Schools engaging with working parents - any creative ideas...?

[Pheckwittageisms]

Hi - I'd love to know if there are any (state) schools that do this well? If so, please please please tell me what they do well and how they achieve it. I'm approaching insanity with the ridiculous number of meetings/info sessions/assemblies during school time which I can't attend because it means taking a half day off to be there for 20 minutes at a time. If I was going to everything timetabled for the next 2 weeks for both children, I'd practically need a holiday from school in order to go to work. Guilt and upset children aside, there is a fundamental lack of appreciation for what it's like to try and juggle this stuff as a working parent and although I'd dearly love to be there more (and this is all positive stuff they're doing), I can't manage it on top of trying to coordinate school hols as well. now that I've had my toddler tantrumI'd like to make some positive and creative suggestions rather than just rant, so just wondered if anyone had good/creative experiences to share? Inspire me with your wisdom! Thanks so much.

As much notice as possible. My friends school issues a calendar at the beginning of the year with key dates and times. So parents evening (actual evening and not just until 5pm). Plus Christmas play, Christmas and summer fair. Sports day. Stuff like that.

Ours tells us a maximum of two weeks in advance.

I appreciate there can be a halfway between the above, and somethings happen at short notice.

Our school uses text messaging a lot. So given we are a rural area and reception is very bad, it is very common to receive a text at 3pm telling you a club has been cancelled and please pick your child up at normal time (3:15).

Thanks so much - it's clearly a frustration for lots of people. Thanks for the suggestions!

I don't get the short notice tbo. If I was planning a big event and expecting lots of people to come, I would expect to give a couple of months notice. They start rehearsing for the Christmas play at half term but don't issue dates until two weeks before (sometimes the week before).

Re parents evening I would like evening slots (so after 6pm). My friend would like just after school (young children and no evening childcare ). I like the option of slots 3:30-6pm one night and then 5-7:30 the next.

If it hasn't been mentioned already, My Child at School website is great, and possibly the only way to find out if he is arriving on time, how is he behaving (the school puts notes in it), etc.

Get rid of bloody Parentmail!

With 3 dc at 3 different schools, I used to get bombarded with Parentmail emails, usually one line messages telling me to read an attachment (or, worse yet, to log into Parentmail to read a letter from the school). Often the attachments were one line long (why could they not have been the body of the actual email?) or it was unclear which child it referred to, or even be completely irrelevant to my child's year group. If you must use a middleman, at least put the school name and year group in the subject field!

And I'm trying to access it on a frigging mobile device!

Our school have been massively better this year re notice of events after feedback to the school via PTA. We now have a term calendar and detailed event info on line - our school do tons of fab stuff, but most parents work so it's critical. We get a detailed brief re any event / requirement 2-3 weeks ahead as a minimum. It can defo be done - out school is huge dooes help to get stuff out there early.

It's tricky to please everyone though. In our area there's many single parents with smaller children to, or as in my case a partner who works away, for whom daytime really is best and evening meetings close to impossible.

Coupled with childrens performances, assemblies, etc tending to actually be while they're in school. Ours doesn't do parents coming in for star of the week assembly but I know many do!

Very few people won't be pleased by dates being fixed and communicated early. The only problem with that is if the dates get changed, and that should happen as little as possible.

Oh I agree with that. We get a termly letter with dates in for the really important things thankfully.

Our school is brilliant in doing the calendar at the start of the year, sports days, productions and family assemblies are all on it. With 6 months notice it's generally pretty easy to shuffle work a bit, so you don't have to take a full day of leave for an hour at school.

They spread things through the week, so production is on mon and wed (and you can choose which suits), sports day tues, family assembly thurs, fete fri. Apart from the fete, everything moves each year, for part timers (like me) this means some things fall well and other things I have to book time for, but there's never a ridiculous amount on the same days.

I wish there were fewer non-uniform/ bring something in days though. I generally manage to remember something for them, but there's always a few children still in uniform/ without objects and it doesn't seem very fair for them.

School calendar should be available online & printable. Preferably compatible with Google calendar so parents can have view.

Everything school expects parents to pay for should be available via parent pay or some such system.

All dates available far in advance, preferably 4-5 months as working parent often has to book everything that far ahead.

All mufti days & trips in class/school calendar as far in advance if possible. Offer weekly newsletter with reminders.

Put all of your info in one place. We get termly newsletters two or three weeks into the term! Weekly newsletters, weekly learning updates, dinner order forms and the school calendar and between all of those you get everything but you have to proactively hunt out the info and cross check it.

Add into that at least 4 emails a week and it's a minefield.

I know of some schools where they hold two parents' evenings per class, one at 3:30 to suit those who cannot get babysitters later on, and one at 6:30 (or whenever!) to suit those who work. Means teacher has to do two separate slots, but I guess is only seeing the same number of parents.

It also means the teacher works two 12-14 hour days in school and may have child care problems of their own. Which is why there isn't a simple answer to the issue.

Lots of notification helps - just for planning if you can be there

Offering a telephone call may be easier for some for parents evening

Ds's school is pretty good - the calendar for the year is online, they keep things updated on there, and all letters are there too. Parents evenings start after school and go till 7, happy for children and sibs to attend.

My only complaint is that sometimes its not quite clear what something is - mothers day sale was on there, but no explanation as to what was needed

Our school does most events with parents at 2pm in Wednesday. Pretty impossible if you work. Those of us who work are going to suggest they have some 8:55am on Friday. They might even get some dads turn up at that time!

My DC school is run on basis that it is the 1950s and there is a parent (mother) sitting at home ready to produce fancy dress ,baking or whatever at virtually no notice for thing that they knew about weeks if not months before

DD's school now does 2 meetings, one at the end of the day, and one at 6pm.

Parents evenings are also over two days, with and early session, and a late session. I work in a school, mrz and I find the later sessions easier to manage as I can collect DC, go home, sort out the babysitter and go back to work. Working over after school club closing time,is the worst scenario for me as I have to find someone willing to collect/feed DC.

They used to to 9am SEN "coffee mornings" once a month, always on Mondays. Because parents of SEN DC don't work on Monday mornings.

Schools in the UK need to get with the times. I had my dcs in schools in California and they offered assemblies and meetings virtually to parents. So I use to log into a meeting sat from my desk at work for - it was into closed virtual parents meeting and it was great being able to 'dial in' from outside. The meetings used to be moderated so I could send my questions in on the side chat forum and get my questions answered.

Rangirl - same at our school!!!

In fact I spent the weekend constructing a costume

I teach in primary school in NI. We offer parents a choice of interview slots. We do two weeks of before school sessions-8.30-8.45am. One week of afternoons-3-4.30pm and one late night when that afternoon session runs on until 8.30pm. Then the kids move on to post primary and both my experiences were of the "come or don't come" option! With many teachers not offering a (5min!!) slot at all-"you're doing OK mini turd so I don't need to see your mum". I had no idea how far apart we were in terms of set ups!! And the most vocal parents who would I insist on a double slot on a specific day would accept their 5 minutes from the grammar gracefully....almost gratefully!

My DH and I work from home and if they call and get him they always ask to speak to me Why ?