AIBU - I had more knowledge about catchment and feeder schools than the transition staff

[PurpleMuse]

DC in year 6, so I've just finished doing the rounds of secondary schools near us before I fill in the form. I purposely haven't gone to the open evenings - most round here have been on a Thursday which is the worst night of the week for us to rearrange stuff - and I thought you'd get a much better feel for a school during a normal working day.

For all but one school, I have been horrified at the level of imcompetence and unprofessionalism I have encountered when arranging visits and asking questions of the designated Year 7 transition staff.

One school seemed extremely surprised I could not drop everything and attend their open day
One person showing me around said ' well as I only deal with year 7, I don't know what the current arrangements are for GCSE'.
Not one of the staff members I met knew whare my DC's primary school was, EVEN THE SCHOOL WE ARE IN CATCHMENT FOR!
One school had an Open day back in July, and were 'planning no further visits in September or October', but after a week of badgering after no initial response, did let me in
This school did not want me to come at changeover time and were very specific that I left the school tour before then - (Secondary teaching friend told me this is the time to view a school - tells you lots about behaviour)
And the worst school - i left messages with reception and directly with the staff member on voicemail over a period of 3 weeks. I emailed the office and directly. A friend had no response over a longer period and gave up. I spoke again with the office last Friday, with an indication that I was drafting an email to the head wondering why I couldn't visit the school. Got a response within 20 mins!
Then on meeting up, she's not heard of the primary school (6 miles away in a rural area, so not overflowing with primaries), couldn't answer straightforward questions, and then told the kids giving me the tour 'no need to take her up the stairs, it might tire her out' (3 storey school building).

I'm currently job hunting and feel like I could do better than almost everyone I have met. They have one job to do, just one job.... AIBU?- have others experienced the same?

Oh my days.....

So go to the school that you liked? If you've no chance of getting in there why would you even bother to go round?

The other schools sound like they're getting a lucky escape!

Year 7 teachers have the job of teaching year 7 not pandering to every parent who might possible deign to send their child to that school. It's still the first half term of the school year, they are busy helping this years year 7 settle into secondary school.

you chose not to go to arranged opportunities. You created this issue for yourself, apparently on purpose.

LOL, this is hilarious!

Of course teaching staff should drop their other commitments to accommodate the birthdays of every sibling of every child who applies

Our comp has over 1500 applications.

It is great when schools manage the whole Yr 7 application process well, but OP, YABVU.

The thing is OP, you’re seeing this from the point of view of a prospective ‘customer’ being offered a service. But if the schools you are viewing are oversubscribed, they have no incentive to treat you like a customer in order to get you to choose their service - as long as the school is full, it will get the same amount of money whether you choose it or not.

So it’s a waste of a school’s budget to spend money on the things you’d like (eg lots of admin staff, communication with prospective parents etc).

I'm very surprised anyone permitted you to view the school during the school day. I can't say as a parent of a child with anxiety that I would be too happy with you going into classes and 'observing' my child in their lessons.

Our school does have a transition team who go out to primary schools to talk about moving up to the high school. They aren't teaching staff as such more management type roles, all 4 of them are assistant heads and they deal with anything non teaching. They used to be teaching staff though. They dont know all the ins and outs of the gcse results either.

You should have made more effort to go to the open evenings. Everyone is busy and everyone else will also have had other things on that they had to rearrange or miss to go to the open evenings. I really dont think its such a bad thing taking a 7yr old along even on their birthday. Its an important step in your 10/11 yr olds life and youve just shown them that your 7 year olds birthday is more important than where they will spend the next 7 years of their school life.

It's disruptive having endless parents touring around the school. School staff are so stretched that finding someone to take you round will be a challenge and takes them away from what they should actually be doing. As for pupils showing round, they should be in class learning not chatting to random people.

OP, I mean this in a loving way, but have you ever thought you might need to chill the fuck out a little?

OP will be moaning next year about lack of teaching because all these prospective parents interrupted the lessons!

The reason schools have open evenings is for prospective parents to look around, listen to the Head, talk to staff, see some of what goes on. Many schools will arrange visits in working days too, but you can't expect them to fit in with you; you'll have to fit in with them.

I would be surprised if teachers had available data for every subject and every department at their fingertips. They would be able to access it, but that's not what open evenings and visits are about. They're about getting a feel for the school, seeing how teachers and students are with one another and finding out what opportunities there are for your child.

If you want data, look at Ofsted reports or the school websites.

Teachers do not have one job to do. Please disabuse yourself of that notion straight away. Or train and do it yourself if you can do a better job.

Wow. Just. Wow.

You are being entitled and rude.

Ha ha. This is well funny. You’re a right one, aren’t you?

When we went to the open evening at our local comp when DD was in yr6, we looked round classrooms and DD could look at work on the walls, do science experiments, talk to teachers etc. This, to me, is far more important than a teacher having heard of her primary school. I'm assuming your child couldn't go to your random interruptions visits because of school?

dds secondary school does offer pre-booked visits during the school day, but they make it clear that the purpose of these visits is for parents to see what goes on in school during a typical school day and that the main opportunity to ask questions etc is the main Open Evening. The parents are shown round by pupils and don't go in occupied classrooms.
The information about which primaries they take pupils from and the arrangements for GCSEs are all on the website or in the prospectus. Secondary schools expect parents to read this information for themselves.

Echoing what many other posters have said. You need to climb down from your high horse and realise schools have an intake of 200-300 pupils. More than that will attend open evenings, especially if it's a popular school

You seem to think you are more special than all the other parents because you don't feel like attending an open evening. We offer tours where people are moving into the area because that is reasonable and often they'll go on our waitlist after visiting.

I couldn't tell you the names of all the primaries we take from. I know our main feeders but there's about another half a dozen we take odd students from.

I couldn't tell you about every gcse option either. This week a y9 student asked me about timetabling in the MFL/Technology block because they were thinking about their options. No idea. You know why? Because I don't NEED this info yo do my job.

Sorry OP but you sound like a potential nightmare parent who thinks they are the customer and schools should be begging you to grace their roll with your child.

What you need to realise is that the whole system would fall apart if every parent acted like you. Thankfully most are reasonable and amazing.

One school seemed extremely surprised I could not drop everything and attend their open day

Do I really need to point out the irony of you expecting the school to drop everything and attend to you simply because you purposely haven't gone to the open evenings?

Do you always treat everyone around you with such disdain?

I bet you'll be missed at primary school!!

Love how you think you could do a better job !!! You have to be a troll.

Well, it seems obvious that the first school meets your standard regarding this matter; so go for that one.

I'm currently job hunting and feel like I could do better than almost everyone I have met. They have one job to do, just one job

THat's so far from the truth that it's almost funny

Reinnette you might be surprised how often schools have visitors on normal school days. My DCs school has had: occasional parents, prospective teachers or TAs or Cover supervisors or other staff, local dignitaries, visitors from partnerships in this country or overseas, possible trainee teachers, senior members of staff, Ofsted - as well as Ed Psychs etc. They also regularly have people observing whole lessons.
For my children it was so normal they just ignored them. I have also worked in a school where anyone was welcome to pop in and observe if the door was open.

I think you'll find that the schools bending over backwards to accommodate you are probably under subscribed and need as many people as possible to select them.
Our primary school gets lots of interesting offers from one particular secondary for the year 5 children in the summer term, and have even had them for half a term doing science, with a billion science teachers there to wow them! One other school barely advertises its one open evening, the first is inadequate, the second outsiptanding in ofsted terms.
Buyer beware!😱😱

What’s the point of your thread, OP?

You liked the first school, they made you feel special - send your child there.

The other schools will thank you for it