What's a class rep?

[wychbold]

My DC have been to 5 different schools, private and state, primary and secondary. I have never come across the concept of a class rep. Is it a common thing? What do they do? [curious icon]

They act as a central contact point for the whole class in my DD's previous school (primary), they arranged get-togethers for parents; coffee mornings, some evenings out. They arrange collections for the teachers. I'm not sure how common it is my daughters current school doesn't have them but the class could well benefit, as we don't even have a contact list with names and telephone numbers of parents!

At ours they organise events like the stall at the Christmas fair, gifts for teachers, reading rota and any in-class help by mums/dads, arrange coffee mornings and socials a couple of times a year, attend meetings with the school to discuss general issues and give feedback, maintain class family name and address lists.

We have them at DD1's school.

We have a committee of mums who fund raise so we hold events, ir the forthcoming one is the summer fair. We have appointed class reps to go round and ask people for help running stalls. Making sure parents know they are to bring in plant cutting, empty pots and so on and so on. We have a newsletter that goes round every Friday asking perents stuff etc but the class rep just gees parents up, signs them up for things, makes sure parents know what is happening etc.

At most of the schools I know the class rep is a pupil who is elected onto the school council. They have meetings about things like improving the school playground, being allowed to do certain things and any other issues important to the children.

Ours are children on school council too. Never heard of any school in our town (or town we lived in previously) that has parents as class reps.

Personally, I wouldn't want a whole-class list of parents' names and phone numbers.

Why not Portonovo? Just curious. I've always had it and never thought there could be anything wrong with it.

Just that we're very careful about who has our phone number. And more to the point, I don't see any need. It just feels intrusive.

In the 10 years I've had children at school, I've never once felt the need for a class list of names/addresses/phone nos.

If I arrange for someone to come to tea, I chat to that child's parent and get their phone no. if I don't already have it. I don't need everyone's no. and don't want everyone having mine.

There was a huge thread about this on another site months ago, and the reactions were really varied - some thought it was normal or useful, others had had real problems with obnoxious parents phoning them to carry on school grudges.

I'm sure the latter is an extreme case, but my gut instinct, and my experience, is that there is just no need for class lists.

I suppose the mothers who aren't usually at the school gates can't just catch another parent and make an arrangement. I hadn't thought about grudges and gossip.

If I need to phone another parent I get a note put into their child's book bag with my number on.

We are ex directory, I wouldn't want all and sundry having our number.