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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Class teacher is currently COVID positive.

118 replies

Moelwynbach · 03/09/2021 20:51

My son is due to start his new class year next week. We have notification from school to say that his class teacher is COVID positive so he will be starting later, this is yet another pain in the arse that I can do nothing about. I have no alternative childcare other than wrap around school club and holiday club.
Under the new rules on an ongoing basis do schools have to replace teachers with supply teachers or is the onus still on parents to use their infinite leave.
Please be aware that I know that this cannot be helped but my workplace wont be over chuffed if I keep having to take time off work!

OP posts:
Hercisback · 03/09/2021 20:53

School should be using cover assuming England and state.

klajdndhus · 03/09/2021 20:54

At our school, the class would definitely be covered by another teacher/supply.

Penistoe · 03/09/2021 20:56

At our school, the class would definitely be covered by another teacher/supply

If they can find one. Lots of supply teachers found themselves out of work so took other jobs.

Whinge · 03/09/2021 20:56

A local school had the same situation. The school have bought in a supply teacher. It's not ideal, but delaying the school start date wasn't an option as it's far too disruptive.

HawksAreRed · 03/09/2021 20:56

Seems strange not to have cover, unless multiple staff are unwell.

User5827372728 · 03/09/2021 20:56

Surely they can’t just delay the class starting school. It needs to be covered

User5827372728 · 03/09/2021 20:59

Hopefully this class teacher didn’t attend an INSET day, before they knew they had covid, like the ones we had at my school as by next week there won’t be any teachers left!

Rocketpants50 · 03/09/2021 21:00

Unless the whole school is closed due to not enough staff then absolutely should be using supply or even TA cover (this happens at our school). As an absolute minimum they should be doing remote teaching.

WoWsers16 · 03/09/2021 21:02

They totally should be using cover - no classes should be closed because the teacher has covid! I would be so mad too, especially as the big thing is trying to get some more normality back x

StoneofDestiny · 03/09/2021 21:03

Ridiculous - they should have a cover teacher in. Complain

Mendthegap · 03/09/2021 21:03

I would expect the school to find cover, a supply teacher or a TA.

museumum · 03/09/2021 21:05

I assume you don’t mean reception? I can see they wouldn’t want reception to start with a cover teacher. Every other year should be fine.

Maybeyesno · 03/09/2021 21:16

What would they do if the teacher was off because she'd had an operation? Surely they should do the same for covid.

234Pepperplant · 03/09/2021 21:17

What would they have done if the teacher had chickenpox in Sept 2019? They should do that. It might not be a supply teacher (probably no budget/can’t get one) but they should be getting the class covered somehow - they can’t send home classes every time a teacher is off sick, at least not without demonstrating they’ve exhausted every other conceivable possibility. At my child’s school if necessary they’ve had supply teachers, TAs cover, SLT has covered, the PE teacher was employed to do extra sessions to release other class teachers to do some sessions and in extremis the class with no teacher was split up and distributed around the other classes. None of which is ideal, but pre covid sending a class home because the teacher was sick was almost unheard of so I don’t see why it’s acceptable now - bubbles etc have been abolished, for good or ill.

CovidPassQuestion · 03/09/2021 21:20

Presumably the school can't get a supply teacher at the moment. Are you in an area with lots of cases?
To the person who said "complain" - what will that achieve? Most teachers are parents too, they know what a nightmare this type of situation is. They're not creating it for a wee bit of drama, are they?

Di11y · 03/09/2021 21:22

Could it be delayed by a day or two I til they get supply? Our head would be covering if they couldn't

fourminutestosavetheworld · 03/09/2021 21:25

All of the schools I am involved with - as a teacher or as a parent - have used supply cover. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find them. I don't think the school will have taken this decision lightly and must be desperate. I'm sorry though, it is very difficult for parents.

Theimpossiblegirl · 03/09/2021 21:26

In normal times and normal illness a school could get supply cover. At the moment it's almost impossible to get cover. Schools will run out of adults as covid rips through them.

Don't blame the schools, this is the DfE and government's complete lack of planning and guidance.

Original poster
Moelwynbach · 03/09/2021 21:29

They are due into year one. I absolutely don't expect the teacher to be in at all she is repotedly feeling awful. Ive had COVID and its shit. Im not sure if the TA is able to take the class or not or whether they can get a supply teacher.
TBH my son's changed school at the end of the last academic year and has been the happiest ive seen him in so many months they are wonderful so I certainly don't want to rock the boat. Its just going to be hard going forward if I keep having to take time off. We had five weeks for Christmas and my son needs predictable settled routine due to attachment disorder.

Im probably more sensitive about it than most!

OP posts:
CovidPassQuestion · 03/09/2021 21:29

Many supply teachers have stopped doing it in our area, due to the last 18mo- the abuse/hassle some parents have given teachers really isn't worth the pay.
Hence schools now cannot get cover.

BertNErnie · 03/09/2021 21:31

If it's a reception class, I'd imagine they have decided to delay the start due to the fact that the children may find it difficult to settle with a mix of different people covering?

The transition to school is an important one and generally the bonds are made with teachers and support staff from day 1. I wouldn't like to put children in with one adult and then this be changed after a few days and the whole process of setting in starts again.

A way around it would be if the TA of that class covered with another extra adult so there is at least one familiar face the children get to know. That might work.

Shieldingending · 03/09/2021 21:31

Ideally yes they would get a supply teacher, however in my area we are really struggling to get supply staff because so many schools currently have teachers / TA’s with Covid that the demand for them outstrips supply!

BertNErnie · 03/09/2021 21:32

How many days delay are they saying?

Year one will take some time to settle but I'd imagine it's easier to as TAs to cover and find supply support staff to make up the extra adult or borrow TAs temporarily from another year group to support until the teacher returns.

NoSquirrels · 03/09/2021 21:36

Surely they’ve told you the plan at the point they informed you the teacher was off? Or is it all on the grapevine and no official word from school?

Frazzled2207 · 03/09/2021 21:37

I would expect our school to find a supply teacher to cover. They are increasingly difficult to find however they should have at least tried to find one!