Are there parents who know everything about the children in the class?

[Octavia09]

Just another stereotype for the parents who know everything. I remember when I was a school pupil there were some parents who would know everything (ok, almost) what was going on in the class even though some information was kind of confidential (IEP, other things). How do they manage to find out about confidential information? Would this come from another parents or a teacher? I doubt the very young pupils are capable of telling everything to their parents or even understanding many things happening in the classroom.

Those are the one's who are on the PTA or know staff outside school and socially...

I find these people to be very dangerous and think it's generally best to avoid them. I have only just learnt this though and so have spent the first five weeks of reception worrying about things they have said to me about this, that and the other. I think I will avoid them from now on! Also I'm sure it's a case of weeding out some information which is purely heresay.

I barely know the names of half the children in dd's class. I would be furious if details of her autism, her iep's or anything else was made common knowledge tbh.

I used to know a very scary lady like this - she was Chair of the PTA, best friends with the Head and got her DD moved into a different class knowing in advance that the young teacher who was going to be teaching them next year was awful.

She knew everything about everybody, parents and children alike. I bloody loathed her and the feeling was mutual as I was one of only a few mums who didn't sign up to her fan-club.

Most of the other parents used to flock around her like she was some kind of celebrity.

[puke face]

ValentinCrimble I am on the PTA and do not have access to confidential information. We talk about fund-raising and crap husbands. And cake.

Yes, definitely. I've told the story on here about being at a party and a friend of mine whose child goes to a different school about 10 miles away, congratulating me for something DS1 had done, that I hadn't revealed to anyone (I'm a WOHM so rarely do the 'school gate' thing).

A mutual acquaintance (friend of hers, fellow mum at DS1's school) had told my friend all about my DS1s reading, in more detail than I actually knew about it. Amazing.

I know a lot about the children in my daughters class, but only because I'm a TA in the school now and have volunteered for yonks.

I say nothing to anyone about other people's children though. It would be HIGHLY unprofessional, to say the least. I try not to talk about the kids I work with to anyone...unless they too work at the school.

I do know of parents who 'help out' just to find out more about their kids class and I find it a bit distasteful tbh. Not all parents who help out do it for this reason though ime.

IEPs and other confidential information should not be available to any parent (unless they also happen to be the teacher) and staff should not be discussing pupils with them in or out of school

I'm a parent governor, was on the pta committee, and help in the classroom with reading: I haven't a clue about IEPs or anything else confidential about the children in dd's class (or any other)

I do know their names, some of their pets' names, what their favourite jokes are, etc...but nothing they haven't told me.

Its like everything else - it all depends on the individual school, parent, TA, etc.

I know a lot about the children in my youngest's class, because the parents seem to want to compete on every level, if they can't say their child's the best reader, they have to be the worse reader, to quantify worse reader, it will be because they have an IEP that states x, and they are on band x.

Of course if their child is the best reader then I get told this.

And this is the case over every little thing.

Drives me insane. Even if I try to change conversation.

My oldest child I hardly know any of the children, let alone what their ability is. Parents very uncompetitive, normal rounded individuals.

I'm a parent who knows 'everything' about one of the classes in my DD's school but only because I am the teacher of that class!

Do I know everything about the children in my DD's class? Nope, and nor would I want to. I like being able to say to the parents of her peers, "oh, I'm afraid I don't know anything about that incident/topic/reading book/blah blah because I only know about my class".

I don't even display literacy/numeracy groupings on the wall in my classroom because I don't want random adults viewing such things (and because I change the groupings by genre/topic according to each child's performance).

Some of it is done by shameless guessing and all the tricks employed by Victorian Mediums IME. There is a complete uber-mum at our school (who is also very dedicated and helps with reading etc. etc.) She had a conversation with me before DS started at the school telling me all about how the school deals with children like my DS who can already read on school entry etc. etc. I know for a fact at that point that DH and I were the only people who knew DS1 could read, so she was guessing/bluffing.

Whether she does it with everyone or only with likely candidates I don't know, but I expect it yields her simply loads of information.

I know a lot because I volunteer regularly in two classes and am on the PTA, and am generally observant. If you are around school a lot during the day you do sometimes come across confidential information (eg one day I heard someone walk into Reception and say I'm the Dyslexia teacher to see XYZ in Yr 2, there is only one child called that in that year, therefore I know she is dyslexic). But you have to be VERY VERY careful indeed not to break confidentiality, I do not mention anything I hear when volunteering in school AT ALL to anyone. When XYZ'z mum, who is a friend of mine, told me she was dyslexic I pretended I didn't know.

I would add that I do not know who is on IEPs unless that parent has told me as a friend, although I could make a pretty good guess in DS's year.

Spies. Clever spies, poor spies.
Mums/dads do not seems to bother me with the questions about the progress of my DS yet. Usually they ask how is he doing? Is he eating his lunch? Nothing academical. I myself is curious whether there are other kids who can read but that it; I do not ask about it, just wonder. I am very impressed by the children in the reception year who have mastered phonics and can read books.

Also there is no time to gossip unless you come 10 - 15 minutes earlier. Most of the parents come within the last few minutes but there are some who seem to be always there chatting, lots of chatting. Who knows, may be they have innocents chats. Nothing about my DS. :)