Vent - New primary school headmistress.

Storck

When they ring to get you to go pick your kids up why not ask to speak to your child to see if it is serious, if not tell them you will be there as quick as possible. Leave it a couple of hours and then ring back, say you got ties up with work or traffic and see if the "problem" has cleared up.

PinkLipgloss

I am very surprised by the "sickness" issue.

Whilst working in Scotland I didn't even attempt to send children home unless (a) they had vomited (b) they had the runs (c) they had a fever (d) they were involved in a SERIOUS accident

The office staff would have immediately sent children not meeting the above criteria back to my room.

I'm wondering if this is another crazy local authority issue. My LA previously informed all staff that we were not allowed to tell parents their child had head lice as we were not "qualified nurses or doctors". We had to say "Your child is scratching their head - please check their hair carefully". Also we were not allowed to touch any childs hair as it was "an invasion of their right to privacy". Seriously.

Perhaps your local authority has had an incident whereby a child was deemed fit for school (by a teacher/member of office staff) and then ended up being rushed to hospital?

whitesatin

I wouldn't have a Head Teacher's job for all the money in the world.

I_wanna_live_for_free

PinkLipgloss wrote: »

I'm wondering if this is another crazy local authority issue. My LA previously informed all staff that we were not allowed to tell parents their child had head lice as we were not "qualified nurses or doctors". We had to say "Your child is itching their head - please check their hair carefully". Also we were not allowed to touch any childs hair as it was "an invasion of their right to privacy". Seriously.

Wouldn't they be scratching their head?

Honeydog

A lot of Heads are barking to be fair. I prefer the old school type but they are getting fewer and fewer. There was something of a Headship crisis a couple of years back and people who would not have got Headships previously just sailed into the jobs! Unfortunately. That left vacancies for equally unsuitable Deputy Heads to get jobs they do not have the skills for.

But my 2p is here.
Fruit - Ofsted like healthy lunches.Enough said.
Illness - fear of being sued when knock into door frame turns into a missed compound fracture.
Lateness - is disruptive and they are trying to discourage it.
Pencil cases - stops arguments.Declutters desks. Kids with less stuff don't feel left out.

Just my 2p. Think you are over-reacting a bit though. I've known worse than her.

PinkLipgloss

I_wanna_live_for_free wrote: »

Wouldn't they be scratching their head?

LOL yes!

DOH! Edited to fix.

duchy

What's with the obsession with the PTA ? They have no clout. It's the govornors you should be talking to about the more serious issues. (Fruit and no fizzy drinks and expecting children to be on time aren't in that catagory but merely commonsense though)

If the school previously had a deep in his rut -nice but hands off head who was replaced by a go-getter who asks questions and sees her role to shake things up I'm sure there are a few noses out of joint though

madmayo

the late mark is totally wrong.................

fizzy drinks/fruit I understand tho do not agree................... my daughter hates fruit!!!

pencil cases?? again understand but should be a kids choice.. they have to take their own in high school and same problem happens there with pier pressure......

and as for sending them home........ bain of my life with having 3 kids!! My youngest especially.... it taught her.. * i feel sick * gets you sent home!!
having several weeks of this I was at my wits end so turned round and said" if she is sick, clean her up and keep her!!" it worked.. They did it twice and problem sorted.. tho the bullies were not which was cuasing the problem.. so moved school!!!

and now she is at high school.. its started again!!! So I have warned them of previous problems!! and all is well!!!

Azari

There is something completely perverse about banning totally sugarless carbonated water but allowing sugar laden fruit drinks.

If someone is inspecting the bottles to check for banned fizziness then they could equally well check the sugar content and make an exception for water.

The problem for children is the sugar, not the CO2. Quite honestly, this headmistress sounds dangerously ignorant.

PinkLipgloss

I have mixed views with regards to the whole lunch situation in UK schools.

As a parent I object to teachers/lunch staff dictating what is/is not healthy for my child. Are they qualified to do this? If they are qualified - are they in a position to make judgements when they do not know what my child has had for breakfast/ will eat for dinner and at weekends?

I don't agree with telling children that fizzy drinks and chocolate are "bad". This happened to me as a child and as a result I went wild in my teens drinking every bit of fizzy juice and eating all the junk food I could get my hands on. It's all about knowledge to ensure your diet is balanced and "bad" stuff is eaten in moderation IMO.

On the other hand - as a primary teacher I have personally witnessed just how clueless some parents/carers appear to be. I've had overweight 7 year olds come to school with an ENTIRE box of Quality Street chocolates, a full packet of Jaffa Cakes and a can of Coke for their morning snack! I've had diabetic children walk into the playground eating mars bars, crisps and drinking a can of Irn Bru for their breakfast!

However, why should everyone be treated the same? Probably because the school finds it the easiest way to make changes - same rule applies to all.

I'd personally like to see parents make informed decisions about their own childs snack/lunch. Those that appear to be unable to do so should be given advice/some sort of training or support. IMO this would prevent a lot of obesity problems.