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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

week 3 no locker will I be 'that' parent if I phone to see if they will get one?

36 replies

TheEndOfTheWorldAsIKnowIt · 12/09/2014 10:30

Hi, dd started high school last week, she has settled in really well but is exhausted. She has Pe twice a week and has to carry her full Pe kit, shorts ,t shirt, tracksuit, trainers, towel, shin pads, two pairs of socks and gum shield. She also has her school bag with equiptment for four other lessons and both bags together are very heavy for an 11 yr old to be carrying around everywhere all day including lunch time.
We were told they would be given lockers so they would only need to carry both bags for the morning/afternoon depending on when the lesson was but this hasn't happened yet.
Would I be seen as 'that parent' if I rang to ask if they will be getting a locker ?

OP posts:
KleineDracheKokosnuss · 12/09/2014 10:31

I would definitely ask. carrying heavy bags around can cause severe damage (I cite my own back and lopsidedness as evidence).

flipchart · 12/09/2014 10:32

Why can't DD ask her form tutor?

Original poster
TheEndOfTheWorldAsIKnowIt · 12/09/2014 10:36

Thats what im worried about kleine
Flipchart she has asked her form teachers (she has two on a jobshare)mr x says ask miss y on Monday and miss y says ask Mr x on wednesday [hmmm]

OP posts:
MassaAttack · 12/09/2014 11:32

My experience of lockers is that children have so little time between lessons or between school finishing and catching the bus that they never use them. I guess it depends on how large the school is, though.

Original poster
TheEndOfTheWorldAsIKnowIt · 12/09/2014 11:47

It is quite a big school and she wouldnt have time between lessons but if she has pe in the morning she could put her kit in the locker before she goes to lunch or get it after lunchtime registration when she has it in the afternoon. She walks home so no rush to catch a bus.

OP posts:
Coolas · 12/09/2014 20:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Hassled · 12/09/2014 20:24

None of my DCs have ever, ever used the locker they've had - it's always at the wrong end of school, or too much faff, or they won't have time to go back and get the PE kit if the lesson before is in the Science Block, or something. There's always been a something.

So by all means call, and you wouldn't be "that parent", but don't be surprised if it's pointless.

mychildrenarebarmy · 13/09/2014 06:41

Ours will be getting theirs "soon" according to DD's form teacher. No idea when soon is though. I am planning to give it another week and then get in touch.

lordnoobson · 13/09/2014 06:42

Agree re lockers. I'm interested in the towel thing. They shower?

ScrambledEggAndToast · 13/09/2014 07:42

My DS hasn't had his yet, apparently they are sorting them over the next few weeks. When I asked, it was because when the year eleven's left they had to sort out and remove stuff from some lockers and break locks off others where the keys had been lost. The year elevens have been gone since May/June fgs!!

lordnoobson · 13/09/2014 07:42

Agree. Our lockers all done in June. School just lazy

Original poster
TheEndOfTheWorldAsIKnowIt · 13/09/2014 10:28

I rang yesterday and was told that dd needed to ask her form teacher for a locker, I said that she had and wasn't getting aanywhere they just said it would be sorted soon.
Yes they have to take a towel as they are supposed to shower after each Pe lesson. Dd said they haven't had to yet but I remember them being very strict about it when I went to that school

OP posts:
choirmumoftwo · 13/09/2014 17:42

I stopped worrying about being 'that' parent a long time. Teachers never seem to give the children a straight answer when they ask themselves and they don't like to keep asking. They should have access to a locker so I'd ask yourself on their behalf but as other posters have said, don't be surprised if they don't use it. We had a letter from the head of DS school saying that the children should all be wearing coats (in the winter). I had to point out to her that there aren't actually any facilities to hang or otherwise store a coat in the whole school - something else to carry round all day!

BrianButterfield · 13/09/2014 17:52

Why do they need somewhere to store coats? They go on the backs of their chairs. We looked into lockers but we would have to build a whole building just to store them in as we have so many pupils. And why should any random teacher know when locker assignments will be made? I'm amazed at what people expect teachers to know off the tops of their heads. A classroom teacher/form tutor is at the bottom of the pile in terms of knowing information about what goes on in a school. When we're accused of fobbing people off or not giving a straight answer it's because nobody's told us and we don't get straight answers either!

MassaAttack · 13/09/2014 18:22

Secondary school pupils don't wear coats - I thought everybody knew that Grin

lordnoobson · 13/09/2014 19:08

Oh they do at ours. My sons do too. Very stylish ones. Ponced

choirmumoftwo · 13/09/2014 23:10

Poor communication between staff is hardly the childs fault Brian and I don't think it's unreasonable to expect lockers to be allocated early in the term if they are provided. As for hanging coats on the back of chairs, they're still being carried around all day from class to class along with everything else. Is it too much to ask for some hooks to be provided?

Vicky5910 · 13/09/2014 23:15

I never know the answers to the admin type questions in school. Sometimes I think no-one knows!
I don't think pegs for coats is a good idea though. Those coats wouldn't last a day, nicked or knocked off the peg and walked over. Teenagers generally lack empathy. They can't help it, their brains can't think of others while so wrapped up in themselves and their hormones!

Vicky5910 · 13/09/2014 23:17

But to answer the original question! Yes ring up, and don't worry about being that parent. Teachers/admin staff need reminding too sometimes! Mostly our days are full of real issues for the kids so something small like a locker can slip through the cracks while we are making sure the big stuff doesn't.

WineWineWine · 13/09/2014 23:25

Yes ring up to ask. My son always uses his locker.

PiqueABoo · 13/09/2014 23:40

Y7 DD's school were rubbish at lockers and other 'admin' things and I strongly suspect they'd have significantly more time for big stuff if they had sorted out the little stuff common to 200+ children. $deity knows how many e-mails and parents at school-office they had, but I suspect it was quite a lot.

uggmum · 13/09/2014 23:49

My ds started school 1.5 weeks ago. He has to carry all his kit around too. But there are no lockers at his school.

He is coping fine. He's got a good sturdy backpack.

HibiscusIsland · 14/09/2014 20:54

When did secondary school kids stop wearing coats? 90s? 2000s? We wore them at my school in the 80s.

MilkRunningOutAgain · 14/09/2014 21:23

DS has such a thick blazer he is required to wear all day that I will be surprised if he needs a coat, perhaps if it gets sub zero. He says he is extremely hot in the blazer and hates it. He has identical PE kit to the OP and has to lump it around all day twice a week. It is very heavy. Tomorrow he has PE kit and a heavy plastic box containing ingredients to make a fruit salad, and a massive heavy science text book, plus exercise books, pencil case etc. It is a lot for a slight 11 yr old. His locker should be allocated "soon". Luckily he has school lunches, a packed lunch on top of that lot would just make it worse.

MassaAttack · 14/09/2014 21:53

I think we wore coats too, again in the 80s. Mainly to hide our uniform, possibly so as to enable us to buy fags and stuff.

I blame licensing laws. Or global warming Confused Wink