Parent Helpers in school

[QuickWash]

Does your school allow/encourage parent helpers in school time? On School trips? For clubs or activities?

Our school has a large proportion of commuting and working parents and therefore not many offers of help, and we’d like to encourage more volunteering if possible but unsure what the motivators and obstacles would be. I find it difficult to help in school hours due to younger kids but would like to help more once they’re in childcare.

Our school does - mainly for trips but very occasionally for classroom support as well. I think they suss out who is a sahp/part time wohp and then ask them directly. Seems to be better than asking for help via text or newsletter as it’s harder to say no if asked directly. Then the same ones get asked next time.

My DS's school does. When a letter comes home about a trip or special event in school, they ask parents to let the teacher know if they can help. My DS is in reception and they've so far asked for parents to help accompany a full day trip, two short local trips, and also volunteers to go in as secret storytellers during reading week.

Our school has a policy that you can’t help directly with your child’s class or group which obviously means a lot of parents are excluded/our off which I think is a shame but they say is fairly standard policy

That’s not a policy at our school by any means. We have teaching assistants working in classes with their own dc as they pass through the school. Most parent helpers help with their dc class.

Our school used to use a lot of parent helpers, but not so many now that the SLT has changed. Definitely no policy about not being with your child's class - as above - notes about school trips come home with requests for parents to accompany them.

I would say that one of the most important things is treating parent helpers with a bit of respect. (read the current thread about how volunteers are treated for an idea of why) In the past at our school it was fine, but the current SLT (and in particular the school administrator who organises everything and likes to think she is SLT) are downright rude to parent volunteers. We get a lot of shirty, guilt-inducing messages now if they don't have enough helpers for things, but never a thank you when parents do give up their time to help.

It's quite telling that the book fair is this week and they have P6&P7 pupils manning it because they didn't get enough parent helpers - I know several who said they couldn't be arsed being spoken to like 6 year olds for an afternoon so weren't doing it this year.

(I couldn't help out as had prior commitments and were only asked last week. I probably would have done otherwise, but not for as many sessions as I maybe would have offered for in the past.)

Our school asks for volunteers but you need to have a dbs check in place and aren't allowed to bring younger siblings which rules out quite a few SAHPs and any WOHP You aren't allowed to read with your child's class but can go in trips. Governor and PTA man teas and coffees at events if no staff are available.

I look after my grandson one day a week, he is in nursery going up to reception in September, my daughter lets me know if they ask for help and if I can I help out, last time it was was walking to the local library and back. I will be going to help with Easter decorations soon and accompanying the Easter Parade.
I enjoy the helping and I can then give my daughter feedback, which helps her feel involved (works full time).

Gosh yes, to the extent that every trip needs to be names in a hat and school need to do a rota for parent helpers. On one hand it’s great that so many parents are keen and available to help. However, it often means that those parents who are an excellent resource ie the ones who grasp confidentiality and are happy to muck in wherever rather than just observe their own child all day need to make way after a couple of terms to allow others a chance.

I proactively volunteered once my youngest was in preschool and have been hearing readers in the same class for a few years. DD happens to be in that class this year, doesn't seem to be a problem, they just don't give me her group.

This year they decided they would like more helpers so put a note in the homework sheet one week and now a few of us parents do it. The school have a system of asking reading helpers to do either an hour first thing or an hour last thing, so it's really easy and convenient if you're already doing the school run.

Another school I know send out letters every year asking if anyone would like to volunteer, availability (weekly/particular day/occasional etc) and any particular skills. They made a volunteer bank from that and DBS checked them, then when a trip came around they'd ask if anyone from the bank was available. Or those who could do regular slots might help with changing library books, reading etc.

Another school we looked round had a "grandparents" session where grandparents and others were invited in to read with the little ones. While plenty of kids didn't have local gps those who were were more likely to be not working than parents.

DH's old workplace had a scheme where they'd send volunteers to the local school for an hour once a week for reading or maths.

Catkins - that’s a great idea! I do wonder how many older people there are around who would really enjoy the contact and activities but don’t feel they can volunteer without a direct link to the school?

It’s interesting that some schools have rules about not reading with your own chold’s class and others don’t. I tend to think either you can act discreetly and sensitively or you can’t and if you can’t then you shouldn’t help out and if you can then why would helping your child’s peers be a problem?

The ‘bank’ idea is good so people are DBS cleared in advance, and the specified times may help people know what they’re signing up to.

Above all though if they want volunteers, they should ask for them. Lots of parents have skills or time we would happily offer, but tend to think schools have everything covered or "but they wouldn't want me".

At my dd’s Primary, there was a blank timetable where you could add your name and come and help in your child’s class. Some peop,e did it every week, some much less. Also, you could take pre-school children with you.

I’ve worked at a school that had a reading session on a particular day every week at 9:00 so parents could stay and listen to children read. It was less pressure for the less confident parents. And the parents are there already so it’s not as inconvenient.

For a school trip, out of 30 children, probably 20+ parents volunteer each time. So some parents volunteer every trip from YR-Y6 and never get chosen even if the school never chooses the same parent twice. This causes a lot of angst and disappointment.

Our Head encourages parents to come in and volunteer. Every volunteer has a DBS check.

It usually means being assigned to a particular class (not your own child's year group) and having a regular time slot each week so that the teacher can plan for it. Volunteers usually listen to readers or do smaller tasks that will free up the teacher's time a bit.

If there aren't enough staff to cover school trips, the teachers will usually ask parent volunteers if they can help out. Again it would usually be with a different year group to your own child's class but I've been asked to help on a few of DD's class trips.

I've been volunteering for a couple of years now but probably wouldn't have put myself forward if a teacher hadn't suggested to me in the first place. I was definitely in the category of "But why on earth would they want me?"