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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

a question to all primary school teachers - what comments do you keep about parents on file

37 replies

mamapetal · 13/07/2012 19:25

I have come home from work and this is what DS(10) has reported - there was a sheet of paper in class today with comments about children in his class. He found his name on the list and this is what it said 'very bright boy, but parents very strange - do things differently'. I am gutted by the comment , it feels like a derogatory remark and I could see from DS face that he was upset by it.

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cormsilkye · 13/07/2012 19:26

I don't think teachers keep any comments about parents on file - how strange.

hockeyforjockeys · 13/07/2012 19:28

It wont be on file - it will almost certainly be informal notes written for next year's teacher so don't worry about that.

It definitely shouldn't be left lying around for children though!

mrz · 13/07/2012 19:29

None

letseatgrandma · 13/07/2012 19:29

It sounds like comments that have gone up from the present teacher to the new one. Obviously such conversations will occur between teachers discussing the new intake, but writing it down and leaving it lying around where the children can see it is clearly not good practice!

Obviously we do not have a file marked 'comments about parents' written on the front...

itdoesnthurttohavemanners · 13/07/2012 19:30

Agree with hockey. How unprofessional of the teacher to leave it lying around! I was given a handover list about kids and parents - it was to help with the first parents' evening, but I kept it extremely private (at home!)

BardOfBarking · 13/07/2012 19:31

agree with the above, sounds like informal hand over notes but hideously unprofessional to have them lying around. I would only ever do that as a conversation, I wouldn't write it down!

mrz · 13/07/2012 19:31

I find it odd that anyone would write such comments down

Original poster

mamapetal · 13/07/2012 19:32

I should say that we are a 'different' family - both parents of different ethnic backgrounds, both older parents, not married. The school he goes to is Church of England and predominately white.

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BelleDameSansMerci · 13/07/2012 19:34

Isn't anyone else wondering what mamapetal does differently?

You know, being "strange" isn't necessarily derogatory.

BelleDameSansMerci · 13/07/2012 19:34

Ahhhh, cross posted! You don't sound strange to me...

mrz · 13/07/2012 19:41

Not sure how that makes you "different" it sounds pretty common really

Sparklingbrook · 13/07/2012 19:42

I think some teachers are strange TBH. I wouldn't worry about it but it's very unprofessional. Carry on doing things differently.

Original poster

mamapetal · 13/07/2012 19:47

Belle - thank you for the nice comment. I don't mind being referred to as 'different' but 'strange'!!

I'm worried about my DS self esteem from the comments he has read - what do I do so this sort of thing does not happen again?

OP posts:

bigTillyMint · 13/07/2012 19:48

You don't sound "different" to me!

And I have never kept notes on parents, nor worked anywhere where they would keep notes on parents.

KingscoteStaff · 13/07/2012 20:11

I bet this was a list of informal comments that the teacher wrote down as an informal aide memoire for her 'handover' meeting with the next teacher. I have just received a very similar list today.

However, it DEFINITELY should not have been left lying around where a child could see it - mine is firmly clipped inside a file. Where did your son find the sheet of paper - was it face up on his teacher's desk or blowing about on the floor?

Anyway, I would much rather have 'rather strange' parents than some of the scary violent ones that I've got coming my way in September...

mistlethrush · 13/07/2012 20:15

I am sure that any such notes about me last year had me down as a pushy, difficult mother of a pfb only. I could see the look of surprise when, having ascertained that loss of golden time was perfectly legitimate (there had been some confusion from the report I got from ds) I said to ds (then 6) that we'd talk about ways to try to not lose it (ie stop talking) the following week

Littleplasticpeople · 13/07/2012 20:15

Agree with others, nothing is kept written about parents formally. However, in handing over to a next teacher it is very common to comment on parents as well asthe children. Personally I would never write it down though, always just a conversation.
You don't sound strange in the slightest btw, at schools I've worked in you wouldn't even get a mention, we always start with which parents are having affairs with other parents

mumblecrumble · 13/07/2012 20:21

Out bloody rageous!!!!!

I would be in school M onday morning demanding to see the head.

Absolutely disgusting, without even considering data protectio etc.

I feel she has disgraced our profession

CouthyMow · 13/07/2012 23:25

Ha! I have seen the comments on my DS's files. If only 'different' was as harsh as it got...

Difficult, knows Education policy inside and out and isn't afraid to kick up a stink when something isn't being followed, not accepting of the school's authority (WTF?! They are MY DC...) are all some of the tamer things written about me on the school's file.

Though they did have to take off the bit where the HT had left a note that said 'pain in the arse know-it-all who won't just let things lie'...

Glad I don't give too much of a hoot what they think of me as long as they aren't packing the classes with 37 DC in Y2 (the one I complained to the DfE about and then the DfE forced the school to split the class and hire another teacher, and the issue that prompted the above comment...) or lying to RIDDOR or falsifying NC attainment levels...

mrz · 14/07/2012 06:23

I can't believe any school is THAT stupid.

CouthyMow · 14/07/2012 13:20

I don't think they expected me to put in a FoI request for the entire files, all 3 at the same time...and they hadn't blanked out quite a few of the names either. Which I highlighted to them as a concern RE data protection...

I wish it WASN'T true, but this is a school that falsely reports an incident of bullying as an accidental fall to RIDDOR, who were involved because it resulted in such a severe concussion that it lasted nearly a fortnight! They are hardly going to be sensible about what they put into a file that they aren't expecting a parent to request to see, are they...

mrz · 14/07/2012 13:23

If a school is willing to falsify reports then I'm surprised they didn't remove any reference to parents ... they really must be unbelievably stupid

juniper904 · 14/07/2012 14:21

We do a class handover and parents will get mentioned, but I keep my notes at home because it would be humiliating to all of they got back into the community- we note on medical needs, parents who have separated in the year etc. no notes go into the pastoral file- they are for personal use.

I was looking through our computer system and found notes that called one mother a nightmare mother with a guilt complex! I was a bit shocked anyone would write that and save it publicly!

MigratingCoconuts · 14/07/2012 14:43

I'm not appalled that comments about parentss are made but i am that they have been left around for kids to see. That should be raised with the school.

The comments about you are odd but I can imagine a situation where a child (or even others within a class) got to read some that was deeply sensitive in nature.

The school should be made aware that teachers are not been careful enough with confidential information within the class.

FallenCaryatid · 14/07/2012 15:07

Nothing on paper I wouldn't be happy for the parents to read.

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