Unqualified teacher teaching class?

I should add that the school has a lot of "extra" staff, quite a few ND children with helpers, quite a few children for whom English is a second language. They seem to make the most of all their extra staff.

Initially we had two part-time teachers in one class this year, but one left during the first term. Now we have what I believe is two TA's for one day a week, and two days each of two other qualified teachers. Some parents aren't happy, but they seem to have timetabled it so that they have other help too, e.g. PE lesson or other qualified teachers doing some of the day so it's working out fine. The teacher who left was not happy, she clearly didn't want to be there so this would be the lesser of two evils anyway,

As others have already said, private schools often ignore QTS and hire according to their own criteria.

QTS isn't a guarantee the teacher will be good, just as not having it doesn't mean the teacher won't be up to it.

However, having said that, qualifications are a good indication of someone's education and training, so I'd want to find out whether they have a degree, what subject and which uni etc to get a better picture of the individual person.

Thanks for that.

A student teacher who is an experienced LSA is fine to teach the class if properly supervised and supported. In fact, their classroom management skills are probably better than most student teachers!

My daughter qualified as a teacher a couple of years, ago and as a student teacher was just treated as a supply teacher nearly always working alone.

Dd is doing her PGCE and finishing up her last placement.

First placement, she was never alone in the class.

Second placement she was often alone. This was against guidance of the uni placement team, but what can they do... in her school there were 3 people teaching chemistry, none of whom held a relevant degree. DD23 does have a biochem degree, and is/was doing a Biology PGCE. It was a very large school, needed another 2 chemistry teachers, so sciencey placement students that were over 21 with a positive first report, got to learn to teach chemistry without a safety net.
Yay...
(Forgetting, of course that the PGCE is much more about behaviour management which kind of needs input from the experienced teacher in the classroom)

They probably aren’t. Everyone is a bit shit at the start.

"So the student teacher is on their own in the class?"

This was standard during my teacher training and I had far less classroom experience than this person has.

This is normal, so I don't think there's much recourse to complain, but it doesn't mean it's fine. It's not.

It's part of attempts by various governments to deprofessionalise teaching and therefore undermine pay and conditions. Academies, who set their own pay and conditions were just the start. Children deserve to be taught by appropriately qualified people and we are an outlier in terms of comparing us to similar countries in how we approach this. Being a natural teacher is one thing but you need to have a good understanding of theory, pedagogy, the latest research and evidence base and how to apply that in practice to be the most effective teacher. This will allow you to develop, change and improve over your career.

The person who said trainees can be better, yes student teachers can be very good and enthusiastic, but we know there is a big link between experience and quality when it comes to teaching, which is why it's important we retain teachers in the profession in the long term.

I taught for almost 10 years and the move to cover supervisors and TAs over qualified teachers is not a positive one. It isn't that they aren't good, I'm not casting any aspersions on often fantastic support staff. It's that they aren't being paid at the rate a qualified teacher attracts and this undermines the status of the profession and is taking advantage of these people.

You know private schools don't have to employ qualified teachers either? I know a lot of (failed) lawyers who teach at private schools. They have a degree in the subject but that doesn't make them a teacher 🤣

And people pay £30k a year for that.....

Even when I was training 35 years ago there were unqualified teachers teaching classes. I took over someone's entire timetable and taught completely on my own ( observed sometimes)for a whole term.

As a supply teacher with no primary training I taught a year 6 class for 2 terms. I was trained in secondary and my subject was drama, so literally no crossover at all.

Remember private schools use unqualified teachers.

I've met some awful qualified teachers and some fabulous unqualified support staff. I would be happier with my child having a "natural" teacher rather than someone incapable who happens to have a bit of paper.
What is it that really concerns you?

It’s perfectly acceptable in maintained schools - nothing to do with being an Academy.

Support staff are allowed to teach (do what is called “specified work”), but only under the direction and supervision of a qualified teacher. It sounds like in this case the trainee is currently an LSA but that next year she will be employed as a trainee teacher.

Employed trainees are employed, and paid, as unqualified teachers. They do not have to work under the direction and supervision of a qualified teacher.

I am attaching a link to the relevant 2012 Regulations (see para 5 in the Schedule) but as far as I am aware the rule on trainees on employment-based training schemes dates back to 2003.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/762/schedule/made

Totally normal! All 3 of my teacher friends started this year and they’re amazing teachers 😊

My school would much rather employ a qualified teacher but there is a huge recruitment crisis in teaching.
One role was advertised for a year and a half with no applicants. As soon as someone applies for a role we interview them & more than one applicant is a reason to rejoice.

I understand why people aren't going into teaching - parents are unsupportive & demanding, students are arrogant & entitled, and government funding is too low.

I don't think it's acceptable. There is a massive step up from LSA to being responsible for a whole class, every subject, day after day. Presumably the job share teacher will do all of the planning (so really rough on them) but even so, I think the LSA is likely to struggle. "Appropriately supported" is bollocks. If they had teachers to spare for that, they would just have them take the class.

This.
Schools literally have no money and have no choice but to save money on staff as there is nothing else to cut.
I know of a number of schools who are actively replacing staff who leave with ECTs ( newly qualified teachers) as they are cheaper. It doesn't surprise me to see some schools using LSAs more.

There are unqualified teachers in front of classes all over the country,and many, many classes where the teacher is teaching outside their own qualification.

Child at special secondary has very few qualified teachers in his whole school. They use higher trained TA's for virtually all lessons except PE.

She's probably doing school-based training and yes, you tend to spend much more time teaching by yourself. The other teacher and her mentor will keep an eye on planning, marking, etc. to ensure it's up to scratch.
If she's worked there as an LSA before, she probably knows quite a bit about it already.

My TA (previous class, I'm on mat leave) is currently working at my school as a cover teacher (independent school abroad) and she's utterly amazing. She was an amazing TA and she's doing a fantastic job delivering short-term, short-notice cover. She really should be training as a teacher but, being abroad, she doesn't meet the language requirements here just yet.

I don’t think that’s ok, when I was training I was not responsible for a whole class, I wasn’t really even left alone with them regularly. I wouldn’t be happy if think they were taking the p if it was my child. Like going to the dr and seeing the ‘health adviser’ might be it might be legal but you want to see the professional don’t you.

Trainee staff are usually better then qualified staff as they will put more effort in and actually want to be there plus every little thing they do is being judged

It's a good way for schools to save money because they don't have to pay a qualified teacher. It also makes it harder for experienced teachers to get employment.