Letter came home today from HT informing us that she's leaving...

[bramblina]

Which we had suspected, there has been casual gossip, things aren't great, she made a passing comment at a meeting 6m ago "well I won't be here anyway (when xx happens)"

Today's letter;

Staffing
I would like to inform parents and children that I have now offered my resignation and will be leaving on Friday 2nd June.

We have a wonderful staff here doing their best for the children. I am grateful to them for their dedication. We have children that are great to be with and full of enthusiasm for all we do. I am proud of all their achievements whether in school or out of school. I would like to take this opportunity to thank parents for their valued support over the years. We have a great school which has lots of strengths and lots to be proud of. For me, however it is time to move on.

(Signed)
E Smith



Please tell me what you make of this? Bear in mind (we are in Scotland) she leaves 4 weeks before the end of term. WTF???

[soupmaker]

She's got a better offer or has had enough? What's the Senior Management Team like? Our HT went before the end of the summer term and new HT was appointed and in the day after she left.

[bramblina]

The next senior team is the council. We just have a HT then it's over to the education dept. at the council. Our HT is also a cluster head so she's in control of another school.

SO when this happened to you did your HT keep you informed of what was going to happen? Who would cover until the post was filled? I just think this is very much like "I'm off....see ya!" We have a big problem with our learning support teacher right now in that we haven't had any permanent for 8 years and she's done very little about it. It took for the pta to get involved and write letters to the council before anything was done. Sounds like she is scared. But I feel that we should know and be confident that everything is taken care of. Because it sounds like it hasn't.

[FrayedHem]

Has there been any confirmation of what is going to happen to cover the post once the HT has moved on? I would expect something from the school/higher authority (unfamiliar with the Scottish system).

For my DC school, when the head took retirement after a scheduled absence, we had the Head's letter and then the Academy Trust wrote (at the same time) with what the arrangements would be (deputy Head and Executive Head covering from another school). Slightly different as those arrangements were in place already due to the absence, but they didn't work out so a new permanent Head of school was appointed after a particularly awful Ofsted.

I would suspect that the Head has been allowed to resign rather than face some kind of capability procedures/being managed out, but I don't suppose you'll ever get to know.

It's very disconcerting, but it sounds like the current arrangements weren't working well so hopefully the new ones will see a positive change come in. Don't be afraid of being "that parent" though.

[Witchend]

I know a teacher (not head) who's leaving at a similar time and it's entirely because she's coming up for retirement, thought she'd do to the end of the year and her dd was getting married in the summer holidays. However her mil has just been diagnosed with something big and they've brought the wedding sooner in the hope that she'll still be okay to come.

She says she's spent her working career cursing teacher that don't work to the end of term and now she's doing it herself!

[ferriswheel]

Are you in the north east?

[armpitz]

Strange time to leave. But you will never know ...

[Donthate]

She may have been forced out of the job. The local authority will put someone in place even if it is just a secondment. She may not have had any choice about her leaving date or a million other reasons like illness or bereavement. None of us can guess. Call and ask who will be replacing.

[BackforGood]

I also know of HTs who have deliberately timed their retirements to give their deputy some "Acting Head" Experience.

She may have promised herself she will go on her birthday.

As others have said she ma have family things that affect her choice - either family sadness or exciting new adventures.

It really isn't anyone else's business but her own.

If they have appointed someone else, then it's quite nice for them to have a 'run in' at the end of the year, so they can start implementing changes at the beginning of the new year.

[admission]

The letter does sound rather more like they were pushed than it was voluntary to go. The problem is that you do not know what might or might not have been going on in the background.

[blaeberry]

A word of warning; it could be years before a new head is found. The deputy takes over and if the absence goes on for some time you may get an acting head seconded from another school (who then have to deal with their own absence). Our primary took two years to find a head, in the end the seconded head stayed. The school he was seconded from still haven't managed to recruit a head two years on (three from when he was seconded although they didn't have a vacancy they could fill until he took up permanent post at our school). From what I see, schools seem to manage without a permanent head but lose their momentum and the longer it goes on the more this becomes an issue.

[Trifleorbust]

Walked out, I would say. No mention of the Governors. I would say resigned over a point of principle or frustration at some aspect of school leadership.

But it's not her job now to manage the transition; the board of governors need to appoint an Acting Head and recruit the replacement.

[Crumbs1]

Truth is you don't know. Could be a range of things from personal or family illness, husband moving jobs, asked to resign, point of principle, another opportunity - anything. You have no right to know so will have to continue guessing unless it leaks out.

[GraceGrape]

I don't know about Scotland, but in England, any further communication would usually come from the governors.

[Bluntness100]

The deputy head should step in and become acting head, the current head may be ill, she may have personal reasons at home that means she needs to resign.

I really wouldn't be concerned.

[KingLooieCatz]

No Governors at all in Scotland, as said upthread, next stop the Council.

I'd hazard a guess the dep head takes the helm for a while.

I wouldn't expect much detail on stuff like SEN support teacher in a letter like this, and definitely would not expect to know why the HT is leaving, could be so many things. DS's school's HT is pretty tight-lipped about comings and goings, it's not for us to know what is going on in the lives of school staff, and they have probably learnt not to tell people what might happen, stuff like that tends to be subject to change so I reckon they don't bother saying until the stuff is actually happening.

[StealthPolarBear]

Surely it's not very professional if it's husband's new job? I thought it was generally frowned on for teachers to leave outside of the usual ends of term.

[Trifleorbust]

StealthPolarBear:

It happens all the time for various reasons.

[bojorojo]

I think the Head has reached an agreement with the Council to go. The Deputy will act up and the recruitment process should begin. Of course they may be rearranging the senior management and it is possible that she found being a cluster Head not what she wanted.

I tend to dislike Heads going mid year. If they have been managed out, they will do this. If they resign the normal period of notice should apply. It is doubtful the parent body will ever know but parents should be told of interim arrangements and the recruitment timetable. At least the sats are out of the way and there is more fun in the last half of the term.

[StealthPolarBear]

Silly question, are sats all sat on the same days across the country?

[TondelayaDellaVentamiglia]

I'd say it's not her remit to make any statements about what's happening once she is gone, so all she really has to say is a "bye and thanks for all the fish" type thing.

If you want to know more then the local education folks would be my next port of call....there must be plans afoot and they should be able to give you some info.

[ecuse]

I think that sounds fairly terse and (perhaps without good grounds) would be wondering what was going on behind the scenes!

[blaeberry]

stealth SATS are not sat in Scotland.

[StealthPolarBear]

Oh ok sorry. Not relevant to the thread then but can I assume sats are over for all children in England?

[bramblina]

HI all. Thank you.

We have no deputy, we should have a principal teacher as HT is a cluster but we don't. We only have a roll of 74.

I was not bothered about the personal reasons, I think I implied I was as I mentioned there had been chat and references, but I was astounded at the lack of interest in her letter. Well, statement. No letter! No date, just a statement. Very impersonal, yet in a school so small she knows every pupil and parent by their first name. And leaving 4 weeks before the end of term has just floored me.

I have since found out that her daughter is expecting a baby and lives where she is moving to- other side of the country, so that's nice for her. Her husband is a house husband so I guess it's the baby (1st grandchild) and there have been so many changes going on- they are rolling lots of schools in to campuses here as we live rather remotely.

Incidentally we had a meeting last night with the area manager as we have had no permanent support for learning teacher for 8 years....she has said that she will announce to parents first week back after Easter break who will be taking over for the last month of term.

Thanks for all your replies.

[bojorojo]

This is about the personal circumstances of the Head and saving a bit of money by going early. I still think staying until the end of term is the professional thing to do but family has come before the school. At least they are putting someone in place for the half term.