Does your school have a proper caretaker? Or do parents have to do this sort of thing?

[RooneyMara]

We have a part time one, apparently.

And this weekend we're invited to come in and help with a parent led cleanup operation, in the grounds - there are leaves everywhere, which I assumed was just normal, and the parents are worried about the children slipping over, which they say is happening a lot.

I feel really uncomfortable about this - we've been there several years and never been asked to help sort out what seems to me to be a H&S issue before.

I feel bad if we don't pitch in, but still, shouldn't this sort of thing be covered by the school or the caretaker - isn't it their responsibility?

I'm prejudiced as he's a knobhead anyway, for other reasons, but still.

What do you think?

i presume the care taker only has a few hours to do the job as it were.

is this perhaps a child led initiative?

and if there are loads of leaves there isnt enough hours in the day perhaps provided for caretaker to clear them up.

It's the parents I think who suggested it and are organising it.

I know - sounds reasonable enough that it might be more than a p/t staff member can cope with, but it's never happened before, and I'm just wondering, if school ought to be doing something like maybe increasing his hours, or getting other measures in place if many accidents are happening.

I don't want to make a fuss but surely, well I just wonder what on earth he does during his paid hours iyswim.

Leaves are dangerously slippery when they get compacted down, if the playground is covered it would be quite a job for one person.

I wouldn't be upset about being asked to help with this. It wouldn't take long with a lot of people.

I presume they want help doing it on a Saturday, during daylight, when the DC don't need to be in the playground? Sounds sensible to me.

Yes iswym. It's no way covered though. In fact I'm struggling to see where these leaves actually are! Unless they are in the woodland bit in which case, they could just section it off for a month or two.

I suppose it is a sensible idea. I just have a grudge against the caretaker and think he ought to be sorting it out, that's probably my motivation.

I think you are looking to say he's lazy and incompetent as well as a nobhead.

I'm suggesting it's a possibility...it's what other people have said.

I'd love to know what the backstory is with the caretaker

There is only so much a part time caretaker can do. Ours cleans, washes windows, hoovers, dusts, sweeps paths, polishes the hall floor and 1001 other jobs in a limited time. Yes it would be great if he could clear up leaves ( a never ending job in our school!) but there are only so many hours he is paid for! We quite often have Parent parties-to paint the fences, dig the garden areas, clean the swimming pool, jobs that just take too long to do. Obviously the school could pay for the work to be done professionally but school budgets are as stretched as everyone elses and if parents are prepared to volunteer then all to the good. For us it is a practical extension of the work of the PTFA, making the school a better place for our children.

DC's school both have caretakers and both are very good. Both schools, however, do organise parent weekend "working parties" to tackle tasks that are a bit bigger (DD's school do an annual pond clean up) - this sounds like it might fall into this category?

I have no idea what caretakers do apart from turn up with buckets of sawdust to put on sick.

We have a caretaker, who does a great job. But parents do get asked to help out with big one-off jobs, like clearing snow. So it doesn't seem unreasonable to be asked to help with the one off job of clearing leaves.

we have dedicated janitors (2) and they deal with jobs like that. Parents have never been asked to clear leaves, put down grit, etc. We are a combined campus school that is used outside of school hours so the janitors are full time.

Also .. just had a thought, that the DC's school caretakers are often about at night as they have to open up/lock up for groups using the school - consequently they don't start till later in the day. At this time of year, how many daylight hours is the caretaker actually working?

Ok, well knowing it happens at other schools makes me less cross. Thankyou

I think we'll go and help, anyway - I will always find anything I can to be cross about when it concerns this person.

Nagoo I can't go into detail as it would probably be libellous, it's quite a serious allegation iyswim but it was an incident a couple of years ago, and tbh I think he should have lost his job there and then.

Grr

anyway...onwards and upwards. Thanks for all the feedback - and yes it probably is a good idea.

Redsky, I think he works first thing in the morning for a couple of hours? and then after school - basic locking up duties, there are cleaners as well, so I'm not sure what else he does. Probably some random stuff.

Before the leaves get wet one person can clean even a lot of leaves up with a leaf blower.