Parents are not customers?

[Avocadostone]

I have come from a corporate environment into a support role leading other support staff in a new school with a growing positive reputation. Since I started, we as a team we have always focused on ensuring that we deal with parents in a very professional way, I also keep an eye on social media, and when parents are grumbling about something (in number) and we could have done better I follow it up at school. Head has told me that basically he doesn't want me to pander to social media and that parents are not customers, and to paraphrase, it's our school so they can like it or lump it. Unless they email us, I'm to ignore it (unless it's a burning issue). I feel like the rug has been pulled out from beneath me. Is this how most schools see things? I tried to explore with the head how social media is useful and how many people communicate this way, but the Head has a very traditional /fixed view on this. It has really upset me, and I will of course do as instructed, but I've spend most of the weekend wondering if this is right job for me. We never even got to discuss the impact on students through poor /inaccurate comms etc...another example is school events? I asked if we could collate a plan for the year of key school events and was told, no, a couple of months notice is sufficient. It's driving me up the wall. I'm offloading as I guess I either do the same as parents - lump it or like it! I am very near to lumping it!!!

Since I started, we as a team we have always focused on ensuring that we deal with parents in a very professional way,
Corporate or professional? They are not the same.

parents are not customers, and to paraphrase, it's our school so they can like it or lump it
They are not customers. When you have 1500 students in a school the 'customer is always right' goes well out the window.
I've already had 7 complaints about which classes students are in. 2 of them came in within 48 hours of tern starting.
Under your model, we call them up/in for a meeting and try to accomodate/appease because they are customers. In the school world classes change and thry'll stay like that unless there is a good reason.

Parents who think they are customers tend to have the mentality of 'i pay your wages' & so think they can demand what they like, bitch on social media because the school said Timmy's trainers weren't school shoes and they're going to the press etc.

A good school who has strong leadership and a good reputation doesn't need to pander to everyone's little demands (because doing so would ruin the school).

asked if we could collate a plan for the year of key school events and was told, no, a couple of months notice is sufficient.
It is.
A school calendar is usually planned in the spring before thr next academic year.
But some things can change eg. We had an announcement from onr department there would be a y7 trip on that day in June but it's needing to be moved (this is in october)

You only have to see the term date thread to see that even when schools publish dates a year in advanve people forget and whine.

It is standard to give a couple of months notice for most events (big trips are obviously different).

It sort of comes across like 'i am from the real world and know so much more'. You've probably got some great ideas, but you are new to schools and your colleagues are more experienced than you. Maybe spend a little less time thinking you are more professional because you've been in the corporate world and a little more time learning how schools work before slating what goes on. Then you'll be in a position to make great suggestions.

I don't see what's wrong with planning at least in outline the year ahead.

Two months is okay if you like rushing everything. Where I work we vaguely know what the next 5 years big targets are, pretty certain of the next two years, and know in detail about the next year. Things change but with a long term plan you can adjust.

Parents are not customers, going through social media and trying to address every moan is also not viable. The head is right, you deal with issues directly brought to you, not what you identify on a social media platform.

A school is about educating children and that is where the focus is, not providing a customer service for parents.

A brief annual plan of key events ( term dates, parents evenings) is viable, but schools work in terms and in order to give accurate, detailed information it is better to provide it on a termly basis.

cdtaylornats
It's not going to be the OP who is doing all these events though really is it? It's probably teaching staff.

She needs to ask for the school calandar.
It will exist. All schools I have worked in have them for directed time. They won't have everything in but it will have parents' evenings and open eveninhs.

Unfortunately an overview for every event for the year is unrealistic. You say "things can change" and that's true but a teacher who normally does 'event 1' won't know if event 1 can run until closer to the time when they get told which evenings they can do revision, when intervention is occuring etc.
If someone is drowning in marking 70 mock exam papers are they going to remember to come and see OP to tell her to cancel an event they said they'd try to do 5 months ago? No. So then you put the date out and either it has to be cancelled or the teacher is stressed trying to sort it.

I still can't help but feel the OP has a sense of 'I'm from business and our way is best'. She clearly has some good ideas butbisn't making life easy for herself with her approach.

maisy spotty so you think if a considerable number of parents are 'grumbling' about a certain issue on social media, this should not even be discussed / raised by the school SMT?
This seems bizarre. Discussing something doesn't equal agreeing or 'folding'. Thats a very defensive attitude.

A brief annual plan of key events ( term dates, parents evenings) is viable, but schools work in terms and in order to give accurate, detailed information it is better to provide it on a termly basis
This.
It's a different way of working.

Eg. I know that i have some events planned. I have the OK to run them, but they will be going nowhere near the school events list until I have finished planning them out and I'm certain they are going ahead.

I am not advocating for one moment that the parent is always right. Indeed most of our comms / responses is explaining why something happened/correcting misunderstanding or confirming what we can or can't do.

Good customers service is not 'pandering'

so you think if a considerable number of parents are 'grumbling' about a certain issue on social media, this should not even be discussed / raised by the school SMT?
This seems bizarre. Discussing something doesn't equal agreeing or 'folding'. Thats a very defensive attitude
It's not a defensive attitude. It's an acceptance thay some people like to feel big and powerful on social media but if it was an actual issue and they wanted it resolving then they could contact the school directly and arrange to talk with someone. There are proper channels to raise issues.
Being an arse on social media only attracts more people who like to be an arse on social media and then you get an echo chamber of arses all feeling amazing about themselves but none of them actually want to DO anything about it. They just like the sound of their own voice.
If they actually wanted to resolve an issue then they could. But that's too much effort and means they can't dick wave in public.

The parents who are happy won't reply or engage because they have better things to do than lurk ln social media threads.

If people wish to raise an issue the they are more than able to do so, but if you want to be taken seriously then raise it appropriately.

If 'parents are customers' is the ethos of the school you wait till parents start demanding their children sit the level of exam they want not what the child is capable off. These are not just customer service issues to be resolved; these are children's lives and futures. And once this attitude filters to the children ( which is already happening everywhere) they will be impossible to discipline.

*of not off

I repeat, good customer service is not about giving customers all they ask for in any organisational setting.

maisy not all social media is evil you know. Positive discussions can happen in regard to things that could be improved esp. in terms of comms .

So someone posts 'does anyone know what school clubs are running this term?' , cue follow-on posts saying 'not heard anything yet' etc. School sees this and realises there's confusion, and sends a letter out confirming details.

Whats wrong with that? Would it be better to have 100 emails asking the same question?

I think the right approach is somewhere in the middle. The head is being an arse with the whole 'It's our school, like it or lump it' approach. The school will be much more successful and easier to manage if it has supportive parents who feel the school is aporoachable and will take their concerns into account. You get supportive parents by making them feel invested in the school - part of a community.

That is not quite the same as seeing a parent as a customer who must always be accommodated - that depends very much on the specific issue. But the parent is a customer in the sense that they have a huge stake in the outcome. In the end it is their children's education.

So if there is a particular issue causing widespread problems for parents, the head is mad to ignore that and is out of touch. Social media is a reality now and that is how a lot of parents will make their opinions known.

That said, ya abit u about the timetables. Dealing with kids is not the same as dealing with adults and random things are likely to result in changes to planned events. But only a bit unreasonable because broadly there should be a plan, which parents can access. I would be surprised if that didn't exist.

I can't believe you are responding to social media posts about the school. What a waste of time. If parents have a real issue they can raise it with the school. Otherwise it's just hot air. By responding you are legitimising the use of social media to moan/complain.

I agree with your head about events too. The big ones are scheduled eg parents eve. Anything else only needs a couple of months, if not less, notice. Directed time for teachers will have been decided at the start of the year so any other events outside school hours are voluntary.

Parents aren't customers. They aren't (directly) paying for the education.

It's not a defensive attitude. It's an acceptance thay some people like to feel big and powerful on social media but if it was an actual issue and they wanted it resolving then they could contact the school directly and arrange to talk with someone.

That assumes they haven't met the 'like it or lump it' attitude from the school when they've tried to raise issues in the past.

I'll admit to having an ironic chuckle on social media when the school announced it was setting up working group to improve the relationship and communication between the school and parents - to meet on a Wednesday during school hours. I asked whether the meetings could be varied to accommodate working parents and was essentially told to fuck off, and that the views of those who couldn't attend the meetings weren't needed. So yep - that one went to Facebook, simply because it was so hilarious.

Parents aren't customers - but schools do need to decide whether they want a partnership with parents. If they choose not to, they should not be surprised if parents fail to jump every time the school whistles.

The big ones are scheduled eg parents eve. Anything else only needs a couple of months, if not less, notice.

That's great, so long as you aren't expecting parents to be involved. DH and I map out our annual leave against the stated school calendar at the start of the school year. It's finite and not flexible at short notice.

NoMoreAngstPls
I don't think social media is all bad.
I've ran some social media things through schools.

I do think that people taking to social nedia to bitch and whine about things isn't productive and spending valuable time dealing with people who behave like that is a waste of time. Taking time to enagge with that sort of rubbish only gives those people a bizare sense of power as keyboard warriors that 'the scholl has to do something'

I see where the head is coming from on his 'you can't soend ages going through social media'. People can be quick to fire off a message on social media where they wouldn't be bothered enough to contact school.
E.g. venting on social media and having a circle jerk with other disgruntled people vs actually contacting the right person to resolve it
Eg. Rather than wait for child to come home or message parents, just ask school to remind you of dates that were probably in the newsletter.

thethoughtfox sums it up. A school cannot have the ethos of parents as customers. It undermines the point of education.
It is perfectly possible to have reasonable professional relationships with mutual respect without creating a system where people feel able to call up with any old demand.
I've worked somewhere that went down that route. They too said they weren't about pandering but because there was a chance of getting their own way, huge amounts of staff time was wasted having yo explain basic things to parents and then pass on argumentative and rude parents to SLT.

Not seeing the impact of this only shows lack of understanding about schools and school culture.

What exactly do you mean by keeping an eye on social media?

I've worked in education settings where parents are customers (if you equate the word customer with an exchange of money) and in the public sector. There is no difference in the two as far as the need for partnership, good and timely communication, and consideration of the needs of all parties is concerned. The moment it becomes them (parents) and us (educators), is the moment it all goes pear shaped.

It's not defensive, it's realistic and if parents have concerns they want addressing they need to contact the school. The OP can then step in and assist in addressing concerns.

On another note i'm sure many parents would not appreciate the fact school are scanning social media and checking what they are posting, many already feel the schools are too controlling and intrusive ( packed lunches, bedtimes, hair styles are some that have recently been in the media).

OP you keep saying customer service- it is a school not a business.

Nomoreangst that is working in partnership not customer service.

Once parents are seen as customers the dynamics changes to a very unhealthy ' you do as we say we are the customers and you owe us a service'. The schools 'service' is to educate the pupils.

I work in public sector Comms - while it's great you are keeping a 'weather eye' on what is being said about the school, you have to be careful about what issues the school chooses to address. You can inadvertently create a platform for criticism and create a lot of work for teams who are already hard pressed running their Service.

The headteacher is obviously drawing a line over the kind of social media responses he/she is prepared to respond to and asserting his/her authority. You should listen to them.

This school is not a service you are trying to 'sell' and it's important a small vocal group of parents is not privileged over the others simply because they have time to gossip on social media.

There is no difference in the two as far as the need for partnership, good and timely communication, and consideration of the needs of all parties is concerned
I agree.

Which is why I think spending loads of time on social media and pandering to keyboard warriors is the wrong way to go about it.

If someone has a concern then it is reasonable to contact the school, politely raise your concern and expect someone to get back to you/give you a call.

It wouldn't be reasonable for people to expect the school to pander to them because they've been whining on social media.

A reasonable number of complaints that come in are in thr like it or lump it box. (E.g. I'm not happy about my child's class because there is someone in there who used to misbehave at primary / i just bought these black trainers and you're telling me i need new shoes / nobody told us about sports day evwn though it is on the website and was in the newsletter at the end of term)

I would expect term dates to go out at the start of the year and parents' evenings to be online (subject to change) and then go in the newsletter at the start of the term they are in.
Other events e.g. cake sales, school fair, concerts etc are fine in a termly newsletter.

This school is not a service you are trying to 'sell' and it's important a small vocal group of parents is not privileged over the others simply because they have time to gossip on social media
This. So much.
Especially because one thing we are all too aware of in schools is that already a small group of parents take up a disproportionate amount of our time (the types who think the rules don't apply, the types who call up to inform us their child won't be doing detention and then probably go on social media claiming isolation breaks his human rights). Unsurprisingly l, the children of this group tend to be the ones walking around thinking they are untouchable and above the rules.

The VAST MAJORITY of parents are amazing. They are supportive and when they have concerns they are very reasonable, contact us and raise it appropriately and it gets resolved.

The balance cannot be tipped in favour of a tiny group of gossips/whiny parents who think the world should cater to them. It is not fair on the lovely majority.