What is a reasonable amount of notice to request?

[nappyaddict]

Last Friday afternoon I got a letter sent home saying it was parents evening today.

On Monday evening I got a letter sent home saying it was Harvest Assembly on the Wednesday at 10am.

I want to bring it up with the school that these are just not reasonable amounts of notice and they always say how they love it when parents come to school events. Well more parents would come if you just gave us more bloody notice.

I unofficially know when the class assembly is but who knows when we will get a letter for that and god forbid the Christmas play and carol service!

What's the minimum amount of notice you would be happy with for these events?

I would like as much notice as possible. Schools normally know the dates of events well in advance, but often do not like to send out any info about them till all the details are sorted out.
I would prefer it if they said well in advance for example that the Christmas play will be on Wed 15th Dec, more details nearer the time. At least then some working parents may be able to plan their work around it rather than find out the week before. My partner travels a lot for work but can sometimes arrange to be working from home if he knows in advance.
I think some school staff have never been in any other industry, so have no idea how far in advance some people have to book time off or how flexible other people s work can be with enough notice.

This really used t bug me when my DCs were at primary school. Not only did we get minimal notice, but parents "evenings" in fact ran from 3.30 - 5.00! That's afternoon in my book, not evening! I would mention to the school that you would really appreciate a bit more notice as you would like to arrange your other commitments to support your DC. I agree nickname, many school staff have never worked anywhere else and don't appreciate that the majority of the working population can't down tools mid afternoon at the drop of a hat!

I've always found the short notice infuriating, not just events but "can your child come dressed as a teletubbie/worzel gummidge/cowardly lion - tomorrow.... . The worst of it being that teachers probably the hardest job of all getting time out to attend their children's events if they're at different schools, so you think they'd try a bit harder to give more notice.

Ours do really well - they send a letter home at the start of term with all the dates for that term on, for all assemblies, mufti days etc. The only ad hoc things are things organised by the kids - for example we've had 2 cake sales this half term for charity, instigated by Y6 and Y3, those we get a couple of days notice. I can't see why most schools can't do something similar.

Marlinspike I did work somewhere else before I became a teacher but always managed parent's evening by getting the last possible appointment and I'm afraid I only ever attended one of my son's assemblies (by virtue that I was on maternity leave) As a teacher I've never had the luxury of attending any events at my children's schools ...

I also worked somewhere else before teaching.

Any teachers on here, how much notice do you give? Or is it down to the office, not the teacher?

You need to go through the head and the governors, so that time limits can be agreed and set at a staff meeting so that everyone in the school is using the same guidelines.
We have harvest, INSET, parents' evenings and Xmas plays etc on the year planner in September.
Trips have to be notified to parents in the term before, at least 6 weeks notice for cash.
Pressure to make the school get its act together and stick to dates and times.

WE just got our calender for the next half term up until Christams with all major events on. There are a couple of bigger events that we have known about for longer. We also just received 2 weeks notice for parents evening.

I would hate it if we got as little notice as that.

We gave 6 weeks notice of the week parents evenings would be (and asked parents which of three timeslots they would prefer), and then 2 weeks notice of actual appointments.

Nappyaddict, please let me assure you the information getting out late will be nothing to do withthe office, but due to the fact that some teachers think everyone is psychic. In my school we in the office are invariably the last to know, I got told on Friday by a mum at 2.20pm that Assembly was starting early this week at 2.30pm!! Parents knew but we didn't.