Advice about teacher at special school

[Saker]

Just looking for some opinions/suggestions here.

Ds2 is at a special school and I went in to do a handprinting activity with him this morning. It was great. Such a nice atmosphere and his new teacher is brilliant.

However I know this is still a year away, but I have heard on the grapevine and to some extent through my own experience that his potential teacher next year is not so good. I have met to her and chatted to her a couple of times, and she is quite inappropriate in the way she talks about and to the children. She started recounting how she had met one of the older kids in the pub and how it had all been really embarassing and her boyfriend had nearly had to step in etc. It just didn't seem like the sort of conversation you would have with a parent of an SN child at your school. She asked DS2 if he had driven our car there - then when he said "yes" (poor child being somewhat bewildered) she said "oh god". She also talks very fast and expects quick answers from the children which is hopeless for Ds2 who needs loads of processing time and a nice gentle pace. Again you would have thought she would realise this being an SN teacher.

Anyway so I had some doubts about her already, and then chatting with some of the other parents since then and today, these are getting reinforced. One of the other mothers is already talking about removing her son from the school rather than have him in this teacher's class. Apparently a couple of parents were unhappy in previous years and actually withdrew their children.

Now I am aware that this sort of gossip gets round and can be unfair and inaccurate and I am trying not to jump to conclusions. Plus I know it is a year away and it might be that she will not be DS2's teacher then (since they move around sometimes). However equally I don't want to do nothing and get into a situation where DS2 and/or we are really unhappy and be stuck with it for maybe 2 years. So does anyone have any suggestions as to whether I should be doing anything in the course of the next year, if so what - I know it all sounds a bit flimsy especially when I write it down....

[Seuss]

She sounds a bit odd full stop - never mind as a special needs teacher! I wonder if the other parents who removed their children told the school why? If they did and the head didn't talk to her then that's not good. If they didn't and people continue to just move their children then she's never going to change, or even realise she needs to. I think if my ds was in her class and I didn't like the way she was talking to him I would speak to the head. The head should act on parents concerns and if he/she doesn't seem willing to intervene I think maybe I would also appraise myself of other options - just in case it came to it!

[Saker]

Thanks Seuss, yes I think she is just odd full stop. Thinking about it some more, I think there probably isn't a lot I can do until nearer the time when I at least know for sure that she will still be there and that Ds2 will be in her class. For all I know, the school is working on it behind the scenes. I really don't want to change schools because everything else is good. A couple of the children from Ds2's class moved up into that class this year so I will talk to their parents and get some idea of how they find her. The trouble with special school is that it can be a bit of a black box to find out what actually goes on in class. I mean it's hard to actually find out what a teacher is really like and because of taxis you don't even meet that much at school gate etc. Anyway perhaps I'm worrying a bit prematurely, but when Ds2 has his next annual review in the New Year I will make some enquiries about which class he will be in next year, and then maybe raise it then.