers to use email communications, and how does it fit into their working day?

I agree email is easier than phone calls. But then I don't have parents phoning me either! Don't see why they would need to, as a class teacher.

Primary - difficult. I can email the head because she's a personal friend and we do stuff outside school together - but I very very rarely do about school stuff. Probably less than once a year. I can email her PA about school stuff though, and do.

Secondary 1 - again, I know a couple of teachers outside the school context, one of them teaches my DD, the other doesn't. I can and do email a couple of the subject teachers (she's in the 6th form) about school stuff, one more than the other because it's a subject where there are sometimes plenty of things to discuss (music - they like to be kept up to date with what DD is doing outside school and she does quite a bit). I have in the last year had quite a lot of email correspondence with the head and a bit of correspondence with the head of 6th form about DDs medical treatment, and about authorised absences from school (for performances and courses). I always feel really uncomfortable doing this but they have actually been hugely encouraging.I hope that I won't need to have nearly so much correspondence about DD2 when she goes there, because for a start I hope she won't need frequent hospital visits - but I already know there will need to be some contact about authorised absences for performance stuff for her too and the head has already assured me that this is actually welcome. We'll see. We've also had email contact with the SEN co-ordinator over the years and this will continue since DD2 also has SEN issues. The school is aware that for us email is better than phoning since I travel quite a bit with my work and they can be sure of getting me by emailing and not so sure if they phone.

Secondary 2 - DS - some email contact with his SEN mentor, a small amount of contact with his music teacher. No social links at all (except for his peri instrument teacher).

In the small secondary school that I teach in, both parents and students can email me. I much prefer it to having to call parents as I can return their query without having to call several times in the school day when often the parents are unavailable (and I won't call out of office hours). I also means there is a record of communication with the parents.

Students email me work, especially useful for assessments as I instantly have an electronic copy. I can also email students (only on their school email address) to remind them about homework, send revision resources or weblinks etc. Works well in my school.

Secondary
We have email address of every teacher on website . Teachers sre very good at replying quite quickly.

No e-mail contact with primary, the teacher encourages popping in at the end of the day. have had occasion to e-mail secondary school once or twice and received a reply within a few hours.

Ahh
You sound lovely Troy.

What a sweetheart.

I have no problem with parents emailing me (Primary) but our policy is to email the office and they forward it on. I also think it is unreasonable to expect a reply during the evenings or weekend, although I am often working, I may occasionally like to switch off and should be able to.

Yes parents have my email address & I check it several times a day. I can email my daughter's teachers (sec) but only the office at my son's primary school. Someone drops him off each day though so if he can't remember to ask/tell them something then whoever drops him off can.

Iggi I don't have lots of parents phoning me but I can think of a few times each year when i get a phone call. Mostly it's about homework, sort of an "x found this homework really hard but wouldn't show you a note or talk to you directly because she thinks everyone else would be able to do it easily and she's embarrassed", which is easily addressed as "everyone found this difficult, don't worry, we'll be going over it again in class" or "I'll speak to her and explain again". Or about tests "Y didn't perform as well as expected on that test, what can we do to support him in preparation for the next one".

Secondary
We have email address of every teacher on website . Teachers sre very good at replying quite quickly.

Secondary
We have email address of every teacher on website . Teachers sre very good at replying quite quickly.

I think as a working lone parent in a clinical role (so unable to come to the phone for large portions of the day) doing drop and run in the morning and only collecting once a week from the class if I couldn't use e-mail to contact teachers and they couldn't e-mail me our communication would be virtually nil. I would appear to be a disengaged parent.
In fact I am very engaged just my life is busy and complex through no choosing of my own. E-mail allows the teacher to reply at their leisure and the same for myself. I can grab 30s to answer an e-mail between surgeries whilst grabbing a cup of coffee, but I am unable to liaise and be available for a phone call at a specific time as an emergency could come through the door and I have to deal with that.

When emailing any member of the English department, I find myself reading through my email and checking sentence structure and grammar before sending it. Does anyone else do this, or is it just me? Any other subject teachers just get sent the first draft.

Secondary yes, primary no.

Secondary replies within 48 hours, primary teachers are very easy to get hold of before and after school so not necessary.

Yes, absolutely, and it works both ways - eg if DD1 is struggling with something, her teacher will email and say what it is and ask if we can go over it with her at the weekend.

Troy

Our emails are usually of the "Why did my DD not get chosen for the school play and X did?"

or "Why is X on Level 5 reading book and my DC isn't"

It's trivia beyond belief in my case, believe me

Primary - We have always been given email addresses for the teachers and it is used as an effective form of communication. We have weekly updates from the form teacher plus deatils of homework and reminders of trips/activities.

I use it to notify them of any music exams outside of school and to let them know when i'm working away so that they know who's collecting DS.

Secondary - Email is sent through the school office and gets forwarded immediately. On the one occasion i needed to speak to DD's form teacher, she was on the phone to me before DD had even arrived on the school bus (i'd only emailed late the night before).

I have the email address of one of the heads of department (as we recently had an ongoing correspondence) so i could probably work out all the other teachers email addresses.

Dh and I both work so we use breakfast and after school clubs. If there is a message to pass on or a question to ask, it is much easier yo drop a quick email than write a note. I email the teachers frequently and usually get a rapid response.

We are at primary and every class has a blog. Today the reception teacher posted a maths challenge for the children to do and I have emailed some photos of DS doing it (finding different numbers round the house). She has already put them on the blog, along with lots of others which people have emailed in. It's great and works really well. Didn't expect her to be doing it on a Sunday though!

Secondary - Yes because it takes me much less time to e-mail than it does to call and I don't have to keep ringing until someone is in.

I can fire off responses in between classes and at break so most parents get a reply within a few hours - never longer than 24 except at weekends.

Yes I can email at primary & have done so on several occasions.

Not so easy at secondary. I have an admin email address & messages sometimes go astray.

Deverethemuzzler

"This reluctance to allow effective communication is ridiculous and at odds with the the way parents are being expected to be fully engaged with their child's education."

Some parents take it to extremes though, I have had parents try to take over my life through emails. When you get 50+ emails a week from the same parent and have to get SLT to request that they

1/ stop emailing you about everything in some cases over and over again
2/ stop demanding an instant response
3/ stop emailing to demand an instant response.
4/ (after many many emails) to stop being abusive.
5/ get the police involved because its now harassment.

Its not a good thing.

At the infant school I work at parents have no direct email for teachers. It goes through admin.

DD's independent primary - again no direct email to teachers. Go via main office.

DD's independent secondary - as above.

Infact I have never been involved with a school that does have direct email with teachers.

Have to say though never had the need tbh. DD's primary and my infant school have a fairly open door policy with teachers available for brief chats just before and just after school, and by appointment for longer chats.

My personal concerns:

• how soon would parents expect a response?

Teacher could not be answering emails during the school day. They are busy in class teaching, on duty, prepping their class, tidying up, marking, planning, etc. They also are busy before and after school with planning, prep, assessment, meetings, report writing (of various forms)etc.

So reality - will be in the evening, in their own time generally. But they may not check their email daily if it is a busy week or they are doing something after school.

Would the expected response time be immediately, within an hour or two, same day, next day, within the week?

Primary No

Secondary Yes

Did surprise me when I got a reply to an email at 9pm on a Sunday night