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AIBU?

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do I complain about class teacher?

90 replies

Updownandaround1 · 11/12/2024 20:51

Class teacher Is new, training in her first year, she was a TA from another school and started in September.

This term 3 children have left, 2 huge parent complaints against said teacher and myself and other class TA want to move to another class because we can't stand her.

The teacher, dresses in head to toe in very expensive designer gear...the clothes are against our staff handbook as lots of our children and families are PP. I would love to wear nice things but it's a primary school, and some of our kids do not even have a coat!

She flirts heavily with the very young PE teacher, leading him on. It's becoming more and more embarrassing and very obvious to us other staff members she's leading him on for her own self gratification.

One pupil she knows from another school, she has let him do nothing for weeks, takes him off for daily for chats, and talks to him like he's a mate. Yesterday he stuck a post it note on her forehead, and is now kicking off daily because he needs to do some work, and he cant handle female relationships, the child is under SS and I think she's crossing boundaries with a child who already has attachment issues and has now made a rod for her own back.

Other class TA has had an awful health shock, incredibly serious and we are all very very worried and upset. Class teacher has made serveal jokes at her expense in class, in front of children and carries when she's not in, then has the audacity in the next breath to talk to the children about their behaviour.

Class teacher goes off and cries often, and her long standing partner has left her. She snaps at us and then messages other TA to apologise.

I have big concerns about this teacher and she's only been here for 2 terms.

I want to raise it with headteacher of whom I have a brilliant relationship with, but I realise it's big big accusations I'm making.

OP posts:
Spirallingdownwards · 11/12/2024 21:38

Separate the real safeguarding issues from your dislike of her and report the safeguarding aspects. If you muddy the waters with the other stuff there is a chance that it will look like you have a petty vendetta against her.

noblegiraffe · 11/12/2024 21:33

StressedEric · 11/12/2024 21:25

Report safeguarding issues presumably to DSL ?

No, safeguarding concerns about a member of staff go to the Head not the DSL.

noblegiraffe · 11/12/2024 21:32

If she's training then who is supervising her? Presumably the head and her mentor is aware of the huge parental complaints and the children being removed from the class. This all sounds very bizarre.

StressedEric · 11/12/2024 21:25

Report safeguarding issues presumably to DSL ?

ItsBehindYouSequinsAndStilettos · 11/12/2024 21:22

2 huge parent complaints against said teacher How do you even know this? Nature of complaint? Who dealt with?
The clothes are against our staff handbook you have a policy that says no designer clothing!?!
She flirts heavily with the very young PE teacher this is subjective and bitchy
One pupil she knows from another school, she has let him do nothing for weeks
This is the legitimate concern, stick to this
takes him off for daily for chats, and talks to him like he's a mate. alternate view - trying to be inclusive, develop positive relationship to build on
Yesterday he stuck a post it note on her forehead why?
is now kicking off daily because he needs to do some work with her or during interventions with you?
he cant handle female relationships what do you mean by this?
she's crossing boundaries with a child who already has attachment issues and has now made a rod for her own back. the latter is her problem to fix, you can't be friends with a student
Class teacher has made jokes at her expense in class about her health? GDPR
has the audacity in the next breath to talk to the children about their behaviour as in, you think, double-standards as she is being unkind?
Class teacher goes off and cries often why?
her long standing partner has left her how do you know this?
She snaps at us Have you got a log?
and then messages other TA to apologise hopefully they have kept the texts

There is such a lot to unpack here
Essentially, you need to speak to the head professionally when raising the issue of your colleague being unprofessional.
You and the other TA need to back each with your shared concerns
These really ought to be around the safeguarding issue rather than personal cattiness about clothing or her relationships with other members of staff

BlueSilverCats · 11/12/2024 21:11

Report any real safeguarding concerns you might have . Same with the crying if she leaves children unsafe/unsupervised or her outbursts are upsetting/confusing them.

The other TA can complain about the jokes about her health.

Everything else is just gossip and your dislike of her as a person .

Caffeineismydrug35 · 11/12/2024 21:09

If she is in her first year of training I would raise the issues with her mentor and the head. The clothes thing is tone deaf but I doubt it’s against any policy as long as she’s not dressing provocatively. Flirting with a staff member, again slightly irrelevant.

She snaps at us and then messages other TA to apologise. That is not on and I’d be putting in a grievance.

The issues with the child know to SS, that does sound inappropriate and I’d be reporting that.
If two parents have complained and the complaints are actually justified then I bet she won’t last anyway, she won’t pass her ECT!

HPandthelastwish · 11/12/2024 21:03

She's training, feed this back to the ECT mentor and Head teacher, facts not opinions though.

converseandjeans · 11/12/2024 21:03

I think you need to focus on how she is dealing with things. I can't see the relevance of her clothing - I think it's good she is smart.

Shinyandnew1 · 11/12/2024 21:00

the clothes are against our staff handbook as lots of our children and families are PP

What does your staff handbook say about teacher clothes and how is that relevant to PP pupils?

That aside, I would be having a chat with the head teacher about the rest.

comedycentral · 11/12/2024 20:59

Raise it with the head; many inappropriate things are going on there. You need to ensure your safeguarding training is up to date and that you understand how to refer concerns; you shouldn't have to come here to figure out what to do.

TheDowagerCountessofPembroke · 11/12/2024 20:58

Report her, but stick to facts that concern children or teaching, not the clothes she wears.

MolkosTeenageAngst · 11/12/2024 20:57

You need to separate your opinions of her and judgement of things like her clothes from professional misconduct or safeguarding issues. If you have a cause for concern related to her behaviour around students and think she isn’t safeguarding students then of course you should speak to the head, you’re failing your duty of care not to and should have done so as soon as you felt concerned. If you have safeguarding concerns you shouldn’t need Mumsnet to tell you to report them to the designated safeguarding lead, this should be basic training in any school!

If there are issues around professional misconduct then these should be reported as well, however it’s unlikely that things like wearing designer labels would be classed as misconduct even if you find them in poor taste, if you’re going to raise concerns make sure they are reasonable and not just personal attacks based on things you dislike or the head is less likely to take your seriously.

MrsHamlet · 11/12/2024 20:57

Of course you report: there are some basic safeguarding concerns here.

JustJoinedRightNow · 11/12/2024 20:55

She sounds awful. Go straight to the head teacher