Concerned about DD being a school office 'runner'

[NotMondayAgain]

Hi all, I just found out that later this week DD is going to be a runner for the school office for a whole day. She is in yr 8 and said all yr 8 children are made to do this for one day and they miss all lessons that day and instead do their homework or reading when they are not running errands.

I saw the headteachers last week at a school meeting and asked him about it. He admitted the reason is that they do not have enough staff to run messages around etc so they make the kids in yr 8bdonit onebday each.

I feel quite angry about my DD not learning anything for a day. Headteachers loads of schools do this and it is normal. Is he right?

Thanks

Yes my dcs schools did this 11 years ago.

We used to feel so important if 'picked' to be a runner!

Though I recall a different time. Parents were members of a company dinghy sailing club on the Blackwater in Essex. Every year they had a regatta. There were two 'official' look out points along the top of the earth bank sea defences, probably 250m apart.

Us kids were given the responsibility of running notes between the two (as our parents sailed). I recall running as fast as my legs would carry me , grasping a chitty, but- a gust of wind took the note from my hand. And it sailed down the (thankfully) inland side, not onto the muddle beach, but it landed in a bush. I had to scramble down the coarse grass slope, into the bush to retrieve it, climb back up, check no one had seen me then onto my destination to hand over my crumpled, soggy note....

It was 1966, I was 4. 😂

Happened when ds was at secondary school too. Ds and his friends were permanently barred from the task when it was discovered that on their day they would retrieve their friends from lessons (stating the HT wanted to see them) and go and play football instead. Their reasoning that pairing them boy/girl would limit the messing about didn't work and the girls just covered for their partner or pleaded ignorance.

DD did this the other day and I think it's great. For shy kids it's useful to learn to approach people they don't know. Teaches all of them responsibility and organisation. And also good for their self-esteem to know they are doing a genuinely useful job for their school - kids get patronised and infantilised so much these days and this the opposite of that. Not all learning has to happen in a classroom.

I had to ring a primary school once and got a Year 6 pupil on the phone answering. Seemed like really good experience.

We do this at my school. Email is rarely checked by teachers when they are teaching so time pressured messages are often missed. Having a runner who appears with a paper note can't be missed!

It's great for the students as they see how busy the reception staff are and the students are often exhausted by the walking around. It's like an early work experience.

It sounds great, I wish my DC's schools did it.

If he's after rebranding we call them 'student receptionists'.

I think it is valuable but think their attendance should be taken into account, nothing more annoying that a kid having a week off sick and then missing another lesson to do this.

7s and 8s do it at school (work), it's especially good for the 7s, makes them find their way around and meet a few more teachers.

We did it at school. The role also involved welcoming guests at reception.

Our head said it taught three importance of responsibility and that by us talking to guests, they got to learn more about the school.

It's one day and I kind of enjoyed it.

Ds school do it - half day each. Run messages, greet visitors etc - I think it's a great idea for all the pp reasons.

Yes, I did it at mine. Remember it well as arrived in an English teacher’s room and asked if she knew who Mrs Howard was, she suddenly looked so cross with me and snapped that she was Mrs Howard. Well she’d been Mrs Clarke before the summer term... how was I meant to know, there wasn’t any memo!

It is to give children additional responsibilities. Schools may have School councillors, spiritual councillors, mentors, prefects, librarians, ambassadors for this or that, playground support etc

I taught in two secondary schools and they both did 'desk' in year eight.

Every common. Did it when I was at school 20 years ago, and my DC have done this in year 8.
Nothing to get angry about. One day is not going to distrust her education. It’s a good experience for kids

• very common

Every school I've worked in does this. The kids love the responsibility of greeting visitors and taking messages.

Our school does this. The kids quite enjoy it. One days won’t hurt them. It might boost confidence in other ways

My DCs school does this and both can't wait to be picked. It's just giving a sense of responsibility to them for a day.
I don't see the issue. In times when schools are understaffed and underfunded, I'd rather they use this as a learning experience than teachers being paged and leaving a classroom, which is what happened in my day and was when some of the most brutal bullying occurred.

When I was in year 7, we used to take it in turns to man the school office so the receptionist could have a lunch break! Had to answer the phone and everything - felt very important!
When I was in yrs 11-13 we were responsible for giving prospective parents/pupils a tour of the school before they would meet the Headteacher. Great experience!

Yes I remember doing this! I think it was called ‘Reception Duty’. Pretty sure we were expected to go and ask for some work and crack on if we weren’t doing jobs but it was good fun. Plus, year 8 is really a bit of a nothing year.

Thanks everyone. Your responses are reassuring. I just wish we'd had communication to explain it. Also that the headteacher didn't just tell me it's because they don't have enough office staff. DD is looking forward to it anyway she gets to miss PE 😋

Our school does it, exactly the same, 1 day in Year 8. I can't believe how common it is! I didn't really have a problem with it but it does grate a bit when children get criticised for missing days through appointments etc.

If it didn't bother my child, it wouldn't bother me. I imagine some children would like to do that.

My dd had to do it for half a day and sat around all morning and the only message she took was to get the next runner

This sounds excellent. My daughter (year 7) is suffering badly at the moment with anxiety and school refusal. The current thing we are focusing on is just getting her to BE at school. Doesn't have to be in lessons - could be in the SEN room all day. We are trying to give the message that school is more than just the lessons. It's her community and she needs to be a part of it. It that involved laminating in the office then I would be over the moon.