16+ events for parents to attend in one academic year

[Verycold]

This is for two children added up, one at infants, one at juniors. And I am a hypocrite because so far I hasn't bothered me because I've been a sahm. But now I'll be back at work I'm thinking my word, that is soooo much? Why do schools do it?

I think 16 is probably an ordinary number of events when you count everything up. I am a sahm and go to most but if I am unable to, I ask one of the dc's friend's mum to wave to them and tell dc that x's mum will wave to them. Perhaps if no family can go, you could try this?

Is this a recent thing or did schools already do this say twenty years ago?

No, but more parents work now. I still remember my mum not attending the one event at primary. And she was a SAHM. Everyone else had a parent there.

But now I think they put on a lot with the expectation that parents can get to one or two.

A primary by me has a family assembly on a Friday morning, any parent / family / friend of parent can attend.

No one goes to them all. A different class of the older kids 'do' the assembly so it is usually their family that attend.

I have just counted up and this year either I or DP (it has been me 90% of the time) have attended 29 events at DD's primary school. They have a particularly active community programme! This is not counting DS's playgroup where they have a monthly parents' rota on top of all the usual fetes, sports days, end of term shenanigans. And we both work full time. I go to sleep dreaming of diary pages some nights...

This has definitely grown. When I was at infant school we had parents evening and nativity plays - and in junior school we also had sports day. That was it.

I get at least 16 requests per year. I think it is a bit OTT and we usually get less than a week's notice. I never go to these things (work FT) but I don't feel judged. The teachers know I work and really couldn't care less about the end of term assembly

Thinking about it it has even got more since my dd1 was at school, she is 12 now.

I think curlew has a good point.

The existence of lots of events doesn't mean that you are expected to attend every single one.

But it might make it possible for people to be able to attend some, if they have unmoveable schedules.

If there were fewer events then people who could not rearrange their working hours would be less likely to find one that was possible for them to attend.

"I am a shade narked with the teacher who let slip that their last inset day was just a day off for the staff as they did the training over a few evenings. Not the thing to say to a working parent who had to make very complicated arrangements for childcare to cover it."

Probably easier than the child care the teachers had to arrange to cover "a few evenings"......

No Curlew it was a lot easier as the children were with their non teaching parent.

I don't think you need to go to all the events though - we certainly didn't. There was one occasion when I think all the rest of my daughter's class had someone watching and they were then allowed to leave early. My DD was left with her teacher. But I teach, so no flexibility there and DH couldn't make it. I never went to school things, although DH tried, but it was not always possible.

Because teachers are never single parents, Duffy? Or have partners who work lates or nights?