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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Are you allowed to enter the classroom?

36 replies

Octavia09 · 08/10/2010 11:47

The parents bring the kids to the entrance of the class room (outside) and then also collect them outside. No-one is allowed to come in unless invited to talk about your DK. Not even on Fridays. I was just wondering how other parents manage to see what is going on in the classroom. Is it a common practice or depends on a school?

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frogetyfrog · 08/10/2010 11:48

Common I should think. It would be totally impractical to have 30 parents and 30 plus children in a classroom at once!

Portofino · 08/10/2010 11:51

I'm abroad, but we don't even go into the school in the morning. You drop at the gate. It is possible to pop in and see the teacher though, if you need to.

AliceInHerPartyDress · 08/10/2010 11:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ValiumSingleton · 08/10/2010 11:53

somebody I know who is a teacher put one of those plastic little tyke mini slides at the doorway, so that the parents couldn't come in!!

Well they could have but the message was clear!

cat64 · 08/10/2010 11:55

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zapostrophe · 08/10/2010 12:10

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roadkillbunny · 08/10/2010 12:12

We drop off into the classroom in the mornings, have a chance to speak to the teacher if needed, have a look at work on the wall, check if there is anything in trays that need to be brought home (dd is a right hoarder in her tray and we have had to sit down in the mornings a few times and have a clear out!) however it is a small village school, there are 23 children in the class and drop off spans 20 minuets so it is never all the parents and children at the same time, that would be horrible, also only buggies of very young babies are allowed in the classroom.
I think it is very common for parents to not be allowed to come into the classrooms in the mornings, all the schools where I used to live had the children line up in the mornings and say goodbye to parents in the yard.
I must admit one of the many things I like about our little school is that as a parent I get the chance to see what has been going on in class and see what that days time table is as it is like getting blood from a stone talking to dd about it! The open door policy is truly that, say in the morning you need a chat and you will be sitting down after school that day.

mankyscotslass · 08/10/2010 12:17

Totally normal at our school.

For Reception children in the mornings children are met at the school door by their teacher then are taken in by them.

At pick up parents/carers stand in the playground and wait til the children are released to them.

Year one and 2 the children go in on their own once the door opens, no teacher or anything, but are released to their carer at the end of the day.

Juniors, in the morning they go through the junior gates to the large playground and the parents leave them there, so you don't even see them enter the building! At the end of the day they are only allowed out of the playground if they can see their carer.

DD is YR2 and eldest DS YR4, I've never even seen their classrooms!

Seona1973 · 08/10/2010 12:26

we arent even allowed into the playground never mind into the classroom!! We drop off at the gate and they come out the gates at hometime. If you want to see the teacher you send a note in with your child and the teacher will arrange a meeting.

MaudOHara · 08/10/2010 12:30

We have an outer playground where we wait morning and afternoon - the children then go through a gate into the playground and come out by the door.

Very much discouraged from going in as teacher setting up for day ahead, however can always ring up and speak to the lovely secretary or have a word at the end of the day when the teachers all line up.

Even reception parents not allowed to go in on first day - the children were met by class teacher and their Y6 mentor and whisked away. Sounds brutal but works very effectively.

VivaLeBeaver · 08/10/2010 12:40

We're not allowed in the school now at all. Recently had a letter back saying that they're trying to encorage the kids to me more independent so we're not to go in with forms/reply slips/letters etc but the kids have to take it in. Letetr also said that the teachers are too busy doing admin to talk to parents before or after school. It gave no suggestion of when we could talk to the teachers.

So I've given up. DD isn't going into school one day next week as we have an appt, I've told DD to tell her teacher. She hasn't done and doubt she will. Nor has she handed in her holiday form which has been in her bag for weeks and we go next week. I'm past caring.

Ineedsomesleep · 08/10/2010 12:51

Octavia09, what year is your DC in?

My DS is in Year 2. We have always been able to go into the classroom. Most parents don't now as they are a bit older but a few still go in.

However, my friend's DD goes to the local Catholic school and they aren't even allowed on the premises. They have to kiss goodbye at the school gate, even on day 1 of Reception

RiverOfSleep · 08/10/2010 13:12

In YR, parents (and siblings, gps, etc) are allowed into the cloakroom, and then right into the classroom. Which makes it chaotic, crowded and harder to seperate clingy children from parents.

For the first few weeks of Y1, parents were allowed into just the cloakroom. Which was also crowded.

Now, the children say goodbye in the playground, the teacher is outside/in the doorway greeting them and I find it soooo much better.

DS, who is clingy, goes in without any tears or fuss (Hallelujah!) and tells me that it is much better with just the children. No big grown ups getting in the way.

Original poster

Octavia09 · 08/10/2010 13:13

My DS is in reception. I agree with he posters that say it is impractical because of the pupils, teachers, parents, pushachairs etc. In his nursery school there were about 20 kids and now 30. I will be looking forward to the open days so I could see the classroom again and what has been done.

VivaLeBeaver, you could call the receptionist regarding you DD not coming next week and the holiday form (e.g. may be you could post it). In our school we have a box by the reception room for all the enquiries including money for lunch. So, I guess it could be something similar at your school.

OP posts:

mejon · 08/10/2010 13:36

I take DD (4) into school and help her hang up her coat/bag then leave. Some other parents do the same. It is a very tiny village school though so there's never any problem. At home-time parents wait outside the gate and DCs are allowed out one by one once the teacher has seen the relevant parent.

Lancelottie · 08/10/2010 13:42

Ours has just reluctantly tightened up on this and won't allow parents in school at all unless they check in at the office first.

..and I've just realised I forgot this yesterday and ambled in at the back in search of dilatory daughter. Oops.

VivaLeBeaver · 08/10/2010 14:12

There is a box at school for DD to put letters in, problem is that she never remembers. I'm not posting stuff to them.

asdx2 · 08/10/2010 15:23

Dd is in yr3 we are welcome in school. All classes open onto the classroom, parents take their children into the class and go through into the corridor to offload coats and bags. The first 10 minutes are for settling in the children looking at displays and speaking to teacher if needed. I like seeing what she is doing and checking her drawer for forgotten letters etc.

taffetacat · 08/10/2010 17:13

No, we aren't allowed in. Not to pre school, kindergarten, reception or the higher classes. No space and it disrupts the children.

If you need to speak to the teacher in private, its after school in the classroom once everyone has gone.
There are also Open Days where you can have a good old nose round the whole school, as well as Parents Evenings where a selection of the children's work is left out for perusal in the classroom.

onimolap · 08/10/2010 17:24

We can go in.

It's discouraged after yr2, but still possible if you have a specific reason.

brimfull · 08/10/2010 17:29

we had to take into class up unitl yr 3 when we are now nolonger required
thank god

it was chaos with 30 kids and parents milling around for the 10 minutes
I always felt guilty cos I had to run off and there were the usual paretns that always stayed the max time

we can speak to teacher at gate at the end of day or make appt

Over40 · 08/10/2010 19:28

Ohhhh...... to not have parents in the classroom......bliss! I have parents dropping off in my classroom (Y3/4) from about 8.40 every morning and it drives me nuts...! OK, OK...that's a bit extreme but honestly from 8.50 would be fine as it does give you a chance to get to know the parents a bit so when issues do occur they are easier to handle. The earliest I ever had was a girl regulalry being left at 8.15. I always wondered if the parent thought I was looking after her because I wasn't... I was getting myself sorted.
Don't mind so much at the end of the day but sometimes if I need to get away promptly it can be tricky.
I do agree about the independence point... I have year 4 children whos mums STILL put their coat and bag away, hand in notes and expect me to "check they have eaten their lunch"...

ragged · 08/10/2010 19:30

We can go in if we have a specific reason -- I am usually hunting for jumpers and they ask me to come in if DS is kicking off about something. :(

Goblinchild · 08/10/2010 19:37

Clashes with safeguarding though, all adults within the school building should have come through reception, signed the visitors book and been given a visitor's pass to wear as a badge.
OFSTED get very particular about it.
We have parents in a lot as helpers, parents can ring for an appointment and teachers are in the playground 10 mins before the bell if you need a quick word.

MaudOHara · 08/10/2010 20:44

Just out of interest someone mentioned children being released one by one to an adult at the end of the day.

At our school they are all let out en masse into a crowded playground, then ten minutes later any children still there without an adult is taken back inside and the secretary phones the parent.

But, aren't they leaving themselves open to children wandering off / someone taking a child that they shouldn't - if there was an issue they would not be able to confirm with whom the child had left the school with?

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