A whole six weeks without the playground moans!

[sittingatmydeskagain]

Love the school, love the staff, love the children, but I am so looking forward to a six week break from my fellow parents!

This week, every single conversation is about:

"why aren't they doing any work at the moment?" (they are, it's just sports day, school play, all the stuff that makes school fun!)

"my child is soooo stressed about the selective exams for secondary in September, but won't do the tutor's homework, and cries whenever I force him/her to do it" (no comment needed...)

"I'm not sure about next year's teacher - newly qualified teachers won't understand my child"...

I am literally running in and out of the playground at the moment. This is made worse by the fact that I am a governor and so of course should have the answers to all of their moans.

It is like a melting pot of stress and pushy parents, and we haven't even had the school reports yet!

:):):)

For my part sitting

I'm glad to be shot of smarmy governors who's kids get special privileges and who treat all complaints as 'moaning' rather than be willing to see 'negative' chatter in the playground for what it is:

a sign things aren't going so well for the school - be it poor communication, worry over change, lack of information.

I get that in your role parents are likely to come to complain to you - but those are pleas for help (like mine regarding only 54% attaining NC L4 in maths at KS2) - people feel strongly there should be more maths (in my case) or more fruit at lunch, etc...

Sometimes they aren't very important complaints - sometimes they are.

But your job as a governor is to be the friendly voice that tells the school - hey this new NQT thing really has Y3 parents worried - do you think a moving up meeting for parents where they can meet the new teacher might help?

interestingly enough - when we were in this situation it was the governor who complained to me - and I said well in the US they just have the new person come and meet the kids and parents and talk a bit about themselves and what they want to achieve next year. Settles everyone - puts a face to a name. Works a treat.