Communication from school?

[PigInMuck86]

What's normal? My daughter is in year one and I am amazed by the lack of communication. In Reception I picked her up from the classroom and was able to change her reading book and read the notice board of upcoming events. Now I collect her from the yard and literally have no idea what goes on. She is been given reading books three levels below where she was in July and her book gets changed once a fortnight. I was give a permission slip to sign and return with money for a trip the next day. We work on a very tight budget and I had to borrow money from my dad to pay. If I'd had a weeks notice I could have managed. She apparantley missed break for misbehaving but nothing was said and has come home with head bumps and no note. I had a meeting arranged this afternoon to ask the school about all this and arranged childcare for my daughter, managed to get the baby to sleep and when I got there was told the teacher had forgotten and was now busy and would rearrange. Thing is childcare is really hard to sort out and I don't want to discuss this with my daughter there as I just won't be able to concentrate. And whos go say the teacher won't just forget next time? Am I'm being precious or is it worth going directly to the head teacher?

Write an email? A pleasant one just asking for clarification onthe points you wish to raise. Explain childcare is difficult. You could ask for lots more notice for a trip. The school will have had to plan it in advance so no reason not to let parents know. Booking changing once a fortnight is ludicrous. Ask what the normal prodcedure is. They should tell you this in a curriculum overview for Y1. Ask why she is on a book she has already done.

Obviously all parents cannot see the teacher at the start of the day or at the end of the day. Ask questions of other parents, who have had children go through the school, to get more information. They are usually clued up. Newsletters home (for the whole school or year group) usually tee up visits and give infomation about the term. Some Heads are better at this than others. Does their web site have info for parents?

Ask what the policy is re playgroud bumps. How serious does it have to be for you to be notified? What is the policy on missing breaks as a punishment? Does your DD know what it was for? Have a look at the school's behaviour policy - it should be on their web site.

The teacher forgetting your appointment is just not acceptable. Send her an email saying this seriously inconvenienced you. She was busy doing what exactly? Usually a parent appointment comes first. Can you not take your younger child along if you feel you need a meeting? (As a follow up to the email responses maybe?) She could play while you chat. Make a list of what you want to ask. Ask for your DD's reading progress/attainment and make the meeting quick and effective by planning what you want to ask.

No to involving the Head at the moment. Try and sort it out with the class teacher first. The Head will expect you to have tried this route first anyway so you may get referred back to the class teacher if you approach the Head. Better to build bridges with the teacher rather than moan about her to the Head in the first instance.